San Francisco Giants Veteran Providing Much-Needed Power Surge Early in Season

A San Francisco Giants veteran has gotten off to a hot start in the power department.

Mar 29, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Wilmer Flores (41) at bat in the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants know that if they want to improve this season, they need players to step up in their lineup.

They appear to have the pitching to compete for a playoff spot in the National League, but their success will ultimately come down to whether their offense can score enough runs.

That includes veteran first baseman/designated hitter Wilmer Flores, who's off to a hot start after a disappointing 2024.

In 2023, he put together the best season of his career with a 2.7 WAR across 456 plate appearances. He hit a career-high 23 home runs to go along with 22 doubles, providing the Giants with a much-needed source of power in their lineup.

He regressed last season, however. Battling a balky knee that required a Tenex procedure, Flores appeared in only 71 games and made 242 plate appearances. He wasn’t productive with -0.6 WAR and a .206/.277/.318 slash line.

Were it not for the player option in his contract, San Francisco would've likely moved on from him last winter. He was motivated to prove he could still help the team win, and he's done his part in the early going.

Flores has been one of the team's main power bats thus far, swatting three home runs in 16 plate appearances. He's already nearly matched his home run total from last year, when he hit only four.

WILMER FLORES HAS DONE IT AGAIN ‼ pic.twitter.com/JLPW4cCmTx

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 1, 2025

He's been carrying the Giants' offense thus far with his team-leading 209 OPS+ and eight RBI, looking like a one-man wrecking crew.

It has been a much-needed resurgence for the veteran, especially with fellow DH Jerar Encarnacion, going down with a left hand fracture that will sideline him for at least two months.

That will be a situation to keep an eye on, especially if LaMonte Wade Jr. cannot shake his brutal 0-for-13 start.

It's still early, so time will tell if Flores can stay healthy and keep up the pace. If he approaches 20 home runs again, San Francisco’s outlook will improve drastically.