Giants Top Prospect Drew Gilbert Amid Historic Stretch in First Taste of MLB

Their odds of making a playoff push are still minuscule, given an 11.7% chance by Baseball Reference. But they are going to be playing for something down the stretch. One extended slump from the San Diego Padres or New York Mets could open up the opportunity to steal a wild card spot. A big reason for the Giants turnaround has been their offense.

They are crushing the ball, winning 10 out of their last 11 games. Rafael Devers has been scorching hot, leading the way for his teammates to follow suit. The team has hit at least one home run in 17 consecutive games, the longest streak in the MLB this year, mashing their way to victory.

Drew Gilbert Has Been Historically Hot for Giants

One of the youngsters who is taking full advantage of the opportunity as presented to him is outfielder Drew Gilbert. Acquired from the New York Mets, along with right-handed pitching prospect Blade Tidwell and right-handed reliever Jose Butto, he began his tenure with San Francisco at Triple-A Sacramento as one of the top prospects in the organization. When a spot opened on the Big League roster because of an injury to Jerar Encarnacion, it was the top outfielder prospect picked for the call-up.

A first-round pick of the Houston Astros in the 2022 MLB Draft, the Giants are already the third franchise Gilbert has played for. He was traded by the Astros to the Mets as part of he package to land Justin Verlander before being jettisoned to San Francisco in the Tyler Rogers deal. His impact has already been felt, putting together a historic stretch of production.

In his last four games started, Gilbert has gone 10-for-18 at the plate, hitting two home runs, three doubles and one triple with eight RBI. He has scored  seven runs and is going a wonderful job of making contact, not striking out once. As shared by OptaSTATS, this is one of the most prolific stretches a rookie has ever put together.

Since the RBI became an official stat in 1920, there has been only one other instance where a rookie had at least 10 hits, eight RBI, seven runs scored, six extra base hits and zero strikeouts over a four start span. Hall of Famer Joe Morgan accomplished the feat in 1965. While playing for the Houston Astros, he reached those thresholds making starts between July 8-16.

Any time a player can achieve something only Morgan has done, they are doing something right. Gilbert is only scratching the surface of his potential, not turning 25 until later in September. But this hot stretch could put him in a position to earn a sizable role with the team moving forward.

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