After winning 107 games last year, the San Francisco Giants flopped to an 81-81 record in 2022. Their position player group had a lot to do with it. The SF Giants' best three position players last year—Brandon Crawford, Buster Posey, and Brandon Belt—combined to produce 14.6 FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement (fWAR). This year, the Giants' top three position players—Thairo Estrada, Mike Yastrzemski, and Austin Slater—combined to produce just 7.0 fWAR. Posey's absence was felt, but also the Brandons combined to produce 8.2 fewer fWAR than they did in 2021.
Joey Bart ultimately did not have a very good season. Strikeouts were a problem in the beginning, and they briefly went away after being sent down to the Minors, but those issues resurfaced later in the year. Austin Wynns actually ended up with a better wRC+ than Bart this year, and he should be the backup catcher in 2023. Bart will need to improve his swing and miss and chase issues if he wants to remain the San Francisco Giants' catcher of the future.
The state of the infield and outfield is in flux. Brandon Belt is set to reach free agency. The Giants hold a $13M club option on Evan Longoria, with a $5M buyout. Wilmer Flores was extended. Tommy La Stella may not survive on the roster this winter. Brandon Crawford is under contract for one more year. The Giants can bring back J.D. Davis through the arbitration process. Thairo Estrada was one of the biggest bright spots of the year for the San Francisco Giants.
In the outfield, will Joc Pederson be back? He did very well in his role, crushing right-handed pitching as expected. But he's a limited profile and his next contract will reflect that. The Giants would like to bring him back, but does he want to be back? Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Slater can form a formidable platoon either in center or right. LaMonte Wade Jr. and Luis González are very much on the bubble and it wouldn't be shocking if neither was on the SF Giants' active roster to start 2023.
Find and follow Locked On Giants on your favorite podcast platforms:
? Apple Podcasts http://apple.co/3ycRK3U
? Spotify http://spoti.fi/3Bak0pN
? Google Play https://bit.ly/3D356mr
? Overcast https://bit.ly/3wqZsbg
? Megaphone https://bit.ly/3wGGcXD
The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.
Follow Ben Kaspick on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenKaspick
#SFGiants #FirstListen
Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
Built Bar
Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.
BetOnline
BetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!
SimpliSafe
With Fast Protect™️ Technology, exclusively from SimpliSafe, 24/7 monitoring agents capture evidence to accurately verify a threat for faster police response. There’s No Safe Like SimpliSafe. Visit SimpliSafe.com/LockedOnMLB to learn more.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices