Five reasons why San Francisco Giants can sustain early success

The San Francisco Giants have been a surprise in Major League Baseball this season.

Just a few weeks into the season, the Giants are 13-5 after picking up series wins over the Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees. Despite dropping the series to the Reds at home, the Giants are 4-2 at Oracle Park and 9-3 on the road.

The lingering question is, can the Giants sustain their early success? 

Starting rotation

Logan Webb, Jordan Hicks and Robbie Ray have combined to go 6-1. The Giants need those three to continue their success and momentum to give the Giants any chance of sniffing the playoffs. The Giants, however, need help from veteran Justin Verlander, who is still looking for his first win as a Giant. He is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in four games. If Verlander can regain his form, that would be a bonus for the Giants to keep pace with the Padres and Dodgers.

Offense coming through

Wilmer Flores has been on a tear, hitting six home runs and slugging .515. He leads the team with 23 RBI, ahead of Jung Hoo Lee, who has 14. The Giants have been getting key hits from role players, which doesn't feature any star players. Mike Yastrzemski contributed by hitting three home runs with 11 RBI. Tyler Fitzgerald had been struggling until he got some tips from Barry Bonds, according to the team's website. Fitzgerald is hitting .314 with a home run and five RBI after batting .179 in his first nine games. Since Bonds' tutorial, Fitzgerald scored five times with three doubles and a triple. Matt Chapman is another Giant who contributed with two home runs, three doubles and nine RBI.

Staying healthy

While injuries will happen for every MLB team, the Giants cannot lose a key role player for the foreseeable future. The Giants found that out last season when Lee was forced to miss the remainder of the season after labrum surgery on May 17. Before the season ended, he had batted .262 with two home runs and eight RBI. The Giants need Lee to last all season to give the team any hope, especially manning center field.

Successful manager

In his first season as the Giants manager, Bob Melvin went 80-82. It is not how Melvin expected the season to turn out, but there was a lack of talent surrounding the team. It seems the Giants have the talent to produce under him. Melvin was successful when he was the manager of the Seattle Mariners, when they won 93 games in his first season. In Arizona, he led the Diamondbacks to a National League West title in 2007. He also took the Athletics and San Diego Padres to the playoffs. Can he do the same for the Giants before his contract expires after the end of next season?

Flores is a leader at the plate

While Flores hit 23 home runs in 2023, the Giants can only hope he can add to his six home runs, which is tied for fourth among MLB hitters through Thursday. Those home runs need to continue for Flores to keep the Giants in pace with the Dodgers and Padres. Whether it's home runs or driving in runs, Flores can produce. His productivity will help the Giants, especially the bullpen, led by Ryan Walker's four saves. It seems the knee problems Flores had last season are behind him, and the Giants can only hope he continues to deliver for the team.