One concerning trend the SF Giants need to fix with star hitter’s approach at the plate

Last season, the SF Giants made one of the biggest June trades in baseball history by acquiring Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox in a five-player swap. Devers went on to post a 29.4 percent strikeout, which is a concerning trend they will need to fix.

One concerning trend the SF Giants need to fix with star hitter’s approach at the plate

The rest of Devers’ numbers with San Francisco were solid. He slashed .236/.347/.460 (126 wRC+) with 20 home runs, 51 RBI, and 52 runs in 395 plate appearances following the trade.

Devers’ overall numbers were not nearly as strong as they were earlier in the season with Boston. He put up a 146 wRC+ in 334 plate appearances with the Red Sox.

Some of that can be attributed to a shift in babip. Devers had a .322 babip with the Red Sox, compared to a .294 babip with San Francisco. He was not finding quite as many hits when he put the ball in play. That could be due in part to poor luck, but his .234 expected batting suggests he was right around where he should be.

On a positive note, there was hardly a shift in the left-handed bat’s raw power. He recorded a .232 ISO with the Red Sox, compared to a .224 ISO with the Giants.

Devers put together a strong performance with the Giants, and they will need more of that from him in 2026. One key area where they will need to see improvement is his strikeout rate.

The lineup already has a few too many hitters with high strikeout rates. Devers saw a notable spike to 29.4 percent with the Giants. That was much higher than his 22.0 percent career strikeout rate.

Like many Giants hitters, Devers was far too passive at the plate. His in-zone contact was not radically different before and after the trade. In fact, it was a tad higher with the Giants, which does not make much sense when comparing it against his strikeouts rate

The biggest shift in his plate discipline numbers was his in-zone swing rate. He was far more aggressive on pitchers in the zone with the Red Sox, as he tallied a 73.1 percent in-zone swing rate. That number dropped to 66.9 percent with the Giants.

That was not unique to Devers. Looking at strikes was far too common with Giants hitters over the past couple of seasons. That suggests a poor approach, whether it was due to planning, coaching, or a combination of both.

How should the new coaching staff help Devers bring that strikeout rate back down? Getting him to swing more at pitches in the zone would be a good start.