Photo Credit: Kevin Cunningham | Giant Futures
Hey, Wade Meckler has himself a big league average! That is pretty sweet. I know there are a lot of things to say about Meckler’s promotion to the big league club in his first full year. There’s the incredible personal story of overcoming setbacks and doubters. There are 40-man implications that will be felt in the fall, and I know there’s some sense that his success comes at Luis Matos’ expense as far as big league reps go.
But one thing I was thinking about yesterday is something I’ve heard from folks in the Giants organization before — that it’s important to practice what you preach. The Giants’ front office and player development folks place a huge amount of emphasis — for both hitters and pitchers — on the importance of controlling the zone, and they let players know that improvement in this area is key to advancing in the organization. When a player like Meckler, who is brilliant at controlling the zone, moves as fast as he has, it’s a clear signal to the rest of the players in the farm. They see the value in practice as well as hearing it in theory. Meckler went from an 8th round pick to a big leaguer in about 14 months. And he did it by not swinging at balls outside the strikezone (which he’s done about as well this year as LaMonte Wade, Jr.) and making contact with balls in the strike zone (which he’s done as well as anybody with an in-zone contact rate of about 92%).
The Giants don’t just talk the talk about controlling the zone, they walk the walk, too. And that’s great to see — for both fans and the players trying to get where Meckler is today.
HITTER of the NIGHT: Bryce Johnson (Sac), 6 for 6, HR (7), 2b (11), 2 R, 2 RBI
PITCHER of the NIGHT: Kyle Harrison (Sac), 4.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
Alright, let’s get to the Lines. Neither rain, nor snow, not short bullpen walls shall keep us from our appointed rounds….we brook no obstacles here at There R Giants.
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