Former SF Giants Silver Slugger winner continues to rake late into career

SF Giants fans may remember Donovan Solano from his three-year stint with the team which included a Silver Slugger Award in 2020. Even after leaving the Giants, he has continued to hit well late into his career.

The 37-year-old Solano has had quite the career thus far. He began his big league career in 2012 with the Miami Marlins and had a few middling seasons with Miami and then the New York Yankees before not appearing in the big leagues in 2017 or 2018.

Former SF Giants slugger Donovan Solano staying strong

He languished in the minor leagues but eventually got his shot with the Giants in 2019. He had a very impressive 2019 campaign with San Francisco, slashing .330/.360/.456 with 4 home runs and 23 RBI. He followed that up with a great year in the pandemic-shortened 60-game 2020 season. That year he slashed .326/.365/.463 with 3 home runs and 29 RBI. His efforts earned him a Silver Slugger Award as the best hitter amongst National League second basemen. It is no wonder he earned the nickname "Donnie Barrels" while he was a Giant.

2021 was another good year for him even though it was not as good as 2019 and 2020. During the 107-game win year, he hit .280/.344/.404 with 7 home runs and 31 RBI. He lost some playing time to Tommy La Stella and Thairo Estrada at second base, but he was still able to provide memorable moments like his game-tying home run in the 9th against the Atlanta Braves when the Giants were down to their last strike. Every single win mattered that year as the Giants only beat the Dodgers by one game to win the NL West, so his heroics were massive.

He left the Giants after 2021 and has continued to be a solid hitter. With the Cincinnati Reds in 2022, Minnesota Twins in 2023, and San Diego Padres in 2024, his batting average has ranged from .282 to .286 which shows he has stayed consistent with the bat. He is still not a huge power threat, but he hit 8 homers with San Diego so he can still hit the ball out of the ballpark.

Solano is a free agent now and while there will probably not be huge demand for him, he can certainly carve out a spot for himself on a big league team. The guy can still undoutedly hit and there are a lot of big league teams that can use a guy who can reliably hit for a batting average in the .280's.

A reunion with the Giants seems unlikely, but it is impressive how Solano has remained relevant and has proven his solid years in San Francisco were far from a fluke.