Tyler Fitzgerald on Blazing Power-Hitting Surge for Giants

The rookie shortstop and former Louisville standout has caught fire during the month of July.

Jul 27, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald (49) runs out his solo home run against the Colorado Rockies during the eighth inning at Oracle Park. / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

SAN FRANCISCO - If the last couple weeks have been any indicator, Tyler Fitzgerald could be well on his way to being one of the next great MLB players to come out of the Louisville baseball program.

The rookie shortstop for San Francisco has caught absolute fire during the month of July, setting home run marks for the Giants that have not seen in two decades.

Back on July 9, Fitzgerald went deep against the Toronto Blue Jays. Then after a few games out of the lineup, he returned on July 20 where he has been ever since, and continued his home run barrage.

After hitting a home run in the second half of a doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday, it marked the eighth homer in a ten-game span for Fitzgerald. He became the first Giants player to achieve the feat since Barry Bonds in 2004 - the year that Bonds set the MLB single-season record for OPS.

Fitzgerald is also just the eighth player to hit eight home runs in a 10-game span while playing exclusively at shortstop. This stretch also included an eight-game extra base hit streak, the second-longest by a Giants rookie behind only Hack Wilson's nine in 1924 - which set the Major League rookie record.

So far this season, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound shortstop is hitting .324 for nine home runs and 19 RBI in 44 games. This comes out to a 162-game average of 33 homers and 70 RBI.

The Rochester, Ill. native was drafted by San Francisco in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft. As a junior for Louisville that season, Fitzgerald hit .315/.391/.483 with eight home runs, 65 RBI, 15 doubles, three triples, 30 walks and 18 stolen bases.

(Photo of Tyler Fitzgerald: D. Ross Cameron - USA TODAY Sports)

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