Let Austin Slater pitch? pic.twitter.com/4G6oJ1IZzf
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) September 18, 2018
Austin Slater is not known for his defense. The Giants rookie has shared time in left field, right field and first base. He hasn’t looked particularly comfortable at any position, but his offense has generally compensated for it.
At .263, he’s the Giants’ batting average leader (min. 150 ab) since Buster Posey was shut down after season-ending hip surgery.
But on Monday night in San Diego, Slater showed another side of his game. As the Padres’ Franmil Reyes ripped a would-be double into the unique right field corner in Petco Park, Slater tracked the ball the entire way.
As it caromed off the wall, Slater snagged it midair and immediately turned around and set his feet. He launched an absolute line-drive directly into the glove of Brandon Crawford, who tagged out Reyes easily before he came anywhere near second base. It prevented a double and stunned Reyes and some Giants players.
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