{"id":60224,"date":"2025-11-08T15:46:29","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T15:46:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=60224"},"modified":"2025-11-08T15:46:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T15:46:29","slug":"giants-fall-league-coach-discusses-tony-vitello-and-the-exciting-next-wave-of-hitters-in-san-francisco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=60224","title":{"rendered":"Giants Fall League Coach Discusses Tony Vitello and the Exciting Next Wave of Hitters in San Francisco"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"In<\/p>\n

In Arizona, the uniforms are the same \u2014 but the names are the future. Giants fundamentals coach Nate Keavy is helping shape the next wave. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

There are no swivel chairs, four-foot fluorescent lights, or faux palm trees \u2013 but Nate Keavy is in his office.<\/p>\n

Fresh off a California League championship with Class-A San Jose, Keavy is the Giants\u2019 lone coaching representative in the Arizona Fall League \u2014 and from the third-base coach\u2019s box, he\u2019s had a prime view of the offensive force that is the Scottsdale Scorpions.<\/p>\n

Through 23 games in the desert, the Scottsdale Scorpions \u2014 a roster built from Giants, Tigers, Astros, Mets, and Nationals prospects \u2014 own a league-best 16\u20137 record. In a circuit that is skewed toward scoring, they\u2019ve still managed to stand out, averaging nearly eight runs per game with a mighty +53 run differential.<\/p>\n

Keavy already saw this kind of firepower in San Jose, where the Giants\u2019 Class-A affiliate led the Cal League in scoring (6.1 runs per game) and run differential (+251) on the way to a title sweep over Inland Empire in the best-of-three championship series.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a super special year,\u201d Keavy said. \u201cAny time you win a championship, it starts with the players. We had a handful of guys who were there the entire year who were able to keep the camaraderie going. It was a really special group to be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n

San Jose\u2019s lineup helped shape the Scorpions\u2019 roster. Of the three Giants hitters sent to the Fall League \u2014 Parks Harber, Maui Ahuna, and Walker Martin \u2014 two were central to San Jose\u2019s title run. Martin spent the entire season there, while Ahuna arrived in May, seized an everyday role, and was promoted to Eugene by late July.<\/p>\n

Walker Martin\u2019s Learning Curve<\/h2>\n

The Giants\u2019 2023 second-rounder from Eaton High School (Colo.) arrived in 2025 with a singular developmental target \u2014 slash his strikeout rate.<\/p>\n

A 41% strikeout rate in 2024 \u2014 sixth-highest in the Minors among hitters with at least 300 plate appearances \u2014 showed just how sharp the learning curve was for Martin.<\/p>\n

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This year, the swing-and-miss didn\u2019t disappear, but it no longer defined him. The Giants\u2019 No. 27 prospect cut his strikeout rate to 28.4% and began to unlock the rest of his game, finishing fifth in the league in RBI (70), hitting 12 home runs, and posting an impressive 14.3% walk rate \u2014 the sixth-highest mark in the circuit.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny time you get more games under your belt at a higher level, you\u2019re going to get better,\u201d Keavy said. \u201cThe game started to slow down for him more this year. That internal belief became stronger, and the proof was in the improvement he made.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a full season already logged, Martin\u2019s assignment is less about catching up and more about carrying momentum forward. After hitting .218 in the first half, he closed the year at .249 over his final 56 games \u2014 the kind of steady climb the Giants want to see translate in Arizona.<\/p>\n

So far, the results haven\u2019t carried over to the Fall League. Martin is batting .182 with a strikeout rate above 40% through 11 games, a reflection of the typically more polished pitching he\u2019s now seeing \u2013 which is the experience the Giants sent him Arizona to get.<\/p>\n

\u201cEarly in the Fall League, when you haven\u2019t faced pitching in a couple weeks, and you\u2019re facing some of these arms \u2013 man, gearing up for 97 (mph) with a nasty slider \u2026 There\u2019s no \u2018hitter\u2019s count\u2019,\u201d Keavy noted. \u201cIt\u2019s closer to the big leagues that way. To get up to speed with that \u2013 you\u2019ve gotta have patience. He\u2019s put a couple of good games together recently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maui Ahuna\u2019s Next Step<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The highest compliment paid to Ahuna\u2019s smooth infield actions comes in the form of a comparison: more than a few inside the organization see shades of Brandon Crawford in him \u2014 another former fourth-round pick by the Giants.<\/p>\n

His ability on the diamond is clear; his ability to stay on the diamond has not been in the early stages of his career.<\/p>\n

Ahuna didn\u2019t see the field until May, still working back from the Tommy John surgery that sidelined him the year before. He rejoined Keavy in San Jose, earned a promotion to High-A, and was gaining momentum before a bone bruise in his right hip ended his season in August.<\/p>\n

Whenever he was healthy enough to play, Ahuna flashed the same tools that made him stand out in college \u2014 first at Kansas, then at Tennessee under Vitello.<\/p>\n

Ahuna logged an .823 OPS in 63 games \u2014 30 of his 63 hits went for extra bases \u2014 and his defensive ease at shortstop stood out just as much.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome guys are just born to play shortstop,\u201d Keavy said. \u201cThat\u2019s what it looks like when he goes out there and plays.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the first time in his pro career, Ahuna is healthy heading into an offseason, and the Fall League has given him the runway he hopes will lead to an uninterrupted 2026.<\/p>\n

After a hot start \u2014 a .333 average and an OPS north of .700 through his first three games \u2014 Ahuna has cooled off, hitting .120 with 13 strikeouts over his last six. But the Fall League isn\u2019t just about the box score for him. Ahuna has nearly split his defensive reps between shortstop and second base, using the extra innings to rebuild timing in the part of his game that remains his greatest strength.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to see him healthy,\u201d Keavy remarked. \u201cHe had a really good year in San Jose, then went to Eugene and carried it over. It was a step in the right direction \u2013 just being on the field more. Coming the Fall League, you get more opportunities to be on the field. That\u2019s what it\u2019s about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parks Harber\u2019s Fall League Surge<\/h2>\n

Harber wasn\u2019t the headliner in the four-player return for All-Star closer Camilo Doval at the deadline. He wasn\u2019t the runner-up, either.<\/p>\n

That distinction belonged to catcher Jesus Rodr\u00edguez \u2014 now the Giants\u2019 No. 15 prospect \u2014 who could back up Patrick Bailey as soon as next season after spending September on the club\u2019s taxi squad, and right-hander Tristan Vrieling.<\/p>\n

By this point, Harber is used to living off the front page. He went undrafted despite a prolific college career at Georgia and North Carolina, and he still doesn\u2019t draw the same hype as the Giants\u2019 headline prospects.<\/p>\n

Hype fades, but the sound off Harber\u2019s barrel doesn\u2019t. So far, Harber has been wielding one of the loudest bats in the Fall League.<\/p>\n

After hitting over .300 across three teams in two organizations \u2014 including a .333 mark with seven home runs at High-A Eugene \u2014 Harber has carried the momentum into Arizona, posting a scorching .429\/.556\/.776 slash line through 14 Fall League games.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe can hit,\u201d Keavy said, before repeating himself for emphasis. \u201cHe can hit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, he can. Since October 24, Harber has logged an extra-base hit in seven straight games \u2014 the longest streak the Fall League has seen since Jo Adell in 2019.<\/p>\n

The Fall League is loaded with nine\u00a0Top 100 prospects. Yet it\u2019s Harber \u2014 unranked even in the Giants\u2019 own Top 30 \u2014 who\u2019s third in average, third in OPS, first in doubles, and tied for first in extra-base hits.<\/p>\n

What stands out to Keavy isn\u2019t just the production \u2014 it\u2019s the presence. The way Harber moves in the cage, interacts in the dugout, and competes on the field. And that\u2019s notable, because Keavy never coached him during the season; Harber was already a level up when he entered the organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting to know him too \u2013 that was a big part, because I was never around him,\u201d Keavy said. \u201cGetting to know the personality, getting to know the player, how he works. I\u2019m a fan. I\u2019m a big fan.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rankings may catch up later. The bat is already here.<\/p>\n

Tony Vitello\u2019s Arrival<\/h2>\n

Keavy was preparing for a Scorpions game when he learned the Giants were about to send a shockwave through Major League Baseball by hiring Tennessee coach Tony Vitello.<\/p>\n

His reaction wasn\u2019t hesitation \u2014 it was belief.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a winner. He\u2019s a leader. He\u2019s young. He\u2019s energetic,\u201d Keavy said. \u201cThose are all pillars of what can make a good manager at the big-league level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tony Vitello didn\u2019t just win at Tennessee \u2014 he built players. His rise in the college game was fueled as much by development as by results, which is why there\u2019s an assumption inside and outside the organization that he\u2019ll take a more active role in shaping the Giants\u2019 player-development pipeline than most big-league managers do.<\/p>\n

Keavy understands that possibility, even if the specifics haven\u2019t been defined yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a good question,\u201d Keavy said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard for me to answer without knowing how that process will work, but you\u2019d like to get to know him \u2014 learn from him, talk to him, see how he operates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keavy hasn\u2019t met Vitello yet, but he already sees the logic. The Giants didn\u2019t just hire a coach; they hired a culture driver.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think its\u2019 a cool new chapter that\u2019s about to begin in San Francisco with the team they have on the field, and him leading the charge,\u201d he continued. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

The AFL has long been a proving ground for future stars \u2014 21 players in this year\u2019s World Series once wore Fall League uniforms. If the Giants are going to return to the postseason under Vitello, the next wave might already be here in Scottsdale, with Keavy helping shape it from the third-base coach\u2019s box.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Arizona, the uniforms are the same \u2014 but the names are the future. Giants fundamentals coach Nate Keavy is helping shape the next wave. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":60225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nGiants Fall League Coach Discusses Tony Vitello and the Exciting Next Wave of Hitters in San Francisco - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=60224\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Giants Fall League Coach Discusses Tony Vitello and the Exciting Next Wave of Hitters in San Francisco - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In Arizona, the uniforms are the same \u2014 but the names are the future. 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