Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Chris Shaw can celebrate a few accomplishments. One of those nights that fills a week’s worth of box scores. Clinching the PCL’s Pacific Northern Division title for Triple-A Sacramento.
He will have a bigger celebration coming, though.
Shaw, sure to be a call-up either as the calendar flips to September or a few days later to account for the league’s playoffs, launched home runs No. 26, 27 and 28 on his minor league season, split between Double-A Richmond and Sacramento, on Thursday to help clinch for the River Cats. A season that started with disappointment — a late-season call-up last year getting demoted all the way to Richmond out of spring training — can finish where Shaw wants to be.
“Better at-bats,” Bruce Bochy said of Shaw before the Giants played the Padres on Friday at Oracle Park. “Went down to Double-A, worked on getting those quality ABs. Got promoted, think he’s carried that into Triple-A.”
Shaw had lost control of the strike zone last season, walking less and striking out more. It was exacerbated after his Aug. 31 call-up, when he struck out 23 times in his first 54 major league at-bats, looking overwhelmed at the plate.
That carried over into spring. Shaw had to prove himself at the plate to rise again, and he has. The 109 strikeouts this season in 435 at-bats represents progress.
“Do I want to get another shot? Yes, who the hell wouldn’t?” Shaw told KNBR last month. “I want to get back up there. But I wouldn’t say any situation up there is frustrating.”
To create more flexibility for his summons, the Giants have predominantly played him at first since July. He also plays left, and that will help find him some time.
“You like to have an option there with a guy with a big bat like this,” Bochy said. “… It makes it a lot easier to bring a player up when you got a couple options.”
Farhan Zaidi’s Dodgers teams often would max out or nearly max out the 40-man rosters in September, calling everyone up. Bochy didn’t foresee it being that extreme this year.
“But we’re going to bring some guys up,” the manager said. “We’ll be conscious, not too many guys. Guys sitting around, hard to plan on playing time. It’s overdone I think at times.”
Bochy said he called Sacramento manager Dave Brundage, who has done a “great job” this year in leading the River Cats to a regular-season title — their first since 2012 — amid so many roster moves, players constantly plucked by the big-league Giants.
“We’re going to take some players from them,” Bochy said. “But good night for those guys. I called them, told them congratulations. I look forward to watching their playoffs.”
Next up for Pablo Sandoval: swings.
The fan favorite was set to test his elbow, which will need Tommy John surgery in early September, in the cage on Friday before the game. If he comes through OK — a large “if” — he would take swings on the field Saturday. That positions him for a possible return as a much-glorified pinch-hit bat Sunday, Sept. 1.
“I’m not going to put him out there unless he’s ready to swing the bat,” Bochy said of the to-be free agent.
Bochy said he and Bumgarner shared a moment after the trade deadline.
“We both kind of hugged there, knowing he’d be there as I wrap things up,” Bochy said. “He’s meant so much to the Giants.”