Nori Aoki, the Giants’ New Spark Plug
When San Francisco Giants‘ manager Bruce Bochy announced late in Spring Training that Nori Aoki would be the leadoff hitter, rather than Angel Pagan, there was some skepticism. Pagan was healthy, and he’d always been excellent as the leadoff hitter when he was in the lineup.
Suffice it to say in hindsight, as we close on being one-third of the way through the season, that was another excellent decision by the future Hall of Fame manager.
The numbers speak for themselves for Aoki. He’s played in 47 of the Giants’ 49 games so far, all at the leadoff spot, and boasts a highly impressive .326/.398/.418 triple-slash line. He’s tied with Buster Posey for the team lead with 20 walks. He’s scored 22 times, hit seven doubles, two triples, two home runs, and it seems like he’s always on base.
He also likes to show off his speed, as he has 11 stolen bases. The rest of the team has 14 combined steals. Aoki is on pace to become the Giants’ first 30-plus steal man since Dave Roberts thieved 31 bags in 2007.
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Not only is he productive, but Aoki is just flat out fun to watch. Watching him take his at-bats against opposing pitchers is like watching an artist work on his painting. His swing is both ugly and beautiful at the same time, as he chops at pitches with his fantastic bat speed.
He fights off tough pitch after tough pitch, keeping third base coach Roberto Kelly on his toes down the third base line. Some of the pitches he is able to foul off will leave you scratching your head, wondering “how in the world did he hit THAT?!”
That approach has worked famously thus far. He fights off pitches he doesn’t like, and when he finally gets his pitch, he lines it up the middle, or bloops it into left field for a base hit.
On top of all that, Aoki just does not strike out. He’s gone down on strikes just 14 times in 206 plate appearances, good for a 6.8 percent mark that is second in all of baseball, only to the Cleveland Indians’ Michael Brantley. Brantley owns a 6.1 percent strikeout rate, having struck out just 11 times in 180 plate appearances.
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It’s been 72 plate appearances since Aoki has struck out. That dates all the way back to May 8th. Think about that. It’s been three weeks since an Aoki at-bat didn’t end with some sort of contact.
There was a cold streak in there for Aoki that dropped his average as low as .273. It didn’t last long, and Aoki is once again on a tear. He’s riding a six-game hitting streak, and the 14-26 (.538) in that span has propelled his average all the way back up to .326.
One thing Aoki has brought with him that’s been much better than anticipated is his defense. Before this year, he had a reputation as a bit of a shaky outfielder, taking weird routes to get to balls that would end up dropping.
With San Francisco, however, his glove has been great out in left field. He uses his speed to make sliding catches, running snags, and leaping grabs to help out his pitchers when they need it.
The fans have taken notice of Aoki’s great season as well. In the first wave of fan voting for the All-Star Game, Aoki was fourth among National League outfielders, behind only Bryce Harper (the NL’s leading vote-getter), Giancarlo Stanton, and Matt Holliday. Aoki has never made an All-Star team here in the United States, and with Bochy manning the team, Aoki has a good shot to make his first if he keeps this up.
When the Giants picked up Aoki, it wasn’t the flashiest signing of the offseason. It was a smart signing for a veteran player who fit with the team’s mentality. He’s a good clubhouse presence, and he is the perfect guy for the team’s “keep the line moving” offense.
Aoki has made his name in the Bay Area very quickly, and he is becoming a huge fan favorite. If Aoki can continue to play at this level, the Giants won’t have a choice but to pick up his option for 2016.