New SF Giants infield prospect has been on a tear since being acquired from Braves

Top SF Giants prospect Bryce Eldridge has been the organization's best hitter this year and even earned a late-season promotion to Double-A. However, new infield prospect Sabin Ceballos has not been that far behind since being acquired from the Atlanta Braves.

New SF Giants infield prospect has been on a tear since being acquired from Braves

In that deal, the Giants shipped Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson to Atlanta in exchange for Tyler Matzek and Ceballos. Matzek was packaged in the deal to offset some of the cash going to Atlanta and he has since been released.

On the surface, it was a confusing move for San Francisco to move Soler given that he had been one of the team's better hitters at the time of the trade. To some degree, the Giants were still in the mix for a playoff spot even if the odds were not in their favor. It sent a confusing message that the Giants were trying to compete but sending away one of their better hitters.

The unheralded move of that trade might be adding Ceballos. The Braves selected him in the third round of the 2023 draft out of the University of Oregon. He agreed to a $597,500 signing bonus.

During the 2023 college season, the right-handed bat slashed .333/.426/.643 with 18 home runs and 70 RBI in 256 plate appearances. There was a pretty good profile for raw power, contact, and plate discipline.

However, that raw power did not come through often in the first half of the season with the Braves organization. In High-A, Ceballos only tallied three home runs in 377 plate appearances with the Rome Braves.

The former third-round pick has been a different hitter since joining the Giants organization. In that time, he has registered a .300/.365/.545 line (149 wRC+) with six home runs, 28 RBI, and 23 runs in 126 plate appearances with the Eugene Emeralds. For Ceballos, playing with the Emeralds is a return to familiar territory as he gets to play in the same stadium he did when he was in college.

So, what changed. Ceballos is a strong athlete who generates good bat speed. This should result in some home-run power. The biggest difference is in his batted-ball profile.

Ceballos had a ground ball rate near 40 percent with the Braves organization earlier this year, but he has brought that down to 27.2 percent since joining Eugene. The righty bat has offset that with a much higher fly ball rate (45.7 pecent) and slightly higher line drive rate (27.2 percent). For a player with raw power, these are the types of outcomes you want to see.

Not surprisingly, the power has played up since joining the Giants organization. He is making a case for a late-season promotion much in the same way Bryce Eldridge did. It might not come this year for Ceballos, but he will be a name to watch as he advances through the minors.