3 SF Giants takeaways from a promising 1st month to the 2025 season

At 19-12, the SF Giants completed a promising first month to the year, even if they finished the month being swept by the San Diego Padres. What are three takeaways that stood out now that the calendar is turning to May.

3 SF Giants takeaways from a promising 1st month to the 2025 season

The Giants faced a couple of tough challenges in the first month. They had a 10-game road trip against the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and Los Angeles Angels that proved to be a good litmus test. They went 6-4 during that stretch.

That road trip started a 17-game stretch without any days off. Typically, that will wear some teams down, but the Giants performed well with a 10-7 record. They also had a knack for the theatrical with five walk-off wins.

1. The bullpen looks to be a strength

It is tough to set expectations for a bullpen, but it looked like this unit would be a strength heading into this season. Ryan Walker entered the year as the closer, and endured a stretch where that was tested. Camilo Doval filled in when he wavered, but Walker still looks like the primary closer for now.

This bullpen has length beyond Walker and Doval. As usual, Tyler Rogers was durable and effective. Randy Rodríguez
might be one of the more underrated relievers in the early going. Oddly enough, Bob Melvin has not thrusted him into high-leverage, late-innings spots just yet but that could be coming.

Miller and Spencer Bivens did nicely in their roles. On more than one occasion, Hayden Birdsong saved the bullpen with multi-inning outings. As a unit, the Giants' bullpen is second in baseball with a 2.41 ERA.

2. The defense has been clean, but has it been good?

The Giants are tied with a couple of teams with the fewest errors in baseball at 11. That is great for the pitching staff because it means that the defense is not giving opposing offenses extra outs.

However, errors are not really a great way to judge a defense in today's game. It does not show range or difficultly of plays being made. The defensive metrics paint a slightly different picture with 0 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) or -8 Outs Above Average (OAA). Depending on the metric you consume, they are either neutral or below average.

Defensive metrics early in the season can be misleading, so it is important not to put too much weight into this. For the Giants, shortstop and the outfield corners look to be potential problem areas. On the other hand, Jung Hoo Lee has stabilized the defense in center field. This is just something to keep in the back of your mind.

3. Clutch hitting has returned

The Giants have struggled badly with runners in scoring position in recent seasons. However, the pendulum has shifted in their favor in the early going. The Giants have posted a .780 OPS with runners in scoring position in 2025, which is the fifth-best mark in baseball.

Overall, their lineup is not particularly strong, as it sits in the middle of the pack with a .698 OPS, but they have been cashing in when the opportunity arises.

The lineup has also been one of extremes. Jung Hoo Lee and Mike Yastrzemski have been extremely good. On the other hand, Willy Adames, LaMonte Wade Jr., and Patrick Bailey are happy to see the calendar turn to May. There should be some regression from Yastrzemski and Lee, but favorable improvements from some other players in the lineup, such as Adames.