Austin Slater Finds His Power

SAN FRANCISCO—During his first two professional seasons, spanning 145 games and 576 at-bats, Austin Slater hit a grand total of five home runs.

Last season, which he split between Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento, Slater ripped 18 homers over 109 games and 390 at-bats.

That power increase is one reason Slater, 24, has a decent chance to make his major league debut with San Francisco at some point in 2017.

Slater, a 2014 eighth-round pick from Stanford, attributes his home run jump in large part to “pitch selection, being more aggressive in hitters’ counts.

“Early in the count, you might see a fastball right on the corner of the plate,” he said. “You might be thinking to yourself, ‘I can hit that ball,’ but is it something that I can drive, something that I can either hit out of the park or hit into a gap?

“If you lay off that pitch, you might be able to work it back to a 2-2 count or a 3-1 count, something where you have the advantage and be able to get an even better pitch over the middle of the plate.”

A righthanded hitter, Slater slashed .305/.393/.500 last year.

“There’s a lot to like about his approach at the plate, his extraordinary professionalism and effort, and (he’s) really a gamer in all respects,” general manager Bobby Evans said.

Evans projects Slater mainly as a corner outfielder, but appreciates his versatility. Slater can play center and spent the bulk of the 2015 season as a second baseman.

The Giants have given Slater a non-roster invite to spring training. As a Stanford student, he made the trek from Palo Alto to AT&T Park a few times.

Now he owns a realistic shot at playing in AT&T this year.

“I always dream about that call that I’m going to make to my parents,” he said. “I think that’s going to be the moment where I really realize, ‘Man, this is it.’ ”

GIANTICS

The Giants have reportedly shown interest in Korean infielder Jae-Gyun Hwang, 29. He hit .330/.391/.558 with 26 home runs and 104 RBIs last season in Korea.

Giants’ pitchers and catchers will report to spring training in Scottsdale on Feb. 13. Position players report Feb. 16.

— Steve Kroner covers the Giants for the San Francisco Chronicle

Comments are closed.

Download our app

Read the newest magazine issue right on your phone