After a long wait, the San Francisco Giants' 2023 ZiPS projections are finally here! And the computer actually likes the Giants more than you'd probably expect. The SF Giants' position player projections are discussed today, and while it's clear that the Giants are missing star talent at the top (not for lack of trying), they feature an unusually high volume of solid players. That depth is not meaningless, particularly paired with the Giants' strong pitching staff, as ZiPS creator Dan Szymborski views the Giants as an 85-90-win team.
Mike Yastrzemski is projected to be the Giants' best position player, which is ironic given the (surprisingly) negative reaction that erupted on Twitter when the Giants and Yaz agreed to a one-year deal for 2023 back in November. Again, Yaz is not at all projected to be a star, but he leads the large pack projected to produce between roughly 1.5 and 2.5 WAR. Batting averages are discussed in detail; specifically, how it's simply bad practice to act as though a .240 AVG is dreadful in the modern game. On the contrary, that is now roughly league average, and expectations need to be adjusted.
The San Francisco Giants also have some very interesting prospect projections. Most of those appear on the pitching side, but on the position player side, Vaun Brown comes in with very interesting age-based comps. His top three comps are Starling Marte, Ken Griffey Sr., and Ramon Laureano. Brown had a monster season between Low-A and High-A, but he was old for those leagues. However, that doesn't stop ZiPS from projecting Brown as a league-average major league hitter already, which supports the notion that he's certainly someone to watch as he likely begins 2023 in Double-A.
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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.
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