San Francisco Giants 2024 MLB Season Preview and Prediction
Baseball is officially back as all 30 teams continue to work at their respective Spring Training sites. We are just 16 short days away from Opening Day 2024 as the 162-game gauntlet begins once again. While the start of the season nears close, there are still several big-name free agents who remain without a home. While that will be factored into this series, each preview will be updated appropriately once those players eventually sign. Those updates not only include the team who signs that player, but also teams that could potentially be negatively impacted as well. Up next is a team that has already made a few big moves this season. It’s time for the San Francisco Giants
Team: San Francisco Giants
Division: National League West
2023 Record: 79-83
2023 Finish: 4th NL West, 10th NL, 18th MLB, missed playoffs
The Rundown
The Giants have had a big offseason so far, bringing in four big-name players with rumors of potentially adding a fifth before the season officially gets underway. The San Francisco lineup looks potent from top to bottom, while the bullpen has five legit horses. However, the rotation will need some work between now and the trading deadline. It is also worth noting the Giants will have a pair of arms rejoining that starting rotation during the first half of the season.
San Fran will top their lineup with international signee Jung Hoo Lee. At only 25-years-old, Lee has already played seven professional seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization. The outfielder has never finished a professional season with an average below .318 nor an OPS south of .812. Lee hit 23 home runs and 36 doubles while driving in 113 and slashing .421/.575/.996 in his MVP season of 2022. The acquisition gives the Giants a dynamic, exciting player to headline their rebuilt lineup.
Thairo Estrada and LaMonte Wade Jr. are a pair of returners that will be mainstays in the Giant lineup. Estrada was decent at the top of the lineup in 2023 as he hit .271 with 26 doubles, 14 homers and an OPS of .731. Wade Jr. was also not terrible a year ago with a .256 average, 17 homers, 45 RBIs, 76 walks and a .790 OPS. Two more returners for San Francisco will be Michael Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski. Conforto hit .239 with 15 home runs, 58 RBIs, 53 walks and an OPS of .718 last season, while Yastrzemski hit .233 with 15 homers, 23 doubles and a slash line of .330/.445/.775 in just 106 games.
This lineup begins to get exciting with their two newest additions and two young bats that will be everyday starters. Jorge Soler and Matt Chapman were signed this offseason to bring more pop and consistency to this team. Soler had one of the best years of his career in 2023 as he hit .250 with 36 homers, 24 doubles, 75 RBIs and slashed .341/.512/.853. Chapman had a down season a year ago, only slugging 17 homers and driving in 54. However, his OPS came in at .755 while he smacked 39 doubles. A bounce-back season from Chapman could make this lineup extremely dangerous.
Patrick Bailey is the first young player who has an everyday job by the Bay. The 25-year-old catcher struggled a bit in his first 97 MLB games last season, only hitting .233 with seven homers and an OPS of .644. However, he did double 18 times and drive in 48 runs. Marco Luciano will be the other everyday player for the Giants. The 22-year-old shortstop ranks second among the organization’s top prospects and had 39 big-league at bats in 2023. Luciano’s best statistical season as a professional came in 2021 between the complex league and high-A. The shortstop is known for his lightning-fast bat speed and light-tower power. San Fran will likely round out its bench with key role players Wilmer Flos and Austin Slater.
Logan Webb will anchor this rotation as its ace once again in 2024. The 27-year-old was money once again in 2023 with a 3.25 ERA that was his highest in the last three seasons. The right-hander tossed his way to 216.0 innings while striking out 194 and only walking 31 hitters. Alex Cobb and Robby Ray will likely be San Francisco’s second and third starters at some point this season, but will both start the season injured. Cobb is expected back in early May following hip surgery, while Ray is expected back just after the all-star break following Tommy john Surgery in May 2023.
For now, 22-year-old Kyle Harrison and newly signed Jordan Hicks will follow Webb in the rotation. Harrison is San Fran’s top prospect and made seven starts at the big-league level last season, where he had a 4.15 ERA. The lefty’s fastball peaks at 98 mph, while also offering a plus slider and a change up that both sinks and fades out of the zone. Hicks will try his hand at starting for the first time since early 2022. The flame-throwing righty tossed 65.2 innings out of the pen for the Cardinals and Blue Jays a year ago, where he had a solid 3.29 ERA and 81 strikeouts.
Keaton Winn will likely start the season as the #4 starter. The 26-year-old totaled a 4.68 ERA in 42.1 MLB innings in 2023. The final rotation spot is up for grabs right now as it appears it will go to either Mason Black or Spencer Howard. Black had a 3.86 ERA in 13 starts (60.2 innings) in AAA last season and has never pitched in the bigs. Howard only pitched 3.1 MLB innings last season and allowed two runs. Signing a guy like Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Michael Lorenzen or Mike Clevenger would go a long way for the Giants being in legit contention at year’s end.
Camilo Doval will lock down the ninth inning for the Giants. The flame throwing 26-year-old recorded 39 saves and a 2.93 ERA while striking out 87 hitters in 67.2 innings last season. The Rogers twins will handle the seventh and eighth innings for the Giants. Tyler, a right-hander, had a 3.04 ERA over 74.0 innings while Trevor, a left-hander, had a 3.83 ERA over 51.2 innings in 2023. Luke Jackson and Ryan Walker will take the middle innings following a pair of solid seasons. Jackson had a 2.97 ERA in 33.1 innings pitched, while Walker registered a 3.23 ERA in 61.1 innings a year ago. The Giant pen will also likely feature 26-year-old rookie Erik Miller at some point. The left-hander was stellar in AA and AAA last year and will look to continue his success into the majors.
Projected Roster and Alignment
Players to Watch
Jung Hoo Lee is going to be must-see TV for most of the season. Lee should be in competition for the National League batting title by the time September rolls around. The technical rookie also has some sneaky pop. Lee is going to be an instant fan favorite in San Francisco and, when he makes the all-star team in July, will be a loved player league wide. This is a guy who has won multiple KBO MVP awards in consecutive seasons before coming to the States. Chapman will be the other key to San Francisco’s success. If the 31-year-old duplicates his doubles output while raising his home run total and OPS, everything will fall into place for this lineup.
Top Prospects
Kyle Harrison (#23) and Marco Luciano (#39) are the Giants top two prospects and will both start on the MLB roster. Carson Whisenhunt and Bryce Eldridge are the other two players on MLB’s Top 100 prospect list. Whisenhunt slots in as the 83rd ranked prospect. The 23-year-old lefthanded pitcher had a strong first full professional season as he spun a 2.45 ERA and struck out 83 hitters in 58.2 innings. He made it as high as AA a year ago.
Two-way player Bryce Eldridge ranks 96th on MLB’s list. The 19-year-old had very similar stats between rookie ball and low A at the plate. He hit nearly .300 with an OPS north of .900. Eldridge has raw power and stands at 6-foot-7. He will likely end up as just a hitter, but the Giants have given him the opportunity to pitch as he can hit 96 mph with a solid slider and changeup. Other prospects to watch in this organization are 17-year-old outfielder Rayner Arias, lefthander Reggie Crawford and righthanded arm Hayden Birdsong.
2024 Prediction
The Giants are a high-end starting pitcher away from being competitive in a very good National League West. The lineup has the potential to five some good rotations major issues. The bullpen also had the horses to close out fames on a consistent basis. However, the rotation is the pain point right now. Outside of Logan Webb, the Giants will not start the season with a consistent, MLB-proven arm. Signing one of the remaining free agents to bolster the rotation will be necessary for the Giants to make the postseason. Either way, if San Fran can stay afloat and hang around early in the season, they will be in contention as the weather starts to turn cooler. This is one of those teams that could have a major change in projected record depending on how the rest of free agency shakes out. For now, with this roster, they are on the outside looking in.
