LOS ANGELES — Surely, the pressure had to feel immense.
In his first start against the Dodgers, in his first game as the full-time fill-in for injured shortstop Brandon Crawford and in his first month with the Giants, infielder Thairo Estrada stepped to the plate on Monday night with a chance to break the game open.
With the Giants ahead 4-2 in the top of the seventh inning, Estrada drilled a double into the left field corner that scored a pair of runs that ultimately helped key a 7-2 win.
What was that about pressure?
“It’s a shame that something like this happened to (Brandon) Crawford, but I’ve been in this scenario before,” Estrada said through Spanish language interpreter Nick Ortiz Tuesday. “I played with the Yankees.”
The stakes don’t seem too big for Estrada, who has looked like a poised veteran in the batter’s box ever since he made his first start with the club on July 2 against the Diamondbacks. It was that three-hit performance capped off by a ninth-inning grand slam that showed the Giants that Estrada plays with impressive confidence.
Monday’s two-run double provided more confirmation of what the Giants have seen from Estrada so far.
“It was just kind of an example of who (Estrada) has been since he’s been here,” manager Gabe Kapler said following the Giants’ win. “He’s a pretty poised man and I don’t think it takes Crawford going down for us to see that. We’ve seen it since he’s been in the big leagues for us. He’s hungry.”
Things have changed in New York since Estrada debuted during the 2019 season, but he arrived in the majors on his 23rd birthday for a Yankees team that won 103 games. The lights were bright, the stage was massive and the spotlight would expose any flaws.
Estrada was initially called up in April, 2019 and spent most of the year bouncing between Triple-A and the majors as a bench presence. Few players are introduced to the big leagues in the midst of a pennant race, but important games can quickly separate those who can handle the pressure and those who aren’t ready to make adjustments.
The Venezuela native proved capable as he batted .250 with a .732 OPS while playing four different positions, but he never started on a consistent basis and struggled in a small 48 at-bat sample size in 2020. When the Yankees faced a 40-man roster crunch at the beginning of this season, general manager Brian Cashman determined Estrada was expendable and he was designated for assignment.
It’s rare that 24-year-olds who were once highly regarded prospects become available on the waiver wire, so the Giants acted quickly to acquire Estrada as they sent New York cash considerations to add the versatile right-handed hitter to their 40-man roster in April.
That Estrada had even made the majors at all was remarkable considering he was shot in the hip during a robbery attempt in his hometown in January, 2018.
“Somebody came up to me, asked me for some money and I said the only thing I had was my cell phone and credit card,” Estrada said. “The guy didn’t believe me, so he decided to take a shot at me.”
After being named a Double-A All-Star as a 21-year-old in 2017, the gunshot wound and other injuries limited Estrada to just 18 games in 2018. He persevered to make his major league debut the following season, but still has never started five consecutive games in the big leagues.
That’s likely to change this week as the second injured list stint of Crawford’s career has left Estrada as the only shortstop on the Giants’ active roster.
“It’s a great opportunity to be consistent, show what I can do up here and hopefully be up here for a long time,” Estrada said.
Both Kapler and Estrada pointed to the improved plate discipline he’s shown during the 2021 season as the offensive adjustment that’s made him a more complete hitter. While his best defensive position might still be second base, Estrada spent much of his minor league career playing shortstop in a Yankees organization that was searching for the heir apparent to Derek Jeter, who was one of his childhood baseball idols.
Whether he’s at the plate or in the field, Estrada isn’t overwhelmed. He’s never had an extended opportunity to prove himself, but in brief stints off the bench in both New York and San Francisco, he’s needed to perform to hang onto a job with first place clubs.
If Estrada’s first few games with the Giants are any indication of what’s to come, the club might be able to withstand the 10-to-14 day break Crawford is expected to take.
