For the first time in a handful of years, there is real, palpable excitement surrounding the Giants heading into the 2024 MLB season.
Of course, sports fans always will find a reason or two to be excited about their team -- regardless of how good or bad the roster might be on paper. But this is different. After putting the finishing touches on a historic offseason, the Giants put the league on notice with their late signings of third baseman Matt Chapman and starting pitcher Blake Snell.
San Francisco's roster will be a blend of established veteran stars and emerging, young talent with sky-high potential, which should offer no shortage of interesting storylines.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Here are five bold predictions for the Giants' 2024 season.
Matos forces Giants' hand
Heads turned when Luis Matos arrived at spring training noticeably bigger after adding 14 pounds of muscle in the offseason.
After an up-and-down rookie 2023 season, Matos entered spring in the mix for a roster spot, but the consensus was he likely would start in Triple-A where he would get consistent at-bats and could earn an early-season promotion.
San Francisco Giants
However, his Cactus League performance might force the Giants' hand earlier than anticipated. In 53 at-bats, Matos batted .302/.362/.642 with four home runs and 11 RBI.
Matos put himself in a position to potentially earn a 26-man-roster spot, and he could work his way into a platoon at either of the corner outfield positions should he make the roster.
His ascension up the depth chart won't stop there. The toolsy 22-year-old outfielder eventually will take over as the primary starter at one of the corner spots by midseason, forcing the Giants to trade either Michael Conforto or Mike Yastrzemski. My money's on the former.
An unsuccessful experiment
One of the more creative moves by president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi this offseason was signing Jordan Hicks to convert him from a reliever into a starter.
The flamethrowing Hicks has a proven track record as a dominant reliever, but he will attempt his second career transition to a starter in 2024 with the Giants. Hicks enters the season as San Francisco's No. 3 starter and will be given plenty of rope to establish himself as a reliable rotation arm, but it won't come without its challenges.
The 27-year-old's fastball once topped out at 105 mph, but he's being asked to dial it back in his new role. That eye-popping velocity is his bread and butter. Will he be as effective? Will he have enough stamina to last five or six innings?
He certainly proved it's possible by throwing five no-hit innings and striking out 10 batters in the Giants' exhibition win over the Athletics on Monday.
However, with veterans Alex Cobb and Robbie Ray set to join the rotation at some point this season, plus the plethora of exciting, young pitching prospects knocking at the door, the rotation will become crowded. The Giants will realize Hicks might be more effective out of the bullpen, where he can conserve his bullets and create a lethal one-two punch with closer Camilo Doval.
Power surge
The Giants have not had a 30-home-run hitter since Barry Bonds hit 45 in 2004. That will end this season. And not just with one, but two hitters eclipsing the mark.
The obvious pick is new slugger Jorge Soler, who -- if healthy -- is a safe bet to hit at least 30 homers. The other could be one of a few players.
Perhaps Conforto, if he stays healthy and remains with the team, has the second-best chance to do so. Yastrzemski, even in a possible platoon with Matos or Slater, is capable of doing so if the stars align.
But the dark horse here is rookie shortstop Marco Luciano, who has the potential to be an elite power hitter in the major leagues. After a very slow start to spring training, Luciano caught fire at the end of the Cactus League schedule and blasted one home run off the scoreboard in left field on March 23 that caught everyone's attention.
If he makes the leap and earns an everyday role early this season, Luciano could be in the mix to contribute some power.
Rookie hardware
The Giants realistically have two, but maybe upwards of four, youngsters capable of playing their way into NL Rookie of the Year consideration.
Left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison and center fielder Jung Hoo Lee already are receiving some preseason love, but they might not be alone. If Luciano makes the leap, as previously speculated, he will be a surefire finalist.
But perhaps another candidate flying under the radar is right-handed pitcher Keaton Winn, who will begin the season in San Francisco's starting rotation and should have a pretty lengthy runway to stick until Ray returns around the All-Star break. The 26-year-old could be a quiet, steady arm at the back end of the rotation all season.
Regardless of who ends up with it, the honor will be awarded to a Giant this season.
95 wins and October bound
The Giants went from wild-card hopeful to a favorite in a matter of two weeks.
San Francisco was the epitome of mediocre last season, but adding Snell, Chapman, Soler, Lee, Hicks and Ray, plus the emergence of some young talent and the stability new manager Bob Melvin provides, you easily could argue the Giants, on paper, are eight to 10 wins better than they were last season.
That's anywhere from 87 to 89 wins, which most evaluators would agree is a pretty fair projection. A shot in the arm or two and the ball bouncing their way a few times, and it's not hard to picture a Giants team that wins 90-plus games and secures a playoff spot.
San Francisco will channel some of its 2021 energy, winning 95 games and securing the National League's top wild-card spot.