By Brian Murphy
As the Giants trudged out of the visitor’s dugout down the tunnel into the bowels of Camden Yards on Sunday afternoon, the team had completed just shy of 10% of the 162 game marathon. It’s still early, yes. And there is of course still more than enough time to turn the worm. But 10% is a not insignificant figure. 16 games can tell you a fair amount about a team. And as they fly west to Cincinnati, the Giants have told us emphatically that they carry a flawed roster with a ceiling that would look a lot like 2022-25.
Hitters who have been good or great for most of their careers have stumbled out of the gate. Hitters who have never sustained success at the Major League level have fallen flat on their faces, mercilessly trampled by the stumblers. Through 16 contests, the Giants rank dead last in total runs, and dead last in home runs. 51 total runs and eight bombs in 16 games is an abhorrent figure for any team, but decidedly worse for a team with playoff aspirations.
A trio of starting outfielders who figured to at least be league average at the dish have been downright ghastly. Harrison Bader is one of the worst qualified hitters in baseball. He’s an astonishing 6-52, sporting a genuinely impressive .338 OPS. Heliot Ramos, whose power has been a huge part of his young career, is yet to hit a home run, and sports a brutal .543 OPS. He’s struck out 22 times. Jung Hoo Lee has also been horrible. He doubled and homered on Friday in Baltimore, which somewhat salvages the stat sheet. Lee is hitting .185, not to mention his hefty salary.
Patrick Bailey came into 2026 with minimal expectations with the bat, yet he’s still managed to disappoint. He’s 6-44, doesn’t have an extra base hit, and is sporting an OPS that would be a great batting average. His gold glove defense has regressed, and while he’s still an elite receiver, his bat is beyond the threshold of justifiable.
Giants fans are still patiently waiting for Rafael Devers to go on a run that became routine during his time in Boston. A player of his caliber should be putting a struggling lineup on his back, not contributing to the futility. Unfortunately, Devers has been reduced to another bullet point in this sad scribble. Devers is batting .222, he’s homered twice, and driven in six runs. Compared to some of the measly numbers his teammates are posting, .222 with a pair of bombs sounds like All-Star numbers.
The Giants won’t contend if Rafael Devers and Heliot Ramos aren’t themselves. Willy Adames too, who had a solid weekend in Baltimore and has picked himself up after a slow beginning.
Let’s examine the arms. It’s been up and down for a top heavy stable of Giants starting pitchers. Logan Webb has been underwhelming through four starts. Landen Roupp has been a bright spot, with two excellent starts and one so-so outing. Robbie Ray has been a reliable veteran, who’d have a trio of wins under his belt if the bats could have picked him up. Tyler Mahle turned in a stellar performance against the Phillies, and Adrian Houser has been about as good as you can hope your No. 5 starter will be.
Much like Devers and Ramos, perhaps even more so, the Giants’ success this season will largely be based on Webb, Ray, and Roupp’s ability to be dominant when it’s needed most.
We can rest before re-visiting a stable of relievers with no defined role in what can be generously described as an embattled bullpen.
Check out The Sport’s Leaders Giants coverage from an off day Monday below:
