by
Greek Giant
Is Mac Williamson going to win a spot on the 25-man roster for the Giants? Hank Shulman recently wrote an interesting article that examines Mac Williamson’s place on the Giants roster, especially in light of Hunter Pence’s advanced age of 35 years young. Williamson’s resurgence thanks to his leg kick has produced more pop in his bat. The 27 year-old right hander is mashing this Spring and appears to have re-generated his career in the process.
Here is a quote:
“I love it,” Pence said. “He’s such a strong athlete. Now he’s got kind of a foundation where he can trust his swing, and it’s been proven with a lot of these hitters (who make this adjustment). They’ve come out and hit a lot of homers in a season. I think it’s very special and going to be hopefully a strength for us.”
And another:
“The Giants’ optimism is rooted in the direction the ball travels off his bat — in the air — with backspin that creates carry.”
One more thing, this newfound swing and production have also increased Mac’s confidence, a huge part of success for any hitter. With Blanco, Parker, Gorkys, Duggar and Williamson likely fighting for three spots on the roster, Mac’s resurgence poses serious challenges to the Giants brass concerning the 25-man selection due a few days before the team begins the season. Things could get interesting because Williamson has the most power of the bunch and is probably the second-most athletic, after Duggar. Since Duggar has only three weeks action in AAA ball it is likely he gets sent to Sacramento to begin the year which leaves Jarrett Parker or Gorkys Hernandez, or both, odd men out.
We shall see, particularly since it is possible MadBum will pitch three games on regular rest without the Giants having to use a fifth starter, thanks to all the off days the first two weeks of the season. This means the Giants could afford to carry an extra bench player…
Happy Birthday to Will the Thrill!
