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The Giants are calling up a highly-touted prospect as they try to stay in the hunt for the National League’s second Wild Card spot.
Infielder Mauricio Dubon, acquired at the trade deadline in exchange for pitchers Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black, is set to join the Giants according to Brewers reporter Robert Murray.
“When the (trade) rumors came out, I was excited,” Dubon told The Bay Area News Group on Monday in West Sacramento. “I’d get to go home to Sacramento for a little bit and then go up, but as soon as I found out I was happy.”
Dubon was born in Honduras, but moved to the United States at the age of 15 to pursue a professional baseball career. He moved in with a host family in Sacramento and attended Capital Christian High School where he polished his skills and became a Giants fan.
10 years ago I told my host parents “I’m gonna play here one day” and guess what it’s happening 🙏🏽 #blessed🐰⚓️ pic.twitter.com/1QCAnGMclf
— Mauricio Dubon (@Mauriciodubon10) August 27, 2019
“I remember in 2010 when I went and saw a game, I told my host mom, ‘One day I’m going to play here,” Dubon said. “Now it’s about to happen and I’m excited.”
The wiry, athletic Dubon has played both middle infield positions since joining the Giants organization, but has spent most of his minor league career at shortstop. As a high school student, he patterned his defense after three-time Gold Glove Award winner and new teammate Brandon Crawford, who became Dubon’s favorite player.
“I used to watch videos of him turning double plays a lot,” Dubon said.
Dubon said he played against Crawford during spring training this year, but was too nervous to say anything to him during the game. Now, he’ll share a clubhouse with him.
“It’s going to be special,” Dubon said. “Any day you get your name in a big league lineup, it’s special. Now that it’s going to be for the Giants, it’s extra special.”
The Giants are 4.5 games behind the Cubs with four other teams standing between them and the NL’s final postseason slot.
Dubon, 25, was viewed as the most MLB-ready of the five prospects San Francisco acquired at the trade deadline to debut this season, and that belief bore out even as outfielder Jaylin Davis began to mash home runs in Sacramento.
“He looks just as comfortable at second as he does at shortstop,” Sacramento manager Dave Brundage said Monday. “He’s done a fine job defensively. He’s made some young mistakes, but they’re easily correctable.”
Dubon made his major league debut with the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this season, registering just two plate appearances and striking out once against Giants right-hander Shaun Anderson.
Since joining the Sacramento River Cats, Dubon has played 25 games, hitting .323 with a .391 on-base percentage. The 25-year-old went 1-for-5 in Monday’s loss to the Reno Aces, but his lone hit was an opposite field home run to put Sacramento on the board.
A 26th-round draft choice of the Boston Red Sox out of high school in 2013, Dubon began to climb up prospect rankings within the first two years of his career. Despite being largely overlooked after graduating from Capital Christian in Sacramento, Dubon has already reached the big leagues and will have a chance to record his first hit alongside some teammates he used to cheer on from the stands.
