San Francisco Giants' New Boss is Significant Reason for Team's Hot Start

New president of baseball operations Buster Posey has come in and changed the franchise's direction in one offseason.

Dec 12, 2024; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey speaks during the introductory press conference for shortstop Willy Adames (not pictured) at Oracle Park. | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Much has been made of Buster Posey taking over as the president of baseball operations and his vision for the future of the team.

Although he didn't do much roster wise, essentially only signing Willy Adames and Justin Verlander, the excitement around the San Francisco Giants was palpable all offseason.

It was a fresh start with a former franchise icon at the helm. They performed well during Spring Training, but the anticipation was kept at a minimum. After all, this was essentially the same team that finished 80-82 a season ago.

Add in that Adames has struggled to the tune of a .542 OPS, and Verlander has a 4.99 ERA and 1.402 WHIP, how has this team managed get off to such a hot start? The Giants were tied for first place going into Tuesday's action.

One huge factor that the entire team seems to agree on is that Posey has had a hand in that.

"He came in and gave a speech on the first day, and it felt awesome... try to play a brand of baseball and not roll over for any game," said team ace Logan Webb to the San Francisco Chronicle (subscription required).

Webb played with Posey, and remembers first hand what he's like to be around. His presence reminds the right hander of the 2021 season.

Not only is his overall presence a factor, but he is hands on with the team, as well. Per the article, Posey has been open to questions and even helped second baseman Tyler Fitzgerald fix his hands for his batting stance after a poor spring training.

One reason that Verlander signed with San Francisco is that Posey's pitch resonated with the future Hall of Famer, mixing analytics with old school baseball guys.

"I don’t want to say I hope it works. I think it should work... I hope it swings back the other way and guys like Buster can swing it back," Verlander said.

One of the biggest issues that people had with the Farhan Zaidi regime was the inconsistent lineups. They were based on strictly matchups, with only a few being everyday players. Posey and manager Bob Melvin have changed that.

This season, there has been a set lineup everyday that remains the same, apart from switching Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee based on matchups.

Unlike previous years, the players don't have a short leash. They are given more time to get out of their struggles and find their footing instead of being shipped back to Triple-A.

The Giants have been one of the hottest teams in baseball all season, and the only fitting way to put it, is that the vibes are high in San Francisco.