San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Giants Rookie Slugger One of Hottest Hitters in Baseball
![San Francisco Giants Rookie Slugger One of Hottest Hitters in Baseball San Francisco Giants Rookie Slugger One of Hottest Hitters in Baseball](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5377,h_3024,x_0,y_407/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/giants_baseball_insider/01j5xvnt66qnhraxgpj7.jpg)
The San Francisco Giants remain on the fringes of the National League wild card race. At 65-64, they are only 3.5 games behind for the third and final wild card spot that is currently held by the Atlanta Braves.
The Giants blew a golden opportunity to cut into that lead last week when they lost three out of four games to the Braves. That disappointing series really put a damper on their postseason odds, which sit at 6.7 percent on before games on Thursday.
If they are going to make a late-season push, they will need to find some help for Tyler Fitzgerald in the lineup. He has been a one-man wrecking crew since the All-Star break, being recognized by Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report as one of the hottest players in baseball.
Through 31 games and 135 plate appearances in the second half, Fitzgerald has produced a slash line of .325/.378/.699. His tOPS+ and sOPS+ are both elite over that period as he has launched 12 home runs with eight doubles and one triple, knocking in 21 runs and scoring 24.
Fitzgerald is also providing a spark on the base paths with his seven steals. This is a hot streak that began in June and has carried through the rest of the summer to this point. A truly scorching July has pretty much been sustained through August, as Fitzgerald is keeping this offense afloat almost by himself.
He wasn’t even playing poorly in the first half. Fitzgerald had a slash line of .279/.337/.430 in the first half which is more than adequate. His performance has just reached new heights and he has gone nuclear in the second half.
Just how good has the San Francisco rookie been? According to FanGraphs, he has the fourth-highest WAR in baseball since July 19th. The only players better are Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays.
As an added bonus, Fitzgerald has incredible versatility in the field. As Kelly noted, he has been logging a majority of his innings at shortstop, but he is also playing left field, center field, first base and second base.
That will help manager Bruce Bochy find rest for guys who need a breather without having to take his hottest bat out of the lineup. Fitzgerald is cementing his status as a core piece for the Giants moving forward with every game they play.
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
San Francisco, CA
Headlines, August 22 – Streetsblog San Francisco
![Headlines, August 22 – Streetsblog San Francisco Headlines, August 22 – Streetsblog San Francisco](https://lede-admin.sf.streetsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2019/10/coffee-newspaper-tea-1220272.jpg)
- Signs that SFPD is Finally Starting to do its Job (SFChron)
- More on Twin Peaks Tunnel Closure (KRON4, SFBay)
- More on Hit and Run Driver Who Killed Oakland Pedestrian (SFGate)
- Oakland Bought Mayor Thao a Giant SUV (Oaklandside)
- District 9 Candidates Discuss Pavement Conditions (MissionLocal)
- Parents Sending Kids to School in Waymos (SFStandard)
- S.F.’s Saddest Building (SFChron)
- S.F.’s Missing Statue (SFChron)
- Arts to Lure People Back Downtown (SFChron)
- Lawsuit Over Richmond Rail Line (EastBayTimes)
- Is Global Warming Contributing to Car Fires? (SFGate)
Get state headlines at Streetsblog California, national headlines at Streetsblog USA
Independent journalism is more important than ever. Won’t you contribute?
San Francisco, CA
Voters gather to watch Day 3 of the DNC at Manny’s in San Francisco
![Voters gather to watch Day 3 of the DNC at Manny’s in San Francisco Voters gather to watch Day 3 of the DNC at Manny’s in San Francisco](https://assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/08/22/c6457fc4-84f7-47ef-8428-e44ca6e993c7/thumbnail/1200x630/dc3db1d23cda056174ff43d0024e33e3/7bc9e4f027623e293714b942504c6c14.jpg?v=fd6e213336f58b575c9e836e95546d26)
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
San Francisco, CA
SF court workers call for additional staffing at rally
![SF court workers call for additional staffing at rally SF court workers call for additional staffing at rally](https://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/08/22/186e8d75-d640-400b-8185-32ef27d1d687/thumbnail/1200x630/29e514e5a65956041972314e53f5b257/a4aa1536ed3ab1aed0a7e214fa2d6208.jpg?v=fd6e213336f58b575c9e836e95546d26)
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
-
Ohio1 week ago
Ohio taxpayers sent families $966 million for private school tuition: Capitol Letter
-
World1 week ago
What could an EU Commissioner do to tackle the housing crisis?
-
News1 week ago
Full Trump-Musk Interview: Assassination Bid, Iran-Israel, Russia-Ukraine, Kamala-Biden, US Election
-
News1 week ago
Roger Stone says his email accounts were how the hackers got into the Trump campaign
-
Science1 week ago
Opinion: A route to safer chemotherapy
-
World1 week ago
Ukraine recieves €4.2 billion from EU as part of recovery plan
-
World1 week ago
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 901
-
World1 week ago
A hidden ocean on Mars, would it spur human settlement?