Giants have a huge Rafael Devers problem amid early-season struggles

Apr 16, 2026 - 20:00

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San Francisco Giants designated hitter Rafael Devers

Giants have a huge Rafael Devers problem amid early-season struggles originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The San Francisco Giants are off to a bad start to the year in 2026. Tony Vitello's team is struggling and sits at 6-12, tied for the worst record in Major League Baseball.

There are plenty of issues with the team, but there is one glaring problem for the Giants that's a serious concern for 2026 and for the long haul.

As @jayhaykid highlighted on Twitter/x, Rafael Devers is a big problem for the Giants. He's struggling a lot this season, and not simply with his .609 OPS. His advanced metrics are also very concerning.

Giants have a big Rafael Devers problem

"Seems likely at this point that the Rafael Devers trade is gonna somehow be a loser for both teams," @jayhaykid shared. "He's gone from 68th to the 33rd percentile in bat speed across 2023-2026. His hard-hit rate is down from 56.1% to 47.8% year-over-year, too. Only about $230M remaining!"

Devers is struggling this season, hitting .229 with a .280 on-base percentage and a .329 slugging percentage, good for a .609 OPS. For someone meant to be a key slugger in the lineup, that isn't close to good enough.

But the advanced metrics, as @jayhaykid shared, are even worse. Baseball Savant has multiple key metrics that are major causes of concern for Devers.

Devers' bat speed in 2023 was 73.4 mph; it's steadily lowered over the last few years and is now at 71.0. He's gone from the 68th percentile to the 36th percentile.

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That isn't all, as his Batting Run Value percentile was sitting in the 90's from 2021 through 2025. But this season, he's all the way down to a 13th percentile.

Similarly, his hard-hit rate was sitting in the 50's for the last five years, and now in 2026 it's fallen to a 49.0% when it was at 56.1% a year ago.

Another concerning metric is his exit velocity. He's sitting at a 91.2 mph average exit velocity, with the previous season at 93.5 mph. That's the lowest mark he's had in a season since 2018.

Devers is also barreling up balls at just a 10.2% rate, with 2025 coming in at 16.0%. It's still early, and not a large sample size. But these metrics are still concerning.

The Giants desperately need Devers to turn things around. If he can't, the team will continue to struggle, and the $230 million figure Devers is still owed will be a big issue.