Soler finding success in his new role as the Giants’ leadoff hitter originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Signed in the offseason to provide some much needed power to the Giants lineup as the team’s cleanup hitter, Jorge Soler is having much more success hitting from the leadoff position.
That was certainly the case against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Oracle Park. Soler tripled and scored in his first at-bat, scored a run in the fifth and drew a two-out walk in the sixth, helping the Giants with a 7-1 victory.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” Soler told NBC Sports Bay Area through interpreter Erwin Higueros. “When I hit the starting line, I always did well. Every time I bat first, the numbers are always good.”
That’s true this season, for sure.
In 15 starting at-bats for San Francisco, Soler has a .250 batting average with a .777 OPS and six RBIs. In the other 67 games he has batted in other slots in the order, Soler’s numbers are noticeably down with the exception of runs scored – .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 years, US$42 million free agent contract in February.
Back then, the hope was that Soler — who hit 36 home runs for the Miami Marlins during their All-Star season in 2023 — would bring some of that power to the West Coast.
It didn’t happen as many expected, but the Cuban slugger has produced much more regularly at the top of the lineup.
“He loves being a leadoff hitter, he loves doing it,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “The numbers also suggest that he has recently been doing his best work at that location. He is very comfortable in the position, he embraces it, and this means that our lineup, especially at the top, we can mix and match a little more from right to left. He’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 season when he scores at least one run.
The Giants have been looking for some consistency at the top of their batting order since Jung Hoo Lee suffered a left shoulder injury in May. Surgery required at the end of the season.
Melvin used 14 different players at the starting position, with Austin Slater, Brett Wisely and Luis Matos getting the bulk of the work while Lee was out.
Soler is different from all of these guys mainly because of his power, which few other leadoff hitters possess.
Soler will also likely get better pitches out of the gate, although that will also require him to be more patient at the plate. His leadoff triple in Friday’s first inning was Soler’s first since 2019.
“What I think is, I’m the leadoff 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, I’m more patient. I see more pitches and try to make the pitcher work.”
While it wasn’t the original recipe, it’s definitely a recipe that’s working in the Giants’ favor now.
