The first season of the Buster Posey/Tony Vitello regime in San Francisco did not go well. San Francisco won just 65 games in 2026, a 16-game downgrade after the Giants finished .500 in 2025. It led to a somewhat significant sell-off in the summer, and more questions as to whether this core can lead the Giants back to the playoffs.
The Offense
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Scored | 669 | 26th |
| Home Runs | 178 | 20th |
| OPS | .706 | 23rd |
| Whiff% | 24.3 | 9th |
| Hard Hit% | 37.1 | 24th |
The Pitching
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Starters’ ERA | 4.48 | 24th |
| Relievers’ ERA | 4.14 | 14th |
| Strikeouts | 1204 | 27th |
| Whiff% | 22.9 | 27th |
| Chase% | 28.8 | 26th |
The Good
If the Giants are going to have any hopes of competing in 2027, the club will need the big bats to come through. At least in some cases, the heavy hitters did last season.
Rafael Devers didn’t slow down in his first full season as a Giant. Devers hit a club-high 37 home runs in 2026 and was on an absolute tear before he went down to injury in September. Before he went down to season-ending core surgery, Devers’ 15 home runs from August 1 through September 14 were the second-most in the Majors.
The longtime Red Sox also handled things well at first, although the Giants have another first baseman to watch, Bryce Eldridge. Eldridge, who made his MLB debut late in 2025, didn’t get into a big-league game until May 4. He did not make the team out of camp but did perform at a high level upon his return.
Eldridge played 107 games in 2206 for the Giants and slashed .269/.364/.461 with 17 home runs and 40 extra-base hits.
The Giants also saw a big year for INF/OF Casey Schmitt, who worked his way back into the lineup as a regular during Tony Vitello’s first season as manager. Schmitt hit 21 home runs in 98 games, an impressive feat. The lone blemish was the 2.7% BB% rate that ranked as the lowest in all of MLB (min. 350 PA).
While that kind of rate can be tolerated by one player — especially one who was hitting before he went down to a season-ending injury — an issue that the Giants had was getting hitters on base. We’ll get more into that later on.
One player who didn’t have that trouble was Luis Arraez, who posted a stellar .360 on-base percentage before the club traded him to Philadelphia. Granted, as has become tradition, Arraez didn’t walk a lot. But Arraez didn’t just have the ability to get balls over the infield; he was also a great defender.
Defense was a big problem for Arraez in Minnesota, Miami, and San Diego. But between the Giants and Phillies, Arraez had a +12 Outs Above Average this past year. He thrived under the tutelage of Ron Washington.
As for the pitching staff, it was a grind to fill the high-leverage spots out without Randy Rodriguez. However, there were some very pleasant surprises.
Two prospects who had some helium back in the day, Caleb Kilian and Erik Miller, both turned into assets. Kilian averaged over a strikeout per inning and was the Giants’ most effective closer option in 2026, at least until he was traded. Erik Miller was a force as a left-handed reliever, and actually was the team leader in Whiff%.
San Francisco shipped Miller to the Red Sox for Marcelo Mayer in August.
Logan Webb had a 4.31 ERA in 2026 but pitched much better than the numbers indicated. Webb didn’t allow a ton of hard contact, didn’t walk a lot of batters, and was able to get hitters to expand with relative ease. Stuff wasn’t a problem here.
Robbie Ray posted a tidy 3.08 ERA for the Giants before San Francisco turned him into prospect capital in August. The Giants got the good Ray, one who leaned more on the sinker than he had in past years — and thrived as a result.
The Bad
Just because the Giants’ bullpen ERA was middle of the pack does not mean things were rosy on that end.
Giants relievers had, combined, the lowest K/9 (7.6) and one of the highest BB/9 (4.2) in the Majors this season. Not a combination for success.
Now, a lot of that stemmed from Miller and Sam Hentges, the latter of whom had the third-highest BB/9 (6.2) in the Majors among relievers. However, neither burned the Giants that much. Hentges was long-known for being a tough at-bat, thanks to his angle and stuff. And he limited well-hit contact with the Guardians.
In his first season with San Francisco, Hentges was the only reliever to make 35 or more appearances and not allow a home run in the Majors.
Still, as noted above, the Giants had problems locking things down without Randy Rodriguez. Ryan Walker was inconsistent, forcing the club to get creative.
Another problem for the Giants’ pitching staff was finding reliable back-end rotation help. Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle, signed in the 2025-26 offseason, both put up less-than-stellar numbers, even though Mahle’s metrics weren’t too bad. Things did even out for Mahle once he was traded to the Braves.
Aside from that, the offense had its problems.
Matt Chapman was besieged by injuries, and his year ultimately ended with core muscle & hernia operations. His power numbers, particularly against fastballs, tanked. Chapman had seven home runs and 26 extra-base hits in an injury-shortened 84-game season.
Willy Adames, who hit 30 home runs in 2025, hit just 21 in 2026, and he missed time, as well.
And that theme of Giants free-agent moves from last winter not working out also stayed true with Harrison Bader. During what was a bizarre season for Bader off the field, he wasn’t on it for much of 2026. Bader played 30 games, struck out 34 times, batted .170, and whiffed a lot more than we’ve been accustomed to. Granted, it was also a small sample size.
Early Projected Lineup for 2027
- C: Jesús Rodríguez/Daniel Susac
- 1B: Rafael Devers
- 2B: Marcelo Mayer
- 3B: Matt Chapman
- SS: Willy Adames
- OF: Casey Schmitt (LF), Bo Davidson (CF), Jung Hoo Lee (RF)
- DH: Bryce Eldridge
- SP: Logan Webb, Landen Roupp, Adrian Houser, Trevor McDonald, Carson Whisenhunt
- RP: Randy Rodriguez, Camilo Doval, Keaton Winn, Sam Hentges, Dylan Smith, Matt Wilkinson, Carson Seymour, Anthony Molina
The Giants are in a weird spot.
San Francisco’s roster is filled with veterans, making it hard to do a true rebuild. At the same time, the Giants have young pieces who should get playing time next season. Plus, a treasure trove of new prospects acquired over the last six months.
But with all of that said, the Giants have a lot of work to do to get back and compete in the NL West.
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