Let's Celebrate a Career First for Andy Polanco

Plus Week 6 Stats Review

It’s hard to know what to make of young Andy Polanco. The Dominican native, who just turned 20 two weeks ago, came to the U.S. to attend High School at a small Florida Christian Academy. That gave him a chance to be seen in plenty of scouting and showcase events, and the Giants were enamored enough of his tools to take him in the 11th round last year, signing him to a $150,000 bonus.

And there are tools aplenty here. Polanco is 6’4”, but he presently looks taller than that, thanks to his teenaged skinniness. He’s a plus runner who may end up being an asset in center, though the reads and routes are still a work in progress. He has a plus arm — so much so that some teams looked at him as a pitcher after he touched 90 mph with his fastball in showcase events. And he also has some real juice in the bat. Though his swing can look gangly, awkward, and out of joint — as if all the physical pieces of his swing had just been introduced to each other seconds before the at bat — when he connects he can really put a charge into a baseball.

And that’s exactly what Polanco did last night. He jumped on a pedestrian fastball that came down and in to his swing plane, and swatted it out at an impressive 106.4 mph for his very first professional home run.