The Giants at the halfway point: The good, the bad, and what must change

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Who are the Giants? The team fans fell in love with in the first weeks of the season? Or the team that frustrated those same fans in recent weeks?

The season’s first 81 games gave no definitive answers. The next 81 will tell all.

At the midway point, here’s a look back at the first half, a look ahead to the second half, and how Team Buster could make a run at the playoffs.

The Giants jumped out to a 12-4 start, back when Jung Hoo Lee was emerging as the hottest commodity at Third and King, and rode one of the majors’ top pitching staffs to a high point of 12 games above .500 (41-29). Despite the freefall to end the first half, with losses in eight of 11 games, the Giants remain a contender.

Logan Webb is a lock for the All-Star team — in the first half, he led the league in innings and ranked second in ERA and third in strikeouts. Robbie Ray was pitcher of the month for May. Randy Rodriguez (0.77 ERA), Erik Miller (0.99), Tyler Rogers (1.69), and Camilo Doval (2.78) provided reliable late-inning relief.

Heliot Ramos led the Giants in homers, average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage and could be the team’s first homegrown outfielder with consecutive All-Star berths since Jack Clark in 1978 and 1979. Wilmer Flores became an RBI connoisseur, and no one cared about his exit velocity. Casey Schmitt was crushing the ball (.375 average, 1.090 OPS in 14 games) before taking a pitch off his left wrist Wednesday. And, of course, Rafael Devers made a splash simply by showing up.

Universally expected to finish fourth in the National League West, the Giants spent a good chunk of the first half in second place. It helped that they kept injuries to a minimum, though Justin Verlander missed a month and Matt Chapman a couple of weeks.

That the Giants had a winning record was a testament to their pitching staff. Certainly not their offense, which was excruciatingly bad, ranking bottom third in most every category: 21st in OBP and doubles, 22nd in homers, 24th in steals, batting average, and OPS and 25th in hits, slugging percentage, and total bases.

Somehow, despite it all, the Giants were 16th in runs. 

LaMonte Wade Jr. never found his groove and was hitting .167 when traded to Anaheim, where he’s hitting .185. Patrick Bailey hit .190, a discouraging sign considering how badly he slumped in the second half the past two seasons. Lee has hit .199 in 42 games since May 7. Tyler Fitzgerald hit .127 in 20 June games, earning a demotion to Triple-A, long after Luis Matos was optioned for hitting .167. Adames, the $182 million man, was hitting in the .100s through June 10 before showing life. Backup catcher Sam Huff was taken off the roster after hitting .208, replaced by Andrew Knizner, who has hit .111.

On the pitching side, it wasn’t all glorious. Ryan Walker lost his closer’s job. Jordan Hicks pitched himself out of the rotation and all the way to Boston. The Giants won two of Verlander’s first three starts, then lost seven of nine. Sean Hjelle, whose wife made allegations of abuse, was seen shaking hands with teammates after Thursday’s game and was optioned to Triple-A.

Posey gets an A. Even an A-plus. Who would have thought he’d be in the running for Executive of the Year, especially with the offseason moves not yet panning out, at least statistically? Adames hit .215 with a team-high 90 strikeouts, and Verlander was winless through 12 starts.

It was more than that. It was the change in culture and direction and smart internal decision-making with the hiring of Zack Minasian and Randy Winn. The mutual trust between the boss and team was evident with Posey’s desire for roster and lineup continuity, and fans largely loved the fact that there were no openers or widespread platooning.

Posey shook up the roster June 4, replacing Wade with Dom Smith, among other moves, and the Giants responded with seven straight wins. He shocked the baseball world by trading for Devers, which didn’t immediately ignite the offense, but he’ll undoubtedly provide a legitimate threat in the second half.

The bullpen gets an A. The rotation a B. The defense a B. The offense a D-minus. And the manager a B-plus with the way Bob Melvin orchestrated his relievers — the bullpen posted the majors’ lowest ERA, 2.86 — and kept the team in contention despite a meager offense. Going 19-15 in one-run decisions was an accomplishment; the 19 wins were most in the majors.

Overall grade: B. So far, a major upgrade over the past three .500ish seasons.

After the Giants’ worst homestand of the season, 3-6, which knocked them to third place, 6.5 games behind the Dodgers, they should feel thrilled to be on the road with stops on the south side of Chicago, Arizona, and Sacramento — a winning trip would provide good vibes leading into a tough homestand with the Phillies and Dodgers.

Then comes the All-Star break, and Webb shouldn’t be planning any family excursions outside of Atlanta. Webb and Ramos were the Giants’ All-Star reps in 2024, and a repeat performance wouldn’t be stunning, though Ray and any number of relievers could have some say.

As part of the All-Star festivities, Major League Baseball hosts the Futures Game and draft. Unfortunately for the Giants, top prospect Bryce Eldridge can’t participate because he’s shelved a few weeks with a pulled hamstring, a bummer for the 20-year-old slugger who was trying to learn the intricacies of playing first base and hoping for a late-season callup. The Giants will pick 13th in the draft, Posey’s first as the baseball boss as he moves to replenish the farm system.

The trade deadline is July 31, and perhaps no team will pull off a bigger deal than Posey’s 4-for-1 gem with the Red Sox that landed Devers. The Giants could use another bat and more pitching, and Posey should seek bullpen depth, a Brian Sabean deadline speciality, especially after losing Hicks and Kyle Harrison in the Devers deal.

Yeah, sure. So long as the offense comes out of hibernation. The Giants finished the homestand 10-for-68 (.147) with runners in scoring position, and it’s virtually impossible to win consistently with those numbers, even if the pitching is elite.

Once Posey acquired Devers, it was a message to the clubhouse and entire industry that the Giants are going for it, and the DH/first baseman should make a significant difference in the second half. With Chapman due back before the break, and if Schmitt is OK to play after taking a pitch off his left wrist Wednesday, the offense should improve, right? Right?

Webb and Ray would be a formidable 1-2 punch in a postseason series, but who’s No. 3? Landen Roupp has been the best of the rest, posting a 3.67 ERA, his recent clunker at Dodger Stadium notwithstanding. Hayden Birdsong has a 5.40 ERA in seven starts since moving into the rotation and has surrendered 11 earned runs over 8 ⅓ innings in his last two starts. If Verlander can be Verlander again, it would be cool to see him pitch in October.

Before the Giants can set a playoff rotation, they need to experience a reawakening and become the team they were early in the season. After their 12-4 start, they went a mediocre 32-33.