Sabol standing out, making the most of his opportunity in the Giants’ second act

Sabol standing out, making the most of his opportunity in the Giants’ second act originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area

Since Buster Posey announced his retirement on November 4, 2021, no position on the Giants roster has been a hotter topic of discussion than catcher. Being next in line for a legend, and not replacing her because that is almost always an impossible task, is a pressurized situation where fans are not just looking at you with their eyes, but can feel your pain.

This was the track where Joey Bart was first pushed into before time ran out and Bailey was the next to be thrown into traffic. Bailey has faced some obstacles along the way, such as his latest trip to the 10-day injured list for a concussionbut when healthy he is on the fast track to stardom.

Along the way, there were people in the position who stopped. Think Curt Casali. Remember Austin Wynns. They are not at the top or near the top of the list when you remember the Giants’ catchers.

Blake Sabol finds himself in a similar situation and so far is excelling in his latest opportunity.

The Giants called on Sabol on Saturday to be a backup to Tom Murphy, the latest San Francisco catcher to stop this road, which also happened after Bailey went down the day before with a concussion suffered by a dirty edge of his mask.

Sabol came into action sooner than expected when Murphy suffered a knee injury in rainy Philadelphia conditions on the day of Sabol’s arrival from Triple-A Sacramento. Sabol entered the game in the second inning and finished as one of only two Giants to have multiple hits in the 14-3 loss, going 2-for-3 with two singles.

Sabol on Wednesday, in San Francisco’s 8-6 win against the Colorado Rockies, was one of five Giants to have multiple hits. This also had a special meaning for Sabol. The 26-year-old enjoyed his first career three-hit game.

And it all started with a strikeout in the Giants’ six-run second inning.

His answer was an RBI double to the left-center field gap, scoring Mike Yastrzemski to give the Giants a 7-1 lead on a day when they would need as much protection as possible.

“Staying in a great part of the park, not trying to do too much — a lot of times here you can think a little too happy and try to hit home runs here,” Giants manager Bob Melvin told reporters after the win. “It keeps him in the air when you hit it the other way and he hits a ball between first and second.”

The pinch-hitting catcher then threw an off-speed pitch the other way again on his next at-bat, then pulled a hard grounder past the right side of the infield and into right field on his final at-bat.

In the four games he has played since being called up, Sabol now has two multi-hit games. He was 6-for-12 (.500) at the plate, going 5-for-9 against righties with a double and an RBI, and 1-for-3 against lefties.

“I’m just trying to let the ball come to me a little bit,” Sabol said on “Giants Postgame Live.” “The Triple-A coaching staff did a great job getting me back on track. I feel like I’m just letting the ball get past the zone and not making mistakes right now.”

In fact, Sabol served as the Giants’ Opening Day starting catcher last season. The former Pittsburgh Pirates seventh-round pick has played 110 total games for the Giants in 2023 at three different positions. Sabol caught 55 games (starting 46), played 43 in left field (32 starts) and was the Giants’ DH in 10 games (eight starts).

Bailey would undoubtedly be the Giants’ everyday catcher this season. They signed Murphy to a two-year, $8.25 million contract during the offseason and still needed to figure out Bart’s status before releasing him four games into the season. and then trade it for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Still, the utility Sabol made sure his defense as a receiver was a top priority in the offseason and in Sacramento.

“It all started the first day after the season ended,” Sabol said about focusing on his defense as a receiver. “The biggest thing I wanted to improve on this year was definitely blocking, just keeping the ball in front of me and continuing to run third base.

“It’s great to see the fruits of my labor so far, but I’ve had a lot of coaches help me this offseason, in spring training and there at Triple-A. I think it’s amazing to see all this effort paying off.”

The Giants acquired Sabol from the Cincinnati Reds for a player to be named later (Jake Wong) and cash in December 2022. He doesn’t need to be Bailey, he’s not in line to be the next Posey.

This is not necessary from Sabol. Words still deserve to be written for the catchers who drive down their road, and their second act called for more attention and perhaps more typing on this keyboard in the future.

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