San Francisco Giants Bring Up Austin Slater to Start What Should Be Busy Weekend
The San Francisco Giants seem to be getting into the youth movement, and are bringing up prospect Austin Slater to start what should be a busy weekend.
The merry-go-round continues to spin in the outfield for the San Francisco Giants, and ahead of their three-game series in Philadelphia, they added another outfielder to the big league roster. On Thursday, it was announced that outfield prospect Austin Slater had his contract purchased, and was flying to the City of Brotherly Love to meet the team before the Phillies’ series begins.
Slater becomes just the latest in a long line of players that have tried their hand in the outfield for the Giants. When he takes the field as an outfielder for the first time with the Giants, he will be the 13th different starting outfielder so far this season. Assuming he plays left field, which has been his most frequent position in the minor leagues, he will become the 10th different starting left fielder for the Giants this season.
Slater, now 24 years old, was originally drafted in 2011 by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 44th round, but elected not to sign and attend Stanford. He was drafted again in 2014, this time by San Francisco, as an eighth-round selection. After a great 2014 season with the Arizona Rookie League Giants and Low-A Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, he followed up with a very nice 2015 campaign, split between High-A San Jose Giants and Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels.
2016 was the breakout year for Slater. Starting the year in the Eastern League with the Flying Squirrels, Slater was a star in an extremely pitcher-friendly league. In 41 games to begin the season, Slater slashed .317/.413/.490 with eight doubles, five home runs, and 25 runs batted in. He was promoted to Triple-A with the Sacramento River Cats during the season, and he continued to flourish.
More from Golden Gate Sports
- Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
- 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
- Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
- 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
- 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve
In 68 games post-promotion, Slater’s slash-line numbers dropped a bit from his Double-A totals, but still came in at a very impressive .298/.381/.506. His slugging percentage took a jump, however, mostly because of a power stroke that Slater had never shown before. Slater had hit 10 home runs in his first 186 minor league games, but hit 13 in the Pacific Coast League, while adding 12 doubles.
This season, Slater got off to a slow start while recovering from a broken hand suffered during winter ball. He put his swing back together and ripped off a tremendous month of May, hitting .354/.420/.525 with eight doubles and three home runs in 25 games during the month.
A roster move to clear a spot for Slater has not yet been announced, but when it comes before Friday’s game, it will likely be the first of many moves that happen over the course of the weekend. Slater needs a spot on the 40-man roster as well, but if the team doesn’t want to designate a player off the roster, right-handed relief pitcher Chase Johnson could go on the 60-day disabled list. Johnson had Tommy John surgery back in May, and is currently the River Cats’ seven-day disabled list.
Hunter Strickland will hit the suspended list when his appeal is heard, leaving the Giants to play a man short for the duration of his absence. The team will certainly want to keep a full, seven-man bullpen without Strickland, which most likely means that a bench player (probably Kelby Tomlinson) will be optioned back to Triple-A. Kyle Crick is an option to be recalled to the big leagues, as he is having a great season in Sacramento’s bullpen. Reyes Moronta, who was recalled earlier this season but didn’t pitch, is also a choice, since he would have a shorter trip going from Richmond to Philadelphia.
Next: Suspensions Handed Out, Another Roster Move
Slater is a player that could be a part of the future for the Giants. He has the tools to be an everyday player and a stalwart in the lineup. In getting his first taste of big league action, Giants’ fans are also getting a little glimpse of what the future could hold. But Slater has to play. He has to be given a chance to play everyday, rather than getting random starts here and there, like Mac Williamson has gotten during most of his big league career. It is not more important for players like Gorkys Hernandez and Justin Ruggiano to get at-bats than it is for Slater to get the valuable learning experiences. Let the kid play.