Slugger’s Bounce Back Performance Has Propelled San Francisco Giants Strong Start

The hot start from a surprise member of the batting order has helped the San Francisco Giants.

Apr 2, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; San Francisco Giants designated hitter Wilmer Flores (41) hits a two run home run to left field against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Daikin Park. | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants are surprising many around baseball with their excellent start to the campaign. 

Coming into the year, it was hard to predict what type of team the Giants were going to be after their offseason moves. However, early indications are that this going to be a good team in 2025. 

After years of struggles, San Francisco performing well early on is encouraging to see. 

This winter, the team only made a couple of notable additions, but their decisions have paid off so far. 

While the Giants won’t be tested by a team from their own division until the end of the month, they are doing very well against other teams from both leagues so far. 

When looking at San Francisco, this is clearly a team that is built on pitching. However, the lineup also appears to be improved so far. 

Offense has been a major issue during the years of struggles, but the batting order is performing well enough for the team as of now, which is encouraging to see. 

Maria Guardado of MLB.com recently spoke about the biggest takeaway from the team being the performance of Wilmer Flores. 

“Flores hit only four home runs over 71 games while dealing with a nagging right knee injury in 2024, but he’s already showing how dangerous he can be when healthy.”

The right-handed slugger has been on San Francisco since 2020 now, and there have been some bright moments. Even though he has the reputation of being a great hitter against left-handed pitching, Flores has had a solid overall career and is just a good baseball player. 

Unfortunately, injuries really derailed his year in 2024, playing in just 71 games and being largely ineffective when on the field. However, with a full offseason and spring training, he looks to be much healthier and ready for a big season. 

So far, through seven games in 2025, he has slashed .214/.267/.643 with four home runs and 10 RBI. 

The four home runs this campaign already match the number that he totaled in 2024, showing that his knee is feeling well this year. 

For San Francisco, if they are going to continue their excellent play, they will need players like Flores to continue to perform well. 

Getting offense throughout the lineup is key for the Giants, especially considering their lack of star power in the middle of the order. 

Furthermore, the slugging from the first baseman has been great to see. This is an area that the team has struggled in for years, but perhaps they are getting ready to turn the corner in that area.