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While the San Francisco Giants are struggling offensively, one of their key acquisitions from a recent trade is thriving in Triple-A.
Things could not have gone much worse for the San Francisco Giants in their season-opening series, as they were not only swept by the New York Yankees but also scored only one run over the three games. A start like that is naturally going to create some second-guessing. That second-guessing only gets louder when noting the early-season performance of Drew Gilbert in Triple-A.
The Giants acquired Gilbert at the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline in the deal that sent reliever Tyler Rogers to the New York Mets. He was one of the last players left off the Opening Day roster out of Spring Training. And while the Giants struggled offensively over their first three games, Gilbert has been another story.
Drew Gilbert Is Starting Strong in Triple-A While the San Francisco Giants’ outfield is Struggling Mightily
Through Sacramento’s first three games, Gilbert has a .333/.429/.417 slash line, a line that includes a pair of doubles. He’s hit safely in two games for the River Cats and in the other, produced an RBI groundout, a walk and a run scored.
Of course, a start like that, coupled with an ugly opening three games for the Giants, is going to create some impatience.
Drew Gilbert is 3-5 today
.333 on the season. Appears to be healthy.
They need him on this bench
That’s a direct contrast to how the outfielders in San Francisco have done.
Through three games, Heliot Ramos, Harrison Bader and Jung Hoo Lee are a collective 5-for-30 (.167) and have drawn only two walks between them.
A slow start is going to create some uneasiness among the fans. This is particularly true when there’s a player in Triple-A doing well, especially if that player has shown flashes at the Major League level.
Gilbert Contributed for the Giants in 2025
Gilbert played 39 games for the Giants in 2025, slashing .190/.248/.350. Certainly, that’s nothing to write home about. That said, Gilbert did show that he can help contribute to the team.
First off, while he produced only 19 hits, nine of them were extra-base hits. That included three home runs.
DREW GILBERT’S FIRST MLB HOME RUN 🚨
Second, with some young players, it’s easy to justify leaving them in the minors. Bryce Eldridge, for example, is a top prospect. And while he’s shown a lot of promise, he’s only 21. Could he be up with the big club? Sure. But even if one doesn’t agree with him starting the season at Triple-A, there’s logic to leaving in Triple-A for a while, especially if he’s learning new positions on defense.
Gilbert, though, is not that kind of prospect.
For one, he’s 25, four years older than Eldridge.
Moreover, even if Gilbert struggles with the bat, he can still contribute to the team. A must for outfielders playing at Oracle Park (and in the National League West in general) is range.
The Giants and their fans saw what kind of range Gilbert has last year — and at more than one position, to boot.
What a catch by Drew Gilbert 🤯
Of course, three games do not make a season. The Giants will likely improve offensively and some regression can be expected out of Gilbert.
But Gilbert’s strong start compared with San Francisco’s cold one only exacerbates the issue. Even when Gilbert and the Giants begin to level off, his skill set can provide value to the Major League team.
Michael Dixon Michael Dixon has over 15 years of experience in journalism, both online and in print. While originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, he presently lives in the greater Indianapolis area. He’s also previously lived and worked in Arizona.
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