SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler heaps praise on Thairo Estrada
The SF Giants may be underperforming expectations this season, but infielder Thairo Estrada has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise inconsistent lineup. After Estrada added a pair of hits in Tuesday's Giants victory in Colorado, manager Gabe Kapler took some time to compliment Estrada in his postgame press conference.
"Estrada continues to be outstanding," Kapler said. "What we're learning about Thairo is not only is he coming up in the biggest moments and being able to slow his heartbeat down, not only is he going out there and playing every day and showing durability, but the toughness is off the charts. The physical toughness is off the charts. It's certainly encouraging."
Estrada has arguably been the best position player on the Giants roster this season, with Wilmer Flores the only player matching his production. After going 2-for-4 with a double on Tuesday, Estrada is hitting .268/.329/.419 this season with 22 doubles, 14 home runs, and 19 stolen bases in 129 games. While Estrada was fantastic in 2021 as a platoon bat against left-handed pitching, he's shown that he is capable of being a productive everyday player.
Kapler acknowledged that Estrada's workload is wearing on him late in the season. Estrada was hit by a pitch on the elbow in Tuesday's game, and according to Kapler, it was causing him some discomfort. "I can share this. He's a little tight tonight," Kapler said. "It's been a big workload for him, and he'll get the day off tomorrow."
Still, late into September, Thairo Estrada's performance at the plate has shown no signs of slowing down. Over his past nine games, Estrada has a scorching .419/.500/.710 triple-slash. As the SF Giants wrap up a disappointing season, it's great to see players like Estrada capping off strong seasons.
