NLDS: Former White Sox 3B Gillaspie Making Impact
By Matt Manetti
Former White Sox 3B Conor Gillaspie had a huge two-run triple to help the Gaints defeat the Cubs on Monday. Gillaspie’s also hit a go-ahead three-run home run against the New York Mets in the Wild Card.
The Chicago White Sox traded Conor Gillaspie to the Los Angeles Angels for cash considerations last season. Now, the 3B is making his presence known the for the San Francisco Giants. Gillaspie had a key two-run triple and scored a run in Monday’s 6-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
And prior to that, the 29 year old propelled his team into the NLDS after his three-run home run in the Wild Card round against the New York Mets. He played only 101 games during the regular season and batted .262 with six home runs and 25 RBIs. While his numbers might not seem that impressive, he definitely has played well for the Giants in the postseason. For a team that doesn’t have a lot of offensive fire power, he had come up big in both rounds.
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It’s great to see Gillaspie having success elsewhere. It didn’t work out with the White Sox but it’s good to see him succeeding with the Giants. What’s even better for him is he playing in October. And playing with an always competitive team, he will also be in playoff and World Series contention. I’m sure there’s plenty of guys on the White Sox who would love to be in a situation like that.
The White Sox have finally found stability at the position in the form of Todd Frazier. I can’t even remember having a solid 3B since Joe Crede. I never saw Gillaspie as an everyday player. He was nice piece who could come in and play when needed, but his never put up the offensive numbers you would expect. His best season came in 2013 when he hit .245 with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs. To put that into perspective, Frazier had 25 home runs and 57 RBIs in the first half of this season.
Still, that shouldn’t take away from what Gillaspie has done for the Giants this postseason. His average hasn’t been that great, but he has come through in the clutch on two different occasions. He was actually 1-for-6 on Monday. But all that counts is he drove in two huge runs and then scored another. He is definitely one of the reasons the Giants are still in the playoffs. Had it not been for him, we wouldn’t be talking about his team being in the NLDS. Instead, they would be watching the games from home. Hopefully he keeps it up and can have a nice career for the Giants.