Blake Sabol is still adjusting to life as a top player.
In a recent conversation with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Laura Britt, the Giants’ versatile catcher and outfielder described a fun exchange with a passionate member of the San Francisco fan base.
“I actually got caught in Ghirardelli Square,” Sabol said in the latest issue of BP with Britt. “A Giants fan found me; I played “Guitar Hero” in an arcade.
“He’s like, ‘Hey, are you Blake Sabol?’ So he took a picture of me holding a Guitar Hero. [guitar]. It was pretty cool being down at Ghirardelli Square. I ate chocolate, ate ice cream, and played video games, and that’s how I met another fan.”
Sabol, 25, flew under the radar to launch his pro career. After being selected in the seventh round of the 2019 MLB Draft, Sabol spent four years in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization and was never considered one of the team’s top 30 picks.
In December, the Cincinnati Reds selected Sabol fourth overall in the 2022 MLB Rule 5 Draft, trading him to the Giants later that night. Sabol was expected to fight for San Francisco’s backup catcher position behind Joey Bart in spring training.
“Big league camp this year was pretty cool just being in the same locker room as guys like Joc Pederson or Michael Conforto,” Sabol told Britt.
“My first game of spring training was against the Cubs. There were about 16,000 people there, and for me that was a lot of people. I remember thinking after that game: If I make it to the club this year, we’ll play in front of a lot more people than 16,000.”
He hit .348/.475/.630 in 20 games in spring practice and secured a spot on the opening-day roster. In fact, on March 30, Sabol was in eighth place at Yankee Stadium, playing left field.
“It was pretty cool to make your debut against the New York Yankees, against the defending MVP [Aaron Judge] at Yankee Stadium,” Sabol told Britt. “I remember running to left field and looking up, saw the extra third or fourth deck they had out there and I was like, ‘Wow’.”
“It was definitely a surreal experience.”
Sabol is enjoying the ride of his first season in the big leagues. He no longer flies under the radar.
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