San Francisco Giants First Half Respectable and Disappointing
After putting up a franchise-record 107 wins last season, this year’s iteration of the San Francisco Giants hasn’t measured up to quite that level of dominance. Their 48-43 record at the All-Star break was still plenty respectable; they were within a game of the third wild card spot. Optimistic Giants fans can point to their +51-run differential in the first half being twenty runs better than the Padres, who occupy the second spot in the NL West standings, as a sign that general manager Farhan Zaidi should reload at the deadline and make a splashy, Kris Bryant-reminiscent acquisition in the next week. Do they really have what it takes to hang with the Dodgers, Mets, and Braves for a shot at the World Series come October, though? If the first half was any indication, not really. Their lifeless play from June 15th to July 8th, in which they went a miserable 4-14 in 18 games, was indicative of some deeply rooted roster flaws that can’t be fixed by selling their souls for Juan Soto.
Despite Carlos Rodón and Logan Webb putting up brilliant numbers at the front of the rotation, the Giants’ defense – once one of the club’s biggest strengths – has now become a glaring weakness that has cost them time and time again. Their league-best 3.38 FIP has been offset by a lackluster -29 DRS as a team, leading to a more average 3.84 team ERA. Brandon Crawford, once arguably the premier defensive shortstop in the game, has looked much more human on both sides of the ball compared to his standout year last season. He also has made two trips to the IL already this season, and his companion on the left side of the infield, Evan Longoria, has only managed to appear in 47 contests. Brandon Belt, a perennial Gold Glove candidate at first base throughout his career, appeared in just 53 games himself and hasn’t made much of an impact when healthy enough to play.
In the absence of these aging defensive wizards, an assortment of below-average defenders have stretched to play multiple positions at a sub-par level. When LaMonte Wade Jr., an outfielder by trade, is asked to play first base on a semi-regular basis, it’s not hard to fathom why the infield defense has struggled so much. Wilmer Flores and Tommy La Stella, two of the slowest non-catchers not named Albert Pujols in the game today, have never been known for their smooth hands and quick feet. Mike Yastrzemski has been an asset in the outfield, but Joc Pederson and Darin Ruf don’t have the range to chase down anything other than the most routine flyouts. The defense has suffered, and with a roster devoid of almost any youth or athleticism, it’s not a problem that’s going to turn around with guys taking a few more pregame grounders.
The Giants won titles in their heyday with a lack of star power relative to other championship teams – they did the little things well, and the team was greater than the sum of its parts. This team doesn’t have a Buster Posey or a Hunter Pence to rally the troops, nor does it have a Julio Rodríguez or a Mookie Betts to provide a spark of dynamism. There are no marketable stars on the team to drum up fan interest, save for maybe Carlos Rodón, but he only plays every five days and surely will be testing the free agent market once again this winter. This is a team that won a franchise record number of games just last year and is still over .500, yet they’re only 13th in the majors with an average draw of around 30,500 fans per game. Ten years ago, by contrast, they were in the middle of a remarkable 530-game sellout streak. Whether its fans becoming disillusioned with the Giants’ apparent master plan or just a general disconnectedness with the guys wearing the uniforms, the fans have found this version of the Giants pretty near unwatchable.
Marco Luciano, Kyle Harrison and the rest of the next wave of talent toiling away in the minors is the key to the team’s rejuvenation, and then building around those guys with a known star, like Aaron Judge or Juan Soto could have see the Giants become a powerhouse again. Trading three or four budding young stars for Soto, who will inevitably cost over $450 million to lock up anyway, is not the answer for them right now. If they squeak into a Wild Card spot, that’s all well and good, but you really have to squint to envision the Giants going toe-to-toe with the real big dogs in the National League. They don’t have the offensive firepower. They don’t have the defense. They don’t have the bullpen. Trevor Rosenthal has been a nice bandaid on a larger problem area. The Giants front office has a tough assignment deciding whether to buy or sell over the next week, with long-term implications that could make or break the team’s future hang in the balance.
