Four years ago, when the Giants finished Game 19 of the 2021 season, they were 12-7, two games behind NL West-leading World Series champion Dodgers. After four straight seasons of losing, few expect a Giants club that has remained the same since the previous year even after a steady start to the season. With San Francisco impossible to continue winning 107 games and defeating Los Angeles’ title by just one game, there is even less expectation of what actually happens.
In this year's game, the Giants were 13-6 and even closer to the Dodgers, who dominate the World Series, after the halftime game, after the Giants' 19th game. For San Francisco fans have been shrouded in three mediocre seasons since the 2021 magical campaign, the Giants’ start has been a huge breath of fresh air. The hot spots start with the outfielder Jung Hoo Lee and Mike Yastrzemski Has helped bring the offense to the third highest score in today's Grand Slam. Logan Webber Continue as a perennial candidate for the Cy Young Award. The bullpen pound 1.89 ERA is the second best person in any baseball.
Those encouraging signs, there is an argument that the team is aware of some areas. Willy Adames After signing the largest contract in the history of the franchise, it has not started to hit. Lamonte Wade Jr. Of course it won't reach 102 all year round, even if he does continue to struggle, the prospects are high Bryce Eldridge Eventually, shoes can be asked to be installed on first base. The dull age of spin (4.80) almost all outperforms its FIP (3.90) and Siera (4.00); Justin Verlander and Jordan Hicks It will almost certainly not continue to run the era north of 6.00.
Projection systems are often already starting to be put into the popular starts in San Francisco. The Fanggraphs brought the Giants a 51.3% chance to get the playoffs with a 86-76 record, which is a huge improvement in their pre-season predictions (81-81, 28.5% chance of postseason).
This is not to say there are no potential red flags. The spin looks rough outside of Webber. The rest of the group started from roughness to rebound to at least some extent, but Robbie RayThe speed is the second highest ever mark, with his opponent nearly 18%. Can this version of Verlander, 42, or Ray of Hicks be the second starter on the playoff team? There may be many questions. Meanwhile, the bullpen currently performs better than its FIP and Siera, almost half and half.
However, if the Giants want to maintain their current success, their biggest obstacle is the NL West landscape. Their excellent 13-6 record only finished third in the division, behind fourth-placed D defender (he has won five games in a row and seven in the last eight). Arizona, San Diego, and Los Angeles in particular, has entered the season not only like expected contenders, but also into the potential dominant club. Their start of the season hasn't changed those expectations, and while the Giants have already achieved an impressive series beat clubs like the Yankees and the Astros, they haven't played a single game on their divisions yet.
Their first big test in this regard will be two games against Padres at the end of this month. The Giants will be in Arizona for the first time around a month from now, not facing the Dodgers until mid-June. Perhaps being able to face off against division rivals later this season would allow the Giants to build enough mats to sustain themselves through trade deadlines and could increase reinforcements. In mid-September, 13 games were played against the D-Backs and Dodgers, raising potentially huge obstacles late in the season.
How does MLBTR readers think of San Francisco's hot starts as sustainable? Can they exceed preseason expectations that they end around .500, or even until October? There is a say in the following polls:
