SF Giants manager Bob Melvin proposes unorthodox lineup for 2025

When the SF Giants signed free agent shortstop Willy Adames to the largest contract in franchise history, there was an assumption amongst fans that he would bat cleanup. Manager Bob Melvin does not necessarily see the lineup shaping up that way.

In the latest episode of the Giants Talk podcast from NBC Sports Bay Area, Melvin sat down with reporter Alex Pavlovic and the two discussed many topics from during their interview which took place at the Winter Meetings. The full interview can be watched below.

SF Giants manager Bob Melvin lays out interesting vision for 2025 lineup

At the time, the Adames signing was not official so Melvin had to dance around it a bit, but he laid out his vision for what a potential lineup could look like for the Giants in 2025.

While many people assumed that Jung Hoo Lee would be the leadoff hitter again like he was last season before he got injured, Melvin noted that Lee is used to batting third in the lineup during his time in Korea.

Melvin also spoke about how LaMonte Wade Jr. is a good candidate to bat leadoff because of his high on base percentage. He coyly suggested that Adames could slide into the No. 2 spot in the lineup with Lee potentially batting third. The veteran skipper generally seemed excited that the lineup would be deeper for the Giants in 2025 since they would not have to rely as heavily on young players like Heliot Ramos or Tyler Fitzgerald like they did in 2024.

The Bay Area native also said he wants to maintain a "right-left-right" dynamic in the lineup as much as possible which makes sense especially later in games so opposing managers cannot bring in a left-handed reliever to face three straight left-handed batters.

Keeping this in mind, let's sketch out what a potential lineup could look like for the Giants based on Melvin's parameters:

Potential 2025 SF Giants lineup: 1. 1B LaMonte Wade Jr. (L); 2. SS Willy Adames (R) 3. CF Jung Hoo Lee (L) 4. 3B Matt Chapman (R) 5. RF Mike Yastrzemski (L) 6. LF Heliot Ramos (R) 7. C Patrick Bailey (S) 8. 2B Tyler Fitzgerald (R) 9. DH Jerar Encarnación

Things could obviously change, but that would be an interesting way for the Giants to configure their lineup. It is different from the projected lineup we put together following the Adames signing but is interesting to consider. It definitely is more balanced than it was last season, and there would be a lot less pressure on guys like Ramos and Fitzgerald which could be a good thing for them.

It is a little bit unorthodox because Lee would typically be thought of as a leadoff hitter given his speed and ability to make contact with the ball and put it in play. Yet, one cannot argue with Wade's impressive OBP and the fact that he has had success in the leadoff spot before.

Lineups are never set in stone, but it is interesting to get a glimpse into how Melvin is thinking about the lineup going into 2025.