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The hidden numbers that make Giants’ Rafael Devers panic more warranted than ever
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- The hidden numbers that make Giants’ Rafael Devers panic more warranted than ever
The hidden numbers that make Giants' Rafael Devers panic more warranted than ever appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
San Francisco Giants star Rafael Devers is struggling in 2026. Is Devers simply having an unlucky start to the year, or is there more reason for concern? Jeff Passan of ESPN recently shared some underlying statistics in an article, and the numbers suggest that Giants fans have reason to be worried.
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"Devers sports the lowest in-zone contact rate in MLB at 68.7%. And while hitters can find success with so much swing-and-miss on strikes — Devers often finds himself near the top of the leaderboard in this category — he is punching out more than ever, walking less than ever and in desperate need of a hot streak to quell the concerns over a contract that runs through 2033," Passan wrote.
Overall, Devers is hitting .211/.250/.298. He is clearly in a slump. The Giants need Devers to turn things around in order to compete.
The 29-year-old is striking out 30.8 percent of the time, which represents a career-worst mark as Passan mentioned. His 43.4 percent hard-hit rate is also a career-low. It is not certain what has led to Devers' underperformance, but it is concerning. Decline likely would not be an issue at 29 years old, so the Giants need to figure out what is going wrong. There was a time when Devers was considered to be one of the better hitters in MLB.
Overall, San Francisco is 13-16 and in last place in the National League West standings. The ball club can still bounce back and compete, but Rafael Devers ' performance will go a long way toward determining how the Giants play this year.
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