San Francisco Giants: Mike Yastrzemski wants to spend career with Giants

San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski loves playing in the bay and he has absolutely no desire to play anywhere else.

Mike Yastrzemski came into his own in 2020. He played 54 games, slashed .297/.400/.568, and finished eighth in NL MVP voting. The San Francisco Giants fell just short of sneaking into the expanded playoff picture.

According to Jessica Kleinschmidt of NBC Sports, that success has Yastrzemski starting to think long term. And long term, he doesn’t want to be anywhere but San Francisco.

When asked about his future on KNBR’s “The Hot Stove Show”, Yastrzemski said “Personally, you know I’d like to try and put myself in a position to stay in San Francisco for a very long time if possible.”

And that’s music to Giants’ fans’ ears. The fanbase took to Yastrzemski quickly due to his baseball heritage. His grandfather, Carl Yastrzemski, is a hall of famer and one of the greatest Boston Red Sox of all time.

And thus far, Yastrzemski has rewarded Giants fans’ love with two really solid seasons. He’s got a career barrel rate of 11.1%, hard hit rate of 42.7% and in 2020, he posted a walk rate of 13.9%. That ability to get on base and barrel up baseballs will help him maintain that level of success going forward. And with the designated hitter on its way to the National League permanently, he’ll likely be a viable offensive option even when he does become a free agent at 35.

2026 is a long way off though. For now, Yastrzemski has made it clear to San Francisco Giants fans that he loves playing for them. And they love having him. Yastrzemski will be a big part of the Giants’ rebuild the next couple of years as they aim for a return to the playoff picture.

It’ll be an uphill battle since they share a division with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, but Mike Yastrzemski is a nice stable piece to build a team around.