Austin Slater Finds His Power

SAN FRANCISCO—During his first two professional seasons, spanning 145 games and 576 at-bats, Austin Slater hit a grand total of five home runs.

Last season, which he split between Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento, Slater ripped 18 homers over 109 games and 390 at-bats.

That power increase is one reason Slater, 24, has a decent chance to make his major league debut with San Francisco at some point in 2017.

Slater, a 2014 eighth-round pick from Stanford, attributes his home run jump in large part to “pitch selection, being more aggressive in hitters’ counts.

“Early in the count, you might see a fastball right on the corner of the plate,” he said. “You might be thinking to yourself, ‘I can hit that ball,’ but is it something that I can drive, something that I can either hit out of the park or hit into a gap?

“If you lay off that pitch, you might be able to work it back to a 2-2 count or a 3-1 count, something where you have the advantage and be able to get an even better pitch over the middle of the plate.”

A righthanded hitter, Slater slashed .305/.393/.500 last year.

“There’s a lot to like about his approach at the plate, his extraordinary professionalism and effort, and (he’s) really a gamer in all respects,” general manager Bobby Evans said.

Evans projects Slater mainly as a corner outfielder, but appreciates his versatility. Slater can play center and spent the bulk of the 2015 season as a second baseman.

The Giants have given Slater a non-roster invite to spring training. As a Stanford student, he made the trek from Palo Alto to AT&T Park a few times.

Now he owns a realistic shot at playing in AT&T this year.

“I always dream about that call that I’m going to make to my parents,” he said. “I think that’s going to be the moment where I really realize, ‘Man, this is it.’ ”

GIANTICS

• The Giants have reportedly shown interest in Korean infielder Jae-Gyun Hwang, 29. He hit .330/.391/.558 with 26 home runs and 104 RBIs last season in Korea.

• Giants’ pitchers and catchers will report to spring training in Scottsdale on Feb. 13. Position players report Feb. 16.

— Steve Kroner covers the Giants for the San Francisco Chronicle