Clemson star tearing the cover off the ball
By: Alex Dodd June 1, 2021

A former Clemson baseball player is making waves in the MLB this year.

Steven Duggar is off to the best start to a season in his professional career with the Giants this year and the front office has taken notice.

San Fransisco general manager Gabe Kapler went on MLB Network Radio this week and broke down what has been working for Duggar at the plate so far this season.

“He’s elevating the ball better and we all know how important that is even for a guy like Duggar whose speed is elite,” Kapler said. “It’s important to hit line drives and interestingly his line drive rate has remained the same but he has hit less ground balls.”

Duggar is hitting a career best .295 this season with three home runs, 11 RBIs and an .890 OPS in 27 games. He has spent most of this season in centerfield with 22 appearances and 16 starts.

Kapler pointed out the former Tiger’s ability to hit for extra bases as a result of his increased bat speed and improved launch angle.

“The way he has hit his balls the hardest this season has been on a line or in the air and he’s been rewarded with extra base hits,” the Giants GM said. “If you go back to spring training this year he was able to elevate the ball to the opposite field and even though he isn’t a huge big, strong dude he does generate some bat speed and wippiness.”

The Giants are off to a great start at 33-20 overall and are just 0.5 games behind the Padres in the NL West.

“We have seen when he’s at his bat he’s elevating the ball, he’s hitting it his hardest in the air and he’s chasing less so those are some of those things we’ve seen from Duggar so far this season,” Kapler.

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