Sunday, April 06

SAN FRANCISCO -- Spring Training stats don’t mean much, but the Giants wrapped up their exhibition slate on Tuesday with plenty to feel good about. 

They emerged as Cactus League champions and finished with the best winning percentage in the Majors after going 21-6-4 over 31 games this spring. The games, of course, won’t matter until the regular season begins on Thursday at Cincinnati, but the Giants are hoping they can continue to ride that momentum and come out of the gate strong in 2025. 

“When you have a bad spring, you say it’s only Spring Training,” manager Bob Melvin said. “When you have a good spring, then you feel like it can carry you forward a little bit. With some new guys here and a little bit of a different style of play, I think it’s beneficial that we did have a good spring and we got some results.” 

Spring Training wins don’t guarantee success during the regular season, but several positive trends emerged that could bode well for the Giants moving forward. They ranked third in team ERA (3.58) and issued the fewest walks of any pitching staff in the Majors (71), underscoring the club’s emphasis on strike-throwing this spring. Their offense, meanwhile, finished third in OPS (.839) and fifth in batting average (.278), an encouraging showing from a lineup that got a major boost from the arrival of shortstop Willy Adames over the offseason. 

The early season projections are still fairly low on the Giants, who are forecasted to finish fourth in the National League West for the second straight year by Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA system. But the Giants believe they have enough talent to surprise, especially since the bar will be raised now that three-time World Series champion Buster Posey is back leading the organization as the club’s new president of baseball operations. 

“We believe in ourselves,” third baseman Matt Chapman said. “We believe in the guys in this room, and our goal is to win.”

What needs to go right? 

With an accomplished trio -- Logan Webb, Justin Verlander and Robbie Ray -- leading the way, the Giants’ rotation has the potential to be among the best in the league, but health, as always, will be paramount. Verlander, 42, was limited to only 17 starts in 2024 due to neck and shoulder injuries, but he’s back to full strength now and is determined to show that he still has something left in the tank. Ray, 33, experienced some ups and downs after returning from Tommy John surgery last summer, but he’s looked sharp after going through a normal spring and could be poised to regain his Cy Young form this year. 

Great unknown

What do the Giants have in Jung Hoo Lee? The 26-year-old Korean star possesses elite contact skills, but he appeared in only 37 games before suffering a season-ending left shoulder injury in 2024. Lee also dealt with some back tightness toward the end of camp, but he’s on track to be ready for Opening Day and is expected to hit in the heart of the Giants’ order this year. If he can stay healthy and produce like he did in the KBO, Lee could enjoy a breakout year and establish himself as a major catalyst for the Giants on both sides of the ball. 

Team MVP will be … Matt Chapman

Chapman crushed a team-high 27 home runs and won his fifth career Gold Glove at third base last season, but he has the potential to take another step forward now that he has the security of a six-year, $151 million contract extension. He certainly looked comfortable at the plate this spring, hitting .400 with a 1.271 OPS and six home runs over 17 exhibition games.

Team Cy Young will be ... Robbie Ray

Webb would be the easy choice, as he’s earned Cy Young votes in three straight seasons, but Ray comes with a tantalizingly high ceiling and looked dominant after debuting a new changeup he learned from Tigers ace Tarik Skubal over the offseason. The veteran left-hander recorded a 1.86 ERA over five exhibition starts, racking up 23 strikeouts while issuing only one walk over 19 1/3 innings. 

Bold prediction: Camilo Doval will regain the closer’s role

Doval lost the closing gig to Ryan Walker amid a nightmare 2024 season, but he’s a former All-Star who still has one of the most electric arms in the league. The 27-year-old right-hander has shown flashes of his old dominance this spring, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that he’ll bounce back and return to the top of the bullpen hierarchy this year.

The Giants will have a slew of new food offerings at Oracle Park this year, including a popcorn bat, beverage bat and fastball souvenir cup. Other additions include the Launch Test Kitchen, which will bring guest chefs and restaurants into Oracle Park for limited stints, and Rah Rah Ramen, which will be located at Section 127. Check out a full thread of the new food options here. 

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