SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- For the past three seasons, Giants first baseman Darin Ruf has been mashing baseballs.

Albeit, that production came with the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization, but nonetheless, that experience has aided him in his attempts to revive his big league career.

“I really just enjoyed the opportunity that they gave me over there to play every day, to be one of the main contributors on the team and someone that they look for to create runs, help them win games,” Ruf said. “Having that experience is great to bring back. … I look to build upon that.”

Ruf has been the Giants’ most impactful bat during Cactus League play. He nearly socked a homer on two separate occasions during Sunday’s 8-4 win over the Mariners, rocking a double to the base of the right-center-field wall in the third and nearly leaving the yard in his final at-bat in the seventh.

His 3-for-3 performance with a trio of doubles leaves him hitting .455 (10-for-22) thus far.

Leading the team with three home runs, eight RBIs and 23 total bases, Ruf has picked up during the spring right where he left off from his three years in Korea.

“I think the success that Darin Ruf is having, particularly to the middle of the field, the extra-base power that he is displaying, is very encouraging,” manager Gabe Kapler said.

While Ruf talked of correcting his swing path, hitting the ball hard isn’t anything new for him. In sporadic playing time with the Phillies in 2015-16, Ruf produced a hard-hit rate of 41.6 percent, well above the league average of 34.5.

During his time in the Korea, he posted a slash line of .312/.404/.563, finishing in the top five of league leaders in OPS in each of the past two seasons.

Ruf’s baseball odyssey has taken him to new parts of the globe, but for now, he’s content tearing up the Cactus League and seeing where that takes him.

“I love it here,” Ruf said. “This organization has been very good to me and the atmosphere in the clubhouse, the communication with the coaching staff, is unlike [anything] I’ve ever had in my professional career so far.”

Sunday standouts
• Right-hander Jeff Samardzija continued to ramp up his workload in his third start of the spring. He tossed 3 2/3 frames vs. Seattle, striking out four batters while allowing one run on two hits and two walks, an outing that Kapler described as “creative and crafty.”

His final pitch was a splitter that got Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford whiffing at air.

“When it’s a lefty and there’s all that space over there … you can really pronate it,” Samardzija said of his splitter. “I just had a good rhythm with it today. Sometimes it’s a pitch that you throw hard, sometimes it’s one that you lighten up on.”

Having combined to yield just two runs across his first 8 2/3 spring frames, Samardzija made it clear that he’s already feeling strong.

“Throwing up some good [velocity] out there. All the pitches were working. My slider was really good too, so that’s really encouraging.

“I think the more [velocity] that I have, the better I’m going to be.”

• Hunter Pence homered in the fourth, marking his first trot around the bases with the Giants since Sept. 25, 2018.

He followed up his laser shot with a two-run double down the left-field line in the fifth.

“You take the same swing no matter where the ball is,” Pence said, noting that the home run came on an up-and-in fastball, while the double was a product of a hanging curveball.

While admitting that he is still attempting to get himself acclimated physically, Pence said, “Having some success today definitely helps with building up that momentum and that confidence.”

• Yolmer Sánchez put his dazzling defensive acumen on display Sunday, first ranging into shallow left field for a sliding grab in the third, before saving a pair of runs with a leaping, bobbling snare in the fourth.

“You’re going to see that all the time,” Samardzija said of Sánchez’s sprawling effort. “I think the best thing that we could say about Yolmer is just the way that he plays the game. I was really stoked when we signed him over here.”

Sánchez has scuffled with the bat thus far in Cactus League action (2-for-24), but he was named the Gold Glove winner at second base in the American League last season while with the White Sox, having posted a 1.7 dWAR. He has extensive experience at second and third base, and as a non-roster invitee, he is eyeing an opportunity to make the club’s bench.

“It’s nice to be able to have somebody who can move around from second to shortstop and play above-average defense at both positions,” Kapler said.

But the most glowing review comes from Samardzija who declared, “He’s just an amazing teammate.”

Up next
The Giants will be going with a bullpen day for Monday’s tilt against the Indians at Goodyear Ballpark, with right-hander Trevor Oaks set to pitch first at 1:05 p.m. PT. Oaks has posted two scoreless frames thus far in Cactus League play, with right-handers Tyson Ross, Andrew Triggs and Carlos Navas and left-hander Jerry Blevins expected to follow him. Cleveland will counter with right-hander Aaron Civale. Fans can listen live to an exclusive audio webcast.