Giants’ Unprecedented Walk Drought Signals Deep Offensive Struggles: A Closer Look

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants have found themselves languishing at the bottom of the league when it comes to stolen bases and other offensive statistics, struggling to hit or run effectively, especially in tandem.

In an effort to shake things up on Friday night, Manager Tony Vitello decided to put some wheels in motion. He had Jesus Rodriguez on the move, while Jung Hoo Lee managed to connect with a low splitter, sending it into the outfield. Rodriguez made it from first to third with ease.

This display of aggression is exactly what Vitello, in his inaugural season as manager, has been advocating for in hopes of pulling his team out of a persistent scoring drought. Ironically, despite the hustle and energy, this particular effort didn’t result in any runs during the Giants’ 5-2 victory over the Pirates.

“Everyone’s pushing hard to find any sort of advantage,” Vitello remarked. “But ultimately, you need a player to get on base first.”

The simple truth remains: For the Giants to make a run, they need to start by taking a walk.

Or at least get on base.

And one particular tried and true method — laying off four pitches outside the strike zone, removing your protective gear and moseying up the first-base line — has largely eluded them.

Win or loss, day or night, it’s been the same result for the Giants their past three games: An egg in the walks column. Friday’s win was their third consecutive game without drawing a walk, a specific type of drought that’s occurred only 13 times in franchise history — twice now since 1976.

“I think that’s one of the biggest points of this year,” shortstop Willy Adames said. “Me personally, I haven’t been walking a lot. I think that kind of goes to trying to make stuff happen, and then kind of get in a black hole and it’s hard to get out of that.”

In Adames’ case, not a lot equates to six bases on balls in 155 plate appearances, tied with Casey Schmitt (4.0%) for the lowest walk rate on a team on pace to draw historically few.

San Francisco has walked 72 times in 38 games, or roughly an equivalent to 307 over a full season. In the franchise’s history, no team has ended a 162-game schedule with fewer than 392 (2009). Another 16 teams that played fewer than 162 games drew more than 307.

“I think things are going to come, especially when we start winning more games,” Adames said. “Things are going to be changing.”

One problem: It’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg scenario.

The Giants aren’t exactly striking fear in pitchers’ eyes. Their home run pace isn’t quite as abysmal (102, which would be 19th-fewest in franchise history post-deadball era), but they’ve given little reason for opposing catchers to set their targets on the corners.

As a result, no team has gotten more pitches in the strike zone — and it’s not particularly close. The Giants have seen 52.1% of their pitches over the plate; the second-highest team is 50.6%.

“Pitchers have been attacking us,” Adames said. “When you’re struggling, you go to the plate and you blink and it’s 0-2. It’s hard to draw a walk when you’re 0-2 [after] the first two pitches.”

It doesn’t help that the Giants are also offering at pitches outside the strike zone at the sixth-highest rate in the league (32.0%). Part of that has to do with roster construction.

No need to complain about Schmitt’s swing decisions when he has been carrying the offense. Luis Arraez, Lee and Rodriguez are all contact-happy, too, often while being the only cogs that seem to be working in Vitello’s lineups.

Still, the chasm between their batting average (.238, 17th) and on-base percentage (.284, 30th) hasn’t gotten any smaller. While they wait for the middle of their lineup to thaw, the Giants are going to scrounge for ways to score in every nook and cranny in their clubhouse.

Including, when the situation calls for it, the hit and run.

“It’s something we did in spring training. It’s something we’d like to [do],” Vitello said. “Ultimately you’ve gotta have a guy on base. One of those main characters. And then a strike-pumper on the mound. There’s been a lot of conversation about being more aggressive. That’s why I’m a fan of on-base percentage, and then part of it is just us pulling the trigger on some things.”

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