After Meckler earned just 10 at-bats as a freshman walk-on at Oregon State in 2019, the coaching staff told him it would be in his best interests to transfer. He stayed in Corvallis anyway and became a two-year starter for the Beavers and a money-saving eighth-round pick in 2022. He needed just 92 games to hit his way from Rookie ball to the Majors, batting .232 in 20 games with the Giants in 2023, but a sprained wrist hampered him for most of last season.
A career .328 hitter in his first three season in the Minors, Meckler has a compact, controlled left-handed stroke and controls the strike zone. He makes a lot of soft groundball contact, though he did add some strength and hit the ball a bit harder in 2024, showing the potential for perhaps 10 homers per season. He's much more effective against fastballs, making contact on 92 percent of swings compared to just 68 percent against all other pitches last season.
Though Meckler has well-above-average speed, he's not a prolific basestealer or a dazzling defender. He's a solid center fielder with fringy arm strength and has seen action at all three outfield spots. He has the same build and extreme hit-over-power profile as fellow Oregon State product Steven Kwan, but Meckler will have to solve non-fastballs and find a bit more impact to compete for a job as a big league regular.
Meckler collected just 10 at-bats as a freshman walk-on at Oregon State in 2019, prompting the coaching staff to tell him he'd be better off transferring. He decided to remain in Corvallis, became a two-year starter for the Beavers and became a money-saving eighth-round pick in 2022. He needed just 92 games to hit his way from Rookie ball to San Francisco and hit .232 in 20 games with the Giants last summer. His .371 batting average between three levels would have led the Minors if he hadn't fallen just shy of qualifying, while his .456 on-base percentage would have ranked third.
Similar to fellow Oregon State product Steven Kwan, Meckler manages the strike zone well and has an extreme hit-over-power profile. He has a compact left-handed swing, rarely chases pitches and almost never swings and misses against a fastball. He does have some trouble making contact against breaking balls and changeups -- he went 2-for-26 with 18 strikeouts against them in the Majors -- but of greater concern is his lack of pop. While he regularly put the barrel on the ball, he hits a lot of soft grounders and rarely drives the ball with authority.
It's difficult to project Meckler as a big league regular unless he makes some adjustments to find more power, but he offers value beyond being a contact hitter. He has well-above-average speed but he's somewhat conservative as a basestealer and has good but not great range in the outfield. He's a solid defender on the corners -- more average in center field -- and possesses fringy arm strength.
After Meckler got just 10 at-bats as a freshman walk-on at Oregon State in 2019, the coaching staff told him he'd be better off transferring. He stuck it out in Corvallis and became a two-year starter for the Beavers before San Francisco signed him for a below-slot $97,500 as an eighth-round pick last July. He hit .367 in his pro debut and then .427 in the first six weeks of this season, reaching Double-A before going on the injured list with an oblique strain.
Meckler controls the strike zone and makes repeated contact with ease from the left side of the plate. He's not very physical, doesn't pull a lot of pitches with authority and makes a lot of ground ball contact, so he might not provide double-digit home run production. It's hard to argue with the start to his pro career, but he'll probably need to make some swing adjustments and find more power to project as a big league regular.
Even if he doesn't develop into an everyday player, Meckler can contribute as a fourth outfielder who can help a team beyond just putting the bat on the ball. He has plus speed, though he's not a prolific basestealer. A solid defender on the outfield corners, he's capable in center field and has fringy arm strength.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
