ESPN analyst baffled by the Giants’ sluggish start on offense originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The San Francisco Giants had some momentum going into the 2026 season. They added some exciting pieces, like Harrison Bader, who was coming off a career year at the plate and the elite bat-to-ball skills of Luis Arraez.
That was coming in to pair with guys like Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, and Willy Adames. The offense should be a highlight for this club, but that has not been the case at all.
The Giants sit in dead last in terms of walks, home runs, and steals, which is not ideal. That has not helped them whatsoever, as they currently sit with a 14-22 record, tied for last with the Colorado Rockies in the NL West.
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ESPN analyst baffled by the Giants’ sluggish start on offense
Home runs have been hard to come by for the expected home run hitters the Giants have in their lineup. Devers has two, Bader has one, and Chapman has one.
Now, that’s four combined home runs between three hitters, and in total, 22 combined home runs as a team. That’s not much, especially when you look at Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami and New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge, both of whom lead MLB with 14 apiece.
ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle is perplexed by just how bad this offense looks. Especially when Casey Schmidt is the team’s home run leader.
“The Giants don’t hit for a high average despite above-average contact rates, and they’re last in the majors in walks, homers and steals. How is that possible? Casey Schmidt is the team home run leader with five and no one else has more than three.”
To put it simply, it’s going to be hard to get anything going if the offense continues to look like this. They have to figure out a way to put more runs on the board in any way that they can, or it’s going to be yet another long season where they miss the postseason.
More MLB news:
- Marlins’ outlook hinges on young hitters finding their form at the plate
- Time is running out for the White Sox trade addition to get it going offensively
- Cubs rise in latest power rankings as regulars start to hit their stride
- Rays move into top five driven by an absolutely dominant pitching staff
- Pirates slotted into top ten after a rollercoaster week of divisional results
