2 SF Giants prospects promoted to AAA, including top outfield bat

The SF Giants promoted two prospects to Triple-A on Monday. Hot-hitting outfielder Wade Meckler and bullpen prospect Juan Sanchez were moved up to the Sacramento River Cats according to the team's transaction page.

2 SF Giants prospects promoted to AAA, including top outfield bat

The 2023 campaign has been a meteoric rise for Meckler. The Giants drafted him in the eighth round of the 2022 draft out of Oregon State University. 13 months later, he has reached Triple-A, which is not common for prospects in theif first full proessional season, but a well-deserved promotion for the left-handed bat.

The 23-year-old began the season in High-A and he quickly proved to be above the competition. He slashed an incredible .456/.494/.633 with two home runs, 17 RBI, and 14 runs in 87 plate appearances with Eugene before moving up to Double-A.

Despite the fact that the Eastern League is a tough league on hitters, it was more of the same for Meckler as he posted an .881 OPS with two home runs, 23 RBI, and 36 runs in 174 plate appearances while setting the table for the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

Meckler has good speed, but it has not translated to a lot of stolen bases. He began the year seeing a lot of time in the corner outfield spots, but started seeing more time in center field with Richmond. Perhaps, this is an experiment that they are committed to seeing play out.

In the batter's box, the lefty bat will grind out at-bats. He will see a lot of pitches and has good bat-to-ball skills. Meckler pulls the ball quite a bit and likely has benefitted from the new shift rules, but he is capable of using all fields.

On the other hand, Juan Sanchez is a prospect that not everyone may be familiar with, but he is having a good year nonetheless. The 22-year-old pitcher tallied a 2.39 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 9.6 K/9, and a 2.60 SO/W ratio while making 28 appearances out of Richmond's bullpen in 2023.

Sanchez throws from a three-quarters arm slot from the left side, which creates some deception, especially against left-handed hitters. He has a fastball that sits in the low 90's that he pairs with a quality slider and an occasional changeup. The slider is his most effective pitch, but the fastball can be a solid offering as well when he locates it.

Both prospects are just one phone call away from Oracle Park now. Barring an injury, Meckler will likely debut with the Giants at some point in 2024.