This offseason, the San Francisco Giants‘ front office clearly felt they needed to make a big splash on the open market to upgrade their roster into a playoff-contending group.
For a franchise who ripped off three World Series titles from 2010-14, they’ve only played fall baseball twice since their last championship, with the most recent appearance coming in 2021 when they lost in the Divisional Round after winning 107 games.
One player they brought in to provide a much-needed power bat was Jorge Soler.
The star slugger was coming off an All-Star selection last year where he blasted 36 home runs and had 75 RBI for a Miami Marlins team who found themselves in the playoffs. He was a huge part of their lineup and the Giants thought he could be a missing piece for theirs going forward.
They handed the 2021 World Series MVP a three-year, $42 million contract, but it hasn’t worked out like either party thought so far this season.
Soler is slashing .224/.309/.383 with only eight homers and 22 RBI, a far cry from what San Francisco was expecting, and from what the power hitter expects from himself.
He knows he hasn’t lived up to the hype through 59 games with his new team, but he’s focused on getting things corrected to help push this group into the playoffs.
“It’s not easy. I know what I can do, I know I have the talent, but the only thing I can do is just show up every single day, practice, make sure I get better. Yes, at times I go home very frustrated but there’s nothing I can do about it except come back and put in the work,” he told reporters after Sunday’s game.
Maybe the work he’s referencing is starting to pay off.
Soler went 2-4 during the Giants’ 13-6 drubbing over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday in which he blasted a three-run homer in the fourth inning and drove in another run in the eighth with a ground rule double.
Getting his bat going will be a key part of this team earning a Wild Card spot.
But as the slugger is relying on his work and preparation to get himself going at the plate, he’s also hoping that a new added wardrobe element will spark a turnaround.
Soler was spotted wearing one of the straw hats in the dugout that was a giveaway item for Sunday’s game, and he made it known that it will be traveling with him for San Francisco’s upcoming series against the Chicago Cubs.
“I like it so much, I’m taking it to Chicago,” he said.
Hopefully it works and he’s able to provide the power that this team is desperately looking for through the summer months.
