The San Francisco Giants surprised many people with the way they handled the 2024 MLB transfer deadline. They did not make any drastic moves and traded away some veterans to save money and create playing time for younger players.
Their goal is to make the playoffs, but whether they will achieve that remains to be seen, as the Giants are struggling to consistently pull everything together on the field.
Their pitching seems to be a strength right now with Blake Snell in rhythm. Combined with All-Star Logan Webb at the top of the rotation and former Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray, there’s something going on in San Francisco.
The persistence of younger players like Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong shows that Bob Melvin has this strong, talented group to rely on. He needs younger players in his lineup who started the season hot to get back on track.
Outfielder Heliot Ramos delivered an immediate performance in the first half of the season. He was considered a candidate with All-Star potential and was able to make this happen by being nominated for the Midsummer Classic despite his late start to the 2024 season.
In 60 games, Ramos smashed the baseball, hitting .298/.365/.523, hitting 14 home runs with 11 doubles and 46 RBIs as a key top-of-order hitter.
Catcher Patrick Bailey also delivered an outstanding performance. In the first half, he had a slash average of .283/.354/.430, hit seven home runs with eleven doubles and scored 31 runs in 69 games.
In the second half, both players’ numbers dropped sharply. Could the long season finally take its toll on the Giants’ young players?
In 15 games, Ramos has posted a disappointing .246/.258/.410 batting line with two home runs, two doubles, one triple and eight RBIs. Bailey has been even less productive in his 17 appearances.
He posted a slash line of .143/.194/.159 with no home runs. Bailey’s OPS+ was 122 in the first half and 0 in the second half.
As BrooksGate on X reported, Ramos and Bailey have suffered two of the biggest drops in baseball in the second half compared to their first half performance. Bailey posted an OPS difference of -.441 while Ramos is at -.285.
the batsmen with the biggest difference between their OPS in the 1st and 2nd half pic.twitter.com/jB42mZTtx4
— Brooks Gate (@Brooks_Gate) 6 August 2024
Bailey’s drop in performance is the third-highest in baseball. Only Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith and Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner have worse numbers. Ramos entered the game on August 6 at No. 12.
Getting these two back on track is imperative if San Francisco wants to compete in the National League and secure a playoff spot. Tyler Fitzgerald and Matt Chapman cannot be the only players carrying the offensive load.
