San Francisco Giants Veteran Outfielder Delivering in Contract Year

It has mostly been pitching that has carried the San Francisco Giants to this point in the season. With their record of 19-12, good enough for third in the daunting National League West and currently holding the second NL Wild Card berth, they have surprised many with their early performance.

While most expected the lion's share of the offensive production to come from third baseman Matt Chapman or big-ticket free agent shortstop Willy Adames, they have struggled to get things rolling at the plate. Chapman holds a .733 OPS on the campaign, while Adames sits at .592, ranking third and sixth on the team, respectively, among qualifying batters.

It has been the performance of another veteran that has helped carry the load offensively to this point, and it has come in a contract year. Mike Yastrzemski, 34, is off to one of the best starts of his career, and it could become the best full-season performance he has ever put up, all while approaching free agency at the end of the year.

The grandson of legend Carl Yastrzemski, Mike has been rather inconsistent throughout his career. Entering 2025, he batted .239/.322/.457 with 106 home runs, 318 RBI, and a 114 OPS+ across 2,581 plate appearances in 694 games. He has accumulated at least 2.0 bWAR in every season that he has been in the Majors, with a career-high of 2.7 in 2020, and has already posted 1.1 through just 27 games this year.

So far this year, Yastrzemski has batted .275/.383/.505 with five home runs, 14 RBI, and a 155 OPS+ across 107 plate appearances. His .889 OPS ranks second on the team, 26th among all qualified hitters in MLB, and eighth among right fielders.

The biggest drawback for Yastrzemski is the lack of power that most expect from a right fielder. He is currently on pace for 26 home runs this year, which would be a new career high, topping the 25 he hit in 2021.

Most of the issue behind the power, however, is the park he plays in. Oracle Park, while one of the most beautiful in the sport, is notoriously hard for batters to hit for power, specifically left-handed batters. In fact, the Giants have not had a player hit 30 or more home runs in a single season since Barry Bonds in 2004.

That has been the issue for Yastrzemski throughout his career. He has only hit 44 home runs in home games, while knocking 66 of them on the road.

As 2025 is a contract year for the veteran, a surge in performance is to be expected. Free agency is right around the corner, barring an in-season extension. It would not be surprising to find Yastrzemski suiting up for another team in 2026, especially one with a much friendlier ball park for lefty-hitting right fielders.