The Giants called up Donovan Solano from their AAA Affiliate Sacramento River Cats on May 7th this year. The second baseman and shortstop appeared to be a viable bench player that could come in against left hand pitchers and give Brandon Crawford or Joe Panik a break on occasion. But he has proven over the 72 games he has played this year to be much more.
We spoke to Donovan – through his interpreter Erwin Higueros – to get some more insight into his earlier major league experience, his thoughts on Bruce Bochy and his good friend Pablo Sandoval, and much more.
His baseball career began with the St. Louse Cardinals who signed him when he was 17 years old as an Amateur Free Agent in 2005.
“I was at home and there would be teams that would go and conduct tryouts. In addition, the Cardinals were one of the teams that gave me a chance. In 2004 I was invited to go to Venezuela for a week to show my skills. They saw me and everything went well and they signed me and my dream came true.”
It has been a long road for Donovan with many stops in the minor leagues – and major leagues – along the way. He played for the Cardinals for or 6+ years, reaching the AAA level but never the major leagues. Then in November of 2011 he was signed by the Miami Marlins and finally made it to the major leagues in 2012 at age 25. In 93 games he performed well (.295/. 342/.375). He played for the Marlins through 2015 with notable stars like Giancarlo Stanton.
“My experience was very good, they gave me the opportunity to reach the big leagues. They gave me the opportunity to play and I was able to show what I could do at this level. At least in Triple A. I was able to share the big stage with so many stars. I will always be grateful to God that gave me the opportunity to get here. “
At the end of 2015, he was again granted his Free Agency and was signed in December by the New York Yankees. Between 2015 and the end of 2017 he spent most of his time in the minor leagues but did make it to the majors for 9 games in 2016 as a Yankee.
Then in January of 2017 he was signed by Farhan Zaidi and the Dodgers and in 2018 he had one of his best seasons – batting over .300 for the Dodgers AAA club (Oklahoma) but was never called up to the majors. Zaidi became the Giant’s President of Baseball Operations in November of 2018 and in January of 2019, he signed Solano again, this time for the cross-town rival Giants.
‘The Giants had been trying to sign me for about three years. In addition, this year I felt this was the perfect time and I was looking for a chance to get to the big leagues and thought I would have the opportunity here especially with Farhan being with the Giants. I wanted to show my talent and get a chance to play here. Now I am here and I feel my decision was a good one. “
Since joining the Giants Solano has slashed .328/.340/.450 — all are well above the league average. As a Giant, Solano has had some big hits, played solid defense at both second base and shortstop, and been a solid contributor.
In the beginning of the Giant’s last home stand against the Arizona Diamondbacks – Mike Krukow on KNBR Radio– discussed Solano’s background and his success with the Giants. – “He had a great year last year with the Dodger’s AAA affiliate the Oklahoma team where he hit .318. So he shows up in Giant’s camp and you know right away he is one of Farhan’s guys. And he has really paid nice dividends for Farhan Zaidi.”
Solano’s has enjoyed his time with the Giants especially his given his chance to play with Pablo Sandoval. “Oh Pablo! He is great and a good example to the younger players. You see everything he has and he still comes here and works very hard like he hasn’t done anything yet in the big leagues, He is a great guy always willing to help all the young players and veterans as well. “
And, of course, he feels fortunate to be part of Bruce Bochy’s final season.
“He is great. Always great to have someone like him that has so much experience, knowledge, and an old school manager. It is always good to see how he manages, and how he uses us, and so much to learn and how he gives all of us a chance to play.”
It has been quite a journey for Donovan, arriving with the Giants at 31 years of age. And by all accounts, he has been a great teammate along with making notable contribution on the field. Don’t be surprised to see “one of Farhan’s guys” in a Giant’s uniform in 2020.