San Francisco Giants promote catcher Andrew Susac

The Jake Peavy trade is the big news in San Francisco this weekend, but the Giants made another transaction of interest on Saturday evening, promoting catching prospect Andrew Susac to the major league roster.

Susac was drafted by the Giants in the second round in 2011 out of Oregon State University. He was rated as a first-round talent but he broke a hamate shortly before the draft, knocking his stock down a little. He had a somewhat disappointing 2012 season with San Jose in the High-A California League, hitting just .244/.351/.380 (wRC+ 96) and showing erratic defense.

However, 2013 was much better: he hit .256/.362/.458 for a 129 wRC+ for Double-A Richmond in the hitting-difficult Eastern League. He's remained solid in '14, hitting .268/.379/.451 with a 120 wRC+ for Triple-A Fresno.

Susac is listed at 6-1, 215, born March 22, 1990. Offensively, he is not going to hit for a high batting average and there were concerns early in his career that his swing was rather long. He's made adjustments, however, shows a good batting eye and above-average power to left and left-center field. His strikeout rate is reasonable and he's been a solidly above-average run producer in the high minors. He may be just a .240-.250 hitter, but his OBP and SLG should be decent once he gets a chance to adjust.

He has steadily improved defensively, cutting down on errors and passed balls while showing a strong throwing arm and a quick-enough release to catch 36% of runners this year. His leadership skills are well-regarded and overall he is an above-average defensive catcher.

While Susac is not going to win batting championships, he has the offensive and defensive skills to be a regular major league catcher and deserves more attention than he's received.