We'll close out the San Francisco Giants 2025 Season Review with a not of optimism. If it seemed like the Giants hit better in the second half, it wasn't a mirage. Their Team OPS pre All-Star Break was a measly .678, #24 in MLB. Their second half Team OPS was much better at .724 good for #14. Let's break that down to some of the individual players:
Willy Adames:
Pre All-Star: .680
Post All-Star: .829.
Jung Hoo Lee:
Pre All-Star: .720
Post All-Star: .759.
Patrick Bailey:
Pre All-Star: .564
Post All-Star: .647
Luis Matos:
Pre All-Star: .601
Post All-Star: .794.
Christian Koss:
Pre All-Star: .662
Post All-Star: .695.
Dominic Smith:
Pre All-Star: .682
Post All-Star: .795
Some players did about the same or worse Post All-Star:
Matt Chapman:
Pre All-Star: .773
Post All-Star: .767
Heliot Ramos:
Pre All-Star: .766
Post All-Star: .674.
Casey Schmitt:
Pre All-Star: .741
Post All-Star: .684.
Wilmer Flores:
Pre All-Star: .696
Post All-Star: .656
Rafael Devers is tougher since he was traded on June 16. He was better in the second half even including his Red Sox numbers: .844 vs .861. Here are his monthly splits(Giants only):
June: .620
July: .705
August: .989
September: .774.
Comments: There are reasons to think the second half improvements were more than random regression: Adames was trying too hard in the first half(he is also a notoriously slow starter). Lee made definite adjustments at the All-Star Break. Bailey got off to a terrible start, tried a torpedo bat that seemed to make things worse. He improved noticeably when he went back to a standard bat. Christian Koss obviously worked his but off to get better. Dominic Smith found a home. Luis Matos batted .415 in August but then was sent back to AAA after batting .143 in just 6 games in September. Why? Of the regressers, I think Ramos and Schmitt are the most concerning. Chapman battled a sore hand most of the season and Flores probably won't be back in 2026. It took Devers 2-3 weeks to recover from the shock of the trade but after that he was everything the Buster Posey and the Giants hoped for.
March - July SF Giants scored 4.06 runs per game (54-55 record)
ReplyDeleteAugust - September they scored 4.94 runs per game (27-26 record)
Their pitching suffered after July 31 due to injuries and trades, but their offense, without YtY and with changes in RF and 1B, prospered.
Isn't this another testament to bolster the pitching this off season?
Although it wouldn't hurt to stabilize RF if not too expensive, perhaps improvement will come from the multiple youths vying for the position.
I think Buster said pitching is his priority and it should be.
DeleteAnd there is a LOT of pitchers, 1½ times as many pitchers, SP + RP, as batters.
DeleteRelief pitchers outnumber starters, roughly 7-5.
There are unknowns, numbers of opt-outs and releases, but there will be more than 200 free agents.
There are up to 10 RFers, starting with Kyle Tucker who could get $40M/year, and, after him, more "affordable" options, should the Giants want to add a bat rather than let their many OF prospects compete. And, there is YtY...