San Francisco Giants 2026 Preview: 12-Year Title Drought Will Continue For This Mediocre Team
San Francisco last won the World Series 12 years ago. Last season, they were 81-81. This year, they could be a little better, but in a division with the Dodgers and Padres, this team will finish in third place, at best. Their couple of stars will lead them, but depth is a question.
The President of Baseball Operations for the San Francisco Giants is Buster Posey. He has a penchant for signing and trading for aging stars who are owed a bunch of money. Will they be able to lead this team?
San Francisco Giants 2026 Preview
The San Francisco Giants have a difficult challenge ahead of them in the National League West. However, they do have stars.
Pitching
The starting rotation is led by Logan Webb. He is a stable workhorse who keeps the ball on the ground. The second starter for the San Francisco Giants is Robbie Ray. Last season, he was steady, making 32 starts and pitching 182.1 innings. The Giants signed Tyler Mahle to be the third starter. He made 16 starts last season for the Texas Rangers and was good in his starts, pitching to a 2.18 earned run average. Adrian Houser will be the fourth starter. He is an average pitcher. Landen Roupp will be the fifth starter. He showed some talent last year.
The closer is Ryan Walker. He has decreased velocity, but is an elite ground ball pitcher. The rest of the bullpen is Joel Peguero, Erik Miller, Jose Butto, Ryan Borucki, and Sam Hentges. Peguero and Hentges are starting the season on the injured list. Last year, this group allowed the fourth-highest percentage of inherited runners to score. They need to improve that.
Hitting
At catcher, the San Francisco has an elite defender in Patrick Bailey. His offensive numbers have fallen off a bit, but the switch-hitter needs to be just average at the plate to justify his glove. Daniel Susac will back him up.
The big stars are in the infield. This team will succeed if these guys hit their career averages. Rafael Devers is the first baseman. Luis Arraez is the second baseman. Willy Adames is the shortstop. Matt Chapman is the third baseman.
In the outfield, Heliot Ramos is the left fielder. He had a great first half last year, but fell off precipitously in the second half. Jung Hoo Lee is the right fielder. He is an extreme contact hitter who could win a batting title. In center field, the Giants have Harrison Bader. He had 271 at-bats two years ago, and only 171 last year.
The designated hitter is Jerar Encarnation. He is huge, but unproven. Devers will get some at-bats there, as will some of the other aging stars on the infield. In that case, Casey Schmidtt backs up all of the infield positions.
Organization and Management
The management and organization of this team is interesting. Posey will be characterized by his massive gamble on Devers. The manager of the club was Bob Melvin, but he was fired after last season and replaced by Tony Vitello. Vitello was the college manager at the University of Tennessee; he has yet to manage one game in Major League Baseball.
Parting Shots
The San Francisco Giants are a mediocre team that has some aging stars but questionable depth. If they are blessed with good health they could win 87 games, but it is more likely they will have some injuries and be about .500. That is not good enough in a division with the rival Dodgers and Padres.
