Previewing the 2026 San Francisco Giants - Can Buster Posey get SF back in the playoffs with Tony Vitello as the new skipper?

Buster and Tony V will host the Yankees on Opening Night, March 25th (Photo by Andy Kuno/San Francisco Giants/GettyImages)

By Connor Buestad | Connor@Section925.com 

For the last four seasons in San Francisco, the Giants have been mired in a vicious cycle of mediocrity. Despite almost half the MLB making the playoffs in the current format, the Giants haven’t been able to punch an October ticket since 2021’s bizarre year of 107 wins filled with Gabe Kapler platoons, Farhan Zaidi pitching “openers” and seemingly dumb luck. Since then, SF has been almost exactly average every year, toeing the 81-81 mark repeatedly. 

Now that Buster Posey is comfortably in the driver’s seat of San Francisco's baseball operation, he has gone ahead and tried to shake things up in an effort to get back to the old Giants of the 2010’s and step off the 81-81 hamster wheel. The steady handed and experienced skipper that is (was) Bob Melvin has been shown the door, replaced by wild card Tony Vitello, the first MLB manager to assume a managerial role straight from the college coaching ranks. Tony V has taken over the Giants dugout with no professional experience either playing or coaching. Instead, his resume has been built over the last eight seasons as the Tennessee Volunteers head coach, where he revitalized the program enough to win them a national championship and make the Vols a staple in Omaha.  

According to the betting public, Vitello has inherited a team that again is expected to lose another 81 games. 19 teams have shorter odds of winning the World Series than the Giants currently do. A playoff appearance is always expected when you talk Giants baseball, but when you consider their division consists of the Dodgers, Padres and Diamondbacks, playing beyond September could look like a stretch at the moment. 

Two impact players that San Francisco won’t have back from last year are 42-year-old Justin Verlander and consistent slugger Wilmer Flores. In their place, the Giants have acquired starting pitches in Tyler Mahle and Adrain Houser, as well as outfielder Harrison Bader and second baseman Luis Arraez. Suffice it to say, the stove could have been a bit hotter for Buster this winter, if we’re being honest.

Arraez very well might be the Giants leadoff man this year, but not because of his speed (he’s only good for about 9 stolen bags a year) but instead because of his ability to avoid the strikeout. While most of the Giants are whiffing about 25% of the time, Arraez has just a 3% strikeout rate, as he features an uncanny ability to put bat to ball in an era where that is no longer sexy. The .317 career hitter from Venezuela hit just 8 homers last year in San Diego while mostly playing first base. For the Giants, he’ll move back over to second, where he’ll try to improve on his defensive woes with the help of glove whisperer Ron Washington, one of Vitello’s recent coaching hires.

The Giants need a monster year from Rafael Devers (Photo by Jeff Chiu/AP)

The Giants best player is Rafael Devers. The Dominican slugger who came over from the Red Sox last season will man first base all year while making $30 million dollars. Last year, he delivered 35 homers. 40 would be nice in 2026, especially if the Giants have hopes of a playoff berth. 

Willy Adames, another Dominican star who, like Devers, won’t compete in the World Baseball Classic next month, contributed 30 homers of his own last season in SF while playing a smooth shortstop. His issue last year was his low .225 batting average, especially for a guy making $26 million a year. 

Bay Area staple Matt Chapman will again be the team’s most accomplished defender. At 32 years old, Chapman is the elder statesman among the everyday players on the squad. Back in 2019 Chapman hit 36 homers with the A’s in Oakland. With just 21 bombs last year, can Chappy rekindle some of that old Oakland magic this season? 

Fan favorite June Hoo Lee was healthy all last year after playing just 37 games the year prior. In 2025, Lee patrolled the outfield for 150 games with his entertaining and fearless style of play. He’ll look to improve on his 10 stolen bases and 8 homers from a year ago as he learns to play the ball off the bricks in right field.

In left the Giants will trot out Heliot Ramos. Ever since Barry Bonds departed left field, San Francisco still hasn’t figured out how to get proper production out of this key power spot in the lineup. The 2017 first round pick from Puerto Rico is a home grown success story for the Giants, but now that he’s 26, they’re hoping for upwards of 30 homers in a breakout season.  

The aforementioned Bader will patrol center field for the Giants this year. Now with his seventh organization, Bader will try to make a home for himself at 3rd and King. He’ll bring some flair to the position, but Vitello and Posey are counting on some real production as well. 

Lower down in the lineup, Bryce Eldridge will likely be in the DH spot. Still just 20 years old, Eldrige has unlimited upside with the bat in his 6 foot 7 inch frame. Eldrige is considered the organization's number one prospect, but in his 10 big league games at the end of last year, he struck out 35% of the time in his 37 plate appearances with 0 homers. A hot start in 2026 would help his confidence immensely. 

Patrick Bailey and his silky smooth catching abilities will again be behind the dish for the Giants. He won the Gold Glove last season and was durable enough to play135 games. His defense is flawless and a joy to watch. Offensively, not so much. Six homers and a .222 average needs to be improved on from last year. 

With free swinging Casey Schmitt and energizer bunny Drew Gilbert as their current bench options, the Giants will be looking to add a bat or two as the season progresses. As it stands, the offensive firepower might not be enough to support a pitching staff that features All-Star Logan Webb, talented lefty Robbie Ray and three other ho-hum starters with uninspiring numbers. Perhaps the weakest link to the Giants 26-man roster lies in the bullpen. Ryan Walker who features a sinker and slider figures to be the closer as of now. However, outside of Walker, it’s anybody’s guess how this Giants pen will stack up in the mid to late innings against teams like the Dodgers and Padres. Posey will need to find a competent lefty sooner rather than later to come get some outs.

Recent debates in the baseball world have invariably circled back to the Dodgers and if their gigantic payroll is starting to “break baseball.” If you listen to Giants brass, they will tell you they are up for the challenge and are motivated to rise to the standard. As it stands, the modern Evil Empire from SoCal is sitting at 2 to 1 odds to three-peat as World Series champs, while the Giants are ridiculous long shots at 65 to 1. Tony Vitello and his scrappy roster no doubt have their work cut out for them if they want to keep their head above water in the NL West. That being said, in 2026 a playoff appearance should be the goal, if not an expectation, regardless of the circumstances. Jon Miller would have it no other way.

Expect more than a few “Jung Hoo Lee” chants at Oracle Park this summer (photo via x.com/SFGiants)

The "Even Year Magic" has run out, but Giants return ready for another World Series run

Mad Bum is back for more in 2017 (photo by Tim Warner)

By Ryan Ward | @RyanJWard

Well, it finally happened.

Oakland A’s faithful and MLB fans nationwide can rejoice, because the "Even Year Magic" (or “Even Year BS,” as some say) has finally run out for the San Francisco Giants.

Fitting as it may be, it was painful for Giants fans to watch the backbone of their team - the definitive strength of the 2010, 2012, and 2014 championship teams - directly lead to their demise. It felt ironic, but it was only a matter of time before their reliable bullpen arms aged, became fatigued, lost precision, and the luck began to run out.

The warning signs were there throughout the year, as the team blew an incredible 30 saves during the 2016 regular season. The front office took a gamble by not making significant improvements to the bullpen at the trade deadline - aside from 8th-inning lefty Will Smith - and it couldn’t have ended worse in the playoffs.

The 9th inning of Game 4 of the NLDS was the straw that broke the camel’s back, as Derek Law, Javier Lopez, and Sergio Romo failed to record an out while coughing up a 4-run lead vs. the Cubs, leading to San Francisco’s first playoff series loss since 2003.

Let’s take a moment to admire the team’s run, though. Leading up to the 2016 NLDS, the Giants had defeated a whopping 11 consecutive playoff opponents since the start of the 2010 postseason, which ties a record set by the 1998-2001 New York Yankees, one of baseball’s greatest dynasties.

Now, as they look ahead to Opening Day 2017, it’s out with the old and in with the new. The final three members of the Giants’ “Core Four” bullpen - Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez, and Santiago Casilla - have either moved on or retired (Romo to the Dodgers, keep an eye on that one).

Filling their shoes will be difficult, but the Giants have several guys ready and willing to be promoted to the later innings, including Hunter Strickland, Derek Law, and Steven Okert, all with big league experience and intermittent success, primed for their careers to advance.

The Giants’ front office did their best work of the offseason when they courted and eventually signed Mark Melancon away from the Pirates to anchor the bullpen staff. Melancon brings instant stability to the role with 147 saves since the start of 2013 (3rd in the league), and although his contract is large, the Giants were very clear that they were not willing to take any shortcuts at that position in 2017.

Along with a newly solidified ‘pen, the Giants continue to bolster an All-Star caliber infield, both offensively and defensively. Amazingly, all five starting Giants infielders - Posey, Belt, Panik, Crawford, and Nunez - have All-Star selections to their names. And equally as incredible, the home-grown group of Posey, Panik, and Crawford have all won Gold Glove Awards.

The outfield, however, remains the Giants’ undisputed question mark. Hunter Pence is their biggest asset and emotional leader, however his health has been a huge question mark these past few seasons, as he’s fought oblique, wrist, and leg injuries. If the Giants plan to return to the World Series, they’ll need Pence to regain his .280 BA, 20 HR, 80 RBI form, and play upwards of 140 games in right field.

Denard Span is also a question mark, as he’s proven to be less of a prototypical leadoff hitter, despite Bruce Bochy’s insistence that he remain in that spot. If he can get on base at a good clip ahead of the heart of the lineup, the Giants will be fine. If not, then it poses a problem, and might warrant a change in the lineup order.

That leaves left field open, which is entirely up for grabs. Management made it clear that they have faith in their young outfield talent by not even pursuing a LF replacement in free agency, and at this point in spring training, it looks as if lefty Jarrett Parker will win the job...but it’s almost a certainty that both he and righty Mac Williamson will split the duties in platoon roles, depending on the day’s starting pitcher.

It would behoove Bochy to go with the hot hand, however, and avoid stubbornly sticking to the platoon definitions, as both guys have huge power and can get streaky over stretches of games. Let’s not forget that Parker has a 3 HR game on his big league resume.

Finally, the starting pitching. Unlike last offseason, the Giants went into the winter break confident in 4 out of 5 of their starting spots. In rotation order: Bumgarner, Cueto, Moore, and Samardzija. The 5th spot is there for the taking, and the Giants may well give it to Matt Cain, but he has done nothing to earn their trust this spring, and guys like Ty Blach and Tyler Beede are chomping at the bit to get their chance.

Still, having two All-Stars at the top and two solid starters at 3 and 4 is much more than almost any team can say, and the Giants certainly count their starting pitching as an advantage over most opponents.

Now that the even year magic is over, the Giants look healthy and ready as ever to challenge for the NL pennant in 2017, led by solid starting pitching, an All-Star infield, and a fresh-faced bullpen with a game-changing closer. Stay tuned, 2017 may have some magic up its sleeve.

(Photos) The A's and Giants Warm Up in the Valley of the Sun

(Photos courtesy of the Oakland A's, San Francisco Giants, San Jose Mercury News)

"The Pure Swing of Joe Panik" - A Giants Rookie Arrives on the Big Stage

By Connor Buestad | connor@section925.com

The first time I met Joe Panik, we were standing in a dirt parking lot at dusk in San Jose, under the post-game glow of the low budget lights at “The Muni” or “San Jose Municipal Stadium" down the street from San Jose State University. The home of the Single-A Giants, The Muni is certainly not short on charm, but it also isn’t long on amenities either. An untouched relic of a bygone era of minor league baseball, The Muni does exactly what it is designed to do: cultivate the dreams of 20-year-old kids as they take their marks on the race to the major leagues.

The reason for my visit with Panik was a mutual friend, Mike Carozza. A baseball nut from the same upstate New York hometown as Panik, who grew up playing on the same little league fields as the younger Joe. Now they were both out west, attempting to make a name for themselves in San Francisco one way or another.

The three of us talked at length on that random South Bay summer night. The conversation probably wouldn’t have lasted as long, if it wasn’t for the fact that Panik was scheduled to make a public appearance at a team function later that evening. Public appearances have never been Panik’s thing. He’d much rather just talk the nuances of hitting outside his car after game 109 of a long minor league baseball season than glad-hand a bunch of people at a corporate event. But that’s just Joe.

Earlier that night, Panik had made a baby step toward his current post as the starting second baseman for the Pennant winning San Francisco Giants. He had shared the clubhouse and the infield with Pablo Sandoval, who was down in Single-A San Jose on a rehab assignment. By that same October, Pablo was hitting three home runs in one World Series game versus Justin Verlander and the Tigers, en route to the Giants’ second World Championship in three years.

Panik spent that same October of 2012 back in his hometown of Yonkers watching the World Series with his dad on Fox like the rest of us. Fast forward two short years and now Joe Panik is a far cry from Single-A San Jose, as he’s found himself in the Fall Classic himself, still just 23 years of age.

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I haven’t talked to the soft-spoken, humble-as-can-be Panik since his call up to The Show. I can only guess as to what his experience has been like as a member of the Giants. But before Panik was called up to play for San Francisco, he made a stop in Triple-A Fresno to play for the Grizzlies. And Carozza and I were there for that pit stop as well, earlier this summer.

We were in Sacramento to be exact. Site of yet another nameless, faceless minor league weekday day-game. The kind of game that attracts more serious sunbathers than serious baseball fans.

We talked to Joe after this game too. This time it wasn’t in a dirt parking lot, but rather a sterile open-air shopping mall type deal in Sacramento. We ran into some veteran pitchers at the same restaurant. Pitchers that had already been up in the majors and had been sent down to Triple-A, forced to struggle their way back up. Panik discussed in earnest about how he was going to navigate his way up to San Francisco. It wouldn’t be easy, he admitted. As cliche as it sounds, he was close, but so far away. As much as he looked like a big league baseball player at that restaurant, no one was even close to recognizing the Giants’ top prospect. He would still be a nobody in the minors, until he proved otherwise.

On June 21st, young Joe got the call. And somehow, thanks to someone, an unknown blog that calls itself “Section925” was there to break the news. By this time of the year, the Giants had tried their hand with seven players at second base, including the high priced slugger Dan Uggla and World Series hero Marco Scutaro. Even so, Brian Sabean finally chose to look past Panik’s small home run totals and instead decide to focus on his picturesque left-handed swing, his steady glove, and his even steadier .300 average. Sabean’s decision, one might argue, came up aces.

In the 73 games Panik played in for the Giants this year, he hit a staggering .305. And in the League Championship Series versus the Cardinals, Panik hit a dramatic home run to help push the Giants into the World Series. If Brian Sabean wanted more home runs, he got one.

A veteran he is not, but don’t expect Panik to be overwhelmed by the World Series stage starting Tuesday in Kansas City. For anyone that has ever met Joe, knows that he never gets too high or too low. We won’t compare him to that other Joe who played football at Candlestick Park, by way of Pittsburgh, but you get the idea. The Joe Panik coming out party started in June, and it has been slowing gaining steam. Look for the party to hit it’s peak this weekend at 24 Willie Mays Plaza. At the World Series.