It has been a challenging season with ups and downs for the San Francisco Giants in 2024.
As the Giants hover around .500, the season has been considered a failure, as they likely won’t get into the playoffs despite spending to make that happen.
With three teams from the NL West likely to be playing fall baseball this year, San Francisco will be one of the odd teams out.
The Giants started to think about next season and the future when they signed third baseman Matt Chapman to a six-year contract extension. He has been one of the best hitters for San Francisco this season, and locking him up long-term was a good move.
In addition to their third baseman having a good campaign at the plate, the Giants have also seen the rise of outfielder Heliot Ramos.
MLB.com recently spoke about the 25-year-old being the player on San Francisco who has taken the biggest step forward this season.
“Ramos came into the season buried on the Giants’ outfield depth chart, but he showed he could be a building block for the future after injuries created an opportunity for him to finally play every day. Since being promoted from Triple-A Sacramento on May 8, Ramos has produced a team-leading 20 homers and an .804 OPS, which ranks second on the team behind Matt Chapman (entering Wednesday). At 25, Ramos still has room to get even better and continue to build on his first career All-Star campaign for the Giants,” wrote Maria Guardado of MLB.com.
While Chapman has been great for San Francisco this year, the argument can be made that Ramos has actually been the best hitter for them.
In 2024, their young outfielder totaled a .270 batting average, 20 home runs, and 67 RBI.
Even though Chapman has played almost 40 more games than Ramos, the numbers are fairly comparable.
The development of the young slugger has been one of the most encouraging things for the Giants this season. In a lineup that hasn’t produced well overall, Ramos has been a major bright spot.
Considering he wasn’t on the Opening Day roster, their former top prospect is now considered to be a staple for the franchise for years to come in the outfield.
This offseason, San Francisco now must continue to surround Ramos and Chapman with some more talented bats in the lineup, as they now have a nice duo in the middle of their order.
