Giants INF David Villar talks ‘learning to love baseball again’

"I feel happy again," Villar said in a candid conversation with Giants Baseball Insider on Monday night. "It's really important to come out here and enjoy what you do, and for the last three weeks, I've been in a really good head space. I've learned how to deal with failure, how to deal with adversity, and come out and be happy at the end of it."

To say it's been a disappointing season thus far for Villar feels like an understatement. He crushed Triple-A competition last year, winning the Pacific Coast League MVP award after hitting 27 home runs with a .275/.404/.675 triple-slash that stood out even in one of the most hitter-friendly leagues in the minors. Villar finished off the season in the majors and managed a solid .231/.331/.455 triple-slash with nine home runs in 181 plate appearances.

Heading into this year, Villar was expected to be the Giants' starting third baseman with a chance to join the franchise's young core. Instead, his performance at the plate collapsed while J.D. Davis emerged as an All-Star caliber option at the hot corner. Entering play on Tuesday, Villar had a .154/.239/.346 line on the season, ranking last in all three categories among Giants hitters with at least 100 plate appearances.

With veterans like Davis, Brandon Crawford, Thairo Estrada, and LaMonte Wade Jr. locked into everyday roles on the infield, Villar's playing time dwindled. Then, the Giants called up young prospect Casey Schmitt (Giants preseason #3 prospect), another infielder who hit the ground running in the majors and was more versatile than Villar defensively. By the end of May, Villar had been optioned to Triple-A and needed a mental reset.

Villar's offensive slump had led the right-handed slugger to grow more and more frustrated with himself. With playing time harder to come by, Villar found himself in a vicious cycle. As he pressured himself more and more to succeed, he dug himself into a deeper hole.

Villar joked that he spoke to "pretty much anybody you can find" about his struggles to try and find an answer, including his family, girlfriend, Austin Slater, and manager Gabe Kapler. But Villar eventually realized that he had to look within himself.

"I had to do some inward thinking and really get to the root of the issue," Villar said. "It's a long road, but it's almost rewiring the brain to be positive because from such a young age, you deal with failure in a sport of failure, and it's really hard to be positive. I think learning about myself and learning to love baseball again has really allowed me to be more free."

Of course, that's a lot easier said than done.

"I think for a while I was trying to control things that were out of my control, and I kind of let things spiral," Villar said. "But since I've been down in Triple-A and since I've come back up, I know there are certain things I can control. That's my attitude and my effort and showing up to the ballpark every day, whether I'm playing or not."

Villar's shift in mentality seems to have coincided with an uptick in his production. While he was productive almost immediately upon his return to the minors, he struck out 13 times in his first 46 Triple-A plate appearances. In his last eight games before he was recalled, though, he hit .345/.412/.552 with nearly as many walks (4) as punchouts (5) in 34 plate appearances.

Since rejoining the Giants last week, Villar has only struck out twice in 13 plate appearances with three doubles, a home run, and a walk. It's a small sample, sure, but it's a step in the right direction. Behind the scenes, Kapler has already noticed a positive shift in Villar's mentality as well.

"He hit a big homer for us today," Kapler said about Villar after the Giants 7-4 victory over the Padres on Monday. "He's in a good place mentally. I can say that. We talked to him before he went to Triple-A about carrying himself with a lot of confidence even if things aren't going his way. He's done a nice job of bringing that swagger to the ballpark for the short period of time that he's been back with us."

Villar has made a slight mechanical adjustment at the plate. He's emphasized pushing his hands further back in his load, aiming to help him generate more power in his swing. Still, he reiterated that his introspective work has been far more pivotal.

"Just being a part of the team since I was recalled has just been awesome," Villar said. "It's been a really tough year, for sure, but I've just learned to embrace it and accept that baseball is going to have its ups and downs. Whatever I can contribute to this team while we're in the playoff hunt right now is what I'm gonna give."

With Wilmer Flores eligible to be activated from the injured list early next week, it seems extremely likely that either Villar or Schmitt will be optioned when that happens. Despite the hot start to his big-league career, Schmitt has found himself in a slump of his own, hitting .151/.220/.208 in his last 59 plate appearances with three doubles, two walks, and 15 strikeouts.

However, Schmitt's defensive acumen makes him the favorite to stick on the roster. Regardless of the team's decision, Villar feels ready for whatever is asked of him.

Slumps are a part of every baseball player's career. For David Villar, who still hopes to play his way into the SF Giants long-term plans, an ugly start to the 2023 season forced him to look inward. Now, he knows no matter what happens on the field, he has to stay out of his own head.

"The first and most important thing is keeping the head on straight," he said. "If you're not in a good spot mentally, you can forget about the physical part because your head's just going to take over."