The glory days from the early 2010s and 2021 are over for the San Francisco Giants. For the past three years, the Giants have been the definition of mediocrity, winning no more than 81 games in a single season. The 2024 year is no different, as they finished under a .500 winning percentage. This season, the team remains in the middle of the pack: ranked 17th in runs per game, 21st in team batting average, 18th in runs allowed per game, and 19th in earned run average. The Giants are stuck in the dreaded state of purgatory. They are not fit for the playoffs, but they are not bad enough to potentially secure a high draft pick. They lie in an uncomfortable middle ground, leading people to wonder, who is at fault for another failed season?
To start, we know who is not to blame: Farhan Zaidi, the president of operations for the Giants. Frustrated fans tend to express their pent-up anger towards him, as they feel hopeless regarding the team’s success. However, when assessing the situation from a logical perspective, Zaidi is not at fault. To initiate success for the team, he began by firing team manager Gape Kapler, who was incompetent at best, and replacing him with Bob Melvin. This move was praised by the media and fans, as Melvin had the capability to steer a desperate team in the right direction. During free agency, Zaidi spent $400 million to improve his team. He brought in stars such as Matt Chapman, Jung Hoo Lee, and Blake Snell while also adding solid veterans such as Jorge Soler and Tom Murphy. Zaidi was applauded for spending money to propel the team into the playoffs. Therefore, he cannot be blamed for the inadequacy of the Giants since he did his job by trying to manufacture a concrete, playoff-capable roster.
Now, let’s look at the easiest source of blame: the players. Player regression was very common throughout the season. Excluding the freak injuries of Jung Hoo Lee and Tom Murphy, there is not much of an excuse for the rest of the team’s performance. Looking at the positives, Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, Logan Webb, Ryan Walker, Heliot Ramos and Tyler Fitzgerald have put together a solid season. While those six players have been great, this does not account for the twenty other players on the roster. Players who should have been cornerstones for the team such as Camilo Doval, Patrick Bailey, and Thairo Estrada have gotten significantly worse this season. Veterans such as Michael Conforto, LaMonte Wade Jr., and Mike Yastrzemski have failed to provide consistent play for a ballclub that is desperate for it. In addition, exciting prospects such as Kyle Harrison, Marco Luciano, and Luis Matos have failed to live up to their expectations. It is difficult for a team like the Giants to have positive production when the majority of the roster struggles to do so.
Another source of regression is from the coaching staff’s unreliability. Bob Melvin was supposed to offer veteran leadership and experience to the team. Instead, his questionable decision-making was detrimental numerous times throughout the year. Pitching coach Brian Price instilled an old-school approach to the pitching staff. This resulted in overusing young pitchers such as Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong, who weren’t used to having such large expectations. Furthermore, hitting coaches Justin Viele and Pat Burrell couldn’t solve the lack of production that has plagued the Giants for the past few years.
2025 might be the last chance for Zaidi and Melvin to prove that they can change the course of the ship for the sinking Giants. While we are unsure how this will be accomplished, it’s never too late for a turnaround. The only way from here is up!
