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San Francisco Giants Rookie Continues Historic Power Binge

Tyler Fitzgerald just can't stop hitting dingers for the San Francisco Giants.

Tyler Maher

Aug 5, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; San Francisco Giants center fielder Tyler Fitzgerald salutes as he jogs around the bases.
Aug 5, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; San Francisco Giants center fielder Tyler Fitzgerald salutes as he jogs around the bases. / Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports
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The San Francisco Giants' pitchers have gotten so much attention lately, it's almost been easy to forget about Tyler Fitzgerald. That is, until he hits another home run.

Fitzgerald went yard again on Monday against the Washington Nationals, belting a leadoff homer off Patrick Corbin in the top of the first. He launched the second pitch of the game 416 feet into the left-field stands, giving the Giants a quick 1-0 lead.

San Francisco tacked on three more runs in the third, which was more than enough for Logan Webb, who followed up last week's shutout with 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball as the Giants cruised to a 4-1 victory in Washington, D.C.

But the story of the game was Fitzgerald, who also singled to finish the night 2-for-4. The homer was his 12th of the season and 11th in his last 17 games. Only three other shortstops in MLB history have hit that many homers in a 17-game span before, and they're all among the best to ever play the position.

Fitzgerald is the only rookie on that list, however, as Alex Rodriguez, Troy Tulowitzki and Trea Turner were already established stars during their power binges. Fitzgerald, on the other hand, only has 61 career games under his belt.

The 26-year-old has provided a much-needed boost to San Francisco's lineup. Through 51 games this season, he's batting .314/.373/.650 with 12 big flies, 24 RBI, 29 runs and seven steals in just 153 plate appearances. Most of that damage has come over his last 17 games, as he's batting .359 with 11 homers, 17 runs and 18 RBI during that stretch.

Fitzgerald is arguably the hottest hitter in baseball right now, and he's carrying the Giants. They're 11-6 over his 17-game run, reaching .500 for the first time since late May.

If he keeps it up, San Francisco just might mess around and make the playoffs after all.

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Tyler Maher

TYLER MAHER

Tyler grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

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