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Scott Bandura, the Giants' latest call-up, is familiar with big baseball stages
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- Scott Bandura, the Giants' latest call-up, is familiar with big baseball stages
Scott Bandura, the Giants' latest call-up, is familiar with big baseball stages originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — There were 35,115 fans at Oracle Park on Sunday for the final game of the homestand. For Scott Bandura , the newest member of the Giants lineup, that was a familiar crowd size.
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"This will probably be the first time I'll see a crowd that big since I was 12, which is crazy," Bandura said in the afternoon.
When he walked up to the plate in the second inning, Bandura became the franchise-record 67th different player to get into a game for the Giants this year, and he's somehow not the only one who can make that crowd size claim. Like Bandura, Matt Wilkinson played in the Little League World Series as a kid, but Bandura's experience was quite a bit different.
Bandura was on the Taney Dragons team that became a national story in 2014 because of star pitcher Mo'ne Davis. The two are still friends, and Davis, who now plays in the Women's Professional Baseball League, might come watch him on the upcoming road trip.
"I'm still following her," Bandura said. "I know she's kind of all over the place, doing the women's league and she's also playing some (Savannah Bananas) ball too. She's enjoying what she's doing. I talked to her yesterday. I think she's going to try to get out to St. Louis in the next couple of days."
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Bandura remembers 35,000-plus being at their first game in Williamsport, a far cry from his later years at Princeton and time in the minor leagues, where he was somewhat off the radar until this season. The 25-year-old outfielder has been one of the best stories among Giants minor leaguers this year, hitting .320 with 13 homers, 34 stolen bases and 104 runs in Double-A and Triple-A.
The Giants view Bandura as a well-rounded player with some upside because of his speed and approach at the plate, and they'll take a look over the next couple of weeks. Bandura took Rafael Devers' roster spot and got his first big league hit in his debut. The plan is for him to get a look in the outfield on this road trip.
"He looks the part and he's certainly athletic," manager Tony Vitello said. "He's supposed to be a good dancer. I asked him to audition (in the clubhouse) and he declined, but I think that speaks to his athleticism. I think because he's so athletic, what a lot of the minor league (coaches and evaluators) are saying about his development as a hitter (is he's) being a little bit more adaptable with what pitches he can get to. Which pitches he can do damage on has increased, and his overall plate discipline.
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"I think a lot of that is tied into him also being very intelligent, as you know with his background. But also athletic. It's a pretty good combination to have in a piece of clay, if you want to call it that, that you get to work with. I think our guys have done a good job with him, because to be honest with you, he was an exciting athlete in spring training and it was a small glimpse, but I feel like he looks like a different guy just on video than he did five, six months ago."
Bandura said he worked hard in the offseason to get his weight up after he wore down last season. The solid year put him in position for a call-up at the perfect time, as the Giants have promoted just about all of his teammates in Triple-A as injuries have piled up. Over the weekend, River Cats manager Dave Brundage told Bandura it was his turn.
"When we started seeing some guys get up here and get chances, I figured it might be in the cards," Bandura said.
