<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/chicago-cubs/giants-news-matt-chapman-cubs-cheapness-details-failed-pursuit');   ga('set', 'title', 'Giants’ Matt Chapman highlights Cubs’ cheapness with details of failed pursuit');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Matt-Chapman-with-SF-Giants-2.jpg"><figcaption>Katie Stratman-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Giants’ Matt Chapman highlights Cubs’ cheapness with details of failed pursuit</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-04T08:46:41-07:00">April 4th, 8:46am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-04T08:46:41-07:00">April 4th, 8:46am</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Cubs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago Cubs made one of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-news-cubs-astros-both-earn-praise-for-kyle-tucker-trade">trades of the offseason, bringing in Kyle Tucker</a>. They made runs at other free agents, notably Alex Bregman, but did not land them. Now they have Tucker as a pending free agent playing on their team. The Athletic interviewed people around the league talking about the Cubs’ cheapness in recent years,<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6251343/2025/04/04/chicago-cubs-payroll-revenue/" rel="noopener"> proven by a lack of deals in recent winters</a>. Giants third baseman Matt Chapman spoke about his contract with the Cubs, and his quotes should make fans concerned.</p><p>“The Cubs had a lot of interest in me,” Chapman said. “They were willing to do a one-year deal with me. There was just no way I could take the Cubs’ one-year deal, just for protection purposes. I was definitely considering it. I thought it would have been a good place to play. I thought they were a good team.</p><p>Chapman continued, “Even if it was two with an opt-out after the first year, I would have really had to take a look at it. But they said with the way their money was, they could only do a one-year. I was just like, ‘That’s just too risky.’”</p><p>The Cubs will have to watch as Chapman plays up to his $151 million contract. Can they fix their problems before Tucker’s negotiations?</p><h2><b>The Cubs must find a way to keep Kyle Tucker</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/yle-Tucker-with-Chicago-Cubs.jpg"><figcaption>Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Despite Tucker’s status as the best player in the trade, the Cubs did give up a lot to get him. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/astros-news-prospect-joined-historic-company-making-opening-day-roster">Prospect Cam Smith made the Astros out of camp</a>, Isaac Paredes can be a solid power hitter, and Hayden Wesneski is in their rotation. They have to keep him to make the deal worth it because they will not pivot like the Yankees did after losing Juan Soto.</p><p>While fans worry about the Tucker contract, he is off to a great start for the Cubs. He has four homers and five doubles with 11 RBIs through nine games. Tucker will get a rousing ovation when he helps the Cubbies open Wrigley Field for the 2025 season on Friday.</p><p>But every Cubs fan would tell you that the 2025 team would be better with Chapman or Bregman. Matt Shaw can become a good third baseman, but it is a risky bet in an important season. For a team in such a big city with a massive fan base, they are not spending the money on their roster necessary to compete with the Dodgers. They must fix that to keep Kyle Tucker this offseason.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Giants’ Matt Chapman highlights Cubs’ cheapness with details of failed pursuit

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-heliot-ramos-replicates-bonkers-willie-mays-feat-amid-hot-streak');   ga('set', 'title', 'Giants’ Heliot Ramos replicates bonkers Willie Mays feat amid hot streak');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Giants-news-Heliot-Ramos-replicates-bonkers-Willie-Mays-feat-amid-hot-streak.jpg"></figure><h1>Giants’ Heliot Ramos replicates bonkers Willie Mays feat amid hot streak</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-01T19:53:16-07:00">April 1st, 7:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-01T19:53:16-07:00">April 1st, 7:53pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Francisco Giants have been off to a strong start to the 2025 season; only five games may have passed, but with a record of 4-1, it’s hard to find many faults in what they have been doing thus far to start the new campaign. In particular, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-heliot-ramos-franchise-home-run-feat-since-pablo-sandoval-2011">outfielder Heliot Ramos is tearing the cover of the baseball</a>, hitting a solo shot on Tuesday in a 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros.</p><p>Ramos, a 25-year-out outfielder who’s just in the second full season of his MLB career, is proving himself to be a long-term keeper piece for the Giants. According to the team’s official account on X (formerly Twitter), Ramos <a href="https://x.com/SFGiants/status/1907245913682112660" rel="noopener">became the first player</a> in Giants franchise history to start a season with an extra-base hit in five straight games since the late great Willie Mays did so in 1971.</p><p>To be mentioned in the same sentence as Mays, one of the greatest to ever hold a baseball bat in the history of humanity, is a remarkable achievement, especially for someone as young as Ramos. Every Giants player would want to emulate <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-dusty-baker-breaks-silence-after-visiting-willie-mays-right-before-death">the impact Mays had on the franchise</a>, and Ramos, even with this mini accomplishment, is on track to do so, which is quite impressive.</p><p>Ramos now has five extra-base hits on the year, and he has hit a dinger in alternating games. The Giants are looking at him to be a reliable source of power production in the coming years, and the 25-year-old certainly met expectations last year when he hit 22 home runs and drove in 72 runs.</p><p>The next point of improvement for Ramos would be to get on base more often; he has not yet drawn a single walk this season. Doing so would allow him to provide more consistent value even when the extra-base hits start to dry up. But for now, the Giants outfielder must enjoy the ride he’s on.</p><h2><b>Giants off to strong start in 2025</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Giants-outfielder-Heliot-Ramos-swings-the-bat.jpg"><figcaption>© Katie Stratman-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It was always going to be an uphill climb for the Giants if they were to overcome teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Arizona Diamondbacks for NL West supremacy. But the way they’ve played through five games is very promising with regards to their contending hopes.</p><p>Logan Webb is still a reliable hand atop the rotation, and the likes of Justin Verlander, Jordan Hicks, and Robbie Ray were more than able to do their fair share in their first starts of the year. And when their hitters, such as Heliot Ramos, are producing, then there could very well be another 2021-esque campaign in the cards for the Giants.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Giants’ Heliot Ramos replicates bonkers Willie Mays feat amid hot streak

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-giants-justin-verlander-pulls-back-curtain-houston-departure');   ga('set', 'title', 'Giants’ Justin Verlander pulls back curtain on Astros departure');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Giants-Justin-Verlander-pulls-back-curtain-on-Houston-departure.jpg"></figure><h1>Giants’ Justin Verlander pulls back curtain on Astros departure</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-01T09:00:56-07:00">April 1st, 9:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-01T09:00:56-07:00">April 1st, 9:00am</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Veteran starting pitcher <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-justin-verlander-1-year-deal-san-francisco">Justin Verlander landed with the San Francisco Giants</a> on a one-year, $15 million deal this offseason, departing the Houston Astros, the team he was with since he was traded from the Detroit Tigers in 2017. Verlander <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/astros/article/justin-verlander-offseason-talks-giants-20250847.php" rel="noopener">opened up on the process of leaving</a> the Astros and his conversations with owner Jim Crane before signing with the Giants as he returned to Houston on Monday.</p><p>“I was talking with Jim a lot,” Justin Verlander said, via Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. “There was interest. It just kind of got to the point where the Giants really came after me hard and Jim was like, ‘We’re not even in a place to make an offer right now.’ So, I appreciated the candidness. That was kind of that for me.”</p><p>Ultimately, the Astros decided to move on. It is not too surprising, given that Verlander was left out of the playoff rotation in 2024. However, it appears that they did have some level of interest in bringing him back for 2025. The timing just did not work out.</p><p>The Astros made several big decisions this offseason, with the trade of Kyle Tucker sticking out as the main one, but the departure of Alex Bregman to the Boston Red Sox was notable as well. Verlander’s departure was not as significant as the other two, but he was a staple of the organization, helping it win two World Series titles during his time.</p><p>Now, Verlander is hoping to contribute to a Giants team that does have talent. He joins a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-how-logan-webb-helped-justin-verlander-prepare-for-spring-training-debut">pitching staff that does have potential</a>, and his home park should be more friendly to him. Although Verlander is not pitching in the Giants’ series against the Astros, it is still somewhat of a homecoming for him this week. The Giants look to take game two of the series after a 7-2 victory on Monday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Giants’ Justin Verlander pulls back curtain on Astros departure

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-why-kyle-harrison-didnt-make-opening-day-roster');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Giants’ Kyle Harrison didn’t make Opening Day roster');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Why-Kyle-Harrison-didnt-make-San-Franciscos-Opening-Day-roster.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Giants’ Kyle Harrison didn’t make Opening Day roster</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-22T12:08:43-07:00">March 22nd, 12:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-22T12:08:54-07:00">March 22nd, 12:08pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Kyle Harrison is supposed to be a key part of the San Francisco Giants’ starting pitching rotation, but the organization and fan base are still waiting for his emergence. Their patience will have to extend at least past the first few days of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/fatal-flaw-san-francisco-giants-must-address-for-2025-mlb-season">the 2025 MLB season</a>, as both he and Keaton Winn are <a href="https://x.com/PavlovicNBCS/status/1903499309548740660" rel="noopener">being optioned to Triple-A Sacramento</a>, per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic.</p><p>The young left-hander’s omission from <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-bob-melvin-jung-hoo-lee-opening-day-status">the Opening Day roster</a> is surprising at first glance, but Pavlovic explains why this move is perfectly reasonable. “Harrison was behind all spring after losing about 13 pounds from a virus right before the start of camp,” he posted on X.</p><p>While it is obviously terrible luck for the 23-year-old to experience this sickness, especially at the onset of spring training, it might explain some of his recent struggles. Harrison has a 10.80 ERA in 6 2/3 innings pitched during Cactus League play this year. He is clearly not ready for the start of the new campaign.</p><p>The question is, though, will he be ready at all this year? Beyond the physical adversity that the 2020 third-round draft pick has endured in 2025, there are still concerns about his velocity and command. He tallied a 4.56 ERA, 118 strikeouts and 42 walks in 24 starts last season. This is a pivotal year in his development.</p><p>And it will begin with the Sacramento River Cats. The additional time in the minor leagues could be just what this southpaw needs to polish his mechanics and sustain his velocity. Ideally, he will quickly shake off the rust from a delayed and embattled spring training stint and prove himself to be a capable member of the Giants’ staff.</p><h2><b>Giants look ahead to 2025 season</b></h2><p>In the meantime, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-buster-posey-gets-100-real-on-adjusting-to-new-role">president of baseball operations Buster Posey</a> and manager Bob Melvin are working on finalizing the pitching rotation. Since Jordan Hicks is going to resume starting duties in 2025 after returning to the bullpen last summer, the competition for the last spot is especially fierce. The decision is coming down to either Hayden Birdsong or Landen Roupp.</p><p>One of those largely inexperienced big-league hurlers will join All-Star Logan Webb, former Cy Young Robbie Ray, future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander and the aforementioned Hicks in forming one of the more intriguing rotations in baseball. Eventually, Kyle Harrison will try to force his way into that group.</p><p>This could be but a snag in the road of an otherwise memorable MLB career. But he has to get back on course fairly soon.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Giants’ Kyle Harrison didn’t make Opening Day roster

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-bob-melvin-jung-hoo-lee-opening-day-status');   ga('set', 'title', 'Giants’ Bob Melvin hopeful for Jung Hoo Lee’s Opening Day status');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Giants-news-Bob-Melvin-hopeful-for-Jung-Hoo-Lees-Opening-Day-status.jpg"></figure><h1>Giants’ Bob Melvin hopeful for Jung Hoo Lee’s Opening Day status</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-21T11:26:39-07:00">March 21st, 11:26am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-21T11:26:39-07:00">March 21st, 11:26am</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Francisco Giants had a disappointing 2024 season and no player represents that more than Jung Hoo Lee. The 25-year-old came over from Korea with high expectations and only played 37 games. He suffered a shoulder injury in May that ended his season. Recently, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-jung-hoo-lee-injury-update-brutal-loss-to-dodgers-add-to-woes">Lee underwent an MRI for back discomfort</a> and missed a spring game. Giants manager Bob Melvin is <a href="https://x.com/JohnSheaHey/status/1903139917041111097" rel="noopener">hopeful Lee can return</a> for Opening Day.</p><p>“Jung Hoo Lee beginning baseball activity tomorrow, hopes to play exhibition at Sacramento Sunday,” John Shea from the San Francisco Standard reported. “Said it’s still realistic he could be on roster when Giants’ season opens Thursday in Cincinnati, also said he doesn’t want to rush just to be available at the start of the season.</p><p>Shea then caught up with Melvin, who said, “‘We’re hoping Jung Hoo is in position to play Opening Day.’ If he’s not, Luis Matos or Grant McCray will play center in the opener.”</p><p>Lee was hitting .262 with two home runs and eight RBIs when he went out for the season. Those numbers were below what Giants fans expected for the highly-touted free agent but the defense was great. It was that defense that cost him the season, getting hurt while playing center in Cincinnati.</p><p>This offseason, the Giants underwent one massive change. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-buster-posey-gets-100-real-on-adjusting-to-new-role">Buster Posey is the President of Baseball Operations</a>, ending Farhan Zihidi’s run at the helm. They made some additions, namely Willy Adames and Justin Verlander. But the expectations are high for a team that won 80 games last year.</p><p>Jung Hoo Lee staying healthy and stepping up will be a big part of that. The spotlight may be brighter on Adames, Matt Chapman, and Logan Webb. But if Hoo steps up this year, San Francisco can join a crowded NL Wild Card race.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Giants’ Bob Melvin hopeful for Jung Hoo Lee’s Opening Day status

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-buster-posey-gets-100-real-on-adjusting-to-new-role');   ga('set', 'title', 'Giants’ Buster Posey gets 100% real on adjusting to new role');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Buster-Posey-gets-100-real-on-adjusting-to-new-role.jpg"></figure><h1>Giants’ Buster Posey gets 100% real on adjusting to new role</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-21T08:41:35-07:00">March 21st, 8:41am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-21T08:41:35-07:00">March 21st, 8:41am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-justin-verlander-honest-buster-posey-admission">San Francisco Giants stars get used to Buster Posey</a> being the new president of baseball operations, there is no doubt a jarring feeling seeing the former catcher not playing in uniform after playing for 12 seasons. With the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/fatal-flaw-san-francisco-giants-must-address-for-2025-mlb-season">Giants looking to fix its flaws for the upcoming season</a>, Posey will be leading the way in his new role as he speaks of adjusting in management.</p><p>Posey has been such an impactful player for San Fransico during his time leading to three World Series titles and seven All-Star appearances. Now, he looks to lead the team to victory while not on the field which Posey is<a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44304329/mlb-2025-buster-posey-san-francisco-giants-president-hall-fame-catcher" rel="noopener"> getting used to</a> as said in an interview with ESPN.</p><p>“As a player, I would come in every day and have a list in my mind of what I wanted to accomplish, whether it was in the weight room or hitting or catching, and now, in this role, I think the best way to describe it is — it’s kind of a lack of control, as much as anything,” Posey said. “Because you had the ability as a player to directly impact outcomes, and now the impact is trying to create a roster of guys that have the same mentality and want to go out and try to win a lot of baseball games.”</p><p>Eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2027, there seems to be a good chance that Posey gets in as he’s currently three seasons removed from retiring from the game of baseball.</p><h2><b>Buster Posey sees new role with the Giants as a way to test himself </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Buster-Posey-on-Oct.-1-2024.jpg"><figcaption>Robert Edwards-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Now with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-giants-rp-camilo-doval-opens-up-trusting-buster-posey">Giants players trusting Posey</a> for success in the present and the future, there could be some people questioning the decision for the former player at 38 years old getting a job at this stature. However, it’s hard to deny Posey’s baseball knowledge and mark on the team’s history, especially with the mindset he has in terms of how he wants the team to be viewed.</p><p>“I’ve met fans before that genuinely feel like they know me, just because of how much baseball is on TV,” Posey said. “That’s something that’s important to me. I want our fan base to have that connection with our players. I’m hopeful that the 10-year-old out there is pulling on his or her mom’s coattail and saying, ‘I want to go in because I want to see Player X-Y-Z today.’ They want to go buy the jerseys. So yeah, it is about winning. First and foremost, it’s about winning. But I think the stories make the winning even better.”</p><p>Taking the job of president of baseball operations, Posey sees it as a challenge to himself.</p><p>“It’s a challenge, and it’s hard to turn down a challenge,” Posey said. “You want to see, ‘Is it something that I can do?’ ‘Is it something that I’m going to like doing?’ ‘Is it something that I’m going to be good at?’ There’s obviously questions. You’re like, ‘I don’t know, am I going to be good at this?’ It’s not the same as playing baseball. It’s different.”</p><p>Under Posey, the Giants look to make a splash in the NL West as they try to improve from last season where the record was at 80-82 which put them fourth in the division.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Giants’ Buster Posey gets 100% real on adjusting to new role

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-justin-verlander-honest-buster-posey-admission');   ga('set', 'title', 'Giants’ Justin Verlander drops honest Buster Posey admission');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Justin-Verlander-drops-honest-Buster-Posey-admission.jpg"></figure><h1>Giants’ Justin Verlander drops honest Buster Posey admission</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-21T08:16:30-07:00">March 21st, 8:16am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-21T09:53:35-07:00">March 21st, 9:53am</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Francisco Giants are entering a new era in 2025.<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/grading-giants-182-million-willy-adames-contract"> New shortstop Willy Adames is the headliner</a> but changes to the rotation and upstairs have Cooperstown connections. President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey and the Giants brought in Justin Verlander on a one-year deal. The pitcher spoke highly of the <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44304329/mlb-2025-buster-posey-san-francisco-giants-president-hall-fame-catcher" rel="noopener">former catcher as his first season</a> in The Bay is about to begin.</p><p>“In his talks with Posey, Verlander found it refreshing to communicate with a decision-maker who valued qualities the analytics could not measure,” ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez wrote.</p><p>“I think it could very much be something that can lead to having a better organization,” Verlander told Gonzalez. “It’s like me pitching and probably him hitting and catching towards the end of his career — you were brought up in an age before analytics, and so you have this wealth of instinct. And this is why it’s hard to put words on it because you have all these instincts that you gained over time from playing the game, and then all of a sudden you’re inundated with numbers.”</p><p>The Giants brought in Verlander after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/blake-snell-bold-predictions-after-182-million-dodgers-contract">losing Blake Snell to the rival Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency</a>. With Posey running the ship, they need to find every advantage over the Dodgers. Many may think analytics is the way to do that but Posey apparently disagrees.</p><p>This is intriguing considering where Verlander came from. The Houston Astros revived his career in 2017 with analytics and new pitching coaches. He won two more Cy Youngs after joining Houston and went back after the Mets disaster in 2022.</p><p>But the Giants wooed him west this offseason with a non-analytical approach. Could that mean the end of his Hall-of-Fame career? Or will his numbers get even better in his 40s?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Giants’ Justin Verlander drops honest Buster Posey admission

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-jung-hoo-lee-hit-concerning-injury-update-opening-day-looming');   ga('set', 'title', 'Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee hit with concerning injury update as Opening Day looms');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Giants-news-Jung-Hoo-Lee-hit-with-concerning-injury-update-with-Opening-Day-looming.jpg"></figure><h1>Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee hit with concerning injury update as Opening Day looms</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-18T05:42:24-07:00">March 18th, 5:42am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-18T06:34:04-07:00">March 18th, 6:34am</time><address><a>Zachary Draves</a>Zachary Draves is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. Zachary covers a variety of different sports as well as sports history, sport and society, and sport and culture. He is also a professor of sociology.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee’s chances of playing on opening day look bleak. According to MLB Trade Rumors, the 26-year-old centerfielder <a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/03/giants-jung-hoo-lee-mri-back-discomfort-grant-mccray-luis-matos.html?utm_source=twitter" rel="noopener">didn’t play in a Cactus League game on Saturday</a> due to back discomfort. On Monday, he was scheduled to undergo an MRI and will immediately follow up with the team’s doctor.</p><p>The Giants stated his back injury was not due to playing in a game but due to his awkward sleeping position.</p><p>Lee was batting .300 with two home runs and 15 RBIs in twelve games in the Cactus League.</p><p>Lee is entering his third season with the Giants. Last year, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-jung-hoo-lee-injury-update-brutal-loss-to-dodgers-add-to-woes" rel="noopener">he sustained a serious elbow injury, which required surgery,</a> and played in only 37 games. He finished the season batting .262 with two home runs and eight RBIs.</p><p>Lee was born in Japan and is of Korean descent. He is the son of former Korean Baseball Organization player Lee Jong-beom, who was nicknamed the “Son of the Wind.” In turn, Lee was given the title of “Grandson of the Wind”</p><p>He played seven years with the Korean Baseball Organization. Lee batted .340, hit 65 home runs, and 515 RBIs. In December 2023, he was selected as a free agent by the Giants. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-jung-hoo-lee-san-francisco-agree-to-113-million-contract-in-free-agency"> Lee signed a six-year $113 million contract</a>.</p><h2><b>Who Will Play Center Fielder If Lee Isn’t Cleared To Play?</b></h2><p>If Lee isn’t cleared to play the opening day game against the Cincinnati Reds on March 27, it is likely either Grant McCray or Luis Matos will fill the void in center field. While both have struggled against top-notch pitching in the past, they have each shown promise in the spring.</p><p>McCray is batting .314, 11 hits, a home run, and drove in four runs. Matos is hitting .362 and has 17 hits, two home runs, and 11 RBIs.</p><p>Both have established themselves to be ubiquitous talents. McCray is known for his speed and quickness in both centerfield and left field. Matos has demonstrated himself to be a greater offensive presence.</p><p>The presumable centerfielder will play alongside left-fielder Heliot Ramos and right-fielder Mike Yastrzemski.</p><p>The Giants remain hopeful Lee will be in the lineup for opening day.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee hit with concerning injury update as Opening Day looms

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-why-giants-pablo-sandoval-wont-roast-justin-verlander-about-world-series-battles');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Pablo Sandoval won’t roast Giants’ Justin Verlander about World Series battles');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Why-Pablo-Sandoval-wont-roast-Justin-Verlander-about-World-Series-battles.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Pablo Sandoval won’t roast Giants’ Justin Verlander about World Series battles</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-16T10:43:48-07:00">March 16th, 10:43am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-16T10:43:48-07:00">March 16th, 10:43am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-justin-verlander-1-year-deal-san-francisco">San Francisco Giants signed Justin Verlander</a> to a one-year deal, he’s looking to reach into the fountain of youth once more and have another productive season under his belt. With the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting/nl-west-division-winner-2025-prediction-odds-pick">Giants looking to make a splash in the NL West</a> with Verlander, there will be a familiar face around in Pablo Sandoval as the two have history when it comes to the World Series.</p><p>Sandoval is back with the ballclub during Spring Training, but only as a guest instructor, as him and Verlander had great World Series moments together. Like in 2012, where Sandoval hit two of his three home runs in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series off of Verlander when he was with the Detroit Tigers, though the former Giant <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/pablo-sandoval-justin-verlander-meet-again" rel="noopener">won’t bring it up to the pitcher</a> according to MLB.com.</p><p>“I don’t bring it up,” Sandoval said while reportedly smiling. “I don’t bring it up. When you respect a player, when you respect a guy that is still playing and is throwing the ball the way he does, you don’t bring old memories to his head. It’s going to be there forever, but you don’t bring it up to a guy when you respect a guy.”</p><p>“I respect Justin,” Sandoval continued on how surreal it is to see Verlander in a San Francisco uniform. “He’s a great pitcher. He’s a great ballplayer. To spend time with him is a great thing. The way he’s [working] with the pitchers, spending time with the young guys, it’s special. It’s kind of weird. I came up to him and talked about it, but he’s a great guy.”</p><h2><b>Former Giants star Pablo Sandoval still playing baseball </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Pablo-Sandoval-on-March-15-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-players-reactions-pablo-sandovals-arrival-proves-his-legendary-status-sf">Giants legend in Sandoval</a> is still playing baseball, but not in the MLB which he was last seen in 2021 with the Atlanta Braves, but had two stints in San Francisco where he was a two-time All-Star and won three championships. He currently plays in Atlantic League Pro Baseball and is set to be with the Staten Island FerryHawks when their season starts in April per MLB.com.</p><p>“I’m going to play,” Sandoval said. “I continue to play until my body says no. I want to play in the Atlantic League again. There’s always new challenges in life. I’m learning a lot of things from this group and the coaching staff. It’s different. It’s way different, but God’s got a purpose for you in life to teach and put the right things to the players.”</p><p>Sandoval is stilllookings to make an impact on baseball at 38 years old as Verlander looks to do the same with the Giants at 42 as the team tries to improve after finishing 80-82 last season, putting them fourth in the division.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Pablo Sandoval won’t roast Giants’ Justin Verlander about World Series battles

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-camilo-doval-makes-honest-admission-2024-struggles-giants');   ga('set', 'title', 'Camilo Doval makes honest admission about 2024 struggles with Giants');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Camilo-Doval-makes-honest-admission-about-2024-struggles.jpg"></figure><h1>Camilo Doval makes honest admission about 2024 struggles with Giants</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-14T23:05:15-07:00">March 14th, 11:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-14T23:05:15-07:00">March 14th, 11:05pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Former All-star reliever for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-manager-bob-melvin-2025-closer-camilo-doval-ryan-walker">San Francisco Giants, Camilo Doval, is embracing the challenge</a> of bouncing back after a frustrating 2024 season. Once entrenched as the team’s closer, Doval lost his ninth-inning role after control issues derailed his effectiveness, leading to a demotion to Triple-A Sacramento. Now, he’s focused on regaining his dominance, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-giants-rp-camilo-doval-opens-up-trusting-buster-posey">and he has the support of a key figure in the organization—Buster Posey.</a></p><p>At the MLB Winter Meetings, Posey, now part of the Giants’ front office, gave Doval a strong vote of confidence, calling him a “lockdown piece” and expressing <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/14/camilo-doval-giants-reliever-recovery-closer-ryan-walker/?utm_source=native_share&amp;utm_medium=site_buttons&amp;utm_campaign=site_buttons" rel="noopener">optimism about his ability to return</a> to form. Doval deeply values that belief.</p><p>“He played with me. He caught me,” Doval said through an interpreter. “I trusted whatever he asked me to throw, and if in some situations I didn’t want to throw what he was asking for, he trusted me if I wanted to change it. If anybody knows my talent, if anybody knows what I’m capable of doing, he knows it firsthand.”</p><p>That trust and confidence are fueling Doval’s mindset heading into 2025. He knew adjustments were necessary after struggling with command last season—leading the majors in walks per nine innings (5.95) among pitchers with at least 50 innings. The demotion stung, but Doval took it in stride, reporting to Sacramento earlier than required and using the experience as motivation.</p><h2><b>Camilo Doval looks to return to 2021 form for the Giants</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Camilo-Doval.jpg"><figcaption>Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>“You have to restart yourself,” Doval said. “I’m a man of faith, so I believe that maybe this was a lesson from God. He gave me a down year. Well, guess what? It’s a learning process now. I have to step up again and learn from that.”</p><p>This spring, Doval has looked sharp, <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/camilo-doval-throwing-strikes-in-spring-training" rel="noopener">posting a 1.50 ERA</a> in six Cactus League appearances. More importantly, he has issued just one walk, a promising sign for a pitcher whose struggles stemmed from a lack of control. Manager Bob Melvin has taken notice.</p><p>“Camilo’s in a great space right now,” Melvin said. “He’s pitching really well, throwing strikes, and being efficient. He knows it’s about limiting walks, and that’s been a key focus for everyone in camp.”</p><p>Doval won’t open the season as the team’s closer—Ryan Walker has solidified that role after a dominant 2024 campaign—but he is expected to be a crucial late-inning weapon. While Tyler Rogers is expected to handle the eighth inning, Doval could serve as a bridge reliever, entering in high-leverage situations.</p><p>Another change for Doval in 2025 is his entrance music. After experimenting with different songs last year, he is returning to “El Hijo Desobediente” by Antonio Aguilar, which he used during his early years with the Giants.</p><p>“Because I want to be the 2023 version,” he said with a smile.</p><p>Doval remains laid-back despite the challenges he faced last season, focusing on consistency and efficiency. With improved command and a renewed sense of confidence, he could once again become a key piece in the Giants’ bullpen. Whether in the seventh inning or later, Doval is ready to prove he still has what it takes to dominate on the mound.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Camilo Doval makes honest admission about 2024 struggles with Giants

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-giants-rp-camilo-doval-opens-up-trusting-buster-posey');   ga('set', 'title', 'Giants RP Camilo Doval opens up on trusting Buster Posey');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Giants-news-Camilo-Doval-opens-up-on-trusting-Buster-Posey.jpg"></figure><h1>Giants RP Camilo Doval opens up on trusting Buster Posey</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-14T22:51:21-07:00">March 14th, 10:51pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-14T22:51:21-07:00">March 14th, 10:51pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>San Francisco Giants reliever <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-manager-bob-melvin-2025-closer-camilo-doval-ryan-walker">Camilo Doval is looking to bounce back in 2025,</a> and he knows exactly who has his back—Buster Posey. The franchise legend, now a key figure in the Giants’ front office, expressed confidence in Doval’s ability to return to form after a rocky 2024 season.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-buster-posey-shuts-down-camilo-doval-trade">Posey’s support means a lot to Doval, who worked closely with the former catcher</a> during his rookie season in 2021. “He played with me. He caught me,” Doval said through an interpreter. “I trusted whatever he asked me to throw, and if in some situations I didn’t want to throw what he was asking for, he trusted me if I wanted to change it.”</p><p>Doval emerged as one of baseball’s top closers in 2023, leading the National League in saves and earning an All-Star nod. However, last season was a struggle. He posted an alarming 5.95 walks per nine innings,<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-camilo-doval-reaction-humbling-experience"> lost his closer’s role in August, and was even demoted</a> to Triple-A Sacramento.</p><h2><b>Camilo Doval looking to bounce back for Giants in 2025</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Giants-news-Camilo-Doval-opens-up-on-trusting-Buster-Posey-1.jpg"><figcaption>D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>“It was frustrating,” Doval admitted. “I would lean my head and be down on myself.” But rather than dwell on his struggles, he embraced the challenge. He reported to the River Cats immediately after his demotion, despite having 72 hours to do so, demonstrating his commitment to improvement. Doval’s offseason was spent refocusing and working on strike-throwing, a key issue that plagued him in 2024. So far, the results in spring training have been encouraging. In six outings, he has allowed just two hits and one run while issuing only one walk.</p><p>Manager Bob Melvin <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/14/camilo-doval-giants-reliever-recovery-closer-ryan-walker/?utm_source=native_share&amp;utm_medium=site_buttons&amp;utm_campaign=site_buttons" rel="noopener">has taken notice.</a> “Camilo’s in a great space right now and is pitching really well,” Melvin said. “He knows it’s about throwing strikes and limiting walks. That’s a talking point with everybody in this camp.” While Ryan Walker has been named the Giants’ closer following his dominant 2024 campaign, Doval is expected to take on a late-inning role. Tyler Rogers is slated to be the primary setup man, with left-hander Erik Miller also in the mix.</p><p>Doval is embracing the changes, including returning to his old entrance song, “El Hijo Desobediente” by Antonio Aguilar. After experimenting with different songs last season, he hopes going back to his original choice will help bring back his 2023 dominance.</p><p>But more than music, Doval knows his success will come down to execution. “Because I want to be the 2023 version,” he said with a smile. With a renewed mindset and improved command, Doval is determined to prove he can still be a dominant force in the Giants’ bullpen. Whether in the seventh, eighth, or ninth inning, he’s ready to help the team win.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Giants RP Camilo Doval opens up on trusting Buster Posey

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-giants-veteran-justin-verlander-reveals-secret-long-term-success');   ga('set', 'title', 'Giants veteran Justin Verlander reveals secret to long-term success');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Justin-Verlander-reveals-secret-to-long-term-success.jpg"></figure><h1>Giants veteran Justin Verlander reveals secret to long-term success</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-12T23:29:01-07:00">March 12th, 11:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-12T23:29:01-07:00">March 12th, 11:29pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-giants-willy-adames-agree-historic-182-million-contract">San Francisco Giants made one of the more intriguing</a> offseason moves by <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-justin-verlander-1-year-deal-san-francisco">signing Justin Verlander to a one-year, $15 million deal.</a> While Verlander’s Hall of Fame credentials are undeniable, his age and recent struggles have raised questions about what he can still contribute. At 42, Verlander is coming off a difficult 2024 season in which he posted a career-worst 5.48 ERA over 90.1 innings with the Houston Astros. However, early signs in Spring Training suggest he may still have something left in the tank.</p><p>Through his first three outings in Arizona, Verlander <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/giants/san-francisco-giants-news/san-francisco-giants-future-hall-of-famer-looks-like-vintage-self-during-spring" rel="noopener">has shown promise</a>, posting a 2.45 ERA over 11 innings with a 1.00 WHIP. Opposing batters have hit just .225 against him, a notable improvement from the .274 batting average they had against him last season. His fastball, once the foundation of his dominance, has remained effective, even touching 96 mph in a recent outing against the Athletics. For a pitcher nearing his mid-40s, that is a remarkable feat.</p><p>While Verlander’s early results are encouraging, there are still concerns about his long-term durability and effectiveness. Injuries plagued his 2024 campaign, leading to a diminished strikeout rate and inconsistent command. His Baseball Savant metrics, which once highlighted his elite ability to overpower hitters, showed significant declines last year. His strikeout rate dropped to 18.7%, well below his career norms, and his once-dominant swing-and-miss stuff was noticeably absent.</p><h2><b>Justin Verlander continues to produce at whatever age</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Justin-Verlander-reveals-secret-to-long-term-success-2.jpg"><figcaption>Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Despite these concerns, the Giants see Verlander as more than just an innings-eater. His presence provides a valuable mentorship opportunity for San Francisco’s young rotation, similar to when the franchise brought in Randy Johnson in 2009. Verlander’s leadership could be instrumental in guiding pitchers like Kyle Harrison and Mason Black, offering them insights from a pitcher who has seen and done it all at the highest level.</p><p>Verlander himself has expressed confidence that he can still be an effective starter, pointing to the adjustments he has made in his offseason training regimen. “This is for sure the best I’ve felt in the last few years,” Verlander said. “I mean, ’22 was the last time I had a healthy ramp-up.” That 2022 season, of course, saw him win his third career Cy Young Award.</p><p>Projections for Verlander’s 2025 campaign remain mixed. Some models predict a low-4.00s ERA with around 120-140 innings pitched, which would be considered a solid contribution. However, if he can continue his strong spring form into the regular season, he might exceed those expectations.</p><p>Ultimately, the Giants’ signing of Verlander was a calculated risk. If he stays healthy and performs, he could be a stabilizing force in the rotation. If he struggles or suffers another injury, San Francisco has a wealth of young pitchers ready to step up. Either way, Verlander’s final chapter will be one of the most compelling storylines for the Giants in 2025.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Giants veteran Justin Verlander reveals secret to long-term success

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/fatal-flaw-san-francisco-giants-must-address-for-2025-mlb-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Fatal flaw San Francisco Giants must address for 2025 MLB season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Fatal-flaw-San-Francisco-Giants-must-address-for-2025-MLB-season-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Fatal flaw San Francisco Giants must address for 2025 MLB season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-12T22:59:19-07:00">March 12th, 10:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-12T22:59:19-07:00">March 12th, 10:59pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Francisco Giants have spent the past few years hovering around mediocrity, finishing with 80, 79, and 81 wins over the last three seasons. Despite some<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-buster-posey-shockingly-takes-over-farhan-zaidi"> notable offseason moves under new president of baseball operations Buster Posey</a>, the team still has <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/giants/san-francisco-giants-news/san-francisco-giants-predicted-to-be-painfully-average-in-upcoming-season" rel="noopener">significant issues</a> preventing them from breaking into serious postseason contention. While the bullpen, lineup depth, and overall consistency all pose challenges, the biggest flaw for the Giants heading into the 2025 season is their starting rotation.</p><h2><b>The missed opportunities in Free Agency</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Willy-Adames-1.jpg"><figcaption>Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Giants were linked to some of the biggest free-agent arms on the market, including Corbin Burnes and Blake Snell, but ultimately failed to land a true frontline starter. Instead, they settled for lower-tier moves that do little to alleviate their biggest problem. While Ray and Hicks could be solid contributors, neither is a surefire No. 2 starter that can take pressure off Webb. The Giants needed to acquire a pitcher capable of giving them 180+ innings of ace-level performance, but that player never arrived.</p><p>Max Scherzer remained a potential option late into the offseason, but the Giants opted against adding the aging veteran, who could have at least given them a high-ceiling rental. This reluctance to make a truly bold move for an elite starter signals a hesitation that could cost them another season of mediocrity.</p><p>The rotation’s flaws place additional strain on a bullpen that was already taxed last season. Ryan Walker and Tyler Rogers proved to be dependable late-inning arms, and Camilo Doval, despite a down year, remains a dominant closer when in form. However, if the starting rotation cannot eat innings, the bullpen will be forced into overuse—something that has doomed the Giants in previous seasons.</p><p>Walker, in particular, was asked to do too much in 2024, appearing in 80 games. If San Francisco’s starters consistently struggle to go deep into games, it will put immense pressure on the relief corps once again, leading to fatigue and potential regression.</p><h2><b>A Rotation lacking depth and durability</b></h2><p>The Giants’ rotation lacks both a true ace outside of Logan Webb and reliable depth behind him. While they have solid names on paper, durability concerns and the lack of a high-end second starter create a major issue for a team attempting to keep pace with the star-studded Dodgers, a resilient Diamondbacks squad, and an ever-competitive Padres team in the NL West.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-logan-webb-2025-opening-day-starter">Logan Webb remains the workhorse, coming off another impressive season</a> where he posted a 3.25 ERA across over 200 innings. He’s one of the most underrated frontline starters in baseball, but he can’t carry the rotation alone. The Giants brought in Robbie Ray, who missed all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery. While he has a Cy Young pedigree, it’s uncertain how effective he’ll be in his first year back from a major injury. Another key addition, Jordan Hicks, was a revelation in his transition from the bullpen to a starting role last season but remains unproven as a long-term, high-volume starter.</p><p>The rest of the rotation consists of pitchers who either struggled with consistency or have yet to prove themselves as reliable contributors over a full season. Keaton Winn showed promise but only managed to pitch 77 innings due to injuries. Kyle Harrison is expected to take a leap forward, but as a young starter still adjusting to the big leagues, he may endure growing pains. Relying on such an untested group alongside Webb presents serious concerns for a team trying to break free from mediocrity.</p><h2><b>Can the Giants fix it?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Matt-Chapman.jpg"><figcaption>Robert Edwards-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>There are a few paths forward for the Giants if they want to address this issue before it becomes their downfall. One option is trading for a high-end starter at midseason. With Posey at the helm, the front office may be more aggressive than in previous years if the team finds itself in contention by July. A potential trade target could be a frontline arm from a rebuilding team, such as Tyler Glasnow or Dylan Cease, assuming the Giants are willing to part with prospects.</p><p>The other option is hoping that internal development saves them. If Kyle Harrison takes a major step forward and Robbie Ray regains his Cy Young form, the rotation could suddenly look much more formidable. However, counting on best-case scenarios is not a sustainable plan for a team that has consistently finished around .500.</p><p>The Giants may have made notable improvements this offseason with the addition of Willy Adames to solidify the infield, but their starting rotation remains the biggest flaw that could keep them from making a serious playoff push. If Posey and company fail to address this issue, San Francisco will likely find itself in another season of treading water in a highly competitive NL West.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Fatal flaw San Francisco Giants must address for 2025 MLB season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-willy-adames-message-doubters');   ga('set', 'title', 'Giants’ Willy Adames issues brutally honest message to doubters');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Giants-news-Willy-Adames-Corbin-Burnes-message-will-fire-up-SF-fans.jpg"></figure><h1>Giants’ Willy Adames issues brutally honest message to doubters</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-07T12:02:38-08:00">March 7th, 12:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-07T12:08:06-08:00">March 7th, 12:08pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames <a href="https://x.com/MLBNetwork/status/1897843395403383080" rel="noopener">has a message for the doubters</a> of the team. The Giants are not necessarily considered to be a true contender, but Adames believes the ball club can make some noise in 2025.</p><p>“It’s been amazing,” Adames said of his time so far with the Giants. “The vibes are great… I’m just excited to be out there competing. We’re in a better spot than what people think.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-giants-willy-adames-agree-historic-182-million-contract">Adames signed with the Giants</a> this past offseason. San Francisco wanted another star on the roster, and Adames is one of the better infielders in the sport. It will be interesting to see how <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/grading-giants-182-million-willy-adames-contract">Adames plays with the Giants</a> in his first season with the team.</p><p>Adames finished 10th in National League MVP voting with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2024. It was an impressive all-around season. He recorded a .794 OPS to go along with 32 home runs, 33 doubles and 112 RBI. Additionally, the infielder stole 21 bases.</p><p>Adames had previously been traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Brewers. He has primarily played in small markets in his career, so the move to San Francisco could prove to be a challenge. However, it isn’t as if Adames is playing in New York or Los Angeles. He should be able to make the adjustment without too many concerns.</p><p>The Giants’ chances of competing with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a National League West division title are slim. With that being said, Willy Adames and the ball club could make a run at an NL Wild Card spot. San Francisco has played a rather mediocre brand of baseball in recent seasons, but they have begun to develop a roster with potential.</p><p>The Giants probably won’t compete for a World Series in 2025, but they could reach the postseason. As Adames said, they are in a “better spot than what people think.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Giants’ Willy Adames issues brutally honest message to doubters

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/mlb-stories/mlb-news-barry-bonds-gets-brutally-honest-about-why-shohei-ohtani-has-it-easier');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB news: Barry Bonds gets brutally honest about why Shohei Ohtani has it easier');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/MLB-news-Barry-Bonds-gets-brutally-honest-about-why-Shohei-Ohtani-has-it-easier.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB news: Barry Bonds gets brutally honest about why Shohei Ohtani has it easier</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-06T20:11:38-08:00">March 6th, 8:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-06T20:11:38-08:00">March 6th, 8:11pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Dodgers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Major League Baseball’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-san-francisco-barry-bonds-stephen-curry-bobbleheads-announcement-catch-fans-attention">all-time home run leader, Barry Bonds,</a> recently shared his thoughts on Shohei Ohtani’s dominance and how the modern game differs from his era. While Bonds praised Ohtani’s skills, <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/barry-bonds-explains-why-dodgers-shohei-ohtani-has-it-easier-than-he-did-the-game-has-just-changed/" rel="noopener">he also explained why</a> he believes today’s game is easier for hitters compared to when he played.</p><p>During an appearance on the “All The Smoke” podcast, Bonds acknowledged Ohtani’s all-around excellence, saying, “The pitching and hitting has been outstanding for what he’s done. Baserunning. He’s a complete player. There’s no doubt about the type of player he is and what he’s accomplished in his career.”</p><p>However, Bonds pointed out that the game has changed significantly, making it more hitter-friendly. He specifically noted the lack of retaliation from pitchers after home runs,<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-ridiculous-spring-training-home-run-fans-losing-it"> suggesting that Ohtani wouldn’t have been able to dominate as easily in his time.</a> “Ohtani is not gonna hit two home runs without seeing one go [by his ear] in my generation,” Bonds said. “I don’t care what he does. He’s not gonna steal two bases without someone decapitating his kneecap to slow him down. It’s a different game back then.”</p><h2><b>Barry Bonds calls out Shohei Ohtani</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Barry-Bonds.jpg"><figcaption>Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Bonds also criticized the modern culture of celebrating home runs, arguing that such actions would have been met with severe consequences during his playing days. “They should be better than us hitting-wise because they can hit a home run, throw their bat up in the air, run around, get a taco, come back down and have a limo drive them around,” Bonds said. “All these antics that we weren’t allowed to do. If I did anything like that, I’m gonna see a star. I’m gonna see a hospital, but I ain’t gonna see baseball that day.”</p><p>Beyond the rule changes regarding retaliation, Bonds noted another major difference: the emphasis on batting practice. According to him, players today take far more swings than players of his generation, giving them an advantage in honing their craft. “Today’s game, they take batting practice all day,” Bonds said. “These guys hit more than I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.”</p><p>Despite his views on the modern era, Bonds’ home run record of 762 remains far out of reach for Ohtani, who currently sits at 225 career home runs. While Ohtani’s historic achievements as a two-way player have drawn comparisons to legends like Babe Ruth, Bonds’ perspective highlights the evolution of the game and the challenges that hitters faced in the past.</p><p>Ohtani is coming off a stellar 2024 season, where he hit 54 home runs, drove in 130 RBI, and stole 59 bases while slashing .310/.390/.646. His offensive prowess led the Dodgers to a World Series title in his first season with the club, solidifying his place as one of baseball’s biggest stars. While he has not pitched since 2023 due to a UCL injury, Ohtani remains a dominant force at the plate.</p><p>Bonds’ comments add an interesting perspective to the ongoing debate about how baseball has evolved over the years. While Ohtani is undoubtedly one of the game’s most talented players, Bonds believes the conditions of today’s game have made it easier for hitters to thrive compared to past generations.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB news: Barry Bonds gets brutally honest about why Shohei Ohtani has it easier

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/justin-verlander-adding-new-weapon-to-repertoire-for-giants');   ga('set', 'title', 'Justin Verlander adding new weapon to repertoire for Giants');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Justin-Verlander-adding-new-weapon-to-repertoire.jpg"></figure><h1>Justin Verlander adding new weapon to repertoire for Giants</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-01T20:06:05-08:00">March 1st, 8:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-01T20:06:05-08:00">March 1st, 8:06pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Even in his 20th MLB season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-how-logan-webb-helped-justin-verlander-prepare-for-spring-training-debut">Justin Verlander remains committed to evolving as a pitcher. The San Francisco Giants’</a> veteran right-hander is experimenting with a new sweeping curveball, hoping to refine his arsenal and stay ahead of hitters.</p><p>Verlander debuted the pitch during a three-inning simulated game against minor leaguers at Papago Park in Scottsdale, opting for the controlled environment over making the trip to Glendale, where the Giants were facing the Dodgers. The future Hall of Famer <a href="https://x.com/susanslusser/status/1895934285946945933" rel="noopener">worked closely with pitching coach</a> J.P. Martinez to modify his traditional curveball, giving it more horizontal movement.</p><p>“He just decided to try it this morning,” Martinez said with a smile. “We talked about a sweeper that he could throw with just a small change in grip, and he ripped it a few times today. I thought it was pretty good.”</p><p>Verlander decided to tweak his curveball after studying the Giants’ Hawkeye tracking system. This system helps pitchers optimize pitch movement with minor grip adjustments. Given that opponents hit .340 off his curveball last season—the highest mark of his career—the adaptation could help Verlander regain effectiveness with the pitch.</p><h2><b>Justin Verlander looks to produce for the Giants in 2025</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Justin-Verlander-1.jpg"><figcaption>Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Verlander threw 42 pitches across three innings, striking out four and walking one. While the Giants’ minor leaguers struggled against him, shortstop Willy Adames provided the biggest challenge, launching a solo home run and adding an RBI double. Adames, who has faced Verlander multiple times in the majors, also gave the veteran valuable feedback during their encounters.</p><p>“Willy told him his slider looked like a heater, and Justin said, ‘Perfect,’” Martinez shared. “It was really cool to watch them interact.” <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-justin-verlander-1-year-deal-san-francisco">The Giants signed Verlander this offseason after missing out on top-tier free agents.</a> At 42, he isn’t the dominant ace he once was, but he still brings elite pitching knowledge and an unmatched work ethic. Manager Bob Melvin praised Verlander’s relentless pursuit of improvement.</p><p>“He’s always trying to get better,” Melvin said. “I wouldn’t say it surprises me, but it surprises me that he’s willing to tinker with the success he’s had.” Martinez echoed that sentiment, noting how Verlander’s dedication serves as an example for the team’s younger pitchers.</p><p>“That’s the thing I’ve been most impressed with,” Martinez said. “He’s a surefire Hall of Famer, and he still wants to get better. He wants to work on his lower half, add a pitch, and pitch to different parts of the zone.”</p><p>Beyond his impact on the mound, Verlander’s mentorship could be invaluable for the Giants. Young arms like Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong have the opportunity to learn from one of the best pitchers of his generation, an experience that could pay dividends for years to come. Verlander is currently lined up to pitch the Giants’ home opener against the Mariners on April 4, a moment he’s looking forward to.</p><p>“That’s a really big honor, especially for a new team,” Verlander said. “I try not to take these Opening Days for granted. They’re pretty special events.” Whether his new curveball sticks or not, Verlander’s willingness to innovate is yet another example of why he’s remained one of baseball’s elite pitchers for two decades.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Justin Verlander adding new weapon to repertoire for Giants

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-how-logan-webb-helped-justin-verlander-prepare-for-spring-training-debut');   ga('set', 'title', 'How Giants’ Logan Webb helped Justin Verlander prepare for Spring Training debut');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Giants-news-How-Logan-Webb-helped-Justin-Verlander-prepare-for-Spring-Training-debut.jpg"></figure><h1>How Giants’ Logan Webb helped Justin Verlander prepare for Spring Training debut</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-24T19:12:21-08:00">February 24th, 7:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-24T19:12:21-08:00">February 24th, 7:12pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-justin-verlander-pursuit-300-win-milestone">Justin Verlander is always going to have a place on an MLB roster</a> until it becomes very clear that he can no longer pitch at a big-league level. Heading into the 2025 season, it was the San Francisco Giants that gave Verlander a shot in free agency, signing him to a one-year, $15 million deal to bolster their rotation amid their ongoing bid to challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers for NL West supremacy.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-justin-verlanders-wheelchair-moment-giants-teammates-42nd-birthday">Verlander, who is 42 years of age</a>, is no longer the starting pitcher he once was. In 2024, he suffered through one of the worst seasons of his career, tallying a 5.48 ERA across 17 starts (90.1 innings pitched). He suffered a drop in average fastball velocity, and his strikeout rate was the worst it has been in years. Nevertheless, greatness always seems to find a way, and Verlander is hellbent that he won’t be going out like this.</p><p>Even though he’s the Giants’ elder statesman, Verlander showed how he can learn from the team’s current ace in Logan Webb as he tries not to let Spring Training results <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/justin-verlander-makes-spring-training-debut-with-giants" rel="noopener">cloud his judgment</a> regarding what kind of season he’ll be having.</p><p>“Webby was very helpful with me talking about his Spring Training last year and what he was dealing with. How he was seeing the results not be great at all and then he comes into the season and it’s like right where he wanted it,” Verlander said, per Maria Guardado of MLB.com.</p><p>Last year, Webb had an ERA of 10.97 across six Spring Training starts. This was not an indication, however, of the season he was going to have for the Giants. He put up a 3.47 ERA in 204.2 innings of work in 2024, so Verlander can certainly learn a lot from not having Spring Training numbers define the future that lies ahead.</p><h2><b>Giants’ Justin Verlander faces the music of his old age</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Giants-pitcher-Justin-Verlander-35-watches.jpg"><figcaption>© Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As great as professional athletes can be, everyone succumbs to Father Time sooner or later. For Justin Verlander, it looked like that time was going to come back in 2014 or 2015 when his fastball velocity was dipping and his overall production was slipping. But he was able to stave that off and pitch some of the best baseball of his career with the Houston Astros.</p><p>For the Giants, however, they are not expecting Verlander to be the ace version of himself. But for the 42-year-old who’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-justin-verlander-reveals-eye-opening-nolan-ryan-motivation">become so accustomed to greatness from himself</a>, he is trying not to be too hard on himself moving forward.</p><p>“I think a lot of pitchers, me in particular, have a tendency to be a little overcritical and maybe tinker when you don’t need to sometimes, so I’m trying to balance that. This is the first time I’ve had competition. I’ll think about it. I’ll be thinking about it all night. I won’t get much sleep,” Verlander added.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

How Giants’ Logan Webb helped Justin Verlander prepare for Spring Training debut

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-justin-verlander-reveals-eye-opening-nolan-ryan-motivation');   ga('set', 'title', 'Giants’ Justin Verlander reveals eye-opening Nolan Ryan motivation');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Justin-Verlander-reveals-eye-opening-Nolan-Ryan-motivation.jpg"></figure><h1>Giants’ Justin Verlander reveals eye-opening Nolan Ryan motivation</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-21T13:07:03-08:00">February 21st, 1:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-21T13:09:18-08:00">February 21st, 1:09pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Justin Verlander turned 42 years old on Thursday, which for many athletes, would signal that a turbulent season lies ahead. A 5.48 ERA in 17 starts in 2024 seemingly supports that notion. Though, the three-time Cy Young and 2011 MVP is not ready to slow down. As he gets set for his 20th MLB campaign, and the first as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-justin-velanders-classy-move-before-deciding-giants-jersey-number">a member of the San Francisco Giants</a>, Verlander remains ambitious as ever.</p><p>The aging right-handed starting pitcher uses the unmatched durability of his childhood hero, Nolan Ryan, as inspiration during his own twilight years. The all-time strikeouts leader (5,714) pitched an astounding 27 years, registering the second-most starts ever (773) by the time he finally retired at 46. Although he has nothing set in stone, Verlander has always <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6150229/2025/02/21/justin-verlander-giants-pitching/" rel="noopener">envisioned himself playing to a similar age</a>.</p><p>“I always said I never wanted to put a number on it, but 45 has been kind of the idea that I’ve had,” he told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal at the Giants’ spring training facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. “Nolan (Ryan) was my idol growing up. He was able to pitch until 46. It wasn’t a particular goal, but it was something that I felt like I had the capability of doing.”</p><h2><b>Justin Verlander presses forward with Giants</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Justin-Verlander-on-August-21-2024.jpg"><figcaption>Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Of course, Ryan’s one-of-a-kind career is probably not the only source of motivation for Justin Verlander. He is 38 wins away from reaching the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-justin-verlander-pursuit-300-win-milestone">magic number 300</a>, a milestone that no modern pitcher might even have a chance of attaining going forward. The only way the two-time World Series champion could probably join the exclusive club, which presently contains 24 hurlers, is to at least make it to the age-45 benchmark.</p><p>But the game will not just let a great stick around. Not even a future Hall of Famer like Verlander will be granted a courtesy if he is a disaster on the mound. The Giants trust the two-time ERA king and nine-time All-Star, though.</p><p>New president of baseball operations and franchise legend Buster Posey believes that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-justin-verlander-move-reminiscent-signing-helped-spark-2010s-dynasty">Verlander can positively impact</a> an interesting rotation that includes 2023 Cy Young runner-up Logan Webb and 2021 Cy Young winner Robbie Ray, among others. Back-to-back losing seasons suggest that an infusion of credibility is required.</p><p>Posey wants to bring that crucial quality to the front office, and Verlander, who is more than five years older than his boss, can hopefully deliver it on the mound. Nolan Ryan posted a 3.20 ERA in his age-42 season. If San Francisco’s free agent signing can come close to or exceed that number, the Giants should have much to celebrate in 2025.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Giants’ Justin Verlander reveals eye-opening Nolan Ryan motivation

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-logan-webb-2025-opening-day-starter');   ga('set', 'title', 'Logan Webb earns Giants’ 2025 Opening Day starter nod');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Giants-news-Logan-Webb-earns-2025-Opening-Day-starter-nod.jpg"></figure><h1>Logan Webb earns Giants’ 2025 Opening Day starter nod</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-21T09:18:53-08:00">February 21st, 9:18am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-21T09:18:53-08:00">February 21st, 9:18am</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Opening Day is on the horizon in the MLB and teams are rolling out their starters for the 15-game slate on March 27. On Friday, the San Francisco Giants surprised nobody when they announced that ace Logan Webb will be getting the ball for the Opening Day tilt against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/padres-news-yu-darvish-280-game-streak">Webb will square off against Padres ace Yu Darvish</a> to get the season underway.</p><p>Of course, Webb is obviously the best pitcher in the Giants’ rotation, so <a href="https://x.com/PavlovicNBCS/status/1892973669632356767" rel="noopener">it came as no surprise</a> that he would get the honor to kick off the season on the mound, via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.</p><p>“Bob Melvin said it was such a lock that he didn’t even have a meeting with him this spring,” Pavlovic wrote on X. “‘He knows,’ [Melvin] said, smiling.”</p><p>Webb will headline a rotation for the Giants that includes Robbie Ray and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-justin-verlander-1-year-deal-san-francisco">the legendary Justin Verlander</a>, who signed with San Francisco this offseason. Those three will have to carry a heavy load for the Giants in a loaded NL West if they are going to contend for the division crown and get back into the postseason.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-logan-webb-offers-honest-admission-on-san-franciscos-2024-season">Webb has been one of the top starters in the MLB</a> for the last four seasons, giving the Giants someone that they can lean on in a big game. During that time, he has a 50-35 record in 124 starts as the ace in the Bay Area. He led the National League in innings pitched last season and led the MLB in innings in 2023. Over the years, Webb has proven to be a true workhorse at the position and the Giants are hoping that he can be that once again this season.</p><p>Webb continuing to be a star is a must for the Giants as they contend with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/dodgers-news-dave-roberts-los-angeles-everyday-lineup-2025">defending World Series champion Dodgers</a> and a loaded Padres team in one of the best divisions in baseball. The Arizona Diamondbacks will also be hungry to get back into the playoffs after a pennant run in 2023, so there will be plenty of entertaining battles out west all summer long.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Logan Webb earns Giants’ 2025 Opening Day starter nod

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-justin-verlander-pursuit-300-win-milestone');   ga('set', 'title', 'Giants’ Justin Verlander gets real on pursuit of 300-win milestone');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Justin-Verlander-gets-real-on-pursuit-of-300-win-milestone.jpg"></figure><h1>Giants’ Justin Verlander gets real on pursuit of 300-win milestone</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-20T07:48:50-08:00">February 20th, 7:48am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-20T07:48:50-08:00">February 20th, 7:48am</time><address><a>Owen Crisafulli</a>Owen Crisafulli is a Senior Editor and NFL Lead at ClutchPoints. He recently received his Masters in Business Administration from Nichols College. Previously, he obtained his Bachelor's degree in Sport Management and for a while ran his own sports website. Sports are his passion, and he thoroughly enjoys writing about thoughts and opinions that are related to the game. He has been a lifelong fan of the major professional teams in Boston and loves discussing all topics surrounding those teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Justin Verlander faced a lot of questions about his future after he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/astros-news-justin-verlander-honest-struggles-vs-reds">endured a rough 2024 campaign with the Houston Astros</a> that saw him post a 5.48 earned run average over 17 starts. After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-justin-verlander-1-year-deal-san-francisco">latching on with the San Francisco Giants in free agency</a> this offseason, Verlander has made it clear that he has one big goal laid out in front of him.</p><p>Verlander wants to reach the 300-win milestone before he calls it a career, but he’s got some work to do. As he enters his age 42 season, Verlander is 38 wins away, with 262 victories over his 19-year career. And while some believe the end is near for Verlander, he’s going to keep on going until the wheels fall off, or until he <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2025/02/20/justin-verlander-giants-300-wins-mlb-rule-changes/79232424007/" rel="noopener">reaches this prestigious mark</a>.</p><p>“It’s not the first time I’ve been doubted,” Verlander said when discussing the milestone. “I don’t think anyone would reach 300 again. I don’t even know if 250 will ever be done again. Look, I don’t want to go out there and make a fool out of myself, you know. But being able to pitch 20 years in this game and to be able to do something that makes me happy every day. Hey, as long as I still have that fire to play, and as long as I’m willing to put in the work that is required to go out there and compete, then I don’t see why I wouldn’t want to.”</p><h2><b>Will Justin Verlander be able to reach 300 career wins?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Giants-starting-pitcher-Justin-Verlander.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While Verlander didn’t pitch well in 2024, he dealt with a bevy of injuries that certainly impacted him. With a fresh bill of health, San Francisco is hoping he can turn back the clock in 2025, while Verlander is also hoping that individually, he can add some more wins to his tally after only getting five last season.</p><p>Can Verlander reach this mark? It’s going to be tough, especially since he turns 42 on Thursday, but it wasn’t long ago that he won the American League Cy Young award in 2022 with the Astros. If Verlander can pitch like he did in 2023, when he posted a 3.22 earned run average and won 13 games, for three more seasons, he’d have a shot, but the first step is proving he still has gas left in the tank with San Francisco after his struggles last year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

San Francisco
Giants NEWS

Giants’ Matt Chapman highlights Cubs’ cheapness with details of failed pursuit

Giants’ Heliot Ramos replicates bonkers Willie Mays feat amid hot streak

Giants’ Justin Verlander pulls back curtain on Astros departure

Why Giants’ Kyle Harrison didn’t make Opening Day roster

Giants’ Bob Melvin hopeful for Jung Hoo Lee’s Opening Day status

Giants’ Buster Posey gets 100% real on adjusting to new role

Giants’ Justin Verlander drops honest Buster Posey admission

Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee hit with concerning injury update as Opening Day looms

Why Pablo Sandoval won’t roast Giants’ Justin Verlander about World Series battles

Camilo Doval makes honest admission about 2024 struggles with Giants

Giants RP Camilo Doval opens up on trusting Buster Posey

Giants veteran Justin Verlander reveals secret to long-term success

Fatal flaw San Francisco Giants must address for 2025 MLB season

Giants’ Willy Adames issues brutally honest message to doubters

MLB news: Barry Bonds gets brutally honest about why Shohei Ohtani has it easier

Justin Verlander adding new weapon to repertoire for Giants

How Giants’ Logan Webb helped Justin Verlander prepare for Spring Training debut

Giants’ Justin Verlander reveals eye-opening Nolan Ryan motivation

Logan Webb earns Giants’ 2025 Opening Day starter nod

Giants’ Justin Verlander gets real on pursuit of 300-win milestone

SAN FRANCISCO

GIANTS

San FranciscoGiants NEWS

Giants’ Matt Chapman highlights Cubs’ cheapness with details of failed pursuit

Giants’ Heliot Ramos replicates bonkers Willie Mays feat amid hot streak

Giants’ Justin Verlander pulls back curtain on Astros departure

Why Giants’ Kyle Harrison didn’t make Opening Day roster

Giants’ Bob Melvin hopeful for Jung Hoo Lee’s Opening Day status

Giants’ Buster Posey gets 100% real on adjusting to new role

Giants’ Justin Verlander drops honest Buster Posey admission

Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee hit with concerning injury update as Opening Day looms

Why Pablo Sandoval won’t roast Giants’ Justin Verlander about World Series battles

Camilo Doval makes honest admission about 2024 struggles with Giants

Giants RP Camilo Doval opens up on trusting Buster Posey

Giants veteran Justin Verlander reveals secret to long-term success

Fatal flaw San Francisco Giants must address for 2025 MLB season

Giants’ Willy Adames issues brutally honest message to doubters

MLB news: Barry Bonds gets brutally honest about why Shohei Ohtani has it easier

Justin Verlander adding new weapon to repertoire for Giants

How Giants’ Logan Webb helped Justin Verlander prepare for Spring Training debut

Giants’ Justin Verlander reveals eye-opening Nolan Ryan motivation

Logan Webb earns Giants’ 2025 Opening Day starter nod

Giants’ Justin Verlander gets real on pursuit of 300-win milestone

SAN FRANCISCO

GIANTS

San Francisco
Giants NEWS