San Francisco Giants Success Will Be Determined by Impact of Young Players

The San Francisco Giants could surprise some people this season if their young players make an impact.

Feb 13, 2025; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee (51) catches fly balls during spring training camp. / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants know that they have some major obstacles to overcome if they want to rise in the standings during the 2025 season.

They have been stuck in a period of mediocrity since Buster Posey retired, winning 80, 79 and 81 games in the three years since he hung up his cleats.

Now that he is part of the front office as the president of baseball operations, he is hoping to bring the team back to the level of prominence he experienced as a player winning three World Series.

He and new general manager Zack Minasian got off to a hot start in that regard, landing star shortstop Willy Adames early in free agency.

The two sides agreed to a seven-year, $182 million contract, the largest deal in franchise history, to address what they determined was their biggest need coming into the winter.

Not only does Adames fill their void at shortstop, enabling Tyler Fitzgerald to move over to second base, he adds some much-needed pop to the lineup as one of the better power-hitting shortstops in the game.

To help offset the loss of Blake Snell in free agency, the team dipped into free agency again, coming away with future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander.

Expecting Verlander to step right into the role Snell vacated is unrealistic, but he adds another reliable arm for manager Bob Melvin to rely on along with Robbie Ray and Jordan Hicks.

Alas, the gap between the Giants and their National League West rivals remains a large one. That is part of the reason why Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) has placed them at No. 21 in his spring training power rankings.

However, there are reasons for optimism that San Francisco can start climbing the standings and contend for at least a wild card spot.

There are some high-upside young players who are going to have a chance to make an impact to raise the team’s ceiling.

In the lineup, all eyes will be on center fielder Jung Hoo Lee.

Prior to joining the Giants ahead of the 2024 campaign, he was an MVP and multi-time Gold Glover winner in the KBO.

His first season stateside was derailed by a season-ending shoulder injury, but he has a dynamic skill set. Lee and Adames have the potential to be an incredibly productive duo atop the order.

On the mound, Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong are going to be battling it out for one of the rotation spots in Opening Day during camp.

Harrison, a lefty, has incredible upside as he was one of the top prospects in the game entering 2024. If he can regian the strikeout prowess he showcased in the minor leagues, he has front end of the rotation stuff.

Birdsong made his debut in 2024 and experienced some struggles with pitch count management. If he can scale hone in the control and scale back the walks, he too can find success with his already impressive 11.0 K/9 ratio.

Either of them rounding out the rotation behind Logan Webb, Verlander, Ray and Hicks would be a win for the franchise not only in 2025 but their future outlook as well.

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