Who was the unluckiest SF Giants hitter of 2026?

Grant McCray did not hit much for the SF Giants in 2026, but luck was also not on his side. By several metrics, he was the unluckiest hitter on the club among players with at least 50 plate appearances.

Overall, he slashed .143/.250/.273 (48 wRC+) with two home runs, four RBI, and 14 runs in 91 plate appearances this year. This includes a 12.1 percent walk rate, 30.8 percent strikeout rate, and .130 ISO.

The left-handed bat had made strides in improving his contact rates in Triple-A, even if that did not play out during his time with the Giants. He spent good portions of the past three seasons with the Sacramento River Cats. In 2024 and 2025, he had strikeout rates above 25 percent, but brought that mark down to 23 percent in 2026.

That improvement played out in spring training and continued during McCray's stint in the minors. However, across 247 career plate appearances in the majors, he has a strikeout rate of just under 40 percent.

Grant McCray could be on the roster bubble for the SF Giants after struggling in his 2026 audition

Using expected statistics, there are ways to measure how lucky or unlucky a hitter was in a season. For McCray, he put up a .143 batting average, compared to a .210 expected batting average. That .067 unfavorable variance led the Giants. Harrison Bader was second on the team in that regard, with a .045 unfavorable variance.

Similarly, McCray had the largest unfavorable variance between his actual slugging percentage (.273) and his expected slugging percentage (.350). Brett Harris was second on the team in that category, with a .062 unfavorable variance between the two marks.

Lastly, McCray posted a .236 wOBA, compared to a .291 xwOBA. That .055 unfavorable variance led the team by a comfortable margin. Harris and Turner Hill were tied for second on the team, with a .036 unfavorable variance.

McCray's .236 wOBA is based on his actual production, and that number is 80 points below the league average rate of a .316 wOBA. He was still a below-average hitter in every category, and the bad luck was not enough to cover the gap to being an average hitter.

That said, it does highlight that McCray hit the ball better than his topline numbers suggest. The Giants have a decision to make on a lot of players this offseason, including McCray. They have 17 players on the 60-day injured list that they will need to bring back after the World Series. This will lead to a lot of roster turnover. While the pitching depth looks to be the most vulnerable, the 25-year-old outfielder could be on the roster bubble as well.

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