ZiPS Analysis: SF Giants Must Act to Rise Above Crowded NL Landscape

ZiPS' median projection for the San Francisco Giants is 82 wins. While not exactly exciting—or really at all exciting—an 82-win projection puts the Giants right in the thick of the NL playoff picture. The Braves and Dodgers stand alone at the top, each projected to win 92+ games. Then there are ten(!) teams projected to win between 79-85 games. At 82, the SF Giants' projection starts to look like they have a pretty decent shot at the postseason. But each additional win would mean so much, so the Giants must continue to add. Even as Spring Training is less than a week away, four $100M+ players remain available to sign in free agency, not to mention the trade market which features fits like Willy Adames.

Switching gears, ESPN's Top 100 Prospects list is analyzed. Marco Luciano gets one of the rosier scouting reports we've seen among the Top 100 lists looked at so far this offseason, with Kiley McDaniel saying that scouts believed Luciano has improved enough defensively to be adequate at short. That flies in the face of so many reports we've read about him absolutely not being a shortstop. McDaniel also says Luciano has the potential to be a star shortstop capable of hitting 30 homers.

Likewise, Kyle Harrison gets a nice ranking that includes a prediction that he'll throw 100-150 innings in the majors this year with flashes of brilliance at the very least, but the potential to come out of the gates hot and put together a Rookie of the Year campaign. Also appearing on ESPN's list: LHP Carson Whisenhunt and OF/1B/P Bryce Eldridge, the SF Giants' first-round pick in 2023. In other news, J.D. Davis defeating the Giants in arbitration is also discussed.

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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

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