Villar makes big league debut at Giants after long journey originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
PHOENIX — On Sunday evening, David Villar got the news he’s been waiting for all his life. And then the adventure began.
The maiden flight from Villar to Phoenix was canceled due to a mechanical problem when the plane remained on the tarmac. His next flight left so early that he only got two hours of sleep. Talking to reporters when he finally arrived, Villar smiled and said his two main focuses at the time were eating something and taking a shower to freshen up. He could be happy that both would finally take place in a clubhouse in the Dutch big league.
“Just being here, it’s still very surreal,” Villar said.
Villar is here to try to give a shockbut also because he deserved it. A year after hitting 20 home runs in Double-A, he hit 21 in his first 66 Triple-A games, posted an OPS over 1,000 and drove in 62 runs.
The Giants put him in a struggling lineup, with Villar moving into seventh place and playing second base on his debut. The 25-year-old is primarily a third baseman, but he started practicing at second base last year and carried that off-season work to play another card in case the need would be.
The Giants are in third with Evan Longoria, but they are going to give Villar a look to see if he can help the infield. Villar can also play first, and if the bat is playing at the big league level, he would add some right-handed pop to a lineup that needs it.
Villar has been hitting all season and the calls for his promotion are getting louder. Manager Gabe Kapler said this is about adding to the lineup and bringing new energy that could have a “ripple effect”, as well as rewarding a young prospect who has worked hard to get his swing to this point. to get.
“I’ve been thinking about him for the past few days and I think at some point — I’m just sharing my own personal opinion — you start doing the player and the group as a whole a disservice by not doing at least the first chance offer,” Kapler said. “I think when they produce like David has done for the past two years, players start to think, ‘What do I have to do to get my chance?’ I think a move like that satisfies it, and then I think strategically it has a chance to help us win a baseball game today.”
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That baseball game just happens to run into a lefty the Giants know well. Villar was busted in the 11th round in 2018 when Madison Bumgarner was the star in San Francisco, and he will meet him Monday afternoon.
“It’s a coincidence, but who better than to get an established Major League caliber like him,” Villar said. “Let’s get right into it.”