Giants Struggle to Hit High-Velocity Fastballs in Early Season

New hitting coach Hunter Mense aims to address team's longstanding issues against power pitchers.

Apr. 4, 2026 at 1:36am by Ben Kaplan

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A fractured, multi-perspective painting depicting a baseball player swinging at a pitch, the action broken down into sharp, overlapping geometric planes in a vibrant color palette.The Giants' ongoing battle against overpowering fastballs is deconstructed into a cubist masterpiece.San Francisco Today

The San Francisco Giants' offense has struggled mightily against starting pitchers with high-velocity fastballs in the early part of the 2026 season. This continues a trend that plagued the team throughout 2025, when they ranked near the bottom of the league in production against pitches exceeding 95 mph. New hitting coach Hunter Mense is working to find solutions, but acknowledges it's a complex issue that requires an individualized approach for each hitter.

Why it matters

The Giants' inability to hit hard-throwing pitchers has been a persistent problem that has hampered their offense for several seasons. Addressing this weakness is crucial for the team to be competitive in the NL West, especially against divisional rivals with dominant starting rotations.

The details

In their losses to start the 2026 season, the Giants' offense was shut down by starting pitchers like the Yankees' Max Fried, Cam Schlittler and Will Warren, as well as the Padres' Nick Pivetta - all of whom feature high-velocity, high-movement fastballs. Conversely, the Giants were able to produce against starters with less overpowering stuff, like the Padres' German Marquez and Walker Buehler, and the Mets' David Peterson. This trend mirrors the team's struggles against hard throwers in 2025, when they ranked near the bottom of the league in production against 95+ mph fastballs.

  • The Giants' issues against high-velocity pitching continued in their opening series losses to the Yankees and Padres in late March 2026.
  • In 2025, the Giants had a .308 expected weighted on base average and .215 expected batting average against fastballs exceeding 95 mph, both figures ranking in the bottom five in MLB.

The players

Hunter Mense

The Giants' new hitting coach, who previously held the same role with the Toronto Blue Jays and is aware of his new team's struggles against high-velocity pitching.

Willy Adames

A Giants hitter who had an .882 OPS against high-velocity fastballs in 2025.

Matt Chapman

A Giants hitter who had a .843 OPS against high-velocity fastballs in 2025.

Heliot Ramos

A Giants hitter who struggled to a .706 OPS against high-velocity fastballs in 2025.

Rafael Devers

A Giants hitter whose production against high-velocity fastballs declined after being traded from the Red Sox in 2025.

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What they’re saying

“'It matters more from an 'OK we will probably be pitched that way,'' Mense said. 'We'll probably get a lot of fastballs. We can figure out on an individual basis if somebody isn't good at hitting fastballs and a guy throwing a lot of fastballs, a plan for how to go into that day covering it up.'”

— Hunter Mense, Giants Hitting Coach

“'Quickness of batspeed will always give you a chance,' Mense said. 'Arráez hits fastballs. Doesn't have bat speed but there's quickness to his swing.'”

— Hunter Mense, Giants Hitting Coach

What’s next

The Giants hope that adding more contact-oriented hitters like Luis Arráez and Jung Hoo Lee will help balance out their lineup and make them less vulnerable to hard-throwing pitchers.

The takeaway

The Giants' longstanding struggles against high-velocity fastballs remain a significant weakness that new hitting coach Hunter Mense must address. Finding individualized solutions for each hitter will be crucial, as the team looks to break out of this troubling trend and become more competitive against the top pitching staffs in the league.