SF Giants: The 3 biggest disappointments from the first half of 2022

SF Giants: The 3 biggest disappointments from the first half of 2022

2. The defense

Similar to the bullpen, the Giants had a strong defense in 2021. However, nearly every defender has regressed substantially this season. There have been many games where the defense was the difference between a win and a loss.

A lot of the focus has been on the infield defense, but they have been bad across the board. The infielders receive a lot of attention as Giants pitchers have induced a ground ball in 48.3 percent of batted ball events. This means that the team's success is due in part to converting ground balls into outs.

That just has not happened as the Giants have the fourth-highest BABIP at .306. Giants pitchers have tallied a 3.38 FIP, which leads baseball. However, the 3.84 ERA is closer to the middle of the pack and poor defense contributes to the gap between those two metrics.

Anyone can see this based on the eye test, but the defensive metrics agree. The Giants defense has been -29 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and -29 Outs Above Average (OAA). Regardless of the metric, they are one of the worst teams with the glove.

They may try to address the defense at the trade deadline, but this is part of their identity. It is not something that they will be able to fix overnight. It is a concerning trend to monitor as the season progresses and likely one that limits any potential they might have in the playoffs.