Wade Meckler, in his second game, felt powerless.
The rookie wasn’t getting the calls he should have, but didn’t think it was his place to talk to home plate umpire Chad Whitson. Silently, he kept getting squeezed.
“You don’t want to come off as disrespectful and say anything,” Meckler said postgame. “Even if I say it in a respectful way, they could say I’ve played two big-league games.”
Instead of letting the miscalls continue, manager Gabe Kapler acted as Meckler’s voice. From the dugout, he expressed his frustration to Whitson. Then after getting rung up, Kapler got his money’s worth.
Kapler’s second ejection of 2023 and seventh as a Major League manager was worthwhile. It sent a message to Meckler that the rookie should continue to be picky in the batter’s box, and showed he rest of the team a bit of fire during a stretch in which the club had lost seven of nine. The Giants were gridlocked in a scoreless tie when Kapler got himself tossed. They cruised to a 7-0 victory over Tampa Bay as he watched from the batting cage monitor.
“It feels very good to have a manager who will go out there and stand up for you, especially when you can’t really say anything as a player,” Meckler said.
In the morning, Kapler read a story from 2022 in Oregon Live about Meckler’s rise. He was an undersized freshman in high school who grinned his way to a walk-on spot at Oregon State, where he essentially refused the coaching staff’s decision to cut him. He was so dedicated to improving, Meckler trained at an injury prevention facility, took up rock climbing to improve grip strength and swung in the cage until his hands bled.
“He’s had to grind and fight every step of the way,” Kapler said postgame.
Kapler stood up for Meckler because he noticed calls weren’t going the rookie’s way from the start. The manager said he felt Meckler had gotten “F-d” the night before with a tight zone and that only continued into Tuesday.
By Meckler’s second at-bat, in the fourth inning, Kapler was fed up. In a cropped City Connect hoodie with an orange undershirt, Kapler got in Whitson’s face and motioned that he’d missed three calls.
“Obviously, I didn’t think those were strikes in his first at-bat,” Kapler said. “Wade didn’t think they were strikes. I was just obviously irritated and reacted. But really reacted on behalf of Meck, who deserved to be stood up for by all of us — all the players and staff.”
One of Meckler’s best traits as a hitter is his ability to discern balls and strikes — and make the correct corresponding swing decisions. The plate discipline helped him to a .463 on-base percentage across three minor league levels this year.
After Meckler’s first at-bat on Tuesday night, Kapler told him to stick with his game plan. The most effective, disciplined hitters are stubborn in their approach. A couple bad calls shouldn’t change that; over the course of time, the strike zone will be your friend.
Still, Meckler was frustrated. He’d gone 0-for-3 with a walk in his first game and struck out to start his second. And his lips were sealed.
Eventually, Meckler hopes umpires will recognize and respect his takes like some of the best hitters in the game. The Giants have repeatedly said that LaMonte Wade Jr., for instance, often knows the strike zone better than many home plate umpires. The same can be true about sluggers like Juan Soto and Brandon Belt. When they take, they’re more likely to get calls.
Until then, Kapler wants Meckler to know that it will even out. There’s no problem with him turning around to an ump respectfully and saying where he thought a pitch missed, but it might take some time before earning respect.
“I think just keep making the right swing decisions and eventually kind of build a reputation that I know what the strike zone is, so if I say something, there’s cause behind it,” Meckler said.
After Kapler got ejected, Meckler tallied his first and second hits of his big-league career. The first was a lined single with a 98.8 mph exit velocity, and the other was a squibbed infield single that he beat out with elite speed down the first base line.
“I do think he’s going to know the zone well and I think he’s going to make good swing decisions at the plate,” Kapler said. “That’s sort of been his calling card all the way through his career.”
The Giants had already showed they believe in Meckler with their actions. In his first two games, they inserted him second in the batting order. They let him hit in his debut against a left-hander despite so frequently seeking platoon advantages.
Now, after Kapler’s ejection, the club has shown that they have his back.
