Who was the biggest SF Giants disappointment in 2024?

While the SF Giants disappointed as a team in 2024, there were not many individual disappointing seasons. That said, Camilo Doval had a season he would like to forget.

Who was the biggest SF Giants disappointment in 2024?

Perhaps, Wilmer Flores' year would be considered a disappointment from a performance standpoint. He struggled to the tune of a .595 OPS with four home runs and 26 RBI in 242 plate appearances before landing on the injured list with a knee injury. There is a good chance that the knee ailment affected his numbers this year.

On the other hand, Michael Conforto never really lived up to his two-year, $36 million deal. The veteran bat posted a .759 OPS with 20 home runs and 66 RBI in 488 plate appearances. His numbers were more fine than bad or good, but not necessarily a disappointment.

That leaves Doval. The 2023 All-Star entered the year as the team's closer and had a strong start to the season. He posted a 2.78 ERA through his first 23 appearances in 2024. While the ERA was strong, his walk rate jumped up considerably.

It was not just the walks for Doval, but the missed locations in the middle of the plate. He just could not find a consistent release point and the wheels fell off pretty quickly.

From June 1 onward, the hard-throwing reliever struggled to a 6.19 ERA in 36.1 frames. This included him being supplanted by Ryan Walker for the closer role and even optioned to Triple-A for a brief period of time in August.

When Doval returned from Sacramento, the control issues that plagued him leading to his demotion continued to be a problem.

Oddly enough, Doval did convert 23 saves in 28 opportunities. That is not a bad success rate but he did not look great doing it, especially as the season progressed. It was clear that a change was needed, and perhaps, the Giants kept him in that role for too long.

Doval is under team control for the next several seasons. He is due for a substantial raise in his first trip through arbitration this winter. If the Giants bullpen is going to be a strength in 2025, Doval needs to be a key part of that. They hope that the former closer can turn the page after a disappointing season.