San Francisco Giants Minor League Major Performers: 2018 Hitters of the Year

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DENVER, CO – APRIL 7: The dirt around second base shows evidence of slides and defensive plays in this general view during a name between the Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres at Coors Field on April 7, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies beat the Padres 9-1. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Third Base: David Villar

At the hot corner, a trio of short-season players grabbed the most attention. 2018 draft pick David Villar was the best of them all. The 11th-rounder out of South Florida was an extra-base machine in his 62 games after being drafted, most of which came with Salem-Keizer.

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Not to be overshadowed by fellow draft pick Bart in Salem-Keizer, the 21-year-old Villar slashed .282/.342/.535 and matched his 13 home runs. He also added 23 doubles (22 with the Volcanoes, third-most in the NWL), and drove in 47 runs (42 in SK, tied for third). Villar finished second in the NWL with a .549 slugging percentage, and led the league with a .270 ISO.

Villar came out of college with a power pedigree, but to see him hit in the pros with the proficiency he did so soon was still quite surprising. He’ll likely head to Augusta next season, which will give him a good test in his second year.

Honorable Mentions:

In the AZL, 19-year-old Cuban Yorlis Rodriguez was a stud for the Orange team. He hit .323/.409/.445 with nine doubles, a couple home runs, a couple triples, and 26 RBI. He was sixth in the AZL in average, tied for fifth in OBP, and tied for seventh with a 144 wRC+. He also had the 10th-lowest strikeout rate in the league at 13.7%. 2018 was his first year as a pro after signing in 2017.

Luis Toribio was the offensive star of the Giants’ Dominican Summer League team. He slashed .270/.423/.479 with 13 doubles, 10 home runs, and 39 RBI. He tied for third in the DSL with his home run total, and became the first Giant to reach double-digits in that league since 2009, when Rey Duran hit 11. He also finished ninth in the league with 51 walks.

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