Chris Shaw Adapts To New Position

Best Player

Chris Shaw’s stint with Double-A Richmond this season was sweet—and short.

“He finished the season there last year,” general manager Bobby Evans said, “so we didn’t necessarily expect that he would stay there all year. But he did force his way up.”

The 2015 first-round pick forced his way to Triple-A Sacramento by hitting six homers with a .301/.390/.511 batting line in 37 games with the Flying Squirrels.

Shaw did all that while switching positions from first base to left field. Though the lefthanded hitter had played the outfield extensively at Boston College, his ability to thrive at the plate while making the defensive transition impressed Evans.

“He put himself in a very good light,” Evans said. “. . . He’s still a work in progress (in left field), but we like what we see.”

Through 28 games with the River Cats, Shaw hit three homers with a .255/.276/.427 slash line.

Biggest Leap Forward

As a 2011 supplemental first-round pick, righthander Kyle Crick probably figured he’d reach the big leagues sooner than June 2017.

The fact that Crick finally did get the callup at age 24 says something about his ability to maintain his confidence.

“Ultimately, this is a game of perseverance,” Evans said, “and he’s persevered.”

Crick, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound alum of Sherman (Texas) High, enjoyed considerable success as a starter in 2012 and 2013. However, his career “stalled,” as Evans termed it, in three consecutive seasons at Richmond.

Crick became a reliever with Sacramento this season and that seemed to reinvigorate him. He had six saves and a 2.76 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 29.1 innings when the Giants summoned him on June 20.

“He has shown much more consistency and confidence and the stuff that makes for a potential late-inning-type reliever,” Evans said. “That’s exciting for us.”