San Francisco Giants: Who was the team’s biggest surprise in 2019?

3 of 4

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 26: Mike Yastrzemski #5 of the San Francisco Giants hits a single that scored a run in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Oracle Park on September 26, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Mike Yastrzemski

Written by: Nick San Miguel

To me, Mike Yastrzemski was the biggest surprise of 2019.

When he was initially acquired by the San Francisco Giants during the offseason, it was really only interesting because of his Hall of Fame grandfather Carl Yastrzemski.

No one could have seen him emerging as a valuable big leaguer.

When he was called up after a hot start at Triple-A and started playing well, I initially figured that it was just a fluke. So many others before him got off to hot starts, only to fizzle.

Instead, he actually seemed to get better as the season progressed.

In the end, he finished the year hitting .272/.334/.518 with 22 doubles, 21 home runs and 55 RBI in 107 games.

While he was a fairly old rookie at 28 years old, his bat, his solid defense, his exciting base running, and his overall athleticism provide plenty of reason for excitement going forward.

Better late than never, right?

He is now part of a new generation of San Francisco Giants, along with Mauricio Dubon and top prospects Joey Bart and Heliot Ramos, he could be part of the core of the team for a good chunk of the 2020s.