Duane Kuiper confirms what SF Giants fans are seeing with Drew Gilbert right now

SF Giants outfielder Drew Gilbert was called up to the big leagues on April 15 after offseason signee Harrison Bader was placed on the injured list with a hamstring injury.

This was a welcome move for many fans following Bader's rough start to the season. Gilbert, known for his explosive energy, got off to a slow start in his first two games. After a fiery series in Cincinnati the Giants needed to carry the energy over into D.C. Gilbert really got going in that series against the Nationals.

Over the three-game stretch, Gilbert went 5-for-12 with one home run and eight total bases. While Gilbert wasn't quite having a Daniel Susac-like performance, he still seemed to fill the missing hole in the Giants lineup by delivering base hits in clutch spots with runners on. This has been the pitfall of the Giants offense so far as they've often left too many men in scoring position with less than two outs. It seems like Gilbert is a man on a mission to fix this problem.

Gilbert is giving the SF Giants what they need right now

Since getting called up, Gilbert is slashing .265/.306/.373 with a .747 OPS. That's a huge upgrade from the way Harrison Bader was swinging the lumber.

Duane Kuiper had high praise for the young gun. He appeared on KNBR and talked about what Gilbert brings to the Giants, confirming what many fans have seen with the young spark plug:

“I do like the way Gilbert goes about playing center field. He’s also got the ability to swing the bat too. But the way he runs around in the outfield, I think you can bring energy when you play defense like he does. I don’t know how long Harrison Bader is gonna be out, but I don’t think anybody is gonna be disappointed with how that kid plays."

The energy part is apparent and last year in an interview Kuiper had even made reference to a "Gilbert cam," referring to how the camera at Oracle Park was ready to capture a wild Gilbert reaction in the dugout whenever something good happened for the Giants.

That "cam" was put on full display recently after he made a questionable throw during the Dodgers series allowing Dalton Rushing to advance to second after trying to gun Max Muncy down at home. When the camera panned to Gilbert in the dugout in the bottom of the inning he was seen emotionally explaining himself to one of the coaches. Honestly it's nice to see that it's not all sunshine and rainbows in Drew Gilbert Land and that he has legitimate passion for winning behind his energy.

The catch is Gilbert will have to start hitting left handed pitching if he wants to be a mainstay in the lineup. While he has only had six at bats versus lefties season he has yet to record a hit against a southpaw since getting called up. It's quite possible we see a platoon role for Bader and Gilbert since Bader is a much stronger hitter against left-handed pitching.

While he struggled to start the season, Bader is a seasoned veteran and should return to his usual production in due time. A solid platoon should do the Giants some good considering they have struggled immensely against lefties this year.

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