© Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
New Giants hitting coach Alonzo Powell joined Larry Krueger and Cody Pasby on the latest episode of The Krueg Show podcast, and shared with the guys a number of tidbits from spring training.
The most interesting of which centered around Steven Duggar, a player who despite never appearing in a major league game, has been the talk of the offseason as a possible candidate to be the team’s everyday centerfielder in 2018. Most of the discussion around Duggar has revolved around his ability with the glove, as many consider the 24-year-old to have Gold Glove level potential. Powell also mentioned that Duggar has shown flashes of power at the plate, and compared the youngster to a former two-time All-Star CF.
“You like the explosiveness,” Powell said of Duggar. “You like the speed-power combination. He’s an excellent defender out in centerfield. He’s a sponge. He’s soaking up spring training with Pablo (Sandoval), myself, Rick Schu (assistant hitting coach), and Damon Minor our Triple-A hitting coach. He’s one of the first ones in the cage every morning, and he’s asking a million questions. He just wants to improve on a day-to-day basis.
“The big leagues aren’t a joke. It’s a tough league to break into, but he’s handled himself really well so far in camp. He’s showing you that great speed-power combination. He kind’ve reminds you a little bit of, just seeing him go about his business, kind’ve like a Steve Finley. So if he can fill those shoes, that would be really nice.”
It’s high praise to compare Duggar to Finley, a five-time Gold Glove winner who played 19 years in the majors. He’s not the only one who sees the potential in Duggar, however. Earlier this offseason, Henry Schulman said that Duggar has ability to be a top-10 MLB centerfielder right now.
If Duggar is anywhere close to the player he’s being hyped up to be, the Giants may have a gem in the former sixth-round pick.
Listen to the full interview below, to hear Powell on Duggar skip to 6:25.