San Francisco Giants DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin said that infielder Marco Luciano will play a corner-outfield spot in spring training. Luciano admitted on Friday that he felt "totally lost" in the batter's box last year and said he wasn't ready mentally for winter ball and wanted to concentrate on getting in shape first and foremost. The team's former top prospect slashed .211/.259/.303 with a .562 OPS, no homers, three RBI and 28 strikeouts in 81 plate appearances over 27 games for the Gigantes last year. It's unclear if the Giants are giving up completely on him being an infielder, but Luciano is now blocked at the 6 by Willy Adames. The 23-year-old's defense at shortstop wasn't all that great, either, so they'll give him a try in the outfield this year and he'll likely open the year at Triple-A Sacramento. Now is a good buy-low opportunity for those in dynasty/keeper leagues.

San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray (hamstring) was seen throwing a bullpen session at camp on Thursday. Ray recovered from Tommy John surgery last year and returned to make seven starts in his first year with the Giants, going 3-2 with a 4.70 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 43 strikeouts and 15 walks in 30 2/3 frames. However, the 33-year-old veteran southpaw ended the year on the injured list after straining his hamstring on Aug. 27. By all accounts, he's fully healthy for spring training and is fully expected to be locked into a starting rotation spot for San Fran in 2025. Ray's 4.70 ERA upon his return last year was not impressive, but his stuff was. The former American League Cy Young winner is injury-prone and can get wild at times, but he proved last year that he still has plenty of swing-and-miss stuff. At a low cost on draft day, Ray is absolutely worth rostering as fantasy starting pitching depth.

San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin said that the team is toying with the idea of using outfielder Jung Hoo Lee in the third spot in the batting order in 2025 as he returns from a season-ending shoulder injury. First baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. is also healthy, and the Giants like his on-base skills at the top of the order in the leadoff spot. So as things stand at the beginning of spring training, it looks like Wade will lead off, followed by new shortstop Willy Adames, Lee, third baseman Matt Chapman and outfielder Heliot Ramos in the top half of the order. Lee played in only 37 games in his first year with San Fran in 2023, and while he made plenty of contact, his superior on-base skills from Japan didn't transfer over. A move down the order slightly would mean fewer runs scored but also give him more chances to drive in runs. Lee hit the ball hard in his small sample size last year, so more power could be coming in 2025.

San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin said that catcher Tom Murphy (knee) is a full-go for the start of spring training. Murphy signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the Giants last offseason but ended up playing in just 13 games in 2024 after spraining his left MCL in early May. The good news is that the 33-year-old veteran backstop didn't require surgery, which is why he's a full-go this spring. Now that he appears to be fully healthy in 2025, Murphy is expected to be the team's primary backup to starter Patrick Bailey. Bailey struggled against lefties last season, so don't be surprised if Murphy sees regular playing time against southpaws in 2025. At best, Murphy will be an option for fantasy managers in two-catcher leagues because of his power. He has never played in more than 97 games in a season since debuting in 2015 with the Colorado Rockies, but he did slug 18 homers in 75 games in 2019 with the Mariners.

San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin said that left-hander Kyle Harrison will compete with right-hander Hayden Birdsong for the fifth starting rotation spot in spring training. The San Francisco Chronicle's Shayna Rubin reports that Harrison, who had a noticeable dip in velocity in 2024, said his velocity is back where he wants it and has corrected issues with his delivery that occurred after he suffered ankle and shoulder injuries. The 23-year-old was shut down early last year due to left-shoulder inflammation, which was probably the primary cause of his drop in velocity. With good health, he should have a leg up on the final rotation spot over Birdsong and could be due for a bounce-back campaign after posting a 4.56 ERA and 1.34 WHIP with a 118:42 K:BB in 24 starts (124 1/3 innings) in his first full MLB season in 2024. RotoBaller has Harrison outside of its top-100 starting pitching rankings.