Sep 7, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman David Villar (70) looks on from the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The San Francisco Giants are always looking for ways to find an edge on their arch-rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Could a new face provide just such an edge in the years to come?
During the just-completed series against the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine, San Francisco Giants rookie David Villar certainly left an impression on the Los Angeles faithful, going 6-for-8 with three home runs and five RBI.
The eye-popping offensive production pushed the 25-year-old Villar to an OPS of 2.653 during the three-game set, etching his name in the MLB record books.
David Villar of the San Francisco Giants is making his at-bats count against the Los Angeles Dodgers
Making his MLB debut for the Giants on July 4, Villar has now faced the Dodgers in nine games this season, sporting a slash line of .333/.417/.810 (1.226 OPS) in 24 plate appearances, with three of his four career homers coming against Los Angeles.
Villar struggled in his first stint with the Giants earlier this season and was sent back to Triple-A Sacramento on August 5. However, in his first game back with San Francisco on September 2 after roster expansions, Villar began to once again take advantage of his starts against the Dodgers thanks in part to a different approach at the plate.
Selected in the 11th round of the 2018 MLB draft, Villar was slashing just .218/.354/.423 overall this season in 78 at-bats heading into Thursday’s doubleheader at the Milwaukee Brewers. However, while Villar has struggled this season overall, he has already shown that he can make his at-bats count when facing the rival Dodgers, endearing himself to Giants fans very quickly.