Were San Francisco Giants 'Overlooked' Coming Into This Season?

The San Francisco Giants are off to a fantastic start, and that might be a bit of a surprise. 

Coming into the season, the Giants weren’t expected to be that much better of a team in 2025. 

This winter, San Francisco was able to accomplish their goals of shedding their payroll and improving their lineup. 

The most significant move they made was signing star shortstop Willy Adames. Adding the talented slugger gave this team a player who can provide power in the middle of the order.

Offense has been an issue for the team the past several years, but the unit has been much better so far even with Adames off to a slow start. 

However, even with their new star not firing on all cylinders just yet, the Giants are one of the best teams in the National League early on, which has been one of the biggest surprises of the campaign. 

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently described San Francisco as a team that was overlooked to begin the season. 

“Entering the season, the Giants appeared to be the fourth-best team in a division with three potential World Series contenders in the Dodgers, Padres and Diamondbacks. That may still prove to be the case, but they have kept pace with the big boys so far, winning eight of their first 10 games.”

This is certainly a bit surprising, but there might have been signs that this team could compete coming into the year. 

Last season, the team was without Jung Hoo Lee for much of the campaign, someone who was expected to be a key part of their lineup and defensive alignment. Furthermore, Wilmer Flores dealt with a knee injury that seemingly sapped his power. 

With both of these players healthy, the lineup all of a sudden is a lot deeper and more prolific. 

Furthermore, the starting rotation was the unit that appeared to have elite potential coming into 2025. 

With multiple former Cy Young Award winners on their team, and Logan Webb at the top of the rotation, there was reason to believe that this group could be one of the best in the league. 

So far, the results have been excellent.

The hot start from Jordan Hicks is exciting as a young, developing arm, and with both Robbie Ray and Justin Verlander healthy, the depth of the rotation is a strength.

While hot starts can always fade, there are reasons to believe that this can be sustained by the Giants. With a seemingly improved lineup, a strong rotation and a good bullpen, San Francisco might have been overlooked coming into the season.