SF Giants prospects: Recent draft pick hits for the cycle
The SF Giants drafted outfielder Nadir Lewis in the 20th round of this year's draft. He didn't waste any time making an impact.
In only his sixth game in the Arizona Complex League, Lewis hit an RBI double in the first inning, a two-run home run in the second, singled in the third, and hit an RBI triple in the fourth.
He was slotted seventh in the lineup, so you can probably infer that the rest of the Giants were also hitting well - they put up eight runs in the first inning, and six runs in the second.
Lewis was the 600th pick in the draft, and the second Princeton outfielder selected by the Giants, after seventh-rounder Scott Bandura. Here's what we said about Lewis after the draft.
Injuries limited him to just four games this spring, but he has posted an OPS north of 1.000 with 15 home runs and 19 stolen bases in 307 plate appearances between his 2022 Princeton season and the Coastal Plain League this summer. Lewis has flashed an above-average combination of speed and power but will have to show he can stay on the field.
While the combination of injuries and the pandemic limited Lewis to only 51 college games - administrators cancelled the 2021 Ivy League baseball season, and the 2020 season was only seven games - he did slash .329/.428/.613 in a 40-game 2022 season. Hitting for the cycle may not be particularly meaningful, but it's certainly better than not hitting for the cycle.
If the cycle wasn't enough to get you excited about Nadir Lewis (who may have to change his name to Zenith Lewis with more days like that), he also played summer ball for a team called the Green Bay Booyah.
Sadly, they changed their name to the Rockers in 2021.
Lewis isn't the only 2023 draftee who showed out Monday in Arizona. 20-year-old second baseman Quinn McDaniel, the team's 5th-round pick, hit home runs in the first and second inning, sandwiched around a sacrifice fly. He's also reportedly quite fast, which he showed on the first homer, which was an inside-the-parker.
Here's what we said about McDaniel after the draft.
Despite not turning 21 until September, Quinn McDaniel hit .354/.513/.688 with significantly more walks (60) than strikeouts (44) in 261 plate appearances this spring with Maine. A three-year starter, McDaniel posted a 1.011 OPS over his collegiate career and took significant strides forward each year. All of those characteristics are favorites of statistical models, with which McDaniel consistently graded highly.
A source acknowledged that he's "an undersized 2B-only type from a smaller conference, but all he’s done is hit." If McDaniel can generate enough power, he has the approach and history of productivity to potentially overachieve expectations.
While it could be more indicative of a terrible day for the ACL Royals than a great day for the ACL Giants hitters, after watching the big league team recently, it's just nice to see anyone in the organization get extra-base hits.
