5 under the radar SF Giants players off to a good start in 2023
The Giants have some players that have been much better than they have been given credit for in 2023.
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The San Francisco Giants have surprised pretty much everyone this season with how well they are holding their own. While the Dodgers and the Padres generally got most of the attention in the NL West for the flashy moves they constantly were making, the Giants currently find themselves ahead of both of them in the division and just 2.5 games behind the equally surprising Arizona Diamondbacks.
Despite their failed best attempts to attract a big-time talent to San Francisco this past offseason like Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa's physical torpedoing his deal, the Giants have had to make do with a roster filled with guys who don't have a ton of national name recognition.
However, that doesn't mean that the Giants don't have good players. In fact, that is far from the case as you don't have a top 8 position player group and top 3 bullpen in all of baseball without guys who have been playing out of their minds. It is time that we change the narrative around the Giants and highlight the guys that deserve some love.
Here are the under the radar SF Giants players off to a good start in 2023
To be clear, most of these players will be well-known to most Giants fans. Fans that watch the team constantly are just going to be better informed than those from different fan bases or just the casual sports fan. This is about highlighting guys who may not be household names nationally that need some more recognition. Putting Logan Webb on a list like this doesn't make the most sense because he is a known quantity, but there are still plenty of guys who are both good and not on enough people's radars.
Without further adieu, here are five Giants players that you may not know well that are off to great starts in 2023.
Thairo Estrada has been a revelation for the SF Giants
It is just a shame that Thairo Estrada is not getting more recognition for how good he has been in 2023. Through 298 plate appearances this season, Thairo is just outside the top 10 in the National League amongst position players in fWAR thanks to his well rounded game on both sides of the ball.
Are there better defenders than him? Yes, but not a lot of them. Are there better hitters than him? Also yes especially given his low 5% walk rate. However, he does a lot of things very well and his ability to play multiple positions defensively has made him arguably the Giants' MVP this season.
Hopefully he will start getting the recognition he deserves soon as he has a very strong case to make the National League All-Star team this year. Even if that doesn't happen, he will eventually start getting appreciated if he keeps playing like this.
LaMonte Wade Jr. has really broken out this year for the SF Giants
It is not hyperbole to say that the Giants would not be in the position they are in right now with LaMonte Wade Jr. Through his first 72 games, he is slashing .286/.415/.462 with nine homers and his 146+ wRC+ is second on the Giants only to Austin Slater who only has 69 plate appearances this year.
We saw glimpses of this coming in years past. Wade Jr. put together a pretty nice 2021 season where he posted a 116 wRC+ in 381 plate appearances with 18 homers. While he didn't play particularly well in the majors last year, we did see his walk rate continue to creep back up which foreshadowed his elite ability to get on base this season.
LaMonte does a lot of things well at the plate, but it's his walk rate that has allowed him to be a key cog in the Giants' offense. The guy is constantly setting the table and for a team that doesn't have a ton of power, being able to create scoring opportunities over and over again is critically important.
John Brebbia has been much better than you think for San Francisco
As good as the Giants' bullpen has been, we have to talk about John Brebbia's 2023 season. On the surface, a guy that has put up a 3.14 ERA in 29 appearances in 2023 wouldn't warrant too much recognition. However, a look under the surface shows a guy that has been doing a lot of good work.
First, Brebbia's FIP sits at a miniscule 2.71 and he currently has a career-high strikeout rate at 11.3 K/9. He does give up some hard contact, but his expected batting average, expected slugging percentage, xERA, and K-rate all rate as elite. His counting numbers got hurt by a rough outing back in April, but he has been absolutely nails ever since.
Camilo Doval is putting up a career-best season for the SF Giants
Giants fans are already aware of what Camilo Doval is capable of, but the league is only just now beginning to appreciate him as a top notch bullpen arm. So far in 2023, he has been a top 10 reliever in the National League by fWAR at 0.9 and his 23 saves is only behind Emmanuel Clase's 24 for the most in all of baseball.
There is just so much to like with Doval. His strikeout rate of 12.65 is elite and his slider has been nearly unhittable for him this as opposing batters are hitting just .105 against the pitch this season. Combine that with the ability to throw 100 mph and you have the makings of an elite reliever that more people should take notice of.
JD Davis needs some more recognition for how good his has been for the SF Giants
When the Giants traded for JD Davis in the deal that sent Darin Ruf to the Mets, they were hoping that Davis would be able to put his injury issues behind him and be the hitter that he was in 2019 when he put up a 137 wRC+ and hit 22 homers. Fortunately for them, that is exactly what they have gotten.
Through 74 games with the Giants, Davis has slashed .289/.367/.467 with 10 homers while also being a very strong defender at third with six Outs Above Average at third base this year. This isn't just the product of a hot streak, either, as he has posted a wRC+ of 122 or higher every single month of the season. The guy can just flat out play baseball and more folks should know about him. Fortunately for the Giants, they have him under team control through the 2024 season and he sure seems like a guy that is a prime candidate for an extension.
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