How McCray’s powerful September could impact his role with the Giants in 2025 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN DIEGO — Bob Melvin smiled when he found out the last time a Giants prospect had the kind of powerful start that Grant McCray has in recent weeks. Melvin didn’t need to be told Jarrett ParkerThe huge month of September 2015. He lived it.
Melvin was in the other dugout when Parker hit three home runs in a game at the Coliseum late in the 2015 season, stealing the show on a day that was supposed to showcase Tim Hudson And Barry Zito. SATURDAY, McCray joined Parker on this fascinating list.
With two loud home runs in a 6-3 victory against the San Diego PadresMcCray became the fifth Giants player to hit at least five home runs in his first 19 major league games. The two who did it before Parker were Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda.
So who is McCray?
A future Hall of Famer or someone who will never really get a major league job? Or is he Dusty Rhodes, the fourth member of the group before Saturday. The outfielder had a solid career, playing seven years in the majors but appearing in more than 100 games just once.
This is where we pause so everyone can slam on the brakes. McCray, 23, was never a top-100 prospect and had a much more modest 12 home runs in the minor leagues this season before a surprise promotion. In the major leagues, he has 27 strikeouts and three walks in 68 plate appearances, the kind of ratio that eventually catches up with you. Not long ago, similar expectations were placed on him. Luis Matos.
But it’s September and the Giants are waiting for the “E” to appear next to their name in the standings. They have every right to dream, and what McCray did Saturday was pretty incredible. After taking the Padres’ ace Dylan stops At 417 feet in the second, he hit a 425-foot bomb against the left-handed reliever Yuki Matsui to end the game in the ninth.
“There’s a tremendous amount of power in him, as you can see,” Melvin said. “He started as fast as he did, came through a bad game and came back with his composure. For a young player, we never would have guessed he’d be here this season. Maybe next year. Everybody loves him in (player) development, but it’s so impressive.”
Melvin likes that McCray brings a different dynamic with his elite athleticism. He’s a burner and as good as any Giants have in center field, Jung Hoo Lee He also has a strong arm and it’s easy to dream of him playing right field one day while Lee plays center. Remember Matt CainThe perfect play? That’s what the Giants had that night in Angel Pagan and Gregor Blanco.
McCray considers himself a center fielder, but Lee is signed through 2029 and he came San Francisco to play center. If McCray succeeds, the Giants will have a big problem on their hands, or perhaps a solution to years of athleticism.
“I’ve told a lot of people that if Jung Hoo and I were in the same outfield, it would be a bad day for all the other players coming to our stadium or for us going to their stadium,” McCray said. “We’re going to have to hit a lot of ground balls.”
At a minimum, McCray is a solid late-inning defensive option in 2025. But if he can cut down on strikeouts, the Giants could get another young player. ready to lock in a daily job. Melvin compared McCray to Heliot Ramos And Tyler Fitzgeraldwho will both be starters next season.
McCray’s situation is more complicated. Ramos is scheduled to start the 2025 season in left field, but the Giants have Mike Yastrzemski under team control for another season and the veteran has been an above-average hitter while providing elite defense in right field.
Maybe the answer is “all of them,” which Melvin seemed to suggest before the game when he talked about the Giants needing to focus more on “how games are played in our stadium.” He was looking the other way in San Diego when the Giants seemed to abandon the outside defense for a while.
Without Lee, Melvin will continue to play McCray in center for the rest of the season, and the young outfielder said he tries to do what he can at every opportunity. On Saturday, that translated into 842 feet of home runs for a young outfielder listed at 190 pounds.
Of McCray’s five home runs, three traveled at least 415 feet. Where does all that power come from?
“I don’t know,” McCray said. “Tell me. I don’t know, man. I was never really a power hitter until a few years ago. It’s all in the hips, all in the hips, I guess. The ball jumps, man.”
