One SF Giants outfield prospect who could play his way onto the roster before the end of the year

SF Giants outfield prospect Turner Hill continues to hit, and hit some more in his first extended look with the Sacramento River Cats. Could he play his way to a promotion before the end of this year?

The short answer is yes. The Giants have opened up a lot of playing time in the outfield since Heliot Ramos was traded and following Harrison Bader's suspension. The Giants hoped that Bader would return before the end of the year, but those hopes were dashed after a scooter incident that likely ended his Giants tenure.

Jung Hoo Lee is now the veteran of the outfield group. Drew Gilbert has seen a lot of playing time this year, and that was due in part to Bader's suspension. That said, he has quietly emerged as a reliable role player. Gilbert needs a platoon partner to assume the workload against left-handed pitching.

The Giants are treating the last outfield spot as an open audition for a spot on next year's roster. Grant McCray seen an uptick in playing time since the trade deadline, and while he has shown some improvement in his contact skills, he only has a .389 OPS in 47 plate appearances.

It is tough to ignore SF Giants outfield prospect's recent streak at the plate

Victor Bericoto is back with the club and Jonah Cox are also on the 40-man roster, but what about Turner Hill?

The Giants signed Hill as an undrafted free agent in March of 2023. A few months later, they would also add Bo Davidson and Trent Harris through that channel. Hill was on the older side, so his production in the lower minors was likely overlooked as good numbers against younger competition.

The left-handed bat reached Double-A in 2024, and the numbers began to dip. He spent parts of the next three seasons with the Richmond Flying Squirrels. Things began to click for him this year, as he posted a 1.008 OPS in 42 plate appearances before earning a quick promotion to Triple-A.

Since then, Hill has not taken his foot off the gas. He is slashing .349/.419/.514 (144 wRC+) with eight home runs, 58 RBI, and 62 runs in 357 plate appearances. This includes a 10.4 percent walk rate, 8.7 percent strikeout rate, and .165 ISO. Plus, he has swiped 23 bases in 28 chances with the Sacramento River Cats.

Hill's .349 batting average leads the Pacific Coast League, but he has been even better lately. Since July 1, he has a .417 batting average with more walks (13) than strikeouts (12) in 136 plate appearances.

In the batter's box, the 27-year-old outfield does not hit with much power, but he sprays line drives all over the field. While he uses the entire field, he takes advantage of pitches that he can pull.

Hill grinds out at-bat after at-bat. With a swing rate just over 40 percent, he is a very patient hitter and does not expand the strike zone often. When he does swing, he makes contact at an elite rate. This leads to a healthy number of walks and a very low strikeout rate.

Interestingly, the Giants continue to use Hill in center field in Triple-A despite also having Scott Bandura and Bo Davidson on the roster. Bandura and Davidson have a good bit of experience in center field, but Hill continues to get the nod. One interpretation of this is that the Giants like Hill in center field and want him to continue getting reps. Based on my observation, he has the speed to stick there and gets good reads off the bat.

Given that Hill is eligible for the Rule 5 draft in the offseason (if they have it), this might motivate the Giants to give him a look before the season ends. Plus, Hill is earning it!

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