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SF Giants Player Review 2026: Drew Gilbert shed his goofball reputation

He's a legit player.
ByNick San Miguel
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San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants center fielder Drew Gilbert (0) stands in the on deck circle against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the seventh inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants center fielder Drew Gilbert (0) stands in the on deck circle against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the seventh inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For avid readers of the Around the Foghorn SF Giants Player Review series (of which I am sure there are at least half a dozen), I sincerely apologize. I forgot to write one yesterday. I’m sorry! But, to make it up to all four of you, I will write two (2) of them today. What joy!

We will begin with outfielder Drew Gilbert. A year ago Giants fans kind of thought of Gilbert as that crazy goofball who would get choked in the dugout and bite people’s sleeves almost like he was a rabid dog or something, but he reined that person in and 2026 and proved to everyone that he’s just a solid, valuable ballplayer.

Gilbert didn’t make the Opening Day roster but once he got called up in mid-April after injuries to both Jared Oliva and Harrison Bader, he did not get sent back down.

The 26-year-old appeared in 134 games for San Francisco and he was solid. He hit .238/.330/.394 with 11 home runs and 43 runs batted in. He got a lot of playing time due to all of the injuries and he figures to be an important part of next year’s team as well, potentially as a platoon partner with Jonah Cox in center field.

There’s a reason Gilbert is likely only a platoon player for now, though. In his two big league seasons against right-handed pitching he has hit .252/.338/.432 with 14 homers and 54 runs batted in. Against lefties he has just five hits in 63 at-bats.

Gilbert shed goofball label, but now he has to shed platoon label

Maybe that will change over time, but for now he’s just not going to get a lot of chances against lefties. The Giants saw how a platoon guy could be an effective player for years in Austin Slater so Gilbert might just end up being the lefty version of Slater which would not be a bad thing at all.

He provides solid defense in the outfield even if he’s probably not going to win a Gold Glove anytime soon and the fact that he and manager Tony Vitello have such a close relationship dating back to their Tennessee days makes him such a perfect fit for the roster.

We know that Gilbert is still a goofball inside, but he’s doing a better job of hiding it. He probably didn’t want to be known as “that crazy guy who hits .190” so he’s now “that crazy guy who’s also actually a pretty solid player” which is a nice upgrade. 

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