Since picking Duke quarterback Daniel Jones sixth overall in the 2019 NFL Draft on Thursday, general manager Dave Gettleman has been an immediate and frequent target of criticism for New York Giants fans.
To fans of the Reno Aces, however, he's probably garnered nothing but thanks.
The same night Gettleman declared Jones as the heir apparent to Eli Manning, the Aces stomped all over the Fresno Grizzlies in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, and one of their hottest players -- Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Tim Locastro -- apparently drew inspiration for a career-best three-home-run night from anger over the Daniel Jones selection.
"If I'm being completely honest with you, we were watching the NFL Draft before the game," Locastro told MiLB.com's Katie Woo. "I'm a huge Giants fan, and I was a little upset with their pick. I sort of had that on my mind in my first at-bat."
Locastro's first at-bat on Thursday night? A leadoff shot over the fence in right-center field -- and the first of three dingers, despite the 26-year-old outfielder coming into the night hitting .166 with just one homer on the season.
Originally from Auburn, New York, Locastro admitted to Woo that "the general manager in New York ... knows more than me, so hopefully it's a good pick." (Locastro's fellow Giants fans may beg to differ) But he reiterated after the Aces' big night that his team's apparent draft-day blunder helped "things fall into place" at the plate.
I think that's one of the keys to baseball -- when you're not really thinking about it, things sometimes just fall into place.
