San Francisco Giants Skipper Explains What Team's Identity Will Be This Season

After a disappointing campaign in 2024, the San Francisco Giants have a better idea of what type of team they are this year.

Feb 13, 2025; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin (6) watches player work out in the bullpen during spring training camp | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants have begun spring training with a vigorous endorsement of Bob Melvin at the helm.

After an 80-82 finish in 2024, the Giants will be looking to rebound with the 21-year manager leading the way.

There isn't much reason to doubt Melvin, especially since one season isn't enough to evaluate where the club is going. A long winter has given San Francisco a quality group of talent to flourish this spring.

Thus far, the Giants have fared well, despite falling in their exhibition appearances on Monday and Tuesday.

"We talked about what our identity is. What kind of team are we?" Melvin said per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. "We've got to be able to protect the baseball, we've got to play clean, our situational stuff has got to be better. In our ballpark, typically the games are pretty close, and if we don't beat ourselves and we understand that the little things matter, develop instincts, run the bases better, all those type of things -- we need to be that clean, fundamentally sound baseball team that shows up every day and plays a good clean game. That's what we're looking to do."

Melvin used his first season as a building block to establish relationships with the players and figure out the vision moving forward.

With the front office expected to deliver help as the season progresses, the path for him to spark San Francisco is right there, given his track record as a manager.

"It feels like a much more fundamentally sound, defense-oriented team," Melvin said. "Now obviously you've got to hit, too, but we feel like there's some depth in our lineup. We need to clean up the situational stuff last year that was a real problem for us. It doesn't always take your 'A' swing to drive in a run."

Melvin is a three-time Manager of the Year Award recipient - in 2007 with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL and with the Oakland Athletics in the AL in 2012 and 2018.

The Giants have carried over much of last year's talent, while fixing certain areas of the roster, so another award is within reach for him if things go well in his second year with the team.