After a red hot start to his major league career, Giants rookie third baseman Christian Arroyo has quieted down as of late. Over his last seven games, Arroyo has gone 3-for-24, without an extra base hit and has seen his average fall to .209.
Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow told Murph and Mac on Friday morning that major league pitchers have identified a hole in Arroyo’s swing, and are pounding the outside of the plate, forcing the rookie to reach. Krukow says that Arroyo will have to adjust, or he will be sent back down to Triple-A, and Eduardo Nunez will take over his spot at third.
“It really depends on Christian Arroyo,” Krukow said. “He’s in a little bit of a slump right now, and the league has adjusted to him. He’s not covering the outside part of the plate and they’ve been pretty one dimensional as to how they are going at him. Now he can do one of two things: get up on the plate, or get way up on the plate. If you get up on the plate it gives you better coverage on the outside part of the plate. If you get way up on the plate, you look in. It’s two ways to combat that style, when they adjust to you and pitch you all away. Get right on top of the plate and look in, or get up slightly and look away, and I think he’s going to have to start doing some of that, because right now he has reach in his swing, and they are slidering him to death. Well, if that continues then he’s going to get sent down.”
Krukow said the left-field situation will not become clear until the Giants know that Arroyo can be their everyday third baseman. If he can, Nunez will continue to play in left. If not, Mac Williamson will likely get a shot.
“He can’t be up here and not play,” Krukow said of Arroyo. “He has to play wherever he’s at. If that’s the case then that solves the situation with Nunez. He goes back to third base and Mac Williamson, who will hopefully get hot, plays left field. So I’m not concerned about any of that, I’m really not.”
Listen to the full interview below. To hear Krukow’s comments on Arroyo, skip to 11:40.
