Prospect crushes mammoth homer to end game vs. Brewers
MLB.com
Jesus Guzman will tell you that second base is the position he handles most comfortably. But he's willing to broaden his scope under certain conditions.
"If somebody were to ask me, 'Where do you want to play in the big leagues,' I'd say, 'Inside both lines,'" he said Tuesday.
Guzman feels most settled within the confines of the right-handed batter's box. He reaffirmed that in the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers by clobbering a prodigious two-run home run that cleared the center-field barrier and lifted the Giants to a 7-5 Cactus League victory.
Entering Spring Training, Guzman wasn't expected to make the Opening Day roster, given his reputation for subpar defense. But the Giants, who finished 16-31 against left-handed starters last year, could use Guzman's bat. With a .400 average and a ridiculous .943 slugging percentage, he has been the club's most stunning hitter in camp.
"It's hard to swing the bat better than he has this spring," manager Bruce Bochy said.
It certainly would have been difficult to swing the bat better than Guzman did against ex-Giants farmhand Carlos Villanueva with the score tied at 5, one out and Rich Aurilia on first base. Guzman drove Villanueva's 0-1 pitch over the green batter's eye in center field, which stands 430 feet from home plate and rises an estimated 35 feet. Guzman, a 24-year-old who has played 15 professional games above Double-A, said that he couldn't recall hitting a ball farther.
"Oh, my goodness. He got every bit of that," Bochy said. "That was one of the longest balls I've seen hit here."
Guzman's third exhibition homer broke the Giants' four-game losing streak and improved their Cactus League record to 9-12, matching last year's spring victory total.
One inning earlier, Ryan Rohlinger continued his improbable Spring Training surge by hustling out a two-run, inside-the park homer that capped a three-run uprising. Rohlinger's drive caromed away from Brewers left fielder Brendan Katin, who played the ball uncertainly. Rohlinger beat the Brewers' relays with a headfirst slide that left him with a .312 average and a team-high four home runs. Last year, Rohlinger hit .094 (3-for-32) in 21 late-season games with the Giants.
From: MLB.com
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