Rafael Devers doesn't need long to make an impression on a new season. The Giants first baseman delivered the standout performance of the young year, and San Francisco rode it to a 7-3 win over Atlanta on Monday, sending an immediate message across the National League.
The Braves came in having won four straight games, but Monday's result showed there's still work to do against a Giants lineup that looks dangerous from top to bottom.
Devers set the tone, turning in a 35.0 fantasy-point outing that made him the unambiguous MVP of the night. Numbers at that level don't happen by accident — this was a complete performance, the kind of night that reminds everyone why the Giants wanted him in the middle of their order. He wasn't alone in doing damage, either. Center fielder Jonah Cox matched Devers blow for blow, also posting 35.0 fantasy points, giving San Francisco a devastating one-two punch that Atlanta's pitching staff never solved.
The Giants got contributions from all over the diamond. Reliever Anthony Molina was outstanding out of the bullpen, racking up 24.5 fantasy points and helping slam the door once San Francisco built its lead. Turner Hill chipped in 18.5 points from left field, and catcher Andrew Knizner added 16.5 more, giving the Giants production at nearly every spot in the lineup. Even further down the stat sheet, Reiver Sanmartin (13.7), Bryce Eldridge (13.5) and Nate Furman (13.0) all found ways to contribute. When your seventh- and eighth-best performers are still putting up double-digit fantasy points, that's not a lineup opponents want to face for three or four games in a row.
Atlanta didn't go quietly. Michael Harris II was the best player on the field for the Braves, turning in a 30.0-point night in center field that kept this one from getting out of hand early. Drake Baldwin was right there with him behind the plate, adding 19.0 points, and Sean Murphy chipped in 10.5 more in a timeshare that at least gave Atlanta some thump from the catcher spot. Austin Riley (8.5) and Ozzie Albies (5.0) provided secondary support, but the Braves simply couldn't match the depth San Francisco rolled out. Even Ronald Acuña Jr., who managed just 4.5 fantasy points, and starter Bryce Elder, held to 3.3, couldn't shift the momentum once the Giants got rolling.
The result snaps Atlanta's four-game winning streak, which included a run of strong form against Colorado and a tight, well-pitched win over the Dodgers. That's a group capable of playing good baseball, but Monday's loss means Atlanta already has some ground to make up against a division and league that won't wait around. This is not the start this club wanted, and questions about the middle of the Braves' order figure to follow them until Harris, Riley and Acuña start doing more consistent damage together.
For San Francisco, this is exactly the kind of statement that can set the tone for the season. Beating a good Atlanta club — one that had won four in a row before running into the Giants — is a real signal. The Devers-Cox combination at the top of the fantasy sheet suggests a Giants offense capable of putting up crooked numbers against anybody, and the fact that the bullpen got a 24.5-point effort from Molina means the formula isn't just about the bats. If San Francisco can keep getting this kind of two-way production, they'll be a tough out all year.
It's only Week 1, but early returns matter, and right now the Giants look like the sharper team on the field. Fans building their JockBroker lineups this week should be paying close attention to Devers and Cox — with performances like these right out of the gate, they're shaping up as two of the safest anchors in the league.
