Pair of SF Giants catching prospects earn promotions

A pair of SF Giants catching prospects are on the move. 20-year-old catcher Onil Perez has received a promotion to High-A, whereas 2023 draftee Jack Payton was moved to Low-A according to the team's transaction log.

Pair of SF Giants catching prospects earn promotions

The Giants have had a lot of movement within the farm system in 2023 thanks to several breakout performances and prospects regaining what made them so well-regarded in the past. On the other hand, Perez has quietly had a very productive season in the California League where he is on the younger side.

The right-handed bat has registered a .300/.364/.403 line (110 wRC+) with two home runs, 36 RBI, and 46 runs in 283 plate appearances for the San Jose Giants. This includes an excellent 8.1 percent walk rate against an 11.0 percent strikeout rate.

Oddly enough, the catching prospect has swiped 21 bases in 23 opportunities. He is not a fast runner, but he reads pitchers well and gets good jumps against lower competition. His game power is on the lighter side, but the Giants hope that his gap-to-gap power translates to more home runs as he grows and matures.

Perez is a good receiver behind the plate. He has thrown out 21 runners in 72 opportunities with San Jose, but his accuracy on his throws needs to improve. Nevertheless, there is a lot to like with Perez's profile.

On the other hand, Jack Payton will replace Perez on the roster after a brief stint with the ACL Giants Orange. The Giants selected the 22-year-old in the 11th round of this year's draft out of Louisville University.

Payton was considered one of the better prospects in this year's draft class but slid over questions about his ability to stick at catcher. There are fewer questions about his bat, which is his carrying tool. Payton posted a 1.115 OPS with 12 home runs in 214 plate appearances this year in college.

He quickly proved to be above the competition level of rookie ball as he tallied 10 hits, including two doubles, with 11 RBI in 25 at-bats. The right-handed bat has a compact swing but is still able to generate power to all fields. He sees a lot of pitches and is not afraid work deep counts due in part to average-to-above-average contact skills. With the addition of Payton and Perez's strong 2023 campaign, it feels like the Giants have some organizational depth at catcher.