Meckler adjusting after rough start
This story was excerpted from Maria Guardado’s Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler prefers to stay measured when it comes to evaluating prospects, cautioning that young players will inevitably have their ups and downs as they attempt to establish themselves in the Majors.
Case in point: Outfielder Wade Meckler, who already seems to be showing some growth after a rough first week with the Giants.
Called up to fill in for the injured Mike Yastrzemski on Aug. 14, Meckler went only 3-for-23 (.130) with 13 strikeouts over his first seven games in the Majors and made some costly miscues in center field, most notably misplaying a ball that resulted in an inside-the-park home run for Phillies star Bryce Harper.
It was fair to wonder whether Meckler -- an eighth-round Draft pick out of Oregon State last year -- had been rushed after appearing in only 92 games in the Minors, but Kapler repeatedly preached patience with the 23-year-old rookie. The narrative already seems to be shifting. Meckler followed his forgettable introduction to the big leagues by going 8-for-25 (.320) with three RBIs, four walks and nine strikeouts over his next nine games.
That turnaround allowed Meckler, who is ranked the club’s No. 11 prospect by MLB Pipeline, to stick on the Giants’ roster even after Yastrzemski returned from the injured list on Wednesday.
“I think over the last couple of years, we’ve seen what happens when a young player allows things to spiral just a little bit,” Kapler said. “I thought, and continue to think, that Meckler is very composed as a baseball player, very composed as a hitter. He’s very driven and dedicated to his plan and approach. He’s just not going to come off of it.”
The left-handed-hitting Meckler has shown he can handle fastballs. He entered Saturday 10-for-24 (.417) against heaters this year. Breaking balls and offspeed pitches have given him more trouble. He’s only 1-for-18 (.056) against those offerings.
Meckler remains a work in progress in center field, as evidenced by the bad route he took on Luis Campusano’s double in the second inning of Friday night’s 7-3 loss to the Padres at Petco Park, but the Giants believe his elite speed will allow him to settle into the position. Meckler ranks in the 93rd percentile in the Majors with an average sprint speed of 29.2 feet per second, which could turn him into a serious basestealing threat in the future, as well.
For now, the Giants will try to balance development with winning and continue to give their young players opportunities to contribute to their playoff push down the stretch.
“It’s just a good reminder of how quickly things can change,” Kapler said. “Probably a good, sobering thought would be: These things swing back and forth. What we’ve seen over the last five days is not necessarily what we should expect for the next two weeks, and vice versa.”
Senior Reporter Maria Guardado covers the Giants for MLB.com. She previously covered the Angels from 2017-18.