SAN JOSE — It’s a half hour home to Palo Alto, but nobody in the Darby household is complaining about the commute. That’s nothing to a pair of parents who get to see their son live out his dream every day for the Single-A San Jose Giants.
The family’s first destination was even closer to home after Zander, a former three-sport standout at Palo Alto High School, was drafted by the Giants last summer.
“Literally our whole family, we ran over to the Giants team store at the Stanford shopping center and bought hats and shirts,” Liz Darby said. “It was surreal for him and really for all of us.”
Darby, according to three sources familiar with the process who weren’t authorized to speak publicly, began hearing from teams around the sixth round but came to a predraft agreement with the hometown Giants, who took him in the 12th round, 358th overall.
Darby left money on the table to sign with the Giants for a $150,000 bonus, sources said, the recommended slot value.
“We really had a lot of interest in him, and he wanted to make something happen,” Michael Holmes, the Giants’ director of amateur scouting, said. “We knew that he wanted to be a Giant and used that to our benefit in a way that we’re extremely happy it worked out.”
No regrets, Darby said before a recent game at San Jose Municipal.
San Jose Giants’ Zander Darby (35) runs after hitting the ball against the Stockton Ports at Excite Ballpark in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)It was a rare day where mom Liz, dad Don and any number of other friends, teachers, coaches or other figures from Darby’s childhood just up the road didn’t make up a personal cheering section. He wasn’t in the lineup, meaning there were fewer bodies in the bleachers.
“I just feel so lucky because everyone is from around the country and the world and I’m right next to home, living my dream,” Darby said. He shares an apartment with teammate Juan Perez, a 20-year-old catcher from Venezuela, “but I’ve gone home like every offday.”
Darby, 24, isn’t likely to appear on any lists of top prospects anytime soon, but he has made an impression with his ability to play all four infield positions and his baseball IQ. Hamate surgery cost him most of spring training and a hamstring strain delayed the start of his season, but since getting on the field he is batting .286 with an .884 OPS and seven stolen bases in 29 games.
“I never have to worry about him,” manager Ydwin Villegas said.
San Jose Giants’ Zander Darby (35) fields a ground ball against the Stockton Ports at Excite Ballpark in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)Palo Alto High has plenty of athletic pedigree, having produced All-Star outfielder Joc Pederson and All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams among others. The school across the street from Stanford, in the heart of Silicon Valley, is even more associated with its academic rigor, though.
In addition to winning CCS titles on the baseball field in 2019 and 2021, Darby played water polo and basketball at Paly, then went on to major in statistics and data science at UC Santa Barbara, where he led the team in cumulative GPA in consecutive seasons.
It is an impressive resume, if perhaps a less traditional path than the rest of his high school friends. Two of them graduated early from Ivy League schools, one is working in private equity and another is getting his PhD in chemistry at Cal Poly.
“It’s so interesting,” Darby said. “I’m living a totally separate life from all my other buddies or most people who went to Paly. They’re killing it, doing great things. It’s just crazy because that’s the norm for the place we grew up and I’m doing something so different.”
Liz, a middle school teacher, and Don, who worked in software, are enjoying the ride while it lasts. Originally from Boston, Don raised Zander a Red Sox fan but the family’s allegiances shifted while going to plenty of games in San Francisco over the course of the Giants’ dynasty.
They attended spring training and even met Buster Posey in the dugout.
“It’s unbelievable for me because I’m a huge Giants fan,” Don said. “There’s a 1 in 30 chance that he’d end up with the Giants. I didn’t have my hopes up. But it all worked out.”
The only louder cheering section on certain days belongs to Robert Hipwell, a sixth-round pick last summer whose family often makes the trip from Scotts Valley. The two local products have taken it upon themselves to sway teammates from faraway places who are “kind of hesitant toward California and San Francisco.”
A group recently took a trip up the peninsula to explore San Francisco on their day off, while Perez, Darby’s roommate from Venezuela, has already been won over — by In-N-Out.
“We do our best to get the guys on the California wave,” Darby said.
San Jose Giants’ Zander Darby (35), center, stands in the dugout before a game at Excite Ballpark in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)Related Articles
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For now, though, Darby has access to a currency coveted by minor leaguers everywhere.
A home-cooked meal, just 30 minutes away.
“I’m always like, ‘Come for dinner!’ And he does every once in a while,” Liz said. “But he also loves hanging out with the guys. We’re trying to find a balance of being there. I think it’s thrilling for him to have everyone come watch him play.”
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