3 biggest SF Giants disappointments from the first half of the season

Now past the halfway point of the season, the SF Giants currently are sitting in fourth place in the NL West with a 41-44 record. They are just a tad beyond the halfway point. After spending more money in the offseason than any team other than the Los Angeles Dodgers, that’s a discouraging run of mediocrity. Which three players have contributed most to the underperformance?

3 biggest SF Giants disappointments from the first half of the season

Baseball, as we all know, is a fickle game that’s not played on paper. Nothing ever happens quite the way you expect, and that includes individual players’ performances and development.

As a whole, the pitching staff has been the biggest disappointment this season with 4.50 ERA. That is the sixth-worst mark in baseball. The starting rotation and bullpen have shared the blame in terms of that performance.

However, the Giants knew that the rotation would be shaky in the first half of the season. Perhaps, they did not expect it to mirror the first half of last season where they had to rely heavily on bullpen games. Outside of Logan Webb, Jordan Hicks, and Kyle Harrison, the Giants have struggled to get any type of production from the rotation. They hope that the second half is more promising with the eventual return of a handful of starters, including Harrison.

1. Pitcher Blake Snell

Snell’s season has been an unmitigated disaster, and even his own fork-tongued agent Scott Boras would have a difficult time putting a positive spin on literally anything he has done. He has lasted just 23.2 innings over his six starts, getting shelled to the tune of a 9.51 ERA, 1.94 WHIP, and 5.32 BB/9.

The lefty pitcher missed all of Spring Training due to signing so late and has been using that as one of a litany of excuses for his poor play. It bears mentioning that Boras does hold some of the blame in Snell's performance. The superagent often waits out the market to secure the best deal possible. This time around, it backfired.

Snell signed a two-year, $62 million pact right before the season. This included a player option for the second season. At this point in time, there is a good chance that he exercises that player option. He has not just been the most disappointing player on the Giants, but arguably the most disappointing free-agent signing this past winter.