SAN FRANCISCO – Signed in the offseason to provide some much-needed power to the Giants’ lineup as the team’s clean-up hitter, Jorge Soler is finding much more success batting from the leadoff spot.
That was certainly the case against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Oracle Park. Soler tripled and scored in his first at-bat, singled in a run in the fifth and drew a two-out walk in the sixth, helping the Giants to a 7-1 victory.
“I don’t know how to explain it ,” Soler told NBC Sports Bay Area through interpreter Erwin Higueros. “When I bat leadoff I’ve always done good. Every time I bat first, the numbers are always good.”
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That’s true this season, for sure.
In 15 games batting leadoff for San Francisco, Soler has a .250 batting average with a .777 OPS and six RBIs. In the 67 other games he’s played batting in other slots in the order, Soler’s numbers are noticeably down, other than runs driven in -- .224 average, .691 OPS and 28 RBIs.
While it’s definitely not the scenario the Giants’ front office envisioned when they signed Soler to a three-year, $42 million free agent contract in February.
Back then the hope was that Soler – who banged out 36 home runs for the Miami Marlins during his All-Star season in 2023 – would bring some of that power out to the West Coast.
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It hasn’t happened the way many had expected, but the Cuban slugger has been producing much more regularly at the top of the lineup.
“He embraces being a leadoff hitter, he loves doing that,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “The numbers would suggest here recently, too, he’s been doing his best work in that spot. He’s really comfortable in the spot, he embraces it, and it makes our lineup, especially at the top, we can mix and match right-left a little more. It’s a dangerous hitter in the leadoff spot.”
Soler’s presence anywhere in San Francisco's lineup has been key. The team is 22-16 this seasson when he scores at least one run.
The Giants have been seeking some consistency at the top of their batting order ever since Jung Hoo Lee suffered a left shoulder injury in May that required season-ending surgery.
Melvin has used 14 different players in the leadoff spot, with Austin Slater, Brett Wisely and Luis Matos getting the bulk of the work while Lee has been out.
Soler is different than all of those guys mainly because of his power, which not many other leadoff batters possess.
Soler is also likely to get better pitches batting leadoff, although it also requires him to be more patient at the plate. His triple leading off the first inning Friday was Soler’s first since 2019.
“What I think is I’m the first hitter, the pitcher is going to attack me, he’s going to throw more strikes,” Soler said. “It also helps me because when I’m batting leadoff, I’m more patient. I see more pitches and I try to make the pitcher work.”
Although it wasn’t the original recipe, it’s one that’s definitely working in the Giants’ favor now.
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