It's hard to believe that we're nearly 10 years removed from the San Francisco Giants winning their third World Series title in the span of five seasons in 2014. The early 2010s were owned by the Giants, but the last eight seasons have been mostly disappointing for baseball fans in the Bay Area. Two playoff appearances since that last championship have resulted in just one advancement in the postseason (a win in the 2016 NL Wild Card game). Despite a lack of recent success, the Giants were serious players for big-ticket free agents Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa this offseason.
Outside of a surprise 107-win season in 2021, the Giants do not have a winning season across the last six years. Coming off a .500 season last year, San Francisco is projected to finish right around the same mark in 2023. With the Los Angeles Dodgers as heavy favorites again in the NL West, do the Giants have enough to secure one of the three wild card spots in the National League and make a return to the postseason?
3. Who will be the clean-up hitter?
Power is the name of the game in this era of baseball. Fans love the long ball, and while it's possible to win without it, the numbers don't lie. Eight of the 12 playoff teams last season were top 10 in the league in home runs.
The Giants finished 13th in the league in homers last season, but only one player had more than 20 (Joc Pederson led the team with 23). Furthermore, only Pederson and Wilmer Flores had 70 or more RBIs.
The team power numbers were above average, but having a reliable player who consistently drives in runs can make or break a team's season. Unfortunately for the Giants, there is no obvious choice for manager Gabe Kapler in terms of a four-hole hitter.
Newly signed outfielder Michael Conforto should be the leading candidate for the spot. Conforto has a career .791 OPS in 534 at-bats in the clean-up spot. He also averaged 29 home runs and 81 RBIs from 2017-2019.
Conforto missed the entire 2022 season rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery, and the Giants are taking somewhat of a gamble bringing his services to San Francisco.
If Conforto can get back to his hitting ways prior to the surgery though, his two-year* deal could be seen as a bargain.
2. Will an everyday first baseman emerge?
Baseball fans may do a double-take this season when they look at the first few Giants lineups and don't see Brandon Belt's name. After 12 seasons in San Francisco, Belt left the Giants to join the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason.
Now the Giants look to replace Belt at first base and they have some intriguing options. With that, it's most likely that there will be a carousel of players at the right corner of the infield.
Versatility can make a player much more valuable, and if the Giants have nothing else, it's versatile players who can play multiple positions. Last season, the Giants had five different players play 10 or more games at multiple positions.
Three of those players, Wilmer Flores, Lamonte Wade Jr. and J.D. Davis, appeared 14 or more times at first base. The three of them will likely split time at first, with Flores and Davis bouncing around the infield.
Wade Jr. has the best chance to take a grasp on the job. With the additions of Conforto and Mitch Haniger, as well as the re-signing of Joc Pederson, Wade Jr. may not get as much playing time in the outfield this season.
If he wants to be in the everyday lineup, getting his numbers up at the plate while playing a solid defensive first base may be his best chance.
1. Can Logan Webb be the ace of the Giants rotation?
With the departure of Carlos Rodón to the New York Yankees, the Giants will turn to a different face to lead the pitching staff in 2023. Luckily for the Giants, they already have someone on the roster from last season that should be able to slot into the role just fine.
Logan Webb is one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball and is slated to be the next Giants ace, and rightfully so. Following a breakout season in 2021 (3.03 ERA, 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings in 26 starts), Webb proved it wasn't a fluke in 2022.
Last season, Webb made 32 starts, accumulating a 2.90 ERA (seventh-best in the NL), and won 15 games with 19 quality starts. Though his strikeout numbers were down a bit from 2021, Webb was an innings eater for the Giants in 2022, going at least six innings in 20 of his 32 starts.
Perhaps most impressively though, the Giants won 40 of the 58 games Webb started over the last two seasons.
For the second straight season, Webb will be the Opening Day starter for the San Francisco Giants. No longer in the shadow of Rodón, this season could be the year Logan Webb turns into a bonafide ace and is firmly recognized among the elite starting pitchers in Major League Baseball.
*Note: Michael Conforto has an opt-out in his contract after this season if he has at least 350 plate appearances.
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