The San Francisco Giants are looking for a top-tier starting pitcher to strengthen their rotation, and they have actually been actively pursuing this goal. When evaluating possible finalizings, they put a high premium on the capability to throw strikes and induce swings-and-misses. One key metric they look at is a pitcher’s strikeout-to-walk ratio, as it successfully determines their ability to command the strike zone.
Ranking the top 3 SF Giants beginning pitching targets by SO/W ratio
We have actually done this exercise over the past couple of offseasons, and well, the top choice ended up signing with the Giants in both instances. After the 2021 season, the Giants included Carlos Rodón and he had an electrical season with San Francisco in 2022
Last year, the Giants added Ross Stripling and he had a quite dreadful first season. The veteran pitcher opted to remain with San Francisco in 2024, recognizing that he would have struggled to match the one-year, $12.5 million left on his agreement after publishing a 5.36 ERA in 22 trips.
Nevertheless, the SO/W ratio stays a reputable metric to determine the front office’s potential targets. In 2023, the league posted a 2.65 SO/W ratio. The Giants’ pitching personnel exceeded this figure with a 3.37 SO/W ratio, ranking them fourth amongst all groups in baseball.
For this exercise, we are only going to concentrate on free agents who tossed more than 100 innings last year. We did look at potential trade targets, but none of those will be included in this analysis.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto boasts remarkable 6.29 strikeouts-to-walks ratio
The San Francisco Giants have been carefully connected to Japanese pitching sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto this offseason. The team’s interest in the 25-year-old ace has actually been so strong that Farhan Zaidi, the Giants’ president of baseball operations, even put his supervisory search on hold to personally search Yamamoto in October. Furthermore, a number of key members of the Giants’ front office have actually just recently viewed Yamamoto pitch. According to a minimum of one MLB expert, the Giants are anticipated to effectively land Yamamoto’s services. The initial step at the same time is for Yamamoto’s current group, the Orix Buffaloes, to post him, which is expected to take place shortly. The team that ultimately indications Yamamoto will be accountable for his agreement, along with a considerable posting cost that will be owed to the Buffaloes. The posting charge is forecasted to be well over $20 million, given that Yamamoto is expected to command a contract in the range of $200 million.
The right-handed pitcher had another fantastic year in the NPB, signing up a 1.21 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 9.3 K/9, and a 6.29 SO/W ratio in 24 starts for the Buffaloes. He has an excellent pitch mix that consists of a mid 90’s fastball, a splitter, curveball, slider, and cutter.
The fastball shows a postponed running motion, curving towards right-handed batters and diverting far from left-handed ones. The splitter, another remarkable pitch, possesses a postponed downward motion while maintaining an equivalent speed to the fastball. The rest of his collection of pitches is likewise above average in quality.
Mentioning splitters, the Giants sure do like pitchers who toss a great deal of splitters. Yamamoto commands his pitch mix well in the strike zone as he does a remarkable job at getting swinging strikes in the zone while limiting walks. The Giants will remain in the mix for him as soon as he is posted however it is going to need a considerable contract offer. Can they do it?
