Rule 5 Decision: Tyler Fitzgerald
I most definitely have thoughts about the 2019 4th rounder!
This is the eleventh in a series focusing on the Giants’ upcoming Rule 5 protection choices. There’s a fairly large selection of players who present challenging decisions, so we’ll take a look at them one by one. In previous editions, we’ve looked at:
Here’s a question: what if Luis Matos isn’t really the most difficult decision point player when it comes to the Rule 5 draft? What if that honor should really go to the subject of today’s post, Tyler Fitzgerald?
There may not be more of a split-camp player in the organization, capable of driving a completely diverse range of opinions — from “he’s not really worth considering” to “he’s a must protect” — than Fitzgerald. And it will be fascinating to see where the Giants — and the rest of the industry — land on this truly gifted and unique player.
Fitzgerald was one of two different players in the Giants’ system who became the first 20/20 player in his franchise’s history last year (Grant McCray, at San Jose, was the other), and that does start to get at the traits that make Fitzgerald appealing. At the same time, he’s been one of the most prolific strikeout artists of each league he’s played in the last two years. There’s a bit of a unicorn quality about Fitzgerald, making him unique from almost any other player in the system. And something of a Rorschach test quality as well — what stands out most to you when you look at his numbers, the power-speed-athleticism potential or the outsized strikeout numbers? A Bobby Bonds for the modern set, perhaps, our Tyler. But which side wins out in the end? Let’s lay out the cases….
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