Tony Vitello #23 of the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium on February 15, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Suzanna Mitchell/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

DOWNTOWN SCOTTSDALE — The San Francisco Giants were back in action on Thursday afternoon for their sixth game of the Spring Training slate at 1 p.m. MST. On Thursday, the Giants fell to the Colorado Rockies at Scottsdale Stadium 11-3.

Hayden Birdsong had another rough outing for the Giants as his chances of making the Opening Day team seem slimmer and slimmer by the day. Birdsong pitched one inning, giving up three runs on four hits. On the bright side, Matt Chapman and Heliot Ramos each hit their first home runs of the season in what was a welcome power display for the Giants.

Yet, the score of Thursday’s matchup is hardly the story of the day. Spring training is always more about hitters finding their timing and pitchers getting ramped up than any on-field result. Granted, rookies and fringe Opening Day roster players fight for a chance on the big league club come game one, but the lion’s share of the work is in preparing for the 162-game grind for the team’s established players. While all of that remains true for the 2026 spring training for the Giants, there’s a vibe of newness and evergreen experience with this club. However, above all else, is the uncertainty surrounding the season ahead.

The Giants are, of course, now being managed by first-time MLB manager Tony Vitello. That alone is enough change for the club to feel as if they are starting from scratch.

However, I would argue the uncertainty surrounding the Giants has little to do with the question mark of Vitello and much more to do with the question of whether this roster, as currently constructed, can truly compete in 2026.

The Giants have a talented roster. There’s no doubt about that. The question remains whether the pieces they have had mostly together since the trade deadline of last year can be a club capable of rising out of baseball hell. Can the Giants rise significantly above the .500 mark, or will they remain where they have been since finishing 107-55 in the 2021 season?

Call me pessimistic, but I think it will be a real challenge for Tony Vitello and the Giants to significantly improve upon last season’s totals. My main concern? Well, after what were largely career-average years from the majority of their players, the Giants don’t have many places to look for drastic improvements from their holdover players, and they didn’t add many impact guys to the mix in the offseason.

For instance, Matt Chapman during his career has consistently been a 115-120 OPS+ hitter. Last season, he had a 120 OPS+ and a 4.1 WAR. Willy Adames has a career 109 OPS+; last season, he had a 111 OPS+. Rafael Devers, who many considered to have had a down few months with the Giants, has a career OPS+ of 129; with the Giants last season, he had a 130 OPS+. Heliot Ramos, who had a solid season defense aside, has a career 110 OPS+; last season, Ramos had a 108 OPS+. So, without being too much of a downer, I don’t think the Giants should expect big improvements on the offensive side of the ball from their mainstays.

With that being said, it seems the improvements for the Giants offense must come from the fringes. That, in my estimation, is an uncertain proposition indeed.

Do the Giants expect a meaningful contribution from highly touted prospect Bryce Eldridge? He’s been okay this spring but had a fairly disastrous start to his big league career last fall, hitting .107 with 13 strikeouts in 37 plate appearances. I’m sure the Giants would love a Nick Kurtz-type showing from him this season, which might be needed for this offense, but that is a lofty request for such a young player playing at Oracle Park.

Jung Hoo Lee has seemingly been an underwhelming offensive threat for the Giants, given the amount of money they have committed to the 27-year-old from Japan. Granted, he hasn’t been terrible on the offensive side of the ball, but I think he has undershot expectations, fair or not. That’s not even mentioning his below-average defensive metrics last season playing the outfield. The Giants hope the move to right field will improve those defensive numbers, given his above-average arm.

On the pitching side, the bullpen remains a bit of a mystery. The Giants will suffer from Randy Rodriguez continuing his rehab from Tommy John surgery while also having traded away key pieces at the deadline. Yet, the Giants seem to find ways to make the bullpen work, even if it is not lined with stars.

The Giants rotation includes three guys I assume will be in it come Opening Day: Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, and Landen Roupp. All had fairly career-average years last season.

All that, of course, begs the question: Where will the Giants’ big increases in production come from in 2026?

If the Giants want to compete for the playoffs in 2026, they will need to be one of the most defensively sharp and situationally sound clubs in the majors. That seems to be the fringes the Giants can win over to make a big step forward in a positive direction.

Can Tony Vitello, in his first big league season as manager, get that type of buy-in from his players?

If he can, he deserves Manager of the Year.