San Francisco Giants Should Be Optimistic Even as Star Slugger Struggles

The San Francisco Giants should be optimistic they can sustain their offensive success.

Apr 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames (2) runs home against the Milwaukee Brewers in the sixth inning at Oracle Park. / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

It has been a great start to the season for the San Francisco Giants, who continue to exceed expectations.

Coming into the year, it was hard to predict that the Giants were going to be a much better team than in the campaign prior.

This winter, the team made a couple of notable additions, but they also lost some key players. As the franchise seemingly went into a bit of a retool with Buster Posey taking over as president, contending for a  playoff spot seemed unlikely.

However, San Francisco is looking very much like a postseason contender in 2025, with some excellent performances from both pitchers and hitters.

Overall, there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about the Giants going forward, but what might be most impressive is how well their offense has performed despite their new star slugger struggling.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) recently wrote that the Giants should be optimistic about sustaining success on offense considering their new star slugger is not off to an ideal start.

“San Francisco is top five in the majors in runs scored even though Willy Adames, a notorious slow starter, has batted .202 with only one homer early in his Giants career," he wrote.

It has not been a good start to the year for Willy Adames, but that isn’t uncommon. Last year, he started out slow as well, but then finished the campaign, slashing .251/.331/.462 with 32 home runs and 111 RBI.

Despite arguably the best hitter on the team struggling, the Giants have been doing very well offensively.

A lot of credit has to go to outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, who in his sophomore season is putting up some excellent numbers. Furthermore, Wilmer Flores is also back and healthy, producing at a high level compared to his injury-riddled 2024 campaign.

Last year, the offense would disappear at times for San Francisco. If Heliot Ramos or Matt Chapman weren’t playing well, it would be a struggle for the team to score runs.

This season, the team seemingly has a lot more depth in the lineup. While Adames isn't hitting well, he does lengthen the lineup and provides them with a threat in the middle of the order.

Now, while the team is exceeding expectations, they do need to keep it up. Realistically, the offense around Adames might take a step back toward the mean. However, once the talented slugger gets going, he can carry a unit for stretches.

Hopefully, the team can continue to be a force offensively throughout the campaign and see where it might take them.

Recommended Articles

feed