Before the Giants knocked Patrick Corbin out of the game with a seven-run second inning, Sam Long had to navigate through traffic in the first.
Base-hits put Josh Bell and Juan Soto on second and third with two outs, bringing power-hitting catcher Keibert Ruiz to the plate. The Giants had lost three of their last four games, and Ruiz could’ve started the series-opener in D.C. by putting them on their heels.
Ruiz lofted an 0-1 Long changeup down the left field line. It was placed too far for shortstop Brandon Crawford to track back and make a play. Austin Slater, though, sprinted all the way from his position and fully extended to make an inning-ending diving play.
According to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic, Slater reached a high of 30 feet per second — the highest sprint speed of any Giant this season. Had he let the ball drop, the Nationals would’ve taken an early 2-0 lead and could’ve added more.
Slater’s catch was “as big a play as any,” manager Gabe Kapler told reporters postgame. More than that though, it was a microcosm of the club’s new shift in philosophy as it pertains to outfield defense. The Giants want their outfielders to have an aggressive mindset, to attack fly balls in front of them with less caution than usual, to steal as many outs as they possibly can.
It’s just the latest example of how the organization tries to squeeze every ounce of value they can.
“We’re teaching our outfielders, we’re asking our outfielders to come (in) really hard,” Kapler said earlier this year. “Sometimes you’re going to dive for that ball in front of you, the ball’s going to bounce by you and go to the wall and it’s going to sting really badly. But over the course of a season, you’re going to catch some of those balls because you’re going to have a lot of conviction coming in on them, you’re going to keep the momentum coming to the plate so you’re going to save runs for the team over the long haul.”
Kapler was then answering a question about Slater’s fielding during San Francisco’s April 10 win over Miami. Playing right field, he’d thrown behind a lead runner who took too big a turn around second base for an assist. But Kapler wanted to point out a different play, when Slater charged in on a dying line drive; he didn’t make the catch, but kept the ball in front of him by stabbing it on the short-hop while laying flat on the right field grass.
It didn’t result in an out, but that play represented how Kapler wants the Giants’ outfielders to play.
“We’ve all seen that moment where an outfielder lays up, he pulls up and you’re like ‘oh, if he just kept coming, he catches that ball.’ One or two of those happen in each game,” Kapler said.
The philosophical change is a cost-benefit analysis. Although the Giants might let more balls trickle behind them in the outfield, they’ll also record more outs. SF is trusting its athletes to make more plays than they’ll bungle.
“The aggressive style of play wins the long game,” Kapler said.
Mandating that type of aggression out of outfielders may require some habit-breaking. Outfielders are taught to pull up in front of balls they don’t think they can reach to keep them in front. The muscle memory that comes with taking that approach for years makes it an instinct. Kapler said “you have to trick your mind into keep coming through the baseball.” Slater did that, and that’s why the April 10 play stood out so much.
Giants coaches have emphasized the concept since spring training, outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. said. Just knowing you have the support of Kapler and his staff can help players field with confidence.
Mike Yastrzemski, a 2021 Gold Glove finalist, has also noticed the focus on charging 50/50 balls. He said in pregame workouts, outfielders test their limits by seeing how far they can range to catch balls off a bat.
“I think it’s really good to be as aggressive and in control as possible,” Yastrzemski said. “Being able to execute that in game, and make sure that we’re comfortably aggressive is the best way that we can be.”
Earlier on in the Giants’ road trip, Slater embodied the philosophy again. This time, he charged a ninth-inning flare against the Guardians, diving forward to make the game-sealing catch on April 15. He didn’t need to make a stabbing pick this time.
The strategy should lead to both more exciting plays and, the Giants believe, more wins. Because now, there’s a directive to lay out more often. Slater’s full extensions won’t be the last.
