SF Giants observations: Offense continues search for power, patience

CINCINNATI - Willy Adames played the role of optimist following the Giants' 2-1 loss to the Reds on Tuesday when discussing San Francisco's offensive struggles.

"It's been 17 games? I know we're going to turn (it) around and things are going to be fun," Adames said after hitting his third homer of the season. "We're going to have a lot of fun. We're going to talk about homers, walks, a lot of runs and things are going to be happy."

At this moment, however, all there is to talk about is the team's lack of homers, lack of walks and lack of runs.

The Giants currently rank last in the majors in runs (52), home runs (9) and walks (34), a trinity that has largely contributed to their 6-11 record, tied for last in the majors. Even with the caveat of small sample size, it's jarring to see San Francisco dead last in three major categories, given the offense projected to be a strength.

San Francisco's lineup features four hitters who blend power and patience in Adames, Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman and Heliot Ramos. They're all capable of clearing the 30-homer mark, and Devers is coming off a season where he totaled 35 home runs and 112 walks, numbers that haven't been achieved by a Giant since Barry Bonds. As things stand, this team lacks in both departments.

"We need to be more consistent and try to find that rhythm and get more comfortable at the plate," Adames said. "I think things are going to turn around. Obviously, we have a ton of guys that have power on this team: Chappy, Ramos, Rafi. … I know it's going to come. It doesn't feel great when we're not hitting and we're not winning games, but I have lot of confidence in this group of guys we have here.

"I know it's going to turn around. The guys are going to find that adjustment and find that rhythm and things are going to turn."

Manager Tony Vitello pointed out how his hitters have "put some balls in play where we just put 'em in play," alluding to the Giants making a lot of weak contact. The numbers back up that assessment.

Entering Tuesday, the Giants ranked third in the majors (and first in the National League) in contact rate. That's not inherently bad, but the quality of contact has been lacking. Before the loss, San Francisco ranked 21st in average exit velocity, 25th in hard-hit percentage and 27th in total barrels.

That weaker contact is partially a product of San Francisco's hitters chasing outside the zone. Prior to play, the Giants ranked fourth in O-Contact% (how often a batter makes contact with pitches outside the zone) and seventh in O-Swing% (how often a batter swings at a pitch outside the zone).

"That's actually the opposite of what Major League Baseball has come to be. You might as well have some intent and do damage," Vitello said. "Strikeouts have risen in this game, but I think for us, we haven't even got to that point where an at-bat would end with a strikeout or a walk because some guys have slowed their hands down to put the ball in play."

The high-contact, weaker-contact formula may work for a hitter like second baseman Luis Arraez, who collected three hits (all singles) in his return to action after being kicked in the hand on Saturday. Adames, Chapman, Devers and Ramos, by contrast, depend on hard contact, particularly the kind that leaves the ballpark.

Devers, in particular, most exemplifies the team-wide trend. Compared to last season, Devers is chasing far more and making worse contact, both of which have contributed to his .586 OPS.

Swinging at better pitches with more intent is obviously easier said than done, especially when the zeros on the scoreboard start to stack up. For Adames, being patient and drawing walks is much easier when a team is scoring more runs.

"Sometimes, I take a lot of walks. Then, it'll be a month where I take like five walks," Adames said. "Obviously, we need results. We want results. When you don't have it the first few weeks of the season, people start panicking. A lot of things, you always see the bad and you don't see the small positive that's happening. Like I said before, I have a lot of confidence in this group and I know we're going to be better."

"On the hitting side … there's no better than when you see your guys with a carefree approach," Vitello said. "They're not worried about looking foolish, swinging and missing, getting out, not worried about what the scoreboard is. When that happens for you on the offensive end … the scoreboard is kind of already taking care of itself, so that's not weighing on your mind or your shoulders anymore. You're just kind of taking that swing you took in the backyard, maybe playing wiffle ball."

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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 8:44 PM.