SF Giants offseason acquisition making a case to break camp with the club

Blake Sabol is not the only new SF Giants addition who is making a solid first impression with the club. Middle infielder Brett Wisely is making a case to break camp with the club as well.

SF Giants offseason acquisition making a case to break camp with the club

You do not have to go too deep into the transaction wire to identify the genesis of the trade for Wisely. Last summer, Trevor Rosenthal was signed to a contract midway through the season while still rehabbing from a leg injury.

Before he threw a single pitch for the Giants organization, he was shipped to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for outfield prospect Tristan Peters at the trade deadline. Peters' time in the organization was brief as he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Wisely. Essentially, San Francisco added Wisely for a pitcher who has not pitched in the majors since 2020.

The Rays had a roster crunch on the 40-man roster and the trade was made so that Tampa Bay could ease that crunch. It was either add Wisely to the 40-man roster or leave him unprotected in the Rule 5 draft. The Rays decided for the latter and netted an outfield prospect in return.

In Wisely, the Giants added a prospect who had experience all around the infield while proving to be a competent hitter. In 500 Double-A plate appearances last year, the left-handed bat slashed .274/.371/.461 (121 wRC+) with 15 home runs, 56 RBI, and 84 runs. This includes a 12.4 percent walk rate against a 20.8 percent strikeout rate.

The 23-year-old earned a promotion to Triple-A where he tallied five hits in 21 at-bats. This was his first stint at the highest level in the minors, so it is likely that Wisley needs more minor league seasoning.

The Giants liked him for several reasons including the fact that he hits from the left side. They are very thin on left-handed-hitting middle infielders, so Wisely has a chance to carve out a role. He is known as a bat-first infielder, but that has not stopped the Giants from working him out at shortstop where he has already made two appearances in the Cactus League. Despite the fact that he has only played 19 games at shortstop as a pro, the organization appears convinced that he can, at the very least, handle the position.

It is very early in spring training, but Wisely is off to a nice start. He has recorded three hits, including two home runs, in seven at-bats. The second home run came against Phillip Diehl of the Cleveland Guardians in a 4-3 loss on Thursday.

The chances of Wisely making the Opening Day roster are not great at the moment. However, an injury could create an opportunity for the middle infielder. And, he is making a good case in the early going.