For years, the San Francisco Giants have struggled to produce homegrown outfielders.
The makeup of the team’s current core, which includes Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik and Brandon Belt, is largely homegrown, but none of those former San Francisco draft picks roves the outfield.
Still, the Giants’ organization is excited about the future of a handful of young prospects, including one who just received a promotion from A-San Jose to AAA-Sacramento.
On Monday evening, the Giants’ No. 7 overall prospect, Steven Duggar, will start in center field and bat leadoff in his first contest for the Sacramento River Cats.
Duggar played in 29 games with the San Jose Giants this season before receiving the call-up to Sacramento, which is where he was expected to receive the majority of his playing time this season. However, in the spring, Duggar suffered a hip injury that kept him out for the first three months of the season, before he finally returned to the field in late June.
The Giants’ sixth round draft choice out of Clemson in 2015, Duggar tore through his first two seasons in the Minor Leagues, as he hit .321 with AA-Richmond after a promotion in the middle of 2016.
Duggar was reportedly expected to be the everyday center fielder for the River Cats this season, but the injury held him back. Now, he’ll have a little over two weeks to impress before potentially heading to the Arizona Fall League or Winter Ball.