The San Francisco Giants found themselves a spark plug in Drew Gilbert, and the rookie outfielder they picked up from the New York Mets at the deadline is making some serious noise.
Gilbert’s early MLB numbers weren’t pretty – he started just 3-for-31 with 10 strikeouts and one extra-base hit. But that’s ancient history now.
The 24-year-old has completely flipped the script, going 10-for-19 with no strikeouts and six extra-base hits over his last six games. New York Post’s Dan Martin wrote that Gilbert’s helped “spark a Giants team that sold at the deadline and was left for dead after falling seven games under .500 on Aug. 22.”
What makes this streak special? Gilbert’s doing something that hasn’t been done in decades.
“Drew Gilbert over his 4 starts: 10 H, 8 RBI, 7 R, 6 XBH, 0 K. Since RBI became official in 1920, the only other MLB rookie to reach all of those numbers over a four-start span was Joe Morgan (July 8-16, 1965),” Opta Stats posted.
That’s Hall of Fame company right there.
Gilbert’s also bringing some edge to the Giants. He was recently involved in a bench-clearing incident in Colorado, something that caught the attention of his former Tennessee coach Tony Vitello.
“Yeah, I’m almost glad I wasn’t there for the Labor Day game when there was that violence, you know. And of course, leave it up to Drew to maybe add a little extra panache around the bases,” Vitello said. “So I don’t know how much the Giants and the Rockies love each other anymore after the last couple days, but man, I loved being in that situation.”
It’s early, but Gilbert’s showing both the Mets and Astros what they might’ve missed by not giving him a real shot. The way he’s swinging the bat right now, the Giants have to be feeling pretty good about what they got in return at the deadline.
Joining Joe Morgan in the record books isn’t bad company for a guy who was struggling to find his footing just a few weeks ago. If Gilbert keeps this up, he’s going to make the Giants’ decision to give him everyday at-bats look pretty smart.
