I think all San Francisco Giants fans remember and reminisce about the 2021 Major League Baseball season. Sweeping the league with 107 wins and only 55 losses, the Giants gave the City hope for the playoffs and the seasons that would follow. While they didn’t end up winning the World Series that year, fans were still optimistic about the future of their Bay Area baseball team. But that anticipation and excitement faded the next year, as the Giants fell behind in the NL West with a 81-81 record. The Giants have since then drastically reduced their wins and increased their losses.
So what’s going on? How did we go from such great success in the 2010s to the anger and frustration from the recent losses we’ve been seeing? Well, arguably one of the most important players from that spectacular 2021 team, Buster Posey, unexpectedly retired. He was a crucial asset to the success of the Giants and his retirement shocked San Francisco’s fanbase. Moreover, many key members from the Giants’ roster succumbed to severe injuries like first baseman Brandon Belt, who had to undergo a season-ending surgery for his knee, and third baseman Evan Longoria, who suffered numerous injuries and was placed on the injury list four times in the 2022 season. The incapacitation and loss of players truly placed a major obstacle in the Giants’ annual journey to the World Series.
In an attempt to fix this playoff drought, the Giants signed infielder and designated hitter Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox in June this year. For fans, this trade was sudden yet welcomed with open arms, as Devers has had a distinguished career with the Red Sox. Yet it seemed to worsen the team’s already declining win record. All games following the Devers trade have resulted in a record of 27 wins and 38 losses (as of September 4, 2025). While some might say that this is just a coincidence, Devers’ performance and impact on the Giants has lowered many expectations. His batting average and on base percentage has significantly decreased compared to his time in Boston. Has Devers’ addition to the San Francisco Giants proven for better or for worse?
Well, it’s not only Devers that’s been underperforming in the second half of the season. The Giants have been struggling due to lack of execution from the offense, particularly when the team has runners in scoring position. Their current batting average with runners in scoring position (one second and third base) is ranked 28th out of 30 teams in the league at .232. They are only ahead of the Chicago White Sox and the Seattle Mariners. Likewise, fans are frustrated with the Giants’ inability to come up with clutch hits when the team needs it. Even players that have shown their strong offensive abilities throughout the season like center fielder Jung Hoo Lee have been unable to put the ball in play during these potential scoring scenarios.
The Giants’ second-half run has exposed flaws, but it hasn’t completely erased the promise of their early-season form. Since I’ve begun writing this article, they’ve gone 12-4 in their last 16 games. With talent still on the roster and time left on the schedule, San Francisco’s challenge is less about rewriting the past few months and more about proving they can still play like the team that once set the pace.