The San Francisco Giants Need To Make This Backup A Full Time Starter

San Francisco Giants first baseman Dominic Smith should be playing every day. 

It’s no secret that the Giants have struggled to hit this season, especially with runners in scoring position. 

Considering those obvious issues, it’s a mystery why they have kept Smith, 30, on the bench despite his strong play when he is inserted into the lineup. 

It’s a small sample size of only 34 games, but Smith has the best batting average of anyone to touch a bat with the Giants this season at .273. He is also third on the team with a .745 OPS. 

Not only that, but unlike many of his teammates, he actually becomes a better hitter with runners in scoring position. He’s hitting .333 with RISP this season. 

He’s also a very good defensive first baseman. He should be manning that spot every day and moving to DH on days he doesn’t play first. 

Smith Would Take Over Wilmer Flores’s Role 

To be able to be in the lineup every day, Smith would need to essentially take over the role that Wilmer Flores currently occupies. 

Flores, 33, had a strong offensive start to the season and was the Giants’ best hitter at times. However, he’s fallen to a below average hitter. He’s hitting only .249 on the season with a .699 OPS. 

He’s not as good of a defender as Smith, either. 

His power has also fallen off a cliff. He has 12 home runs on the season but has gone deep only twice in his last 50 games. 

The Giants are likely sticking with Flores because he is proven. Over the years with San Francisco, Flores has given the Giants consistent, solid production. Smith, on the other hand, is having a great year, but has had more ups and downs offensively in his career. 

So the Giants don’t need to do anything drastic like cut Flores. He’s still valuable as a reserve and pinch hitter. They should just give him more at-bats, and consider making him close to the full time first baseman, only switching with DH Rafael Devers once in a while. 

Giants Roster Overhaul 

At the 2025 MLB trade deadline, president of baseball operations Buster Posey showed that he isn’t afraid to trade away old friends or longtime Giants to better San Francisco’s roster. 

Posey dealt away three former teammates, Tyler Rogers, Camilo Doval, and Mike Yastrzemski for prospects. 

There’s a clear youth movement going on in San Francisco. So don’t be surprised if he is willing to let some younger players take at bats over Flores. 

Smith, at age 30, is only three years younger. It goes without saying that the Giants hope that their top prospect, Bryce Eldridge, is the primary first baseman of the future. But he’s still developing in AAA Sacramento. 

At some point, results need to matter for the Giants. If Posey can trade away Yastrzemski so that .168 hitter Luis Matos and AAA callup Grant McCray can get some more at-bats, why can’t he ride the hot hand and let Smith play? 

He, the entire front office, and manager Bob Melvin don’t have much to lose, especially not in 2025. 

Giants fans, do you want to see Dominic Smith playing more for San Francisco? 

Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.

This article was originally published on Heavy Sports

The post The San Francisco Giants Need To Make This Backup A Full Time Starter appeared first on Heavy Sports.