Giants Baseball Insider

San Francisco Giants Considered Most Well-Rounded Team in Spring Training

The San Francisco Giants have been one of the most well-rounded teams through the first few weeks of spring training.
Jun 30, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants left fielder Luis Matos (29) high fives starting pitcher Spencer Bivens (76) after the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park.
Jun 30, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants left fielder Luis Matos (29) high fives starting pitcher Spencer Bivens (76) after the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park. | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

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The San Francisco Giants have been arguably the most well-rounded team of spring training so far, with both sides of the ball looking solid.

With stats leading into Monday's games, MLB data account BrooksGate displayed a graph comparing each team's average ERA and OPS. The Giants were the closest to the top-right corner, meaning that they have had the best balance of both pitching and hitting going in the right direction.

Through 17 games, they have an .836 OPS. That is good for fifth-best in baseball.

Of players with at least 10 plate appearances, third baseman Matt Chapman has had the best start. He has a .529/.652/1.235 slash line with six walks to six strikeouts.

Chapman's impressive slugging numbers come from the fact that he already has four home runs, which is tied for second-best in MLB.

Other starting players that have had promising starts at the plate are Jung Hoo Lee and Wily Adames.

Lee finding success at the plate is one of the most crucial developments for San Francisco this offseason. His 37-game MLB debut saw him play up to expectation on defense, but his bat left plenty to desire.

In his first 24 plate appearances this spring, he has a .333/.448/.625 slash line with two home runs and a double.

Adames is also important as he was the biggest investment they made this offseason. He has been great at the plate for much of his career, so it shouldn't be too shocking that he is doing well, but many are fearful of him being a bust due to his strikeout rate.

The strikeouts are still coming in bunches, but a .375/.464/.542 slash line over 24 plate appearances should be good enough to ease any worries.

Over on the pitching side, they have a team ERA of 3.66. That is the third-best mark in the league. That number will improve when accounting for Monday's win as they gave up just two runs to the Colorado Rockies.

Hayden Birdsong's start to the year may be the most encouraging sign on the pitching staff. He has allowed just one run and four hits in seven innings while striking out 10 batters.

Birdsong was solid in his rookie season and it looks like he could be fighting for a rotation spot at some point soon.

Robbie Ray is another starting pitcher that has had a good start with five scoreless innings. With him finally healthy, perhaps he can return to his Cy Young-level.

The Giants have championship aspirations and are off to as good of a start as they could ask for in 2025.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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