San Francisco Giants Rookie on the Rise: Christian Arroyo

On April 24, 2017 the San Francisco Giants FINALLY made a decision that would better this season. Enter: Christian Arroyo. The Giants No. 2 prospect, Arroyo was called up this past Tuesday and has been making headlines since.

In his Major League debut he went 0-for-4 but despite his less explosive hitting, he helped generate the Giants’ first run with a ground ball to second base, advancing Brandon Crawford who’d double to lead off the second inning which enabled Joe Panik to bring in Crawford on a sac fly. The Giants went on to win the first game of the series against rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Speaking on his MLB debut, Arroyo stated,

"“I’m thinking to myself, ‘Welcome. Do something; move him over…Good, fundamental Giants baseball.”"

Defensively, Arroyo made a number of stunning plays at third base including a bare-handed one that bounced off pitcher Matt Cain. Thanks, Arroyo.

But the thanks doesn’t end there. In his next game against the Dodgers, Arroyo went on to hit 1-for-4 with a 2-run home run, the first of his major league career, and fueled a 4-3 win. Arroyo stood confident and tall in the face of adversity ultimately getting the Giants back into the game.

The runs don’t end there either! Arroyo hit another one in Friday’s game against the San Diego Padres off Ryan Butcher in the bottom of the 8th to propel the Giants past the Padres. It’s safe to say that Christian Arroyo has had a start comparable to that of legends.

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Bochy, recognizing Arroyo’s undeniable talent and unteachable instincts, placed him starting at third base hoping to acclimate the 21 year-old quickly and foster him into other homegrown position player products such as Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford, Buster Posey, and Brandon Belt.

Before his impressive MLB debut Arroyo had a successful Spring Training season and with the Triple-A Sacramento Rivercats he recorded a .446/.478/.692 slash line that included three homers and 12 RBI in 16 games.

Drew Stubbs, veteran big league outfielder, additionally made his MLB debut alongside Arroyo. However, with the addition of Stubbs and Arroyo, Chris Marrero was designated for assignment and Aaron Hill was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a forearm strain.

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Arroyo is expected to spend a lot of time at third which moves Eduardo Nunez to left field. Arroyo has impressive range, is a quick-learner, and as a young hitter, Giants fans can expect a lot more to come from the rookie. It’s expected, according to Alex Pavlovic of CBS Sports, that Arroyo will be starting at third. As for my opinion, I expect Arroyo to continue his success he recorded in the minor leagues- but I expect the typical ups and downs of a rookie for the once promising prospect.