The National League Silver Slugger Award finalists were announced on Wednesday and the lone SF Giants representative was third baseman Matt Chapman. This is reflective of the poor state of the team’s offense.
The Silver Slugger Award is voted on by MLB coaches and managers and is meant to reward the “best” hitter at each position on the field in each league. The Giants have had a number of winners in the team’s history, but not one since 2021.
SF Giants only have one Silver Slugger finalist this year
Long gone are the days when Barry Bonds would take the award home every year. Now, the Giants are lucky to have a player even nominated as this is the second consecutive year in which Chapman was the lone finalist for the Giants.
One could maybe argue that shortstop Willy Adames deserved a nomination, but his .225 batting average was well behind the other shortstops nominated.
Chapman will be up against San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado, Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy, and Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley.
One could argue Chapman’s slash line of .231/.340/.430 with 21 home runs and 61 runs batted in is better than Muncy or Riley’s stats, but Machado’s slash line of .275/.335/.460 with 27 homers and 95 runs driven in is going to be tough to beat.
However, the Giants only having one finalist for the second straight year speaks to the issues with their offense. While the Giants have solid big league hitters in their lineup, they lack the consistency needed to have sustained success throughout the season.
Their three best hitters are Chapman, Adames, and Rafael Devers. All three have a lot of power, but they also strike out a lot and have a lot of swing-and-miss in their approach at the plate. That is part of what led to those brutal offensive slumps for the team over the course of the season that really sunk their playoff chances.
President of baseball operations Buster Posey has said pitching will be a priority for the team this offseason which is wise. The Giants are not going to slug their way to the playoffs. Pitching and defense have to be the strengths of the team.
However, it would not hurt to add at least one more consistent bat to the lineup just so the team puts the ball in play more and does not repeatedly strike out in big situations.
The Giants do not need a Silver Slugger finalist at every position, although having Devers for a full season should get them a finalist either at first base or designated hitter next season, but they do need to address some things on offense if they want to move beyond mediocrity next season.
