Once upon a time, Ehire Adrianza was one of my favorite Giants prospects. A lean, athletic, switch-hitting shortstop who was a minor league contemporary of Brandon Crawford, I thought he was more likely the Giants shortstop of the future. I was wrong about that but Adrianza ended up having a surprisingly durable MLB career earning himself a nice living in the process.
The season that had me convinced Adrianza was going to be a future MLB star was 2011 with A+ San Jose when he put up slash line of .300/.375/.470 at age 21. His numbers took a hit after a promotion to AA which happened for almost all Giants hitting prospects but rebounded to a .300 BA in AAA. By the time he was MLB ready, Crawford had locked down the SS position and Adrianza became a utility player.
Adrianza hit the waiver wire in Jan 2017 to make room on the Giants roster for Nick Hundley C. He finally hooked on with the Twins and became a useful utility player for them. His best season was 2018 with a slash of .251/.301/.379, 23 2B, 6 HR, 5 SB, 366 PA. His line was better in 2019 with a .272/.349/.416 but with 130 fewer PA's. Overall his career line was .237/.307/.352, 22 HR, 19 SB, 8.2 BB%, 19.8 K%, 1578 PA over 12 seasons. He earned a total of just over $9 M for his career plus two World Series Championship rings, one in 2014 with the Giants and another in 2021 with the Braves.
In making his retirement announcement he posted this heartfelt message:
“This journey has been incredibly challenging, filled with ups and downs, but every step along the way has been a blessing that I cherish immensely,” Adrianza said. “Since my childhood, I dreamed of the possibility of winning a World Series, a goal that once seemed so distant and almost unattainable. However, thanks to my effort, dedication, and the unwavering support of each one of you, that dream has become a reality. I still find it hard to believe that I have had the honor of playing more than a decade in the Major Leagues. I never imagined I would achieve so much, and it’s astonishing to reflect on this experience.”
Nicely said.
ReplyDeleteI followed Ehire over the years with similar thoughts.
Happy Boxing Day!
I think there ws a time in 2014 when the Gs were searching so hard for 2ND baseman that they tried a wahed up Dan Uggla that it looked like Adrianza was gonna get the chance to fill the spot...but my recollection is that a pulled hammy sidelined him, opening the way for Joe Panik (??)
ReplyDeleteIt’s easy to fall in love with SS prospects who give you a glimmer of hope that their athleticism will translate to the next level either as a SS or somewhere else. I can remember your optimism about Arteaga several years ago and the promise he showed. I think most MLB GM’s are the same and probably overvalue these guys because if they don’t work out at SS you can always try them at another position as a fall back kind of like Luciano…. Even Buster Posey was a SS once upon a time but he is one in maybe 1,000 that has actually worked out to be more than the 25th guy on a roster just because he used to play SS. FZ had a similar approach with 2 way players in that he thought it gave him twice the chance for success as they had 2 avenues to make it kind of like SS prospects have fall back options. With everyone doing the same thing maybe it makes sense to avoid these guys at least in the first round and go for hit tool instead no matter the position.
ReplyDeleteI am old. I remember when he was just a baby prospect and now he’s retired after over a decade later.
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing.
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