Giants' Arroyo named Fall League Hitter of the Week
SF's No. 2 prospect hit .437 over four games, drove in three runs
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- San Francisco Giants infield prospect Christian Arroyo of the Scottsdale Scorpions was named Arizona Fall League Hitter of the Week after the third week of games.
"It's definitely an honor," Arroyo said. "Obviously, you're coming out here everyday and you're playing with the best talent that baseball has to offer, so to be named Player of the Week, it's a great honor."
"It's one thing to just come out here and play and have fun and do well, but to get that kind of honor, it's awesome."
Over the last week, Arroyo hit .437 in four games. On Oct. 30, against the Mesa Solar Sox, Arroyo went 4-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs and four runs scored in a 12-1 Scorpions victory.
Arroyo, 20, is experiencing his first Arizona Fall League season and is very appreciative of the opportunity.
"Teams put their guys here for a reason and they want them to succeed," Arroyo said. "It obviously means a lot that the Giants let me come here and perform at a level that I thought it would be fun to play at so I could get challenged. It's definitely everything I hoped and wished for."
Among all Fall League players, Arroyo, the Giants' No. 2 prospect, is second in batting average (.439), tied for second in runs scored (10) and tied for third in home runs (3).
"On the offensive side, I'm always trying to refine my approach and learn how to be a professional hitter and a big league hitter," Arroyo said. "It's fun to come out here and learn the offensive side of it and how to conduct yourself as a big leaguer.
"As far as the defensive side, I'm always working on footwork and stuff, just trying to get quicker. You can never do enough defense."
Arroyo will participate in this year's Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game on Saturday.
"I'm definitely looking forward to it," Arroyo said. "It's an honor to be invited to this league in the first place, but to be invited to the All-Star [Game] of literally a bunch of All Stars, it's awesome. Really no words can describe it. I'm really looking forward to playing against the best guys out in this league and competing and trying to win and having some fun. It's definitely a great honor and I'm excited to get going and get playing."
Arroyo was drafted by the Giants with the 25th overall pick in the first round of the 2013 Draft out of Hernando (Fla.) High School.
Arroyo spent this past season with the Giants' Class A Advanced club in San Jose. In 90 games there, he hit .304 with nine home runs and 42 RBIs.
"I'm just trying to show my skill set," Arroyo said. "I'm just trying to show that I'm a baseball player, that's the biggest thing. I've never been regarded as one of those toolsy kind of guys. I'm just kind of a guy across the board that's a solid baseball player.
"(The Giants) put me in this league for a reason. They saw something in me and I'm just trying to honor their selection of me coming here. I'm just trying to play hard like I always do and just let the rest take care of itself."