Former Tennessee baseball star Drew Gilbert is the No. 13 prospect in the San Francisco Giants' minor league system, but that could change after his MLB debut.
The Giants called up Gilbert on Friday night to make his major league debut, and he made sure to leave a good first impression with Giants fans and the front office.
A ball came his way in right field in the third inning, and he might have had a highlight-worthy diving catch to begin his career defensively.
What a catch by Drew Gilbert 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Tiu0lk0sXW
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 9, 2025
Gilbert couldn't create the same magic at the plate in his debut. He went 0-for-4 in the Giants' 5-0 win over the Washington Nationals.
While the Giants didn't need his bat, they appreciated his defense, especially his gem early in the game that ended the third inning.
Gilbert was asked about that moment by the media after the game, and he admitted it was awesome, but the best part was being able to end the night with a win.
"It was awesome," Drew Gilbert said postgame. "There's no denying that. I think the coolest part is winning the ballgame, right? You come here to win, you want to win. I also know that you're going to be a little amped up in your debut, right?
"I don't want to say you throw results out the window, but you take everything with a little grain of salt just because it is an experience that you haven't really felt, probably, playing in 30-plus thousand people."
Gilbert was traded to the Giants earlier this summer from the New York Mets, the team that drafted him out of Tennessee. Since the trade, he has been playing for the Sacramento River Cats, the Giants' Triple-A team.
He has played five games with the River Cats since the trade. Through those five games, he was batting .500 with seven hits, three runs, and two runs batted in over 14 total at-bats. Before that, he was hitting .243 with the Syracuse Mets with 12 home runs, 47 RBIs, and 45 runs scored.