The San Francisco Giants 2023 Offensive MVP Did Not Have Regular Starting Position
In 2023, the San Francisco Giants were officially eliminated from playoff contention in their 158th game of the season. It was the second consecutive year
that they were eliminated with a loss in their 158th game of the season and it was the second time in three years that their title dreams ended with a Wilmer Flores strikeout (of course, this ending was less controversial than the one two years prior). While the Giants were eliminated with Flores' strikeout, Flores was clearly the Giants offensive MVP in 2023. (Many Giants fans would argue that Logan Webb was the Giants' overall MVP.)
Flores led the Giants with 23 home runs, a .509 slugging percentage, and a .863 OPS. He was also the second on the team in following
categories: WAR (2.6), RBIs (60), and on-base percentage (.355). What made Flores' stellar season so interesting is that
he did not have a solid starting position the whole season. Flores started 45 games at first base (LaMonte Wade started 104 there), 36 games as the designated
hitter (Joc Pederson started 72), and 16 games at third base (JD Davis started 105). Largely because of his humility and his team-first attitude, Flores has been
my favorite Giants player by far since 2021.