Commentary | Fifty games in, the Giants have given us no reason to believe
Fifty games into the season, coming off another losing road trip (capped by a sweep at the hands of the Diamondbacks), boasting the worst offense in baseball, and 10 games under .500, the San Francisco Giants might be cooked.
To anyone crying that it’s only May, I ask one simple question: What, exactly, are these Giants good at?
Because if you’re looking for reasons not to write them off, it’d be nice to have a single thing to latch onto - something to believe in with this squad.
Instead, we have bupkis.
Starting pitching? Bleh. Hitting? They’re dead last in baseball in runs scored. They swing at pitches in the dirt like they’re looking for buried treasure.
The defense has its moments, but the good is always fleeting. How many games have been thrown away by sloppy play? Half of these defensive disasters don’t even register as official errors in the box score, but they leave an indelible, traumatic mark on anyone forced to watch them night after night. It’s performance art, really, if your idea of art is watching a million-dollar athlete look surprised by a routine play gone awry.
Sure, certain individuals are fine. Luis Arráez has been fantastic. And someone always seems to be on a hot streak. But does it matter if they still lose by five? Those micro positives haven’t translated into macro, team success.
And yes, there are some metrics you can point to that signal mediocrity. But it doesn’t matter if the bullpen has a respectable ERA if you’ve already had to demote your closer and haven’t found a viable replacement. Bullpen management isn’t about arbitrary math; it’s about trust.
How could you trust this group? You wouldn’t trust them to hold a spot in line, let alone a late lead.
The team can’t even handle basic playing time. Manager Tony Vitello and Buster Posey have lamented that finding at-bats is a tough “puzzle” to solve for centerpiece prospect Bryce Eldridge. The 6-foot-7 slugger was called up on May 4 as pure fan service after a winless late-April road trip, yet he’s spent most of his time warming the bench.
If only Eldridge were an edge piece, maybe they could solve the puzzle. Instead, Vitello and Posey find plenty of playing time for veterans trapped in slumps and lesser, younger players.
And to what end?
If I had a dollar for every time a Giants fan suggested, “That’s the game that turns the season around,” I’d have enough money to buy a Crazy Crab sandwich at Oracle Park. That Dungeness treat might be an overpriced crustacean - much like a few of the Giants’ star players - but at least the sandwich reliably delivers the goods.
Where do we go from here?
Well, history says nowhere.
Only 14 teams in big-league history have ever climbed out of a 10-under hole to make the postseason. The Giants, in all their storied history, have never done it. The deepest hole they ever escaped was eight games under back in 2002, and that team had Barry Bonds turning baseballs into dust.
And, again, what about this specific group suggests they’re about to make history? Many players might have a track record of success, but downright excellence? I don’t see it.
Make no mistake about it, either: Excellence is needed from this point onward.
Maybe the season isn’t technically over. It’s possible, if not probable, if not inevitable that their best baseball is still ahead of them. But it’s going to have to be exceptionally good, borderline miraculous baseball.
And it has to start right now. If the Giants roll into June without a significant spurt toward respectability, it won’t just be time to worry. It’ll be time to write them off in earnest.
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