Through his first week in the majors, San Francisco outfielder Grant McCray has given the Giants a spark. The 23-year-old rookie was recalled from the minors on August 14th and has literally hit the ground running for the Giants.
The son of ex-big leaguer Rodney McCray, Grant has used his speed and defensive skills to contribute to the Giants’ recent stretch. After going hitless In his MLB debut, the Billings, Montana native showed his stuff the next day.
MLBbro Rookie Grant McCray Impacting San Francisco Playoff Push
Playing in front of family and friends against the Atlanta Braves, McCray collected his first career hit in the second inning and launched a home run over the center field wall in the sixth in a 6-0 San Francisco victory.
McCray’s first hit was a bunt single against Braves’ starter Max Fried, scoring Jerar Encarnacion from third base. In the sixth, McCray swatted the first pitch he saw from reliever Jesse Chavez for his first career home run, a solo shot.
“I blacked out, honestly,” McCray told Montanasports.com. “I rounded second and was like, ‘This is for real.’ I was just overwhelmed with excitement.” McCray was listed as the No. 11-ranked prospect in the Giants’ organization, according to MLB.com prior to his call up.
Second Generation MLBbro Grant McCray Is Better Than Father Rodney
The younger McCray was also able to gain some “bragging rights” over his father with his two-hit performance. Rodney debuted as a 26-year-old with the Chicago White Sox in 1990, appearing in 32 games exclusively as a pinch runner and defensive replacement,
The senior McCray received only seven plate appearances that season and didn’t get his first major league hit until the next season (his 44th career game). He would collect two more hits before his major-league career ended with the New York Mets in 1992.
Unfortunately, Rodney is remembered more for his days in the minors which included an infamous incident while playing in the outfield. The play has been repeated many times over several baseball highlight videos. He was the AAA outfielder who crashed into and through the wall at Portland’s Civic Stadium on May 27, 1991, taking out a panel of the yellow plywood Flav-R-Pac sign while chasing a fly ball that kept carrying in the breeze.
The elder McCray has been able to bask in the glow of his son’s early success.
“I was known for bunting, so for my son to get his first big-league hit that way is great,” Rodney told the Athletic. “But then he got the legit hit! He went from a bunt to a home run. When he walked in the fourth inning, I said to myself, ‘He’s locked in.”
“He’s not chasing.’ I could tell by his body language. And Chavez came in, OK, he can relax a little bit, maybe see a pitch or two. And he jumps on the first pitch. I’m like, ‘Wow!’
Grant McCray Is Taking Advantage Of Opportunity
The Giants’ third-round pick in the 2019 MLB amateur draft, Grant was splitting time with AA Richmond of the Eastern League and AAA Sacramento of the Pacific Coast League before being called up to the big-league club.
In Frisco’s next series against their crosstown rivals from Oakland, McCray’s blend of speed and defense was on full display. In the Bay Bridge Series opener at the Coliseum, McCray beat out an infield single to break up Osvaldo Bido’s no-hit bid in the sixth inning.
McCray needed only 4.19 seconds to get from home to first and recorded an elite 30.8 ft/sec sprint speed on the play, well above the Major League average of 27 ft/sec. He had two of the Giants’ four hits in the 2-0 loss.
McCray also used his speed to rob a hit in the fourth when he charged in and made a sliding grab on Miguel Andujar’s blooper to center field. He stretched a single into a double in the eighth, securing his second consecutive multi-hit effort.
He added another extra base in the series finale won by San Francisco 4-2 in 10 innings. While McCray cooled off a bit during the three-game series against the Chicago White Sox (1-of-11 with five strikeouts), the rookie has impressed Giants’ skipper Bob Melvin
“He’s off to a great start,” Melvin told NBC Sports Bay Area following Sunday’s win. “He’s playing with a lot of confidence. His speed and his defensive ability helped him make some really nice plays in center field. [He] surely looks the part.”
“He’s fast and having good at-bats right now against guys he’s never faced before.”
McCray added another Friday night in the Giants’ 6-5 loss to the Mariners in 10 innings. It raised his average to a modest .241 overall clip. San Francisco (65-65) has gone 4-4 since Grant was called up, five games behind the Atlanta Braves for the final NL wildcard spot.
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