CBS Blog: Giants' Nate Is Better Than Great
By Michelle Dingley
It is the evening of May 19, 2011. Madison Bumgarner is in line for his first win of the season, after a series of hard-luck losses. He has gone eight strong, shutout innings against the rival Dodgers in Chavez Ravine. With a 3-0 lead, MadBum is three outs away from his first big-league complete game shutout. The first batter in the bottom of the ninth, Kemp, flies out to right. Next, the defector Juan Uribe pops out to second base.
Just one out to go, Madison. You're almost there.
But then Barajas knocks a bloop single to left, and Sands shoots an RBI double to center, ending the shutout.
Enter the Beard.
In typical Brian Wilson fashion, the first batter he faces draws a walk... and so does the next batter.
Bottom of the ninth. Two outs. Bases loaded.
It's not easy being a Giants fan.
Up next is Jamey Carroll, who slices a 2-2 pitch to shallow right. With the runners moving, this could be a tie game. But Nate "The Great" Schierholtz sprints in and dives, flying parallel to the ground, making a spectacular catch. Three outs, game over.
Say it with me. Giants baseball: Torture.
MadBum gets his first win of the year, the Giants earn a two-game sweep, and Brian Wilson is technically awarded a save. But Nate's catch is undoubtedly the play of the game. It may be the play of the first half.
Whenever Nate Schierholtz is in the game, something special seems to happen. Largely a platoon player in previous seasons, he has earned his nickname of "Nate the Great" for both his defensive abilities and his clutch at-bats. Due at least partially to the injury bug running rampant through the Giants' clubhouse, Nate has been seeing much more playing time this season than last. In all of 2010, Nate had 41 starts. In the first half of this season, he's started 49. With all the extra time, he's been putting on a show.
Schierholtz leads the team in outfield assists (5), having gunned down runners that dare try to tag up or attempt to stretch a single to a double. Word of his strong and accurate arm has spread, and now opponents think twice before challenging that cannon. In the season's first half, Schierholtz owns a .991 fielding percentage (1 error in 109 total chances). That's second to Rowand (1.000 - 0 errors in 122 TC). By comparison, Cody Ross has 1 E in 99 TC (.990), Torres has 2 E in 129 TC (.984), and Pat Burrell has 4 E in 57 TC (.930). There's a reason why Pat's nickname has nothing to do with his glove.
No fans of the Orange and Black are surprised by Schierholtz's fielding prowess. It's his unexpected presence at the plate that has been a welcome addition to our struggling offense.
Some notable Nate the Great moments from the first half of 2011:
April 18: Schierholtz hits a towering blast to the third deck of Coors Field. It's just the second Giant homer to hit the upper deck (after Bonds, of course). This one measures in at an estimated 467 feet. Nate's brother happens to be up in the nosebleed seats, a mere 10 feet from the impact crater, and buys the ball from a fan for $25.
May 22: Nate smashes a two-run pinch-hit homer against the A's, tying the game in the eighth. The Giants would later win with a walk-off.
June 1: In St. Louis, Nate the Great ties the game with two outs in the ninth, and follows it up with a go-ahead RBI in the 11th, essentially saving the game twice.
June 10: Nate gets the big hit in yet another Giants walk-off, this time against the Reds, bringing in Andres Torres to score the winning run.
July 6: Schierholtz hits two home runs, the first multi-homer game of his career, including a 14th inning game-winning solo shot against the Padres. Two days later, Nate slams his first splash hit into McCovey Cove.
July 10: On the last day of the first half, Nate bats cleanup against the Mets and goes 4-for-4 with a double and an RBI. In the last ten games of the first half, he's batting .425 (17-40) with three home runs.
Though I have watched all of Nate's greatness, I was nonetheless surprised when I looked at the team's first half offensive statistics. Schierholtz is second in batting average (.293, 65-for-222) to Pablo Sandoval (.303, 59-for-195). He is also second in slugging percentage (.464) to the Panda (.503). He's second in RBI (31 in 222 at-bats) to Huff (44 in 335 AB). Schierholtz is tied for second in homers. Nate the Great and Pat the Bat both end the first half with 7, with the Panda and Huff tied at 8.
Schierholtz is already surpassing his offensive numbers from last season. In the 2011 first half, he's had 222 at-bats, and in all of 2010, he had 227. Batting average this year: .293; last year: .242. Hits this year: 65; all of last year: 55. Home runs this year: 7; last year: 3. RBI this year: 31; last year: 17.
So how great is Nate? He's a strong candidate for the Giants' first-half MVP. He's having a career year at the plate. He's cementing his status as our everyday right fielder. He's using his sniper-rifle arm to gun down runners, and he's blasting Bondsian homers. He's making diving, Superman-style catches to save ballgames.
Nate is better than great. We need a stronger adjective.
But what rhymes with Schierholtz?
