What MLB experts are predicting for Giants’ 2024 season

What MLB experts are predicting for Giants’ 2024 season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The 2024 Giants, on paper, could be significantly better than they were last season.

After a flurry of impactful offseason moves, sentiment surrounding San Francisco went from uninspired to excitement in a matter of weeks.

The Giants are confident they are capable of competing for a World Series championship, but what does the national media think? Here is what MLB experts predict for San Francisco’s 2024 MLB season.

NL Wild-card picks: Philadelphia Phillies (23 votes), Arizona Diamondbacks (19), San Francisco Giants (16)

“I like the Diamondbacks as a team on the rise, one that should be better than last season even if they don’t catch lightning in a bottle again at playoff time,” Bradford Doolittle wrote. “And I like the Giants for the quality bulk of their offseason acquisitions, the potential of Jung Hoo Lee to be a catalyst atop their lineup, their overall depth and especially the potential of a rotation led by a big three of Logan Webb, Blake Snell and the electric Kyle Harrison.”

NL Rookie of the Year

ESPN’s pick: Jackson Chourio (9)

Who else got votes? Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6 votes), Jung Hoo Lee (6), Jackson Merrill (2), Paul Skenes (2), Shota Imanaga (1)

“First off, Lee is fun, and baseball needs more fun. He’s fast and flashy and ready for his moment,” Tim Keown wrote. “He had a strong spring training, showing more power than expected, and he feels like the type of rookie who can come in and hit the ground running. He might not be the best player from this rookie class in five years — give that to Chourio — but he’ll be the best one over the next 6.5 months.”

Jung Hoo Lee will win the NL batting title.

“Why it could happen: Lee hit .340 during his seven-year career in the Korean Baseball Organization before signing a six-year, $113 million deal with the San Francisco Giants in December,” Scott Allen and Neil Greenberg wrote. “The left-handed hitting outfielder, who will turn 26 in August, struck out only 304 times in 3,476 at-bats in the KBO and is expected to lead off for San Francisco. He got off to a hot start in spring training, with six hits in his first 13 at-bats, including a home run that left his bat at 110 mph.”

“Why it probably won’t: The transition from Korean baseball to the major leagues isn’t always a smooth one. In 2021, shortstop Ha-Seong Kim hit only .202 in his first year with the San Diego Padres after hitting .306 in the KBO the season before. One reason for the difficult adjustment could be the average fastball is around 90 mph in Korea and 94 mph in MLB.”

NL West standings

“The Giants, on the other hand, had a great offseason, and they at least made themselves contenders with those moves,” Law wrote. “They are probably a great run-prevention team that hopes to score enough runs to get to the postseason. Signing Snell to a crazy team-friendly deal was a no-brainer, and adding Jung Hoo Lee to provide some needed OBP was a good move, too.

“Consider me un-sold on signing Jordan Hicks to be a starter, but if they just stick him in the bullpen they’ll be better off — and so will he. I don’t think they’re going to be above-average offensively at too many positions, though, and could — should? — still look to upgrade at first base.”

NL West standings

1. Dodgers
2. Giants*
3. Padres*
4. D’backs
5. Rockies

NL Rookie of Year: Kyle Harrison, Giants

NL Rookie of the Year predictions

Nightengale: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers
Lacques: Kyle Harrison, Giants
Gardner: Jackson Merrill, Padres
Boeck: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers
Yomtov: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers
Borelli: Jung Hoo Lee, Giants

NL Cy Young predictions

Nightengale: Tyler Glasnow, Dodgers
Lacques: Logan Webb, Giants
Gardner: Zack Wheeler, Phillies
Boeck: Spencer Strider, Braves
Yomtov: Max Fried, Braves
Borelli: Spencer Strider, Braves

NL Wild Card picks: Phillies, D-backs, Giants

“It’s worth noting here that MLB.com voters cast their predictions last week,” Brian Murphy wrote. “If the vote had been held a few weeks earlier, perhaps a club such as the Padres would have slid into this spot.

“Instead, the Giants made multiple marquee moves late in the offseason, bringing aboard slugger Jorge Soler, four-time Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman and 2023 NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, and ended up squeaking past their rivals to the south in the voting. Those transactions combined with the club’s previous moves — including the hiring of manager Bob Melvin — could push San Francisco back into the postseason.”

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast