What San Francisco Giants rookie Tyler Fitzgerald is doing right now is stupid.
He homered in his fourth straight game on Monday night in the opener of the rivalry series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, becoming the youngest Giants player to accomplish the feat since the late 1980s.
Scouting reports to date have suggested he is a contact player, having only hit one home run in the major leagues on April 24, but a closer look at his minor league stats shows he has hit 20+ home runs in consecutive years in 2022 and 2023, making it clear he has hitting power.
Still, the 26-year-old’s performance after the All-Star break has been fun to watch, especially for a player who has been promoted and relegated multiple times throughout the season.
And on Tuesday, Fitzgerald officially accomplished something no other rookie in franchise history has accomplished.
Tyler Fitzgerald homered in five consecutive games, becoming the first player in team history to win pic.twitter.com/oS0MB76iBB
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 24, 2024
What a wonderful moment for young people.
In addition to making franchise history, he is also the first Giants player to homer in five consecutive games since the legendary Barry Bonds did so in seven straight games during the 2004 season.
Few would have expected Fitzgerald to have a chance to match that record.
There was excitement surrounding his selection in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft, especially after three successful years at the University of Louisville. The following season, he was considered San Francisco’s No. 30 overall prospect, but he fell out of that ranking and didn’t receive any national attention until his promotion in 2023.
Now, the young outfielder has the opportunity to showcase what he can do on the field and at the plate, and he will make the most of it and make his mark in history.
