Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/658783
39 BAY AREA NEWS GROUP PLAY BALL Bam(Meulens,theGiants'hitting coach) on staying in my legs the entire swing and being aggressive with my hips. That translated to home runs. Being more consistent with those things, maybe you'll see more home runs and maybe not. It's not my game. I'm trying to hit line drives off the barrel. So if I hit a home run, you could almost say I missed. Howmuchthirdbasehad you played before last season, when struggling veteran Casey McGehee more or less tutored you to replace him? My freshman year in college I played maybe 10 games and then played a little more my sophomore year, maybe 20 more. Then in the minors it was three games, which came right before I got called up. I'd played the whole year at short - stop. I did take a lot of ground balls at third, so I was familiar with the angles. I understood we had a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop and understood the position wasn't really my ticket as long as he was there. I'd say it wasn't until three or four weeks of being the every - day third baseman last year when I started feeling comfortable there. Did you see that McGehee signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers? Yes, and I shot him a text: 'Hey, man. Hope you're doing well. Just wanted to check in. Just relax and have fun. See the ball, and hit it. Be aggressive. Good luck this year.' Just basic stuff. And then I said, 'Go take a job.' And he texted back and told me to call whenever I needed anything. I was really happy for him because he's such a good dude and works so hard. Through all his struggles, he was still able to coach me and help me and not resent me. He handled it like a friend and in a respectful way. I really appreciate what he actually taught me and also what I gained from him just seeing how he handled the whole situation. When you were on the 2014 playoff roster, it wasn't the first time you've seen a Giants World Series game in person, was it? No it wasn't. That was the third time. I was at Game 1 of the 2002 World Series in Anaheim, which the Giants won. I saw Barry Bonds' home run off Jarrod Wash - burn. It went right over our heads in the right field pavilion. I was 11 years old. My dad and I tailgated. We barbecued. We were so excited to be there. And then Bonds just crushes that home run in his first at-bat. He was so far away. He looked like an ant to me way over at home plate. And then boom! It was amazing that he could hit a ball so far. And then … well, we were at Game 6. And it was funny because for Scott Spiezio's home run, I had to be the only one in the ballpark who didn't see it actually go over the fence. I was standing up in my seat, and he hit it, and from my angle, I thought it was a pop-up. I put my head in my hands, and everybody started going nuts. The next thing anyone knew, Troy Glaus hit a two-run double, and the Angels took the lead, and then you knew how Game 7 was going to go. You didn't own a stuffed rally monkey, did you? I did. Probably a few, actually. And a bunch of thundersticks. I hear rally monkeys make excellent cat toys. Yeah, I'm sure they got ripped up. We probably ripped all of them up when I signed with the Giants. Nah, actually, they're probably still in storage. My dad keeps everything. Speaking of that, the photo collage that your dad published on The Players' Tribune really captured what the journey is like to become a pro ballplayer and how early you began to commit yourself. What does it mean to have that kind of pictorial history to remind you of that journey? You know, I always gave my dad crap — I still give him crap — for taking pictures of everything. Like, I ask him the other day, 'Hey, do you mind helping me pack up my truck for spring training?' He's like, 'Yeah.' So I'm loading boxes up and look back and he's taking pictures of me. And I'm like, 'Dad! I need help! Put the phone down, and stop taking pictures!' But it is cool because you can go back and remember. We had dinner with some of my old travel ball and high school teammates before I left for this spring, and it's great to bring up the pictures and tell stories. I suppose we should ask how Skeeter is doing. He's still fat. He's a family cat, so I don't see him during the season. It's funny. A lot of people think I keep him in my baseball bag. ABAGGARLY@MERCURYNEWS.COM Duffy tags out Diamondbacks Ender Inciarte as he attempts to steal third. Duffy won the Giants' starting third base job in May 2015. GETTYIMAGES THE GIANTS