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SF Giants breakout hitting prospect activated from IL at Double-A

SF Giants outfielder prospect Wade Meckler was activated from the injured list at Double-A Richmond on Saturday.
Marc Delucchi|
SF Giants breakout hitting prospect activated from IL at Double-A
SF Giants breakout hitting prospect activated from IL at Double-A

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants activated outfielder Wade Meckler (Giants preseason #39 prospect) off the injured list with their Double-A affiliate in Richmond on Saturday. Meckler was selected by the Giants in the eighth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Oregon State after one of the most unique college careers among draft prospects. In his first game back, Meckler was 1-3 with two walks, a strikeout, two runs, and two RBI in an 11-2 victory.

Despite multiple stints on the injured list this season, Meckler has already emerged as one of the most exciting prospects in the organization. He became the first member of the team's 2022 draft class to reach Double-A earlier this season after hitting .456/.494/.633 with six doubles, a triple, and two home runs in 20 games at High-A Eugene. He appeared in six games with the Richmond Flying Squirrels before his most recent injury, hitting .333/.407/.333 with more walks (3) than strikeouts (2).

Coming off his senior season at Oregon State, Meckler accepted a below-slot $100,000 signing bonus from the Giants to turn pro last year. In his first taste of pro ball in 2022, Meckler hit .367/.500/.544 with seven doubles and a home run with more walks (9) than strikeouts (8) in 50 plate appearances between Rookie League and Single-A.

Meckler fell in the draft primarily due to concerns about his power potential. Meckler is an above-average athlete and has the best plate approach in the Giants' farm system. However, with a slight frame, scouts had concerns that he will not be able to hit for enough power against big-league pitching.

While Meckler has yet to generate many extra-base hits against Double-A pitching, the 23-year-old has done one thing to help make it easier for him to find a path to the majors. Meckler has flashed the ability to handle all three outfield positions, something that scouts were skeptical of during his college career. Even if he is a soft-hitting contact-first outfielder, that could be enough to be a fourth outfielder if he can play center field.

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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