The Giants’ season has been defined by the influx of young talent, and that’s only continuing on Wednesday.
Luis Matos, 21, is making his debut after rapidly rising through the minors this season. The Giants’ fourth-ranked prospect will start in center field and hit second for the Giants in their series finale against the Cardinals in St. Louis.
At 21 years and 137 days old, Matos is the youngest Giants prospect to debut since Madison Bumgarner in 2009. He’s the second youngest active position player in MLB, behind only Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker.
Matos’ promotion comes at a time in which he’s swinging as hot a bat as virtually possible. He has six home runs in his past six Triple-A games. He’s recorded 14 multi-hit games in 24 games since getting promoted to Sacramento.
When asked recently about the concept of striking while the proverbial iron is hot with a prospect, Giants manager Gabe Kapler said “Philosophically, when a guy’s going really well, you want to give him that opportunity because he’s feeling a lot of confidence.”
President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has noticed Matos’ surge, and had similarly expressed interest in adding Matos. But the Giants’ roster has been full on the position player side since June 6, when Thairo Estrada and Joc Pederson return from the injured list.
But injuries on back-to-back plays Tuesday to Mitch Haniger and J.D. Davis opened up opportunities for Matos and infielder David Villar, both of whom the Giants recalled.
Haniger was diagnosed with a fractured right forearm, an injury that could carry a recovery time of three-to-six months. That makes him a candidate for the 60-day IL and could put his season in jeopardy. Davis, meanwhile, has a sprained right ankle, which should be a much more mild injury.
The Giants will likely take a step back without two valuable veterans. But they could take another step toward the next generation.
Already this year, the Giants have brought up catcher Patrick Bailey, infielder Casey Schmitt, and pitchers Ryan Walker, Keaton Winn and Tristan Beck. Bailey in particular has starred, looking like a cornerstone catcher.
Matos will join the list with potential to inject more life into the club.
Matos wasn’t a lock to even be protected in the Rule 5 Draft this winter, since he struggled so much last year in Double-A. For the Eugene Emeralds, he hit .211 with unsustainable strikeout rates.
The Giants added Matos to the 40-man roster, though, and gave him an objective: improve plate discipline.
Matos did just that. He started the year at Double-A, where he quickly graduated. With the River Cats, he slashed .398/.399/.444. He drew seven walks compared to eight strikeouts, demonstrating vastly improved swing decisions.
Now, as a the fourth-youngest active big leaguer, Matos will get a chance to stay hot. Another day, another debut.
