For the final time this year, three San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates were in action on Thursday. Going forward the eight-team system has been whittled down to just two.

Let’s jump into the action.

Link to the 2023 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions are the positions played in that game.

News

Itty bitty news, but AAA Sacramento moved LHP Chris Wright and RHP Miguel Yajure to the Development List. This is surely just logistical puzzle pieces, as they had to make room for RHP Joe Ross to be activated, and third baseman Casey Schmitt to be optioned.

AAA Sacramento (63-77)

Sacramento River Cats beat the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Astros) 4-1
Box score

It hasn’t been the year that RHP Sean Hjelle (No. 30 CPL) envisioned, after making his MLB debut in 2022. The hope was that Hjelle would be an impact player at the MLB level and, when not doing that, look really good in AAA.

Unfortunately, neither of those things have happened, as Hjelle has struggled a bit at each level, and will enter the offseason with his 40-man roster spot in peril.

But Thursday he reminded the team as to why he’s such an intriguing prospect. Hjelle was initially slated to start the game, but when veteran RHP Joe Ross was activated from the IL, Hjelle moved into a bulk-innings relief role. He entered in a messy 3rd inning and got out of the jam he didn’t make, then settled into an absolutely delightful outing: 5.2 innings, 4 hits, 1 walk, 1 hit batter, 1 run, and 2 strikeouts.

Hjelle lived in the strike zone, throwing 53 of 81 pitches for strikes, and despite the low strikeout numbers, batters looked quite uncomfortable taking at-bats against him all night long. Such is the inherent advantage of being a pitcher who would be one of the tallest players in the league if he played in the NBA.

With a handful of notable pitchers being Rule 5 eligible this offseason, it won’t be easy for the Giants to find a way to keep Hjelle, considering that he has a 6.03 ERA and a 5.94 FIP this year in AAA, to go with his 8.59 ERA and 4.80 FIP in the Majors. But you can certainly understand why they might prioritize him more than the raw numbers would suggest. There’s definitely something there.

As mentioned, Ross got the start, his first with AAA after spending the year injured and then making 5 rehab appearances. He looked a little rusty, as expected, but was good overall, pitching 2.1 scoreless innings with 2 hits, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts. This short stint in Sacramento is important for Ross as he tries to get back to the Majors — if he looks good, he could certainly factor into the team’s plans for 2024.

Shutting the door in the 9th inning was LHP Erik Miller, who struck out a batter and walked a batter in a no-hit inning. By now you all know the drill with Miller, who has obscenely high strikeout and walk rates: among 165 Pacific Coast League pitchers with at least 30 innings thrown, Miller’s 12.8 strikeouts per 9 innings ranks 8th, while his 7.2 walks per 9 ranks 150th.

But while those are the numbers that jump off the page, it’s something a little quieter that might be the most stunning. Since getting tagged for 5 runs in 0.2 innings in his final appearance in July, Miller has been almost literally unhittable. In 16 games since, Miller has thrown 14.2 innings and allowed …. wait for it …. 1 hit. And that hit was a single. Needless to say, he hasn’t given up a run, and he has 24 strikeouts to 10 walks in that time frame.

I think it’s safe to say that the Giants are going to protect Miller from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. Southpaws who can go nearly 7 weeks of 1-hitting opponents in the Minor League equivalent of Coors Field don’t exactly grow on trees.

A fairly pedestrian day on offense, though shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald (No. 18 CPL) certainly didn’t get that memo. He had another delightful game, hitting 2-4 with an opposite-field home run.

The home run was notable for Fitzgerald because it gave him a 20-20 season in Sacramento. He’d already blown past having a 20-20 year across 2 levels, but fun to see a 20-20 season in AAA.

The Giants have had just 4 20-20 seasons in the Minors over the last 2 years: Grant McCray last year, Vaun Brown last year, and Fitzgerald both this year and last year. That’s really cool, so congrats on the accomplishment, Tyler!

It’s hard to know what to make of Fitzgerald’s power and overall offensive performance. On the one hand, an up-the-middle player with a lot of home run power is obviously a very exciting thing. On the other hand, the Giants are pretty wary of prospects who rely on home runs for offensive success. We’ve seen firsthand what happened when David Villar and Jaylin Davis were given opportunities in the Majors and didn’t sustain their PCL home run rates and had limited offensive tools to fall back on.

The unfortunate place where that comparison breaks is in the fact that Villar and Davis used homers to boost their delightful statlines, while Fitzgerald has used his to tread water offensively. Villar’s 27 homers in Sacramento last year resulted in a 148 wRC+, while Davis’ 25 homers across a pair of AAA teams in 2019 left him with a sky-high, very nice 169 wRC+.

It’s been a different story for Fitzgerald, whose 20 homers in Sacramento this year have given him a 103 wRC+, while 21 big flies in AA Richmond a season ago left him with a distinctly-average 100 wRC+. Seen through that lens, it’s a little more understandable that the Giants don’t seem to be as high on Fitzgerald as most fans are, but it’s still exciting to think of a player who plays a quality shortstop, second base, and center field having that type of power.

Also a 2-hit day for catcher Joey Bart, which was nice to see, while left fielder Trenton Brooks was the other player to reach base multiple times, hitting 1-2 with a walk.

Not a notable day for the players trying to get back to the Majors this year, as designated hitter Heliot Ramos (No. 12 CPL) hit 0-4 with 2 strikeouts, while Marco Luciano (No. 2 CPL) and Wade Meckler (No. 42 CPL) both had the day off.

AA Richmond (73-62)

Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Erie SeaWolves (Tigers) 7-3
Box score

With their 10th win in their last 11 games, the Flying Squirrels have done something that looked impossible when the month began: punched a ticket to the postseason. And with 3 games remaining, no less!

Driving the critical win was LHP John Michael Bertrand, whose final regular season appearance of his first full season put a bow on an absolutely delightful year. A 10th-round pick in 2022, Bertrand started this game and tossed 6 scoreless innings, giving up just 4 hits and 2 walks. Delightful!

He also only struck out 2 batters, but that’s part of the Bertrand experience. He doesn’t have overwhelming stuff, but he has fantastic command and control, and limits hard contact, which is what has allowed him to fly through the system: after throwing just 8 innings in his debut season last year, and starting 2023 in Low-A, he ends the regular season having made 11 starts in AA.

Among 56 Giants pitchers with at least 50 innings thrown this year, Bertrand is 4th in walks per 9 innings (2.7), 7th in home runs per 9 innings (0.5), and 4th in ground ball rate (56.4%). That’s allowed him to be 14th in ERA (3.65) and 9th in FIP (3.61), while mostly trailing relievers, despite being 54th of those 56 in strikeouts per 9 innings (7.0).

In that type of old school pitcher enough for Bertrand to have a future as a starter in the Majors, or will he end up being a Scott Alexander-esque reliever? I’m sure the Giants would be happy with either!

The standout player on offense was someone who has been standing out most of the year, right fielder Victor Bericoto. Playing in his 49th game since a midseason promotion, Bericoto hit 1-3 with a walk, and added to his organizational lead with a solo home run to open up the 6th inning.

Despite a very slow start after his promotion, Bericoto has seen his AA numbers rise up to a .777 OPS and a 107 wRC+. Still just 21, the Giants have to be mighty impressed by the righty’s ability to adjust. He joined Richmond in early July and posted a .464 OPS in the month. But in August that number rose all the way to .888, and so far in September it’s sitting at .854.

I’m curious to see if the Giants start Bericoto in AAA next year. I’d guess they’ll be a little more cautious and have him begin the year in AA, and promote him early and aggressively if he performs well, primarily because his strikeout rate has spiked in Richmond, jumping from 19.4% in High-A to 27.0% in AA.

The only player other than Bericoto to reach base twice was shortstop Will Wilson (No. 21 CPL), who hit 2-4 as he tries to find some silver linings at the end of a disappointing season. And the biggest hit came courtesy of first baseman Brady Whalen, who only hit 1-4 but that hit was a bases-loaded double.

Low-A San Jose (eliminated)

San Jose Giants lost to the Modesto Nuts (Mariners) 13-4
Box score

And with that, the season is over for the Baby Giants. This game kind of mirrored their year, as they scored 4 runs early on, then gave up 13 unanswered. That’s fitting for a team that was seemingly unbeatable for the first two months of the year, then fell apart.

The pitchers struggled struggled mightily, with the first 5 arms the Giants put on the mound getting lit up. Then LHP Esmerlin Vinicio showed up and saved the day, striking out all 3 batters that he faced in the 8th inning. I have no idea how accurate the following graphics are, but if they are accurate they certainly provide some insight into just how deceptive Vinicio’s pitches are.

That’s a lot of pitches that are clearly in the strike zone and aren’t being swung at.

The raw numbers don’t stand out much for Vinicio, who posted both a 4.91 ERA and FIP in San Jose, with 83 strikeouts to 42 walks in 77 innings (worth noting that Thursday’s game, being the postseason, doesn’t count in his stat totals). But there’s clearly a ton of talent in his arm, and he won’t celebrate his 21st birthday until 2 weeks before pitchers and catchers report.

A few recent draftees ended their debut seasons with strong performances in the batter’s box. Third baseman Charlie Szykowny and right fielder Scott Bandura both doubled, with the former adding a single and the latter a walk. Szykowny, a left-handed hitter taken in the 9th round, struggled a bit after moving from the ACL to Low-A, but ended the year on a 5-game hitting streak (including the playoffs), where he hit 7-17 with 2 doubles, 2 walks, and just 2 strikeouts. Bandura, a left-handed hitting 7th-round pick, had pretty good numbers during his San Jose stint. Including the playoffs, he hit 22-87 with 2 homers, 1 triple, 8 doubles, and 16 walks, albeit with 29 strikeouts.

Also reaching base twice were center fielder Turner Hill who singled, walked, and stole a base, and 2 recent draftees: first baseman Justin Wishkoski and designated hitter Bryce Eldridge. Wishkoski, a right-handed hitting 16th-rounder, hit 2-4 and, like Szykowny, found a way to overcome a slow start to the level and end the year strong. In his first 8 games in Low-A, Wishkosi hit just 2-28 with 0 extra-base hits, 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts. In his next/last 6 games, he hit 10-24 with 1 home run, 2 doubles, 5 walks, and just 3 strikeouts. What an end to the year!

Eldridge, a tall and powerful lefty slugger who was the team’s 1st-round pick, ended his San Jose tenure hitting 18-65 with 1 home run, 2 doubles, 13 walks, and 20 strikeouts, after posting a 1.040 OPS and a 139 wRC+ in the Complex League. Pretty darn good for an 18 year old if you ask me! He’s definitely near the top of players I’m excited to watch in 2024, and I’m already sad that I have to wait half a year for that.

Enjoy the offseason, Baby Giants!

Home runs

AAA Tyler Fitzgerald (20 in AAA, 22 total)
AA Victor Bericoto (11 in AA, 27 total)

Friday schedule

Sacramento: vs. the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, 6:45 p.m. PT
Richmond: @ the Erie SeaWolves, 3:05 p.m. PT

Reminder that Minor League games can now be watched on MLB TV.

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The post San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball roundup, 9/14/23 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

All eight of the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates were in action on Thursday. Let’s dive straight into way too much action!

Link to the 2023 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions are the positions played in that game.

News

For those interested in scheduling (or for those who live in the PNW and want to go to a game), High-A Eugene has rescheduled last Tuesday’s game, which was postponed due to poor air quality. Eugene and Vancouver will play a doubleheader this Saturday the 19th. The regularly-scheduled game will begin at 5:00 p.m. PT, with the second game following.

RHP Ljay Newsome, a Minor League free agent with Major League experience who has spent the year rehabbing, has been moved from the ACL to Low-A as he continues to work his way back.

AAA Sacramento (49-67)

Sacramento River Cats lost to the Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners) 9-0
Box score

Another ugly loss for the River Cats, who have just 4 wins in their last 17 games. It’s ugly out there, folks! Despite the many losses, it’s been a good year for Sacramento, as they’ve created a lot of depth for San Francisco this season. But needless to say, a 9-0 loss was not a game that left anyone feeling like reinforcements for the struggling Major League team are on the way.

Despite the score, it was a very encouraging start for RHP Mason Black (No. 11 CPL). Black pitched 4 innings and got stretched out to 84 pitches, which is exciting to see. He allowed 5 hits, 1 walk, 1 hit batter, and 2 runs in those 4 innings, but also struck out 8 batters. For a 23 year old making just his 7th start in the offense-inflated PCL, that counts as a really awesome outing in my book.

Black hasn’t been elite since a midseason promotion, but he’s handling the move to AAA better than most pitchers. He has a 4.35 ERA and a 6.54 FIP, with 11.6 strikeouts per 9 innings — a mark that ranks 17th out of 141 PCL pitchers with at least 30 innings thrown. The 4.9 walks per 9 will need to come down before he gets a call from Farhan Zaidi, but given how many pitchers are struggling with walks in the PCL this year, it’s not a concerning number to my eyes.

LHP Darien Núñez gave up 2 runs in an inning of work in his 4th game with Sacramento since getting activated at long last. His performance on Thursday isn’t worth writing about per se, but I wanted to mention him so I could implore you all to read Andrew Baggarly’s article this morning about Núñez. Not only does it paint the picture of an exciting and easy-to-root-for pitcher, but it’s a thorough documentation about how the Giants essentially stole Núñez from the Dodgers 2 years ago and, as importantly, how angry the Dodgers are.

It features quotes like this:

What organization has space on their 40-man roster for a pitcher who can’t face a hitter for two years? What organization would commit thousands of dollars to fix someone else’s broken player? What organization would chase ambulances and turn over every word of transactional agate type? What organization peruses the waiver wire with all the glee of a septuagenarian geared up for a weekend of antiquing?

What organization employs Farhan Zaidi as its president of baseball operations?

“So the Giants picked him,” Rios said. “And the Dodgers were pissed.”

And also like this:

“Once he woke up, I said, ‘Do you want to stay a Dodger?’ He said, ‘Hell no, I want to be with a team that wants me.’ It was the best decision. He’s very happy. The Giants have been great, very professional.”

I love it. Read it. Here’s the link again.

A brutal outing for LHP Chris Wright, who gave up 8 baserunners and 5 runs in 1.1 innings of work. Usually walks are Wright’s Achilles heel, but this time he was just giving up contact all over the show. Before this game, his season high for hits allowed in a game was 4, and he’d only given up more than 2 hits 3 times in 34 games. He gave up 7 hits on Thursday.

Shake it off, Chris.

Speaking of LHPs who struggle with walks, Erik Miller pitched a scoreless inning without a walk, allowing just a hit and striking out 2. Miller, who has some of the most electrics stuff in the system, is starting to get his walks in check a little bit. Through 6 games and 5.2 innings in August, he’s issued 3 walks … and just 1 hit and 0 runs, with 8 strikeouts.

Also a nice game for RHP Drew Strotman, who struck out 4 in 1.2 scoreless innings. Really tough year for him though.

Well, I guess we have to talk about the hitting, but there sure isn’t much to talk about. The River Cats had just 3 hits and 3 walks on the day. Third baseman David Villar probably summed up their day best … he doubled for the team’s only extra-base hit … but struck out in his other 3 at-bats and was caught stealing.

Right fielder Luis Matos (No. 4 CPL) and center fielder Bryce Johnson (No. 43 CPL) were the only players to reach base twice. Matos singled and walked in his 2nd game since getting optioned, giving him a 1.066 OPS and a 152 wRC+, while Johnson walked, was hit by a pitch, and stole a base, bringing his OPS to .850 and his wRC+ to 103.

Round up on the rest of the 40-man players and potential depth pieces: second baseman Casey Schmitt (No. 3 CPL) hit 1-4 with a strikeout; left fielder Brett Wisely (No. 33 CPL) hit 0-2 with a hit by pitch; shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald (No. 18 CPL) hit 0-3 with a walk and 2 strikeouts; and catcher Joey Bart and infielder Mark Mathias did not play.

AA Richmond (56-55)

Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Harrisburg Senators (Nationals) 7-6
Box score

An exciting game! The Squirrels trailed the Senators 6-2 in the bottom of the 9th, before mounting a 5-run rally to walk it off. How fun! The 9th was an exercise in patience, as Richmond drew 3 walks and benefitted from 2 wild pitches … one of which scored the tying run.

It all set the table for left fielder Victor Bericoto, who hit 2-4, to knock home the walk-off run with a 2-out single.

Bericoto is still trying to find his groove after setting High-A Eugene on fire and earning an early July promotion. But he’s steadily improving, replacing a .464 July OPS with a .693 mark in August.

The best offensive day belonged to designated hitter Donovan Walton, who smacked a pair of doubles, including one in the 9th-inning rally. Walton has bounced all around the organization this year, and spent extensive time on the Injured List, but he’s been tearing things up since returning to Richmond earlier this month. He’s had a hit in 8 of his 9 games, going 11-32 with 3 doubles, 5 walks, and just 4 strikeouts in that time.

Shortstop Will Wilson (No. 21 CPL) also had a 2-hit day as he continues to benefit from moving down to AA every day.

Right fielder Shane Matheny reached base in both of his plate appearances after being a late substitution. Reaching base is all Matheny does these days: since July 25 he’s 24-69 with 4 homers, 2 triples, 5 doubles, and 21 walks. 21 walks!

Potentially concerning news: third baseman Sean Roby left the game after just 1 at-bat. Roby missed the first few months of the season and has been struggling in his week of returning to Richmond. Hopefully he’s OK.

RHP Hayden Birdsong (No. 36 CPL) was on the mound for Richmond. He was excellent, though his usage was unlucky: he pitched 2 scoreless innings with 4 strikeouts, allowing just 1 baserunner on a single. It was a nice bounce back game for Birdsong, who only lasted 1 inning in his last game, needing 41 pitches to get through it. But unfortunately a lengthy rain delay after the 2nd inning capped Birdsong’s day after just 6 outs.

No other pitching performances of note, honestly.

High-A Eugene (57-53)

Eugene Emeralds beat the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 11-4
Box score

What a fun game for the Ems! So many exciting offensive performances in this one, including stellar games by a pair of undrafted outfielders who impressed in Low-A and earned the chance to prove it against higher competition: right fielder Carter Howell and left fielder Matt Higgins.

Both players hit 2-4 with a home run, with Howell adding a double and Higgins throwing on a walk. Neither player has great numbers, but that’s to be expected when moving to a new level, especially Eugene, which frequently stymies hitters. Howell now has a .729 OPS and a 99 wRC+, while Higgins is at .695 and 91, respectively. That’s certainly holding their own plenty well enough.

Joining them in the homer party was second baseman Ghordy Santos, who pushed his OPS to .790 and his wRC+ to 111.

Santos has been catching fire lately: in his last 9 games, he’s hitting 10-32 with 4 home runs, 1 double, and 5 walks. Strikeouts remain a huge issue for Santos, who only has 3 games without a strikeout since June 24 (and one of those 3 games he came off the bench). His 36.7% strikeout rate is 3rd-highest out of 98 Giants hitters with at least 100 plate appearances this year, and 39th-highest out of 1,384 Minor League hitters with 200 plate appearances or more.

Catcher Onil Perez (No. 44 CPL) made his High-A debut after a late-season promotion that was half due to strong performance in Low-A, and half due to catcher Adrian Sugastey (No. 22 CPL) recently landing on the IL. Perez was a hit machine in San Jose, and he’s apparently a hit machine in Eugene, as he went 3-5 in his debut.

Third baseman Damon Dues continued his strong recent play, hitting 2-3 with a double and a hit by pitch, bumping his OPS to .808 and his wRC+ to 128. In his last 8 games, Dues is hitting a whopping 13-26 with 5 doubles, 4 walks, and just 4 strikeouts. Nice.

And the top prospects did really well too, as center fielder Grant McCray (No. 6 CPL) hit 3-4 with a hit by pitch, and shortstop Aeverson Arteaga (No. 7 CPL) hit 2-4.

A trio of multi-inning pitchers but no bulk starter. The best pitcher by far was RHP Brett Standlee, who pitched 3.1 no-hit innings, giving up just 1 walk while striking out 5. A 17th-round pick in 2021, Standlee’s 2nd year in Eugene has been a bit of a struggle, as he has a 4.74 ERA and a 4.18 FIP. But this was a nice outing to see after getting really rocked his last time out. Save for a few brutal outings, he’s been pitching quite well lately.

LHP Matt Mikulski had one of his better games, giving up 2 hits, 1 walk, 2 runs, and 1 earned run in 3 innings of work, with 4 strikeouts. There’s really no way to sugarcoat how tough of a season it’s been for the 2021 2nd-round pick, who has ceded 47 walks and 10 hit batters in 53.2 innings to go with a 6.88 ERA and a 6.62 FIP. Here’s to things slowly turning around!

Low-A San Jose (61-50)

San Jose Giants beat the Stockton Ports (A’s) 7-6
Box score

The Baby Giants did just enough to hang on for a win … they took a 7-0 lead into the 8th inning, and gave away as much of it as they could without losing.

Almost all of that damage was done against RHP Tyler Vogel, but RHP Cameron Cutter, after flirting with disaster, was able to help the Giants emerge victorious. Cotter gave up 4 hits and 1 unearned run in 1.2 innings, but struck out 4 batters. In 17 games, the undrafted free agent has a 2.30 ERA, a 3.78 FIP, and a ridiculous 31 strikeouts to 3 walks in 31.1 innings.

It was a stellar start for RHP Manuel Mercedes, who pitched 5 scoreless innings of 1-hit ball, with 6 strikeouts (though he did walk 3). It’s exciting to see Mercedes have a good strikeout game, because it’s pretty rare. There’s so much to like about the 20-year old’s game: he has a 3.65 ERA, a 4.08 FIP, and a 63.9% ground ball rate, which ranks 3rd out of 914 Minor League pitchers with at least 50 innings thrown this year. He also hasn’t given up a home run in his 91.1 innings this year … no other pitcher in the Minors has pitched even 62 innings without allowing a homer. But of those aforementioned 914 pitchers, his 6.6 strikeouts per 9 innings is just 857th.

A good day for a pair of recent draftees, as shortstop Cole Foster and left fielder Scott Bandura both hit 2-4 with a pair of doubles. Bandura, a 7th-round pick who hits left-handed, has seamlessly transitioned to San Jose, where he’s 10-24 with 4 extra-base hits and 3 walks. Foster, a switch-hitter taken in the 3rd round, has struggled quite a bit in San Jose, so nice to see a good game from him. Also nice to see him not strikeout, as that’s been his big issue in the 1st month of his career: he has 25 strikeouts already, with just 1 walk.

Also nice days for a pair of players who have been hot lately: right fielder Tanner O’Tremba hit 2-4 with a hit by pitch, giving him an .821 OPs, a 129 wRC+, and a staggering 25 times being hit by a pitch; and second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 41 CPL) hit 1-3 with a double and a hit by pitch, moving his OPS to .854 and his wRC+ to 131.

ACL Orange (28-24)

ACL Giants Orange beat the ACL D-backs Black 11-2 (5 innings)
Box score

A short game, but the Giants Orange squad wasted no time making the most of it.

As a result of the shortness, RHP Alix Hernandez (19 years, 2022 IFA) got to pitch a complete game! Hernandez, who is in his debut season, and who only turned 19 last month, gave up 3 hits, 3 walks, and 2 runs in his 5 innings, while striking out 4 batters. His ERA (4.73) and FIP (5.68) aren’t very pretty, but his 12.1 strikeouts per 9 innings rank 32nd out of 147 ACL pitchers with at least 30 innings thrown … and he’s 1 of just 5 ACL pitchers with 50 innings thrown this year.

Some very nice games on offense. Shortstop Jean Carlos Sio (19 years, 2022 IFA) reached base in all 4 of his plate appearances, singling and drawing 3 walks. Sio is trying to bounce back from a cold stretch, which followed a very hot July … he has a .786 OPS and a 105 wRC+ in his debut stateside season.

No bouncing back required for first baseman Justin Wishkoski (22 years, 2023 16th-round), who has been on fire since getting drafted a little over a month ago. He hit 2-4 with a double, and has now reached base safely in all but 2 of his 13 pro games. And he continues to run my favorite stat: in 48 pro plate appearances, he’s yet to have a strikeout. Impressive as is, before you account for the 1.043 OPS and the 163 wRC+.

Justin Wishkoski was 2 for 4 with a double in Thursday’s victory over ACL Diamondbacks Black.

Wishkoski is off to a .359/.479/.564 (1.043 OPS) start in the ACL. pic.twitter.com/DQntUj6pvY

— SFGProspects (@SFGProspects) August 19, 2023

Catcher Javier Castillo (19 years, 2021 IFA) and designated hitter Garrett Frechette (22 years, 2019 5th-round) both had 2-hit days, with the latter also walking. They’re having so-so seasons. And second baseman Ramon Peralta (19 years, 2021 IFA) provided the big hit of the day, with a 2-run home run. His first stateside season is going swimmingly, with an .848 OPS and a 118 wRC+. The Giants will want the 27.8% strikeout rate to come down, but the 17.1 walk rate sure is pretty.

ACL Black (30-22)

ACL Giants Black beat the ACL Angels 13-3
Box score

Wow, lots of fun offensive performances in this game, but also hilarious overall performance. The Giants Black team had 13 runs in 7 innings … including 12 runs in the last 3 innings … despite a double representing their only extra-base hit.

But they drew 15 walks!! More than 2 per inning! Add in 3 hit by pitches, and who needs actual hits?

Second baseman Quinn McDaniel (20 years, 2023 5th-round), third baseman Elian Rayo (20 years, 2019 IFA), and first baseman Jediael Maduro (19 years, 2021 IFA) all had 3 walks and a hit. Rayo, whose hit was a double, is up to an .869 OPS and a 116 wRC+, though he has a pretty big strikeout issue. Maduro, who was also plunked, doesn’t have very good numbers, but has also been playing very sparingly — this was only his 3rd game of the month. And McDaniel has now drawn a whopping 16 walks in 53 plate appearances since getting drafted.

We don’t often get to highlight good days by shortstop Ryan Reckley (No. 31 CPL, 18 years, 2022 IFA), but he had a lovely game, hitting 1-2 with 2 walks, a hit by pitch, and a steal. There’s no denying that Reckley has been one of biggest disappointments on the farm this year, as his bat simply hasn’t shown up the way the Giants were hoping it would after giving him a signing bonus in excess of $2 million last year (his glove hasn’t, either, as he committed his 20th error in this game). But the dude can certainly get on base other ways.

Among the 98 Giants hitters with at least 100 plate appearances this year, Reckley’s batting average of .169 is dead last. His strikeout rate of 38.6%? Second to last. But his walk rate of 19.3%? 5th among those 98, trailing only a 20 year old in the ACL, and a trio of DSL hitters.

If his switch-hitting bat comes around to match his eye…

A great came for catcher Drew Cavanaugh (21 years, 2023 17th-round), who hit 2-3 with 2 walks. Cavanaugh only has 1 extra-base hit in his 9 games, but he’s 9-26 with 5 walks.

LHP Joe Whitman (21 years, 2023 2C-round) opened the game with a perfect inning, striking out 1 batter. It was just his 2nd pro appearance, but he’s been perfect in both. Calling it now: if he makes the pros as a pitcher who never allows baserunners, he’ll probably have a pretty good career.

Also pitching a perfect inning was CF-turned-RHP Christian Avendano (19 years, 2022 IFA), who struck out all 3 batters he faced. Avendano has a 5.11 ERA, a 4.70 FIP, and 20 walks in 24.2 innings in the ACL, in what is his 1st season in the organization, and 1st season as a pitcher. But he also has 35 strikeouts in those 24.2 innings, so there’s a lot to be excited about.

DSL Orange (29-21)

DSL Giants Orange beat the DSL Cardinals 6-1 (7 innings)
Box score

Fantastic day on the mound for the Giants Orange team. It started with someone who has been red hot lately: LHP Jose Rengel (17 years, 2023 IFA), who struck out 5 batters in 3 innings, allowing just 3 hits, a hit batter, and a run. Rengel only has a 4.42 ERA on the year, but he has a 3.52 FIP, with 38 strikeouts to 12 walks in 38.2 innings. In his last 5 games, Rengel has thrown 19 innings and allowed just 7 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs, with 17 strikeouts.

Then it was the star, RHP Jorge Martinez (21 years, 2019 IFA), who struck out 6 batters in 3 scoreless innings … with the only baserunner coming on an error by his defense. Martinez is really putting it all together in his 3rd season in the DSL, where he has a 1.20 ERA, a 2.75 FIP, and 35 strikeouts to 10 walks in 30 innings.

Closing the door was RHP Angel Sanchez (20 years, 2021 IFA), who struck out 2 in a perfect inning. Hopefully we see more of that from Sanchez, who has just 15 strikeouts to 14 walks in 17.1 innings.

Tons of great days in the batter’s box, too. Center fielder Lisbel Diaz (18 years, 2023 IFA) and third baseman Jhosward Camacho (19 years, 2021 IFA) both homered for their only hits. For Diaz, a late signing, it was his 1st home run since hitting a pair of them in his debut on July 18 (fun/stupid fact: the box scores will forever show Diaz’s debut as coming on July 17, because that game was briefly started and delayed, and was actually played a few weeks later).

Yet despite that month without a homer, Diaz’s season remains so strong, as he has a .945 OPS and a 150 wRC+. That works. Camacho is struggling a bit in his 3rd season, with a .675 OPS and an 89 wRC+. But he’s a switch-hitter who draws a ton of walks, so there’s stuff to like.

Second baseman Jose Astudillo (19 years, 2023 IFA) hit 3-4, bringing his OPS to .926 and his wRC+ to 147 in his 3rd DSL season. Astudillo started the year strong, then was out for a month with an injury, returned in mid-July, and struggled through the end of the month. But he’s been absurd through 10 August games, hitting 14-39 with 5 extra-base hits, 3 walks, and just 2 strikeouts.

DSL Black (26-25)

DSL Giants Black beat the DSL Phillies Red 6-5 (7 innings)
Box score

The big hit in this one came courtesy of shortstop Keiberg Camacaro (16 years, 2023 IFA), who hit a 3-run home run to get the Giants back in the game after they trailed 4-0. Camacaro’s overall numbers are so-so, as he has a .751 OPS and a 104 wRC+. But he’s been hitting much better as of late: in August, the righty is 12-34 with 5 extra-base hits and 4 walks. He’s striking out quite a bit, but … league average numbers with some power for a shortstop who is the youngest player in the organization? Zero complaints over here.

Lots of other decent hitting days for the Giants Black team, as they finished with 6 hits, 5 walks, and just 8 strikeouts. But no one else really stood out.

The pitching was highly mediocre, with the exception of RHP Ismael Mota (22 years, 2019 IFA), who pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. He’s having a really rough season, but has been better lately. In his first 10 games of the year, he had just 12 strikeouts to 19 walks in 17.2 innings, with 13 runs (11 earned) allowed. In 4 games since, he has 6 strikeouts to 1 walk and 1 run in 3 innings. Small victories.

Home runs

High-A Ghordy Santos (12)
High-A Carter Howell (3 in High-A, 7 total)
High-A Matt Higgins (2 in High-A, 11 total)
ACL Ramon Peralta (5)
DSL Keiberg Camacaro (4)
DSL Lisbel Diaz (3)
DSL Jhosward Camacho (3)

Friday schedule

Sacramento: vs. the Tacoma Rainiers, 6:35 p.m. PT
Richmond: vs. the Harrisburg Senators, 3:35 p.m. PT
Eugene: vs. the Vancouver Canadians, 6:35 p.m. PT.
San Jose: @ the Stockton Ports, 7:05 p.m. PT

Reminder that Minor League games can now be watched on MLB TV.

The post San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball roundup, 8/17/23 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Wow, so much going on for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates on Tuesday, with movement galore, and seven games (the DSL Giants Orange team had their game postponed due to weather).

Let’s jump into it.

Link to the 2023 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions are the positions played in that game.

News

Some very exciting promotions: shortstop Cole Foster, outfielder Scott Bandura, and RHP Cody Tucker have all been promoted from the ACL to Low-A San Jose. All three were recent additions, as Foster was a 3rd-round pick in July’s draft, Bandura was a 7th-round pick, and Tucker was signed after going undrafted. Needless to say, they’ve all been performing very well to start their exciting young careers.

Joining them in Low-A is RHP Mikell Manzano, who finished up his ACL rehab assignment.

On the other side of things, middle infielder (and occasional outfielder) Will Wilson (No. 21 CPL) has been demoted from AAA Sacramento to AA Richmond. Something had to give for a crowded River Cats roster that features Marco Luciano (No. 2 CPL), Casey Schmitt (No. 3 CPL), Tyler Fitzgerald (No. 18 CPL), and Brett Wisely (No. 33 CPL) in the middle infield, with David Villar, Armando Alvarez, and even Ricardo Genovés playing the corners. And so Wilson joins Donovan Walton in clearing space by heading to the East Coast where he’ll hope to find his swing. Wilson has had a very bizarre year … he’s been one of the team’s most prolific power hitters, with 13 home runs, but has one of the worst BABIP marks in the league, leaving him with a .712 OPS and a 66 wRC+.

LHP Darien Núñez has been moved to AAA Sacramento. The Giants are officially calling it a rehab assignment, even though Núñez should be slotted in at Sacramento anyway, so …. not sure if that’s just a roster logistics thing or what.

AAA Sacramento (46-62)

Sacramento River Cats lost to the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) 10-9
Box score

Sacramento’s inability to win a game might have reached a new low. The River Cats opened up the game by scoring 7 runs in the top of the 1st inning … and ended it by losing for the 8th time in their last 9 games. Yikes.

The biggest news in this game was that second baseman Marco Luciano (No. 2 CPL) was pulled from the action shortly after A.J. Pollock was removed from the Giants game due to side discomfort. Are those two things related? Hopefully, because otherwise Luciano probably left the game with an injury, but we’ll have to wait to find out more.

Update: Reporter Daniel Álvarez-Montes has reported that Luciano is being called up. No Giants beat reporters have said anything yet, but Álvarez-Montes is a rather credible reporter.

Luciano and Pollock play different positions of course, but right now the Giants are just desperate to get a bat that can give the team a spark in the lineup. With Luciano looking playable at second base, and Mark Mathias capable of playing the outfield, the fit could work.

A more natural fit to replace Pollock would be an outfielder. Someone like, say, I dunno, just to throw a random name out there … Wade Meckler (No. 42 CPL). And what did Meckler do on Tuesday, you ask? Oh, just hit 2-3 with a home run and a walk.

Jokes aside, the Giants are not going to call up Meckler, who was playing designated hitter in this game. Yes, they’ve been aggressive with promotions this year, and yes, they’ve been more aggressive with last year’s 8th-round pick than anyone else in the Farhan Zaidi era. He also has just 20 plate appearances in AAA. For that matter, he has just 381 plate appearances in his professional career, which is fewer than three different Giants players have this year.

Meckler’s not on the 40-man roster, so we can probably pause dreams of an MLB debut this year, unless he hits so well that the Giants are convinced he could seamlessly transition into the Majors. But so far he’s off to an amazing start in AAA: 4-13 with 7 walks and just 2 strikeouts.

Also homering was first baseman David Villar, though he finished the day just 1-5. Hard to see Villar getting another shot this year unless J.D. Davis (or maybe Wilmer Flores) gets injured. And I’ll be very curious to see what happens with him this offseason.

Updates on the other 40-man roster players in the lineup: right fielder Luis González hit 1-5 with a triple; catcher Joey Bart hit 2-4; left fielder/second baseman Brett Wisely (No. 33 CPL) hit 1-3 with a walk; center fielder Bryce Johnson (No. 43 CPL) hit 1-4 with an outfielder assist; shortstop Casey Schmitt (No. 3 CPL) hit 1-5; and right fielder Heliot Ramos (No. 12 CPL) came off the bench to hit 0-1 with a walk.

On the mound it was a disastrous day for RHP Sean Hjelle (No. 30 CPL), who gave up an ERA-busting 10 runs in just 3 innings of work, ceding runners everywhere: 10 hits, 3 walks, and 2 hit batters. Hjelle’s stuff has always seemed to play better in the Majors than the Minors, but even so, a 6.22 ERA, a 5.82 FIP, and just 6.6 strikeouts per 9 innings don’t really cut it. In his last 2 outings, Hjelle has given up 25 baserunners and 15 runs in just 7.2 innings, with just 4 strikeouts. Have to think he’s someone who might not be on the roster when everyone reconvenes in February.

The bullpen work was handled well by Sacramento’s trio of super-intriguing, walk-plagued LHPs: Nick Swiney (No. 26 CPL), Chris Wright, and Erik Miller, who are all Rule 5 eligible.

Swiney struggled a little, allowing 2 hits and 2 walks in 2 innings, but struck out 3 and didn’t allow a run. The 2020 compensatory round pick has a 4.06 ERA and a 5.61 FIP following an early season promotion, but has just 25 strikeouts to 20 walks in 31 innings.

Wright was fairly dominant, whiffing 5 batters in just 2 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk. He has a 4.21 ERA and a 5.13 FIP, with staggering (for better and for worse) raw numbers: 53 strikeouts to 38 walks in 36.1 innings. Among 133 Pacific Coast League pitchers with at least 30 innings, Wright’s 13.1 strikeouts per 9 innings ranks 3rd (yes, LHP Kyle Harrison is No. 1). But his 9.4 walks per 9 innings is 2nd-worst. Living on the extremes.

And then it was Miller, who gave up a walk in a scoreless inning. Miller has a similar but slightly less extreme profile to Wright, as he has 12.0 strikeouts and 7.6 walks per 9 innings, to go with a 3.19 ERA and a 4.33 FIP in Sacramento. In 38 games across 2 levels this year, this was just the 6th time that Miller hasn’t recorded a strikeout

AA Richmond (53-50)

Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Bowie Baysox (Orioles) 10-2
Box score

Despite seeing the bulk of their best prospects move on, Richmond’s offense has been finding a lot of life lately, and that’s great to see.

But we also shouldn’t forget about the pitching, and that included another really nice outing from the reigning Eastern League Pitcher of the Week, RHP Carson Seymour (No. 28 CPL). It wasn’t the dominant outing that Seymour had in his 1-hit showcase last week, but it was still a great game, as he allowed 7 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run in 5 innings of work, while striking out 6 batters.

Sure, that’s more baserunners than is ideal, but whatever (also, for context, he was facing a team that included Orioles’ rehabbing All-Star Cedric Mullins, as well as the top prospect in baseball, Jackson Holliday). Only 1 of those hits was an extra-base hit, and the bigger news is the strikeouts. I’ve talked a lot this year about Seymour’s strikeouts, which magically seemed to disappear over the offseason. They’re coming back!

Through the end of June, Seymour — part of the J.D. Davis/Darin Ruf trade last year — had just 36 strikeouts in 57.2 innings, one of the lowest marks in the Minor Leagues. Since then? 43 strikeouts in 30 innings. That’s more like it!

There are still issues to work around, as evidenced by the 9 baserunners thing. But in his last 5 games, here’s Seymour’s line: 23.2 innings, 22 hits, 7 walks, 7 runs, and 33 strikeouts. I’ll take that line and that progress any day of the week.

RHP Blake Rivera pitched 2 scoreless innings, though he allowed 3 baserunners, which included a walk … he has 36 of them in 39.1 innings this year. And RHP Mat Olsen pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout as he bounced back from his worst outing of the year. Olsen is just 4 games into his AA tenure, so give him some time.

OK, to the offense. Let’s start with a truly blistering day courtesy of right fielder Victor Bericoto, who hit a brilliant 3-3 with a double and a walk.

Bericoto, a 21-year old right-handed hitter, became one of the breakout stars of the year after demolishing High-A Eugene for a few months. He graduated from the level with an .886 OPS, a 130 wRC+, a sub-20% strikeout rate, and the organizational lead in home runs.

But, as is the case with most prospects, hit hit a bump in the road when promoted, and really struggled out of the gates in Richmond following an early-July promotion. He homered in his 3rd and 4th games at the level, then finished the month hitting 2-29 with 0 extra-base hits, 2 walks, and 14 strikeouts.

Now he’s figuring it out. In 6 August games he’s already had multiple hits 4 times, and in the month is 9-24 with 1 triple, 2 doubles, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts. Keep it up, Victor!

First baseman Logan Wyatt had another delightful game, hitting 2-4 with a home run.

Like Bericoto, Wyatt started the year with excellence in High-A before a promotion. His overall numbers in Richmond aren’t great, as he has a .702 OPS and a 92 wRC+, but there’s a lot of reason for optimism, including his 12.2% walk rate, his 19.8% strikeout rate, and his .250 BABIP, which ranks 156th out of 181 Eastern League hitters with at least 100 plate appearances. Wyatt doesn’t have much speed, so he’ll probably never be a player with a great BABIP, but you can also expect that number to course correct a little bit.

With another home run, it’s time for a power update on Wyatt, a 2019 2nd-round pick who struggled with some injuries in his career:

2019-2022: 612 plate appearances, 5 home runs, 1 triple, 19 doubles
2023 so far: 360 plate appearances, 12 home runs, 0 triples, 15 doubles

Love to see that!

And center fielder/second baseman Shane Matheny had another nice game, as he seems reinvigorated after surviving the July cuts. He hit 1-3 with 2 walks and a stolen base, and now has a whopping 16 walks in his last 12 games (also 11 hits and 6 extra-base hits). He’s up to an .832 OPS and a 130 wRC+ since getting demoted from AAA … love to see that response.

Shortstop Will Wilson (No. 21 CPL) hit 1-5 with no strikeouts in his return to AA.

Unfortunately there was some bad news, and it was the same kind of bad news that seems to be happening daily on the Giants farm lately: second baseman Jimmy Glowenke was hit by a pitch and later left the game. He didn’t leave until a few innings later, for better or for worse. On that front, outfielder Vaun Brown (No. 5 CPL) hasn’t played in a game since getting hit by a pitch last Wednesday.

High-A Eugene (52-51)

Eugene Emeralds lost to the Everett AquaSox (Mariners) 6-0
Box score

The 3rd shutout loss in the last 7 games for the Ems. Ouch.

Yet you wouldn’t know it was a bad offensive day if you looked at the 2 players on either side of second base. That includes, of course, the player who has almost single-handedly been their offense lately: shortstop Aeverson Arteaga (No. 7 CPL), who hit 4-5 with 2 doubles and a stolen base. What a game!

Arteaga’s overall numbers are still very average, with a .742 OPS and a 97 wRC+, though it is worth pointing out that Eugene numbers are … you know … funky for hitters, as Luis Matos and Patrick Bailey will be quick to remind you. And those numbers are certainly exciting for a glove-first shortstop who is still more than half a year away from turning 21.

Arteaga has been red hot lately, and in his last 29 games is hitting 35-114 with 7 home runs, and 12 doubles. It’s not all roses and pantyhose, to quote the great Kacey Musgraves, as Arteaga has 35 strikeouts to 5 walks and just 2 stolen bases in that time. But there’s a whole lot more good than bad.

On the other side of the bag was second baseman Damon Dues, playing in just his 4th High-A game since hitting the Injured List at the end of May. He hit a perfect 3-3 with a double, a walk, and a stolen base. Dues, who admittedly is already 25, has been an on-base machine this year, sporting a .425 OBP in 54 games across High-A and his ACL rehab stint (and he had a .539 OBP last year in the ACL, Low-A, and High-A). He’s also been a menace when on base, swiping 20 bags in 23 attempts this season.

Anyway, Arteaga and Dues hit 7-8 with 3 doubles, 1 walk, and 2 stolen bases. The rest of the team hit 3-29 with 1 double, 2 walks, and 0 stolen bases. First baseman Sean Roby hit 2-5 with “just” 1 strikeout, bringing his OPS to .922 and his wRC+ to 141 in 20 games. But his strikeout rate of 28.7% probably doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence that his issues last year, when he had a 39.7% strikeout rate in AA, are fixed.

Tuesday was LHP Reggie Crawford (No. 8 CPL) day! Crawford had an almost identical performance to his last time out. Like, comically almost identical. Look at this:

August 3: 2 innings, 1 hit, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts, 1 run, 0 earned runs, 28 pitches, 20 strikes
August 8: 2 innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, 0 runs, 0 earned runs, 28 pitches, 20 strikes

Bravo for consistency, I guess! Crawford still needs to work on the control, which shouldn’t be surprising since he missed all of last year with an injury. He has 6 walks in 8 innings since getting promoted, and 10 walks in 19 innings across 2 levels. But he has 14 strikeouts in those 8 Eugene innings, and 32 strikeouts in 19 innings on the year, with just 15 hits allowed. There is electricity in that arm.

Crawford still hasn’t hit in nearly 2 months, and I’m guessing that’s the last we see of him in the batter’s box this year. Hopefully not ever.

The piggybacking starter was RHP Eric Silva (No. 13 CPL), who had a very rough go of it, allowing 7 hits and 4 runs in 3.2 innings without any strikeouts (or, on the plus side, walks). Silva’s season has been a pretty big bummer, and he’s up to a 5.77 ERA and a 5.13 FIP. But he’s certainly showing some improvement on the control front: through the end of June, Silva had walked 30 batters in 49.1 innings. Since then, he’s walked just 2 batters in 20 innings (which included a pair of tune-up outings in the ACL). That’s really nice to see!

Low-A San Jose (57-46)

San Jose Giants beat the Fresno Grizzlies (Rockies) 10-5
Box score

So, as mentioned in the news bit, the Giants made some pretty quick promotions to move recent draftees from the ACL to Low-A. One of those draftees was shortstop Cole Foster, the team’s 3rd-round pick. He made his A-ball debut and hit 0-5 with 4 strikeouts and an error because … that’s what happens when you’re a debuting player at a new level. Nothing to see here.

Except that the other recently promoted draftee, 7th-round left fielder Scott Bandura, didn’t get the memo. He didn’t get it at all. No, he didn’t get it even a little bit.

Bandura made his A-ball debut and hit 3-3 with a home run, 2 walks, and a stolen base.

That’s, umm …. really, really good. Through 6 career games, Bandura is now 9-18 with 2 homers, 1 double, and 7 walks. Is he Wade Meckler with power? Stay tuned.

A nice game for right fielder P.J. Hilson (No. 37 CPL), who hit 2-4 with a double and a stolen base.

It’s not been a very good year for him, as he has a .698 OPS and an 84 wRC+. But apparently all he needed to do was get to August to turn on the jets. Hilson has started the month with a 6-game hitting streak, and it’s not just a mild hitting streak, either. During that time he’s 11-26 with 4 home runs, 2 doubles, and just 2 strikeouts. WOW.

On the one hand, Hilson is already in his 6th season and still has below-average numbers in Low-A. On the other hand, he’s still a few weeks away from turning 23, has some of the best athleticism in the organization, and his 16.3% strikeout rate is 7th-lowest out of 42 Giants Minor Leaguers with at least 200 plate appearances this year.

2 of the 6 players with lower strikeout rates played in this game: center fielder Turner Hill, whose 10.8% rate is second to only Luis Matos, and catcher Onil Perez (No. 44 CPL), whose 10.9% rate is right behind. Hill hit 1-3 with 2 walks and 2 stolen bases, while Perez hit 2-4 with a walk and a stolen base. Predictably, neither of them struck out.

Hill, a 24 year old signed earlier in the year as an undrafted player, has a .746 OPS and a 109 wRC+, but is on fire: in his last 14 games, he’s 23-56 with 2 triples, 4 doubles, 13 walks, and, amazingly, just 3 strikeouts. He doesn’t have any home runs, but does have 22 stolen bases in 26 attempts.

Perez, a 20 year old who bucks everything you once knew about catcher profiles, is up to a .788 OPS and a 115 wRC+, with 21 stolen bases in 23 attempts. Between him and fellow 20-year old catcher Adrian Sugastey (No. 22 CPL), who is in High-A, the Giants certainly have some super intriguing prospects waiting in the wings to help out Patrick Bailey (and that’s without mentioning Ricardo Genovés, Zach Morgan, Andy Thomas, Thomas Gavello, or the recent crop of draftees).

Not a good outing for starting LHP Nomar Medina, who is struggling in his first pass through A-ball. He’s just 20, though. He was followed up by an encouraging performance from RHP Wilkelma Castillo, who gave up just 1 hit, 1 hit batter, and 1 unearned run in 3 innings of work, albeit with just 1 strikeout. Castillo is trying to get on track after starting the year in High-A, getting rocked, and heading to the ACL to work on things. In 7 games since moving to San Jose, he has a 1.84 ERA but a 4.87 FIP, with 13 strikeouts to 6 walks in 14.2 innings.

Another nice showing from RHP Cameron Cotter, an undrafted free agent from the start of the season. He gave up 3 baserunners in 2 scoreless innings, with 3 strikeouts. Most notable was that he walked someone — it was just his 3rd walk issued in 28.2 innings this year. He has a 2.51 ERA and a 4.05 FIP in his debut season.

ACL Orange (23-22)

ACL Giants Orange beat the ACL Cubs 4-3 (7 innings)
Box score

Hellooooooooooooo to right fielder Bryce Eldridge (18 years, 2023 1st-round). With the amount of power that the 6’7, left-handed hitting teenager has, we were all excited to see it start to play.

On Tuesday it played. Eldridge hit 1-2 in the game, drew a walk, and had his first extra-base hit as a pro: a home run that my imagination is telling me was gargantuan. What a lovely sight to “see.” Eldridge is “just” 4-15 to start his career, but he already has 6 walks to just 3 strikeouts. What an unbelievably exciting player.

Like Reggie Crawford, I would assume that we’ll have to wait until 2024 to see Eldridge get a chance to be a two-way player. Until then, enjoy the offensive show, folks.

A pair of recent draftees added to their stellar debuts: first baseman Justin Wishkoski (22 years, 2023 16th-round) hit 1-3 with a double, and is already 7-20 with 5 extra-base hits, 3 walks, and …. wait for it … keep waiting for it … 0 strikeouts. Catcher Jack Payton (22 years, 2023 11th-round) hit 2-3 with a stolen base, and is a delightful 7-16 to start his career. Way to go, draftees!

The big hit came from second baseman Jean Carlos Sio (19 years, 2022 IFA), who had a walk-off, 2-run single in the bottom of the 7th inning. Sio, who was also hit by a pitch, has an .800 OPS and a 106 wRC+ in his first stateside season.

LHP Carlos Molina (18 years, 2023 IFA), promoted to the ACL after just 3 career games in the DSL, had a so-so game, giving up 7 hits, 1 walk, and 3 runs in 5 innings, with 4 strikeouts. I’d say it’s been a very successful year for the debuting southpaw, who has a 3.68 ERA, a 4.17 FIP, and 28 strikeouts to 5 walks in 22 ACL innings. Those are pretty awesome numbers, especially when you consider that Molina is A) just 35 innings into his professional career, and B) half a year away from turning 19.

RHP Lisander De La Cruz (21 years, 2019 IFA) had a nice outing, giving up just a hit in 2 scoreless innings, with 2 strikeouts. De La Cruz is in his 3rd season in the ACL after skipping the DSL, and the Giants are hoping for more walkless outings like this one, as he has an ugly 28 strikeouts to 20 walks in 21 innings this year. But De La Cruz is firmly trending in the right direction on that front, and on all fronts. Look it his splits this year:

First 9 games: 9 innings, 8 hits, 15 walks, 11 runs, 7 earned runs, 10 strikeouts
Next 8 games: 12 innings, 4 hits, 5 walks, 1 run, 1 earned run, 18 strikeouts

Yep, that’s great to see.

ACL Black (27-20)

ACL Giants Black lost to the ACL Rockies 10-7
Box score

A pair of really great offensive performances in this one. It’s probably no surprise to anyone following the ACL that first baseman Guillermo Williamson (19 years, 2021 IFA) was one of them, with the lefty hitting 2-5 and bashing a pair of doubles. That brings him up to a .987 OPS and a 141 wRC+ in his second pro season, and his first in the states.

Among 113 ACL hitters with at least 100 plate appearances, Williamson is 7th in OPS, 13th in wRC+, 28th in batting average (.303), 26th in on-base percentage (.426), 6th in slugging percentage (.561), and 32nd in walk rate (16.3%). What a lovely year he’s having.

And center fielder Lazaro Morales (19 years, 2021 IFA) had a much-needed good game, hitting 2-4 with a home run. Morales is really struggling in his first ACL season, with just a .482 OPS and a 22 wRC+. His batting average of .158 is dead last among those aforementioned 113 hitters (and, unfortunately, his teammate Ryan Reckley [No. 31 CPL] is 2nd-to-last), and he has just 5 extra-base hits and 7 walks in 112 plate appearances. Here’s hoping this day jumpstarts things!

Third baseman Elian Rayo (20 years, 2019 IFA), and designated hitter Charlie Szykowny (23 years, 2023 9th-round) both hit 1-4 with a walk, with Rayo doubling and Szykowny tripling. Rayo has an .858 OPS and a 110 wRC+ in his 2nd year at the level, while Szykowny has a .726 OPS and a 102 wRC+ 8 games into his career.

Not a good rehab appearance for LHP Seth Corry, who gave up 2 hits, 2 walks, and 3 runs in 1.2 innings, with 3 strikeouts. Corry, who missed almost all of 2022, hasn’t seen too much of an improvement on his disastrous walk rate that plagued him in 2021, as he’s issued 12 of them in 23.1 innings across the ACL and Low-A. But I’d wait until the rust is actually off before drawing conclusions, and he does have 34 strikeouts, so that’s nice.

Also a tough day for RHP Ubert Mejias (22 years, 2023 IFA), who allowed 10 baserunners and 5 runs in just 4.1 innings, with 4 strikeouts. It was just his 12th career game, and his overall numbers are quite encouraging: 3.59 ERA, 4.86 FIP, and 46 strikeouts to 16 walks in 52.2 innings. The future is bright.

Oddly enough, after using just 3 of their 14 pitchers, the Giants Black team turned to outfielder Jediael Maduro (19 years, 2021 IFA) to finish the game. Maybe the had a strict regiment for who is pitching, and the poor performances messed things up a little? Maybe they were throwing Maduro a bone since he only had 2 at-bats this month? Who knows. But he pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout, so … maybe try it again?

DSL Black (22-23)

DSL Giants Black beat the DSL Phillies White 2-1 (8 innings)
Box score

Funny game. It was scoreless at the end of the regulation 7 innings, only for the Phillies White to score the Manfred Man in the 8th … and the Giants Black to answer with 2 runs. Go figure.

An excellent pitching game was highlighted by the season debut of LHP Ricardo Estrada (21 years, 2021 IFA), who had been injured. He was excellent in taking the start, giving up just a hit and a walk in 4 scoreless innings, with 2 strikeouts. It’s his 3rd year in the DSL, and he’s hoping to do a lot better than last year, when he had a 5.40 ERA, and 38 strikeouts to 17 walks in 41.2 innings. I’d say this is a great start!

Then it was RHP Melvin Javier (20 years, 2021 IFA) who pitched 3 scoreless innings with 3 strikeouts, giving up 1 hit and 2 walks. Javier has just a 3.62 ERA in his 2nd pro season, but his walk and strikeout numbers are concerning: he has 20 strikeouts to 16 walks in 27.1 innings this year, after having 14 strikeouts to 13 walks in 13.2 innings last year.

And finally it was RHP Carlos Gomez (18 years, 2022 IFA), who allowed the Manfred Man to score (an unearned run), but didn’t give up a baserunner in his inning of work. After a fairly poor debut season in 2022, Gomez is showing off this year: he has a 2.38 ERA, a 3.06 FIP, and 26 strikeouts to 10 walks in 22.2 innings. Nice!

A pair of good offensive games, but no great ones. Shortstop Keiberg Camacaro (16 years, 2023 IFA) hit 2-4 with a stolen base, giving him a .685 OPS, an 88 wRC+, and 10 stolen bases (admittedly in 15 attempts). Pretty good numbers when you weigh for his age and position. And left fielder Diego Villegas (19 years, 2021 IFA) hit 2-2 with a walk, giving him a .729 OPS and a 108 wRC+, to go with a 17.9% walk rate. Villegas was limited to just 10 games last year (and hit wonderfully in them), so while this is technically his 3rd pass through the DSL, it’s more like his 2nd.

Home runs

AAA David Villar (9 in AAA, 14 total)
AAA Wade Meckler (1 in AAA, 5 total)
AA Logan Wyatt (4 in AA, 12 total)
Low-A Scott Bandura (1 in Low-A, 2 total)
ACL Lazaro Morales (2)
ACL Bryce Eldridge (1)

Wednesday schedule

Sacramento: @ the Las Vegas Aviators, 7:05 p.m. PT
Richmond: vs. the Bowie Baysox, 3:35 p.m. PT
Eugene: vs. the Everett AquaSox, 6:35 p.m. PT
San Jose: vs. the Fresno Grizzlies, 1:00 p.m. PT

Reminder that all Minor League games can now be watched on MLB TV.

Video round up

Some highlights that weren’t posted in time to make it into the respective MiLB recaps.

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The post San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball roundup, 8/8/23 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

What a day on the farm! Six of the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates were in action on Wednesday, so let’s dive into it.

Link to the 2023 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions are the positions played in that game.

News

The big news is another exciting promotion: RHP Hayden Birdsong (No. 36 CPL) is headed to AA. Birdsong, a 6th-round pick in 2022, has been one of the brightest stars of the 2023 season. The Giants really talked him up after his 10 innings of work last year, and so far the results have shown why. Birdsong dominated Low-A San Jose to start the year, and then was excellent in High-A Eugene, where he had a 3.25 ERA and a 3.64 FIP. His strikeouts dropped from San Jose to Eugene, as he went from 15.1 strikeouts per 9 to 11.5. But not only is 11.5 still a great number, but the walks also dropped significantly, from 4.8 per 9 to just 2.3. Birdsong is still a month away from his 22nd birthday, but now looks in line to end the year knocking on the door of AAA. What an amazing season!

In less happy news, the Giants released AAA Sacramento outfielder Michael Gigliotti. A 27-year old left-handed hitter in his second year with the organization, Gigliotti had a great ability to draw walks and limit strikeouts, but struggled to make good contact, and had just a .730 OPS and an 87 wRC+.

AAA Sacramento RHP Melvin Adón, who just returned to Sacramento after a stint at lower levels to work on mechanics, was placed on the 7-day IL.

AAA Sacramento (45-58)

Sacramento River Cats lost to the Reno Aces (Diamondbacks) 9-6
Box score

A pretty blah game in Sacramento, where the River Cats are really piling up the losses.

A very tough change of pace for RHP Sean Hjelle (No. 30 CPL) — a day after being in San Francisco as a potential addition to the roster since Alex Cobb was sick, Hjelle was taking the bump for Sacramento and getting rocked, giving up 8 hits, 1 walk, and 1 hit batter in just 3.2 innings, totaling 5 runs (3 earned).

It’s just been a really tough year for Hjelle, who has a 5.12 ERA and a 5.51 FIP in Sacramento, with just 49 strikeouts in 65 innings. I wasn’t sure he’d survive the trade deadline, but he did, and now I’m wondering what his future is with the team. The tracking data has always suggested Hjelle would play better at the Majors than the Minor League numbers would lead you to believe, but he’s also clearly fallen behind RHPs Keaton Winn (No. 16 CPL) and Tristan Beck (No. 24 CPL) on the Giants pecking order. Winn’s injury opened the door for Hjelle to still play a role in San Francisco this year (hence being the insurance option on Tuesday), but the expected debut of LHP Kyle Harrison (No. 1 CPL) later this month will knock Hjelle down a peg.

Anyway, his bizarre strikeout trend continues. For his career, Hjelle has just 164 strikeouts in 215.1 innings in AAA. But in the Majors? 49 strikeouts in 42.1 innings. Go figure.

The bullpen struggled, too. Intriguing strikeout-heavy LHPs Chris Wright and Erik Miller continue to struggle with walks, with the former giving up 2 of them (plus a run) in 0.2 innings, and the latter giving up 1 in 0.2 innings, albeit with 2 strikeouts. Among 181 Pacific Coast League pitchers with at least 20 innings thrown this year, Wright is 7th in strikeouts per 9 innings with 13.0, and Miller is 18th with 12.2. But Wright is 176th out of those 181 pitchers with 9.6 walks per 9, while Miller is 165th with 7.8. Tons of potential, tons to work on.

The biggest news of the game was that Marco Luciano (No. 2 CPL) played a position other than shortstop for the first time in his career, as he spent the day at second base. Given that the Giants waited until they felt Luciano was ready to contribute at the MLB level with his bat to move him off shortstop, I believe their plan is still to have him be a full-time shortstop, probably starting on Opening Day in 2024. But with Brandon Crawford healthy, left-handed, and playing well, there was no room on the roster this year for Luciano unless he started to learn another position. So honestly, I take this more as a sign of support for his shortstop skills (and bat) than as a sign that the team is finally listening to Fangraphs and moving him off the position (also telling on that front that they’re trying him at second, not third, first, or the outfield).

Anyway, I watched the game and Luciano definitely looked like someone playing second base for the first time in his life, but that’s to be expected. Given how good he’s looked defensively this year, I’d anticipate that he’ll be up to speed in a week or so. He also had good at-bats, and finished 1-4 with a walk.

Also collecting a hit was designated hitter Thairo Estrada, playing in his second rehab game. He had a brief scare where he looked like he was in pain, but thankfully stayed in the game. He’s in line for a San Francisco return this weekend. Hooray!

In all, 6 of the players in the Giants lineup (plus their starting pitcher) have played in San Francisco this year, and Heliot Ramos wasn’t even in the lineup! The biggest swing went to recently-optioned third baseman Brett Wisely (No. 33 CPL), who bopped a powerful home run, and also drew a walk.

Giants fans have been pretty hard on Wisely this year, given how poorly he’s hit in San Francisco. But it’s worth reminding you that he entered the year with just 5 games in AAA, is tearing up Sacramento (.972 OPS, 138 wRC+), plays all over the infield and in center field, and is younger than Casey Schmitt and born in the same month as Patrick Bailey. You can see why the Giants are excited about and patient with him.

Right fielder Wade Meckler (No. 42 CPL) played in his second AAA game since a promotion, and once again had 2 walks and an outfield assist (though the assist in this case was really just a practice throw back to the infield to double off a careless runner).

Shortstop Mark Mathias, who came over in the A.J. Pollock trade, made his organizational debut and hit 1-4.

AA Richmond (51-47)

Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Altoona Curve (Pirates) 7-0
Box score

A lovely game for the Squirrels, and needless to say, one that involved a lot of good pitching.

RHP Spencer Bivens kicked things off and had a funny, albeit fantastic, outing. Bivens gave up just 2 baserunners in 4 scoreless innings, though he didn’t record a single strikeout (as a team, Richmond finished their 9-inning shutout with just 4 strikeouts … a day after they were shutout despite only striking out 4 times).

Bivens, who was promoted early in the year, is settling in. He only has a 4.53 ERA and 7.6 strikeouts per 9 innings, but he has a 3.80 FIP, a 50.0% ground ball rate, and has allowed just 2 home runs in 47.2 innings.

RHP Parker Dunshee pitched very well, allowing 3 baserunners in 2.2 scoreless innings, with 3 strikeouts. He’s been strong since the Giants signed him during the season, posting a 2.95 ERA and a 4.38 FIP, with 11.5 strikeouts per 9 innings. And RHP Evan Gates pitched 2 perfect innings, which helped him bounce back from a miserable outing his last time out.

A scare on offense, as center fielder Vaun Brown (No. 5 CPL) left the game after getting hit by a pitch. Brown already had his season delayed by an injury, and has really been struggling lately, so let’s hope this isn’t another setback.

A fantastic game from third baseman Shane Matheny, who hit 4-5 with a triple and a stolen base. Matheny, who started the season in AAA Sacramento, struggled a bit, and was demoted, has been on a tear lately. Over his last 8 games, the play-anywhere hitter is 11-28 with 1 home run, 1 triple, 2 doubles, and 8 walks. That’s brought him up to an .808 OPS and a 122 wRC+ since returning to Richmond.

Designated hitter Carter Aldrete and right fielder Victor Bericoto both had wonderful games in which they hit 2-5, with the former doubling twice and the latter tripling. Bericoto has really been slumping since getting promoted following a blissful season in High-A Eugene, so maybe this is the start of him turning things around.

And another really good day for shortstop Jimmy Glowenke, who hit 2-4 with a double and a walk.

After a somewhat disappointing 2022, Glowenke started 2023 repeating High-A, and was unstoppable. That earned him a promotion, but he really struggled out of the gates in Richmond. The struggles are no more: since the start of July, Glowenke is 22-73 with 4 home runs, 6 doubles, 7 walks, and 19 strikeouts. Keep it up, Jimmy, and we’ll see you in Sacramento next year!

High-A Eugene (49-49)

Eugene Emeralds lost to the Tri-City Dust Devils (Angels) 5-0
Box score

A second straight shutout loss for the Emeralds! Not ideal!

Nothing to highlight on offense. The Ems had 5 hits, 0 extra-base hits, and 0 walks. No player reached base twice. If you want to force highlights we can talk about center fielder Grant McCray (No. 6 CPL) and second baseman Brett Auerbach (No. 38 CPL), who both had a single and a stolen base, though the cold water is that the former was also picked off and struck out twice, and the latter struck out and is having a disastrous season.

The pitching wasn’t much better. RHP Eric Silva (No. 13 CPL) continues to have a pretty disappointing season. He made it through just 3 innings in this one, giving up 7 hits and 4 runs. The positive was 4 strikeouts to 1 walk, but … a bit of a reach, isn’t it? Silva didn’t have good numbers in 2022, but the peripherals and the scouting reports painted the picture of an exciting pitcher (say that five times fast). This year he still doesn’t have good numbers, but the peripherals and scouting reports are no longer shining bright.

An OK game for LHP Matt Mikulski, who is desperately trying to get his season back on track. He gave up 2 hits and a run in 2 innings, but didn’t allow any free runners, and struck out 2. That may not be great in a vacuum, but it’s certainly great relative to how the season has gone for the 2021 2nd-round pick.

You have to squint to find good things with Mikulski right now, but he has been a little better as of late. His last 3 games have shown some modest improvement, particularly on the command front.

First 21 games: 39 innings, 47 hits, 39 walks, 10 hit batters, 40 runs, 47 strikeouts
Last 3 games: 5 innings, 4 hits, 2 walks, 0 hit batters, 2 runs, 6 strikeouts

RHP William Kempner pitched 2 scoreless innings, giving up 2 hits and a hit batter while striking out 3. Last year’s 3rd-round pick has been pretty decent since a midseason promotion, with a 3.52 ERA, a 4.54 FIP, and 22 strikeouts to 8 walks in 15.1 innings.

Low-A San Jose (55-43)

San Jose Giants beat the Inland Empire 66ers (Angels) 11-3
Box score

Holy smokes! Talk about some offense! There was a whole lot of it!

Let’s start, as Julie Andrews would implore us to do, at the very beginning, where leadoff hitter Turner Hill went a dazzling 5-6 and finished a home run shy of the cycle.

Hill, a 24-year old left-handed hitting undrafted free agent who was signed in May, has been an absolute hit machine lately. This was his 3rd consecutive game with at least 3 hits, and the 6th time in his last 9 games that he’s had multiple hits.

His line during those 9 games? 21-38 with 1 triple, 4 doubles, 7 walks, and just 3 strikeouts. Yeeeeeeesh.

There’s still plenty of reason for pessimism about Hill. Hitting well in Low-A as a 24 year old requires a McDonalds supply order of salt, and Hill’s overall numbers are still fairly modest: .762 OPS, 112 wRC+. He still has a distinct lack of power, as this triple was his first time hitting anything more than a double in his 215 plate appearances.

But still. That’s the type of 9-game stretch that players dream about.

5 other players had multi-hit games, none more impressive than the day had by … you guessed it … second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 41 CPL). Velasquez continues to have one of the best seasons in the organization, and added to it in a big way on Wednesday, hitting 2-3 with a home run and 2 walks, which brings his OPS up to .854 and his wRC+ to 132.

Velasquez has been really good all year, but he’s been especially hot lately, and rocked a .923 OPS in July. Since July 8, the switch-hitter is 28-72 with 2 home runs, 1 triple, 8 doubles, 9 walks, and just 9 strikeouts. Wow.

It might be time to see what Velasquez, who plays shortstop as well, and is just 19, can do in Eugene. There are reasons for optimism that his success is sustainable: not only are scouts stoked about his swing, but his 10.8% walk rate is the median among 49 qualified California League hitters, and his 16.7% strikeout rate is 9th-lowest. He is riding a fairly high BABIP, but at lower levels that’s often just a sign of hitting the ball hard and being fast … and Velasquez is doing both of those things.

A similarly good day for right fielder P.J. Hilson (No. 37 CPL), who hit 2-5 with a big fly. It’s been a rough year for the 2018 6th-round pick, who has just a .629 OPS and a 67 wRC+, after a stellar 2022. But Hilson has shown some flashes lately, with 6 extra-base hits in his last 8 games, after just 9 in his first 49 games of the year. And the Giants have to be a little encouraged by the fact that, after posting a 35.5% strikeout rate in the ACL in 2021, and a 30.0% rate in his repeat season there last year, Hilson has just a 17.0% strikeout rate in Low-A this year.

Also a reminder that he’s still just 22, and that great athletes can take off on a moment’s notice.

Catcher Luke Shliger had a lovely day, hitting 2-4 with a double and a walk. A 6th-round pick a few weeks ago, Shliger is the only one of the Giants latest draft class to get assigned to A-ball. This was only his second game, but he sure looks like he deserves the assignment so far.

Also reaching base three times: first baseman Dilan Rosario, who doubled, singled, and was hit by a pitch, bumping his OPS to .680 and his wRC+ to 84, and shortstop Jose Ramos, who tripled and drew 2 walks, giving him a .623 OPS and a 75 wRC+.

ACL Black (25-17)

ACL Giants Black beat the ACL Angels 13-2
Box score

Wow wow wow, what a day in the Complex League, even if only 1 of the Giants 2 teams was in action.

You can’t put too much stock into how a player is doing after a few games, but if you could, you’d be left with no choice but to say that the Giants got an absolute steal with the 85th pick in July’s draft. Because it was another standout game for shortstop Cole Foster (21 years, 2023 3rd-round), who hit 2-4 with a home run, a double, and a walk. Foster is only 4 games into his professional career, but he’s 6-18 with 2 homers and 2 doubles. That plays.

You know what also plays? Hitting 3-4 with a home run. That’s the day that catcher Ty Hanchey (23 years, 2023 UDFA) had. Through 3 games he’s 4-9 with 2 walks and just 1 strikeout. Extremely early days, but certainly an “I should have been drafted” start to the career for the left-handed hitter from Florida A&M.

Second baseman Quinn McDaniel (20 years, 2023 5th-round) reached base 3 times, with a single, a walk, and a hit by pitch. It’s been a slower start for him, but hey … they can’t all be on fire out of the gates. Also reaching base 3 times was designated hitter Charlie Szykowny (23 years, 2023 9th-round), though he did it quite unconventionally, with a walk and 2 hit by pitches. In 18 career plate appearances, he’s reached base on freebies 7 times. That’s cool.

But it’s not just the new dudes! First baseman Guillermo Williamson (19 years, 2021 IFA) continued his dominant season, hitting 2-3 with a double and 2 walks. A left-handed hitter, Williamson is up to a .973 OPS and a 138 wRC+ in his second pro season, and first season stateside. This was his 3rd consecutive multi-hit day, and, remarkably, his 9th consecutive game with at least 1 walk drawn. Over his last 5 games, Williamson is 9-16 with 4 doubles and 8 walks. Might we see him in San Jose to end the year?

A quartet of pitchers took the mound, and all had noteworthy games. The Giants started with a trio of single-inning pitchers, before moving to a late-appearing starter role, held by RHP Nicolas Herold (24 years, 2023 UDFA). Herold went 6 strong innings, giving up just 6 baserunners (all hits) and 2 runs, while striking out 7 batters. Herold struggled in his first 4 games after signing, but over his last 3 games he’s pitched 14 innings and allowed just 9 hits, 5 walks, 5 runs, and 3 earned runs, with 18 strikeouts.

Now, for the 1-inning arms. First it was rehabbing LHP Seth Corry, who faced just 3 batters. One of the batters reached base on an error that Corry committed, only for Corry to get the out on a pick-off. He struck out the other 2 batters.

I sure hope that we get to see Corry stretched out, and back at an A-ball affiliate this year. He was such an exciting prospect in 2019, but the pandemic wiped out his 2020, he walked everyone in 2021, and injuries wiped out his 2022. Walks are the big issue with Corry, and lately he’s been showing improvement. This was his 3rd straight game without a walk, and in his last 6 games (3 each in the ACL and Low-A), Corry has issued just 5 walks in 15 innings.

Then it was another rehabbing arm, LHP Darien Núñez, who struck out the side in an inning, while allowing a walk. And then it was that same line — 1 inning, 0 hits, 1 walk, 0 runs, 3 strikeouts — for RHP Josh Bostick (21 years, 2023 8th-round).

That was Bostick’s pro debut and uhh … yeah, that’s a good one! Bostick is a very exciting arm that scouts have raved about, and the Giants clearly view him highly, as his signing bonus was double the slot value, and in line with the slot value of a 5th-rounder.

DSL Orange (22-18)

DSL Giants Orange lost to the DSL Royals Blue 4-3
Box score

A makeup of a game that was postponed a few weeks ago.

Piggybacking rookie position players had the most notable games. Second baseman Dario Reynoso (18 years, 2023 IFA) started the game back in mid-July, and hit 1-1 with a walk and a stolen base. With a .986 OPS, a 152 wRC+, and a 21.9% walk rate, it’s been a brilliant debut season for Reynoso, and I can’t wait to see him in the states next year.

Unfortunately he’s been sidelined by an injury for the last week and a half, so replacing him when the game resumed was right fielder Lisbel Diaz (18 years, 2023 IFA), who hit 2-2. Diaz has only played 12 games since signing, but is 17-40 with 2 homers, 4 walks, and just 4 strikeouts in that time. What a debut!

A very nice outing from RHP Alfonso Perez (17 years, 2022 IFA), who bounced back after a few rough games. He took the mound for the resumption of the game and pitched 5.1 innings, allowing just 3 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run, albeit with no strikeouts. Perez has a paltry 20 strikeouts in 37.1 innings this year, but he has a 2.89 ERA, a low walk rate, and is just 17 years old.

Home runs

AAA Brett Wisely (5 in AAA, 7 total)
Low-A Diego Velasquez (7)
Low-A P.J. Hilson (5)
ACL Cole Foster (2)
ACL Ty Hanchey (1)

Thursday schedule

Sacramento: vs. the Reno Aces, 6:45 p.m. PT
Richmond: @ the Altoona Curve, 3:00 p.m. PT
Eugene: @ the Tri-City Dust Devils, 7:05 p.m. PT
San Jose: @ the Inland Empire 66ers, 6:35 p.m. PT

Reminder that all Minor League games can now be viewed on MLB TV.

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The post San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball roundup, 8/2/23 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Four games for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates on Monday, with the ACL and DSL teams in action, while it was the weekly off-day for the A-ball clubs.

Link to the 2023 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions are the positions played in that game.

News

I’m going to try and be better about scouring the transactions pages for news instead of just waiting for things to pop up on Twitter. So hopefully that means more to report here.

Utility player Ford Proctor was released. The Giants traded for Proctor about a year ago, sending reliever Jeremy Walker to the Tampa Bay Rays. Proctor played in 7 games for the Giants last year before being DFA’d and re-signed, but had struggled in AAA Sacramento this year.

RHP Melvin Adón is back in AAA. He started the year there but was walking a batter an inning, so the Giants sent him to the ACL and then Low-A San Jose to work on command. He showed huge improvements.

ACL Orange (14-20)

ACL Giants Orange beat the ACL Rockies 2-0
Box score

The first batter of the game, left fielder Estanlin Cassiani (20 years, 2019 IFA) singled. The second batter of the game, second baseman Jean Carlos Sio (19 years, 2022 IFA) homered.

There would be no more runs scored for the remainder of the game.

The dinger pushes Sio into above-average territory, as he now has an .810 OPS and a 106 wRC+. Sio was the rare player who got promoted from the DSL despite having a statistically poor season last year, probably in part because the Giants liked his high walk rate and low strikeout rate. He’s kept that the case in the ACL, with a 14.2% walk rate and a 16.3% strikeout rate. But he’s found way more hits, raising his average from .200 to .286, and he’s doing a lot more with those hits … last year he had just 9 extra-base hits (7 of which were doubles) in 179 plate appearances. This year he already has 8 (only 3 of which are doubles) in just 141 plate appearances.

First baseman Javier Castillo (19 years, 2021 IFA) was the only player to reach base twice, hitting 2-4 with a double. His power is subpar — he has 8 doubles in 92 plate appearances this year, with no triples or homers — but he’s currently sporting a .311 batting average with a 12.0% walk rate and an 18.5% strikeout rate, giving him an .810 OPS and a 104 wRC+.

But the stars were on the mound, where all 3 pitchers shined. RHP Samir Chires (19 years, 2021 IFA) got the start and was dynamic, giving up just 3 baserunners in 4.2 scoreless innings, while striking out 5. Chires started his debut stateside season quite slow, but has caught fire lately. Check out his splits:

First 5 games: 14.2 innings, 13 hits, 11 walks, 18 runs, 14 strikeouts
Next 4 games: 18.2 innings, 12 hits, 6 walks, 2 runs, 19 strikeouts

Here’s to keeping that up!

LHP Carlos Molina (18 years, 2023 IFA) was next up, and gave up just 1 hit and 1 hit batter in 2.1 scoreless innings, with 2 strikeouts. Molina is the rare player who got the DSL to ACL debut midseason, and in his debut season, no less. But so far he’s been fantastic in Arizona, with 12 strikeouts to 1 walk in 9 innings, and a 1.00 WHIP.

And finally it was RHP Lisander De La Cruz (21 years, 2019 IFA). De La Cruz is really struggling in his 3rd pass at the level, and has as many walks as strikeouts, but today we celebrate the 2 perfect innings he pitched on Monday, with 3 strikeouts.

ACL Black (21-14)

ACL Giants Black beat the ACL D-backs Red 6-5 (7 innings)
Box score

A pair of home runs in this one, coming from a pair of players who hit 1-3.

In the 2nd inning it was a 2-run blast by right fielder Jediael Maduro (19 years, 2021 IFA), his 1st in the ACL. Maduro was excellent in the DSL before getting a midseason promotion last year, but has yet to find his production in the states. Monday’s performance bumped him up to a .704 OPS and an 82 wRC+ which, on the bright side, are much better numbers than he had last year. He seems to be struggling with more advanced pitchers … after having 28 walks to 23 strikeouts in 154 DSL plate appearances, Maduro has just 17 walks to 49 strikeouts in 168 ACL plate appearances.

And then it was a solo shot in the 5th inning by first baseman Brady Whalen. An offseason Minor League free agent, Whalen — who’s trying to become the first person in his family to make the Majors, after his brother and father were both drafted but never made it to the show — is rehabbing after suffering an injury in AA.

Also rehabbing is second baseman Damon Dues, who hit 1-1 with 3 walks. He’s been excellent in 9 rehab games, and will likely be back in High-A soon.

Speaking of walks …. shortstop Ryan Reckley (No. 31 CPL, 18 years, 2023 IFA) also drew 3 of them. The star of last year’s signing class continues to struggle in every area except drawing walks. Among the Giants 85 prospects with at least 100 plate appearances this year, Reckley’s batting average of .162 is dead last. His slugging percentage of .232 is also dead last. But his walk rate of 20.9% is 3rd, behind only a 20 year old in the ACL and a player in the DSL.

Weird year.

Center fielder/right fielder Cesar Quintas (20 years, 2019 IFA) continues to have an awesome but funny season, as he hit 0-2 with 2 walks and added an outfield assist. Among those aforementioned 85 Giants Minor Leaguers, Quintas’ batting average of .396 is No. 1, though his comical .538 BABIP has a lot to do with that … and with his 1.067 OPS and 178 wRC+. But what’s notable is the many different ways he’s providing value. His walk rate is a very high 15.3%, 14th-best out of that group. He’s already been hit by 12 pitches (4th-most in the system) despite only having 124 plate appearances (T-63rd). He has 3 outfield assists. What a fun player.

A nice outing from RHP Ubert Mejias (22 years, 2023 IFA), who continues to impress in his 1st professional season after defecting from Cuba. Mejias gave up just 2 singles in 2 scoreless innings, while striking out 3 batters. He’s only averaging 8 strikeouts per 9 innings, but otherwise he’s doing very well, with a 3.13 ERA, 3.4 walks per 9 innings, and just 1 home run allowed in 37.1 innings. I could see him moving through the system with some intriguing speed next year.

DSL Orange (19-15)

DSL Giants Orange beat the DSL Cardinals 3-0
Box score

It’s not every day that you win a game — comfortably, at that — when you have no extra-base hits, no walks, and 13 strikeouts, but that’s exactly what the Giants Orange team did, thanks in large part to some spectacular pitching (also not every day that you hear the term “spectacular pitching” used in the DSL).

A trio of pitchers combined for the shutout, so let’s run through them. Getting the start was RHP Johan Rodriguez (20 years, 2023 IFA). Rodriguez is on the older side for an international signee, and was awful out of the gates, but has been on fire lately … including on Monday, when he struck out 6 batters in 3 scoreless innings, allowing just 3 baserunners.

In the 1st 3 games of his pro career, Rodriguez pitched 3 innings and allowed 5 hits, 7 walks, 9 runs, and 7 earned runs, with 3 strikeouts. In 5 games since? 11.1 innings, 6 hits, 4 walks, 5 runs, 2 earned runs, and 8 strikeouts. Love to see that improvement!

Then it was RHP Jorge Martinez (21 years, 2019 IFA), who struck out 4 batters in 4 scoreless innings, with 4 baserunners allowed. Martinez is back for a 3rd year in the DSL despite pitching quite well last year, so perhaps the Giants aren’t very high on him, but so far he’s pitching well again in 2023, with a 1.74 ERA, a 3.24 FIP, and 24 strikeouts to 9 walks in 20.2 innings.

Rounding it out was RHP Jilber Canas (21 years, 2019 IFA), who struck out 2 in a pair of scoreless frames, allowing a hit and 2 walks. Canas really struggled in his debut last year, and while he’s dropped his ERA from 8.10 to 2.16, and his WHIP from 1.80 to 1.32, while increasing his ground ball rate from 35.4% to 54.8%, he’s also walking more batters than he’s striking out this season.

The offense came from a pair of players having standout debut seasons: second baseman Dario Reynoso (18 years, 2023 IFA), who hit 2-4, and left fielder Lisbel Diaz (18 years, 2023 IFA), who hit 2-3. Reynoso has been hitting so well all year, with a .918 OPS, a 147 wRC+, and a 21.5% walk rate that ranks 2nd in the entire system (minimum: 100 plate appearances), while spending significant time at second, third, and shortstop. Diaz was a late signing and only recently debuted, and has been utterly electric since first putting on a Giants Orange jersey. In 5 games he’s 8-18 with 2 home runs, 3 walks, and just 2 strikeouts.

DSL Black (19-15)

DSL Giants Black lost to the DSL Brewers 1, 9-8 (10 innings)
Box score

A highly uninteresting day on the mound, so let’s just skip that and get to the offense.

What a fun day for center fielder Carlos Gutierrez (18 years, 2023 IFA). Gutierrez led off and came up to the plate 6 times … and reached base safely all 6 times, hitting 4 singles, drawing a walk, and getting hit by a pitch. And to top it all off, he also stole not 1, not 2, but 3 bases! Gutierrez is only 10 games into his career, but has an .832 OPS and a 137 wRC+ … not bad at all for a left-handed hitting center fielder! He also has 8 walks to just 2 strikeouts.

The Gonzalezes, catcher Anyelo (18 years, 2023 IFA) and first baseman Diego (19 years, 2021 IFA) both hit 2-5 with a walk. Anyelo is having a sublime debut season, rocking a .911 OPS and a 139 wRC+, with just a 15.8% strikeout rate, while having spent time at not just catcher, but first base, second base, left field, and center field. It’s likely that something’s got to give eventually, but I’m so here for a left-handed hitter who plays up the middle behind the plate, in the dirt, and in the grass.

And second baseman Dennys Riera (18 years, 2022 IFA) also reached base 3 times, hitting 2-5 with a hit by pitch. He’s been putting together much better at-bats lately, and is up to a .685 OPS and an 82 wRC+. Would be fun to see him take off since he was an exciting signing last year.

Home runs

ACL Jean Carlos Sio (3)
ACL Brady Whalen (1 in the ACL, 3 total)
ACL Jediael Maduro (1)

Tuesday schedule

Sacramento: @ the Albuquerque Isotopes, 5:35 p.m. PT
Richmond: vs. the Portland Sea Dogs, 3:35 p.m. PT
Eugene: vs. Spokane, 6:35 p.m. PT
San Jose: @ the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, 6:35 p.m. PT

Reminder that all Minor League games can now be watched on MLB TV.

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The post San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball roundup, 7/24/23 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

All eight San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates were in action on Thursday, so let’s dive right in to a whole bunch of games.

Link to the 2023 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions are the positions played in that game.

AAA Sacramento (41-51)

Sacramento River Cats beat the Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners) 8-5
Box score

A win! A win! Y’all know I don’t care very much about wins and losses in the Minors — it’s about developing players, not winning games — but they’re still nice. Sacramento was in dire need of a win after a 7-game losing streak, and finally stopped the bleeding.

After a few rough days had splashed drops of water on his flaming hot hitting streak, right fielder Heliot Ramos (No. 12 CPL) returned with a vengeance in this one, hitting 3-4 and finishing a home run shy of the cycle. Have a day!

Ramos was injured in early May, started a Low-A rehab stint in late-June, and returned to Sacramento in early July. Since that AAA return, the 23 year old is 18-48 with 4 homers, 2 triples, and 5 doubles. The only thing he hasn’t done well is draw walks (he has just 1), but since he’s suppressing strikeouts (he has 11), that doesn’t feel too meaningful or worrisome.

Is Ramos finally putting it all together? And, whether the answer to that is yes or no, how long will the Giants need to see him hit like this before they give him another shot in San Francisco? The optimistic point is obvious: the numbers are great. The pessimistic view point is pretty clear though: a lot of those hits (such as the two videos above) are still being pounded into the ground. Either way, the hot streak has erased his slow start to the year, as he now has a .923 OPS and a 112 wRC+, and he’s still pretty darn young.

Another hot player trying to earn his shot in San Francisco is third baseman Tyler Fitzgerald (No. 18 CPL) who had an absolutely delightful day, hitting 3-4 with a pair of doubles and a walk.

Fitzgerald was scuffling for a little while but has been on fire this past week, with a 5-game hitting streak. During those 5 games, Fitzgerald is a scorching 9-20 with 2 home runs, 3 doubles, 1 walk, and just 3 strikeouts. That’s brought his season numbers up to an .844 OPS and a 98 wRC+ as he seeks to earn a tryout as the MLB team’s next depth option, since the Giants have been struggling to find infield production as they deal with injuries.

He’ll have to prove his worth at third, second, and in the outfield, because he’s been even further moved off shortstop thanks to the arrival of Marco Luciano (No. 2 CPL), who hit 1-5 in his 2nd game with the River Cats.

I’ve made it this far in the game without even talking about the home runs! Center fielder Bryce Johnson (No. 43 CPL) only hit 1-5, but his hit cleared the fence and was the first pitch that the River Cats saw. That’s always fun!

Johnson continues to have his best offensive season (.946 OPS, 126 wRC+, with the latter mark matching his Low-A number in 2017 for career-high), which is keeping him on the 40-man roster as a viable depth piece given his excellent speed and defense. The power has been a revelation this year: his .227 ISO is more than .100 points higher than at any stop in his career, save for the .147 mark he put up in Sacramento in 2021. If he can keep that up….my goodness.

Also homering was second baseman Isan Díaz, who came off the bench to hit a 3-run blast in his only plate appearance. Talk about efficiency!

Díaz has not exactly been stating his case to return to the Majors or even stay on the 40-man roster, but he does have a bit of pop, with 6 home runs in just 86 plate appearances.

A highly-meh start from RHP Sean Hjelle (No. 30 CPL), who allowed 6 baserunners, 4 runs, and 3 earned runs in 5 innings, with just 2 strikeouts. It’s really hard to see what Hjelle’s role on the Giants is, seeing as how he’s clearly behind RHPs Keaton Winn (No. 16 CPL) and Tristan Beck (No. 24 CPL) on the MLB pecking order … and both of those players are currently optioned. With a 5.63 ERA and FIP, and just 7.1 Ks per 9 innings, Hjelle isn’t really moving the needle in any direction other than the trade deadline.

But a great relief appearance from LHP Erik Miller, who struck out 2 in a perfect inning. Miller is struggling with walks in a huge way — he has 25 in 30.1 AAA innings this year — so good to see him keep free runners off the board. This was his 3rd straight game without a walk so …. progress? Hopefully.

And finally, an update on one of the funnier stats in the Giant system this year: despite giving up a run in an inning of work, RHP Nick Avila picked up the win, improving to 12-0 on the year. Avila entered the year with just 9 wins in his 3 Minor League seasons, and now has 12 alone this year (without a loss!) despite a 3.91 ERA, a 5.47 FIP, and more than 5 walks per 9 innings. Pitcher wins stay silly!

AA Richmond (44-43)

Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Akron RubberDucks (Guardians) 3-2 (5 innings)
Box score

Weather limited this game to just 5 innings, but that was still plenty enough time for designated hitter Wade Meckler (No. 42 CPL) to reach base 3 times, as he hit 2-2 with a walk. Because that’s what he does.

Meckler had been scuffling a little bit lately, which is the first time in his (admittedly very short) career that we can say that. Among the 1,358 Minor League hitters with at least 150 plate appearances this year, Meckler’s .393 batting average across High-A and AA is No. 1 with a gold star, so it was weird to see him have a 5-game patch entering the break in which he hit just 1-14, with a game where he went 0-4 with 4 strikeouts.

But he’s been back to his usual antics since the break, stringing together a 5-game hitting streak in which he’s hit 7-20 with 2 walks and just 3 strikeouts, albeit with no extra-base hits. An 8th-round pick last year, Meckler now has 22 multi-hit games in 52 appearances this year, which is obscene. He also has a .907 OPS and a 155 wRC+, with a 12.9% strikeout rate that ranks 49th out of those aforementioned 1,358 hitters, despite having fewer than 350 career plate appearances.

Also a lovely day at the plate for second baseman Simon Whiteman, who reached base in both of his plate appearances and stole 2 bases. Not a good year for him, as he has a .584 OPS and a 65 wRC+, but it is significantly better than last year.

Outfielder Vaun Brown (No. 5 CPL) got the day off. He’s been struggling lately, especially in the K department, and in his last 7 games is 4-28 with 1 walk and 16 strikeouts.

Nice to see some strikeouts from RHP Carson Seymour (No. 28 CPL), who whiffed 7 batters in 4.2 innings, albeit with 4 hits, 3 walks, and 2 runs allowed.

Seymour was a nice strikeout artist last year, having 11.4 Ks per 9 innings with the Mets High-A affiliate and then 13.2 in Eugene after the Giants acquired him in the J.D. Davis trade. They’ve been notably absent this year, but Seymour is starting to fix that … after having just 36 strikeouts in 57.2 innings through the end of June, he’s struck out 23 batters in 16 July innings. Very nice to see.

High-A Eugene (43-41)

Eugene Emeralds lost to the Hillsboro Hops (Diamondbacks) 5-1
Box score

The Emeralds sadly could not make it 3 straight games of winning 13-1. Not even close, really.

Thursday was the turn in the rotation for LHP Reggie Crawford (No. 8 CPL), which is always very exciting. It was his 2nd game since getting promoted, and it went better than his 1st. Crawford continues to show off how raw he is (he’s thrown just 13 innings professionally), as he gave up a hit and a walk in his inning of work, and now has 7 walks (plus a hit batter) in those 13 innings. But he also continues to show off a dynamic arm that earned him a 1st-round draft pick even while recovering from Tommy John, as he struck out 2 batters in a scoreless frame, and has a blistering 21 Ks in those 13 innings.

Seeing as how Crawford is seemingly going to be limited to 1-2 inning outings and only very occasional DH appearances this year, I can already slot him at or near the top of my imaginary “prospects I’m excited to watch in 2024” list. He’s yet to appear as a hitter since getting promoted, and hasn’t hit in well over a month. I would assume this is a combination of the Giants being extra careful with his health, and strongly prioritizing him as a pitcher.

Speaking of promotions, LHP Jack Choate pitched in his 5th game since getting moved to Eugene. It was his worst game from a run-suppression standpoint, as he allowed 4 runs in just 4.1 innings (although only 1 run was earned [although 1 of the 3 errors leading to the unearned runs was committed by him]). But he did strike out 5 batters, and continues to put up lovely numbers everywhere. A 9th-round pick last year, Choate has flown a little under the radar while other late-round picks from the draft, like RHP Hayden Birdsong (No. 36 CPL) and OF Wade Meckler (No. 42 CPL) have earned more press. But Choate has a 2.25 ERA and a 3.04 FIP across 2 levels, with 3.2 walks per 9 innings (4th among 24 Giants pitchers with at least 50 innings) and 11.5 strikeouts per 9 (6th). He’s also not one of the older players they drafted last year, as he celebrated his 22nd birthday this season.

A nice day for left fielder Matt Higgins, who hit 2-3 with a double and a walk. An undrafted free agent a year ago, Higgins has fit brilliantly into Eugene since a recent promotion. The recently-turned 24 year old has only played in 4 High-A games, but is 4-15 with 1 home run, 2 doubles, 3 walks, and 0 strikeouts. Nice.

First baseman Sean Roby hit 1-4 with a double, and I’d assume we’ll see him in Richmond very soon, where he would have started the season were it not for an injury. After shaking off rust in the ACL to start his year, Roby is 8-27 with 5 extra-base hits and just 4 strikeouts in Eugene. Time to see if that strikeout suppression can play at Richmond, where it emphatically did not a year ago.

A nice game for center fielder Grant McCray (No. 6 CPL) who hit 1-3 with a walk and an outfield assist. He continues to have a season that warrants both the pros and cons of his prospect status.

Low-A San Jose (48-39)

San Jose Giants lost to the Stockton Ports (A’s) 5-4 (10 innings)
Box score

A very nice pitching performance from RHP Dylan Cumming, who threw 5 scoreless innings, albeit with 7 baserunners and just 3 strikeouts. A 24-year old undrafted free agent who debuted this year, Cumming has been stretched out lately, making 2 consecutive starts after coming out of the bullpen in his first 23 games. And he’s been dynamic in July, with a gorgeous line: 15.1 innings, 12 hits, 4 walks, 0 runs, 11 strikeouts. That’s given him a 2.26 ERA in his first pro season, though the lack of strikeouts means his FIP is just 4.44.

RHP Tyler Vogel struck out 3 in 2 scoreless innings as he tries to get back on track — he has a 4.98 ERA and a 6.13 FIP. And speaking of getting back on track, RHP Melvin Adón got the loss after allowing the Manfred Man to score, but that’s an unearned run, and he allowed just 1 baserunner in an inning of work, with a strikeout. After giving up 28 walks in 27.2 innings with AAA Sacramento, Adón was sent to the ACL and Low-A to work on command and has responded well, issuing just 4 walks in 19 innings across the 2 levels.

Second baseman Jose Ramos had the most notable day, hitting 3-4 and stealing a base. Ramos started the year very hot, but then went ice cold, bottoming out in June when he had just a .439 OPS. He’s been putting together better at-bats lately, and currently has a 6-game hitting streak, going 10-23 with 1 double, 1 walk, and just 4 strikeouts during that time. He also has 22 stolen bases in 25 attempts this year. And he’s just 20.

Catcher Zach Morgan doubled and walked for the team’s only extra-base hit, while designated hitter Tanner O’Tremba reached base in both of his plate appearances and stole a base before being replaced.

Left fielder Alexander Suarez hit 0-4 with a strikeout hat trick, but drew a walk and had 2 outfield assists. Designated hitter Justin Bench, who replaced O’Tremba, hit 1-2 with a walk and a stolen base, and has looked very at home in 6 games since getting promoted: he’s 8-18 with 4 walks and just 3 strikeouts.

ACL Orange (13-19)

ACL Giants Orange beat the ACL Angels 9-4
Box score

A big game from center fielder Estanlin Cassiani (20 years, 2019 IFA), who hit 3-5 with a pair of doubles, representing the only extra-base hits for the Giants Orange team. He didn’t knock any runs in (he was the leadoff hitter after all), but scored 3 times.

Cassiani’s raw numbers have been poor in his debut ACL season, as he has a .690 OPS and a 74 wRC+, but there’s a lot to be excited about. He was really good in the DSL (117 wRC+ in 2021, 130 in 2022), rarely strikes out (his very low rate of 17.9% is miles higher than it was in the DSL), and is a left-handed hitting center fielder. It was nice to see him rack up a pair of doubles, because power is largely absent from his game: in 377 plate appearances across the DSL and ACL, he has just 20 extra-base hits, and is still in search of his first professional home run.

Third baseman Abdiel Layer played in his 2nd game of the year after starting his rehab assignment (he’s listed on the roster for Low-A, where he spent the last 2 years). Both games have gone well, as he hit 2-3 in this game, though committed a pair of errors. Rust happens.

Second baseman Ramon Peralta (19 years, 2021 IFA) and designated hitter Derwin Laya (19 years, 2021 IFA) both hit 2-3 with a walk. Peralta is quietly having a wonderful season, with an .890 OPS, a 127 wRC+, and a 14.4% walk rate.

One of the best performances of the year for RHP Brayan Palencia (20 years, 2020 IFA), as he gave up just 3 hits and 1 run in 4.2 innings, with 4 strikeouts. Palencia is struggling in his repeat of the level, with an 8.20 ERA and a 7.20 FIP, but he’s been significantly better lately. In June he had 16 strikeouts to 10 walks in 17 innings, but so far in July has 12 strikeouts to just 1 walk in 9.1 innings. Keep it up, Brayan!

ACL Black (18-14)

ACL Giants Black lost to the ACL D-backs Red 5-0 (7 innings)
Box score

A very uninteresting game. The best performance was probably RHP Jason Bonilla (24 years, 2018 IFA), who gave up 4 baserunners in 3 scoreless innings, with 6 strikeouts. But probably not a great sign when your most notable day comes from a good-not-great performance from a player with a 7.08 ERA in their 3rd year at the level. Bonilla has 19 strikeouts to 25 walks in 20.1 innings, so good to see him load up the Ks (though he walked 2 batters).

Center fielder Luis González hit 1-3 in the 3rd game of his rehab assignment. How great it would be if he can make it back to the Majors after missing the first few months of the year. His rehab assignment starting means that his 60-day IL stint will expire in early August, and then he’ll have to be added back to the 40-man roster.

Shortstop Ryan Reckley (No. 31 CPL, 18 years, 2022 IFA) drew a pair of walks. It’s been a very disappointing career start for Reckley after he was the star of the team’s 2022 signing class, but the one thing he’s proven very capable of doing (which the Giants surely love) is draw free passes. Across his limited action in the DSL last year and the ACL this year, the switch-hitter has drawn 31 walks in just 163 plate appearances. Unfortunately, he’s had a batting average below the Mendoza line and a slugging percentage below .250 in both of his seasons.

DSL Orange (17-14)

DSL Giants Orange beat the DSL Phillies White 6-5
Box score

Not too much going on in this game. Second baseman Anthony Tandron (17 years, 2023 IFA) had a very nice game, hitting 1-2 with a pair of walks and a stolen base. Tandron hasn’t been lighting the world on fire, but it is a really nice debut season for him. Given that he’s a 17-year old who also plays shortstop, a .702 OPS, 101 wRC+, and 14.5% walk rate are certainly worth taking note of.

And a delightful game for center fielder Luis Frias (18 years, 2021 IFA), who hit 1-2 with a double, a walk, and a hit by pitch, bumping his OPS to .811 and his wRC+ to 117. In his 2nd year in the DSL, Frias has seen every area of his game improve notably.

Speaking of improvements in year 2, RHP Alfonso Perez (17 years, 2022 IFA) got the start. It wasn’t his sharpest game, as he gave up 4 runs and 2 earned runs, but he did pitch 5 innings, giving up just 7 baserunners. Perez, who struck out 3, needs to figure out how to get batters to whiff … he had just 11 strikeouts in 16.2 innings last year, and has 18 in 28 innings this year. But he has a 2.25 ERA, so he’s doing something right.

DSL Black (18-13)

DSL Giants Black beat the DSL Twins 18-13
Box score

You usually don’t see teams win by the same score as their record when they’re more than 30 games into a season. You also don’t usually see teams give up 9 runs in the 1st inning and still win by 5 runs. DSL, baby!!

It goes without saying that there are some offensive days to highlight. It also goes without saying that there aren’t many pitching days to highlight.

Let’s start with left fielder Anyelo Gonzalez (18 years, 2023 IFA). He only had 1 of the team’s 16 hits, but that hit was 3-run home run, and he also was hit by 2 pitches. A left-handed hitter who has played first base, second base, catcher, and left field this year, Gonzalez is hitting for average and power, drawing walks, and limiting strikeouts. He has an .882 OPS and a 131 wRC+ in his debut season. What an introduction!

The most notable name from last year’s signing class who is still in the DSL also had a great game, as third baseman Dennys Riera (18 years, 2022 IFA) hit 2-3 with a double and 2 walks. It’s a 4-game hitting streak for Riera, who is 6-16 with 3 doubles, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts in that time, bringing his OPS to .715 and his wRC+ to 88 as he tries to get his career rolling.

The back third of the lineup was excellent: designated hitter Diego Villegas (19 years, 2021 IFA) hit 1-3 with a double and 3 walks, giving him a .720 OPS and a 104 wRC+; second baseman Samuel Rodriguez (19 years, 2021 IFA) hit 3-4 with 2 walks and a stolen base, giving him an .859 OPS, a 143 wRC+, and 12 stolen bases in 14 attempts; and first baseman Wueslly Lespe (20 years, 2019 IFA) hit 3-5 with a double and a walk, rising his OPS to .682 and his wRC+ to 109 (if you’re wondering about the bizarre OPS-to-wRC+ correlation there, it’s largely due to a staggering 26.9% walk rate).

Forget the pitching.

Home runs

AAA Isan Díaz (6)
AAA Bryce Johnson (5 in AAA, 6 total)
DSL Anyelo Gonzalez (3)

Friday schedule

Sacramento: vs. the Tacoma Rainiers, 6:45 p.m. PT
Richmond: @ the Akron RubberDucks, 4:05 p.m. PT
Eugene: @ the Hillsboro Hops, 7:05 p.m. PT
San Jose: vs. the Stockton Ports, 7:00 p.m. PT

Reminder that all Minor League games can now be watched on MLB TV.

Video round up

Some videos from previous games that weren’t available in time to make it into prior round up articles.

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The post San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball spherical up, 7/20/23 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Vier Spiele für die Tochtergesellschaften der San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball am Sonntag. Lass uns eintauchen.

Link zur McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL) 2023

Alle aufgeführten Positionen sind die in diesem Spiel gespielten Positionen.

Anmerkungen

Ich habe am Wochenende keine Zusammenfassung der Minor League gemacht, weil ich versuche, an meinen freien Tagen besser nicht zu arbeiten. Ich arbeite heute auch nicht, aber ich habe es vermisst, etwas MiLB-Abdeckung zu haben, daher ist dies eine (relativ) spärliche Zusammenfassung.

Aber ich wollte einige Auftritte vom Freitag und Samstag hervorheben, bevor wir uns mit dem befassen, was am Sonntag passiert ist, denn es gab drei sehr bemerkenswerte Auftritte.

Zunächst einmal warf RHP Mason Black (Nr. 11 CPL) am Samstag 5 perfekte Innings für AA Richmond mit 8 Strikeouts. Er ist derzeit der heißeste Pitcher im System und vielleicht auch bei den Minors. Schauen Sie sich einfach die letzten 5 Starts für den 3.-Runden-Pick 2021 an: 22,1 Innings, 8 Hits, 5 Walks, 0 Runs und 29 Strikeouts. Ich muss davon ausgehen, dass eine Beförderung mit weiteren Spielen wie diesem in naher Zukunft bevorsteht.

Der Zweitplatzierte, Outfielder Heliot Ramos (Nr. 12 CPL), hatte am Samstag ein fulminantes Reha-Spiel für Low-A San Jose und erzielte mit einem Homerun, zwei Doppeln und einem Walk einen 3:4-Erfolg. In etwa zwei Wochen wird Ramos berechtigt sein, das 60-Tage-IL zu verlassen, und sein maximaler 20-Tage-Reha-Aufenthalt wird abgelaufen sein, sodass die Giants einen Schritt unternehmen müssen, um ihn entweder wieder in den 40-Mann-Kader aufzunehmen oder Holen Sie ihn aus dem System. Ich würde gerne sehen, wie dieser heiße Start zu etwas Selbstvertrauen führt, wenn er wieder in AAA Sacramento ist.

Und schließlich rief RHP Landen Roupp (Nr. 20 CPL) nach den Trainern und verließ seinen AA-Richmond-Start am Freitag nach 3,1 Innings ohne Treffer. Ich habe noch nichts Neues gehört, hoffe aber, dass es Roupp, der verletzungsbedingt den Jahresstart verpasste, gut geht. Er hat unglaublich gut gepitcht.

AAA Sacramento (37-42)

Die Sacramento River Cats besiegten die Reno Aces (Diamondbacks) mit 3:2
Box-Score

Ein sehr aufregender und ermutigender Start von RHP Kai-Wei Teng. Mittlerweile kennen Sie wahrscheinlich alle Tengs Geschichte: Er war letztes Jahr eine Strikeout-Maschine in AA, aber er war auch eine Walk-Maschine, also ließen ihn die Giants das Level wiederholen. Er lief immer noch ordentlich, machte aber dramatische Fortschritte (5,6 pro 9 im letzten Jahr, 3,8 in diesem Jahr), und die Giants beförderten ihn Mitte Juni.

Der Wechsel von AA zu AAA für einen Pitcher ist brutal, da man mit RoboUmps von einer Pitcher-freundlichen Umgebung zu einer Batter-freundlichen Umgebung wechselt, und Tengs erste beiden Einsätze haben es gezeigt: Er hat 9 Batter in 7 Innings gelaufen.

Aber sein dritter Start? Jetzt kochen wir! Teng zeigte am Sonntag eine hervorragende Leistung, warf fünf torlose Innings und ließ nur einen Walk zu. Er begrenzte den Rest des Schadens auf nur 3 Hits und einen Hit Batter und schlug 7 aus. Das ist aufregend, besonders wenn man bedenkt, dass Teng mit 12,4 Strikeouts pro 9 Innings in diesem Jahr auf Platz 21 von 429 Pitchern der Minor League mit 50 geworfenen Innings liegt .

Spannend auf dem Hügel war auch ein Reha-Auftritt von LHP Scott Alexander, der ein torloses Inning erzielte. Es besteht Optimismus, dass er diese Woche aktiviert werden könnte.

Nicht viel in der Offensive, aber ein paar Dinge, die es zu beachten gilt. Catcher Joey Bart erzielte 2-4, während er sich weiter einlebte. Nachdem er seinen schwierigen Start bei den Majors mit einem brutalen Start in Sacramento verschärft hatte (nachdem er einen Reha-Einsatz begonnen und eine Option erhalten hatte, erzielte Bart 5-42 mit 2 Doubles, 2 Walks, und 21 Strikeouts in seinen ersten 12 Spielen) hat Bart seinen Rhythmus gefunden. Seitdem hat er einen Hitting Streak von 6 Spielen hinter sich und steht bei 9-25 mit 2 Homeruns, 1 Walk und nur 3 Strikeouts.

Patrick Bailey (Nr. 10 CPL) mag jetzt und auf absehbare Zeit der Startfänger der Giants sein, aber Bart ist ein Verteidiger, der gut genug ist, dass jegliche Anzeichen von Offensivleben ihn zu einem Elite-Backup machen würden.

Der zweite Basisspieler Will Wilson (Nr. 21 CPL) erzielte mit einem Walk den 2:2-Erfolg. Seine Gesamtwerte sind immer noch schlecht – .720 OPS und 68 wRC+ – aber nachdem sein Leistungsschub nachgelassen hat, hat er begonnen, seine Basiswerte zu steigern, da sein OBP von .262 im April auf .304 im Mai auf .354 gesunken ist im Juni, und vom 4. bis 6. Juli hat er mit einem Spaziergang begonnen.

Einige lustige Stellungen in diesem Spiel. Dalton Guthrie, der kürzlich eingetauscht wurde, um für mehr Tiefe im Außenfeld zu sorgen, spielte Shortstop. Tyler Fitzgerald (Nr. 18 CPL), ein starker Mittelfeldverteidiger, spielte im Mittelfeld. Jakson Reetz, der für die Catcher-Tiefe verpflichtet wurde, spielte im linken Feld.

Und Mike Yastrzemski machte in seiner zweiten Reha einen DH und erzielte mit einem Walk 0:3.

AA Richmond (37-37)

Richmond Flying Squirrels besiegten die Reading Fightin Phils (Phillies) mit 6:1
Box-Score

Leider erbte die Person, die Teng bei seiner Beförderung ersetzte, die Gehprobleme, da LHP Carson Whisenhunt (Nr. 9 CPL) an einer schweren Ballitis erkrankte.

Es war jedoch eine Erinnerung daran, wie schwierig es ist, den jungen Rechtsausleger der Giants zu treffen, der durch das System geflogen ist. Er traf in diesem Spiel nur auf 11 Batter: Er ging fünf von ihnen zu Fuß und schlug vier von ihnen aus. Die beiden einsamen Seelen, die den Ball ins Spiel brachten, wurden ausgemustert. Dies war erst Whisenhunts vierter Einsatz in Richmond und bisher hatte er gemischte Ergebnisse: 12,2 Innings, 11 Hits, 10 Walks, 9 Runs, 7 Earned Runs und 19 Strikeouts.

Eine Erinnerung daran, dass Whisenhunt noch nicht einmal die 60-Innings-Pitch-Marke erreicht hat. Nicht dieses Jahr in seiner Karriere. Also, wissen Sie … reagieren Sie nicht über auf einen schlechten Start. Außerdem gab es eine Regenverzögerung, sodass unklar ist, ob Whisenhunt aufgrund der Spaziergänge oder aufgrund der Verzögerung so früh abgebrochen wurde.

RHP Ben Madison gab sein AA-Debüt nach einem kürzlichen Aufstieg und schaffte das Ultra-Seltene: Er warf ein perfektes Inning, während er nur gegen zwei Batter antrat. Er erbte einen Runner von Whisenhunt und bekam prompt einen Double Play und einen Flyout, sodass seine Linie 1 Inning Pitched, 2 Batters Faceted ist.

In der Offensive war es ein weiterer Extra-Base-Hit von Catcher Andy Thomas, der mit einem Homerun und einem Walk den 1:2-Ausgleich erzielte.

Thomas hat das Jahr langsam begonnen, war aber in letzter Zeit absolut in Flammen. Er hat eine Hitting Streak von 6 Spielen, in der er bei 8-23 steht, mit 2 Homeruns, 1 Triple, 3 Doubles und 3 Walks. Er hat einen OPS von bis zu .691 und einen WRC+ von 91.

Ebenfalls als Homerun unterwegs war Second Baseman Jimmy Glowenke.

Glowenke wurde am 31. Mai befördert und hatte große Mühe, an die Macht zu kommen. Während seines ersten Monats in Richmond waren drei Doppel seine einzigen Extra-Base-Hits. Aber dies war sein zweiter Tag in Folge, an dem er mit einem Homerun 2-4 erzielte. Los, Jimmy!

High-A Eugene (37-37)

Eugene Emeralds verloren gegen die Everett AquaSox (Mariners) mit 5:0
Box-Score

Rundum schlechtes Spiel. Keine Extra-Base-Hits für die Emeralds, die 17 Strikeouts erzielten. Ihre Top-2-Anwärter, Centerfielder Grant McCray (Nr. 6 CPL) und Designated Hitter Aeverson Arteaga (Nr. 7 CPL), hatten beide einen Strikeout-Hattrick, obwohl McCray auch einen Single und einen Walk erzielte.

Der dritte Baseman Luis Toribio erzielte mit einem Walk und zwei Strikeouts das 0:3. Nachdem er das Jahr mit der Aussage „Vielleicht ist es an der Zeit, diesen Kerl zu befördern, der das Level wiederholt“ begonnen hat, ist Toribio eiskalt geworden und hat sich die Ks gesichert. Seit dem 10. Juni liegt er bei 6-58 mit 1 Homerun, 1 Double und 22 Strikeouts. Der einzige Lichtblick ist, dass er in dieser Zeit 11 Spaziergänge gemacht hat.

Das Pitching war nicht viel besser. RHP Nick Sinacola war beeindruckt, obwohl er in 3,2 Innings sieben Batter schlug. LHP Matt Mikulski gab drei Läufer in einem Inning auf und erlaubte seinen ersten Lauf seit seinem Wechsel zu einer Einzel-Inning-Ersatzrolle.

Low-A San Jose (42-32)

Die San Jose Giants verloren gegen die Modesto Nuts (Mariners) mit 9:8
Box-Score

Ein lustiger Tag auf dem Hügel für die Baby Giants. Die aufregende Nachricht war, dass LHP Reggie Crawford (Nr. 8 CPL) startete. Crawford hatte seit mehr als zwei Wochen nicht mehr auf der einen oder anderen Seite des Feldes gespielt, was immer ein wenig besorgniserregend ist, insbesondere angesichts seiner Krankengeschichte.

Aber er eröffnete dieses Spiel und warf ein torloses Inning, erlaubte einen Walk und verzeichnete einen Strikeout. Er hat in seinen 10 Innings 16 Strikeouts und 4 Walks. Hübsch.

Nicht schön war, was folgte: eine weitere Katastrophenleistung von RHP Gerelmi Maldonado (Nr. 40 CPL). Normalerweise ein Starter, übernahm Maldonado den Hügel für das 2. Inning, um vermutlich die Rolle des Bullpen-Starters zu übernehmen. Aber er schaffte es nie aus dem Inning heraus. Maldonado war durch seine Verteidigung und seine mangelnde Kontrolle verletzt und gab einen Hit und vier Walks in nur 0,2 Innings auf, wobei er 6 Runs aufgab (wenn auch nur einen verdienten).

Maldonado war eine Zeit lang der heißeste Pitcher im System: In einer 4-Start-Strecke von Ende Mai bis Mitte Juli warf er 16 Innings und ließ nur 6 Hits, 2 Walks, 2 Runs und 1 Earned Run zu 22 Strikeouts. Seitdem hat er in drei Spielen 8,1 Innings geworfen und 11 Hits, 9 Walks, 18 Runs und 13 Earned Runs sowie 13 Strikeouts aufgegeben.

Er bleibt jedoch einer der aufregenderen Arme im System und wird erst im Dezember 20 Jahre alt. Es kommt zu schlimmen Dehnungen.

RHP Daniel Blair war am Ende der Inningfresser und hatte ein lustiges Spiel. Er warf fünf torlose Innings, hatte aber keinen Strikeout. Er hat in seiner Debütsaison einen ERA von 1,89, aber einen FIP von 4,58.

Ein großartiges Spiel für Fänger Onil Perez (Nr. 44 CPL), der mit einem Double 3-5 erzielte und seinen OPS auf .830 und seinen wRC+ auf 125 brachte. Seine Visitenkarte in der Offensive sind seine Schläger-zu-Ball-Fähigkeiten und seine Kontrolle der Zone, da er einen Schlagdurchschnitt von 0,320 (ohne einen himmelhohen BABIP) und die beste Strikeout-Rate (10,3 %) aller Giants Minor Leaguer (Minimum: 100 Plattenauftritte) hat, die nicht „Luis Matos“ heißen. Außerdem ist er 20.

Mittelfeldspieler Heliot Ramos (Nr. 12 CPL) hatte in seinem fünften Reha-Auftritt ein gutes Spiel und erzielte mit einem Double, einem Walk und einem Outfield Assist das 1-4. Bei seinem Reha-Einsatz liegt Ramos nun bei 6-17 mit 2 Homeruns, 3 Doubles und 2 Walks. Es wird sehr cool sein, wenn er das auch in der AAA-Klasse halten kann.

Sein Namensvetter zeigte ebenfalls ein großartiges Spiel, da der zweite Basisspieler Jose Ramos mit 2 Walks 2:2 gewann.

Ramos hat nach einem brillanten Saisonstart wirklich nachgelassen, also kann er hoffentlich wieder in Schwung kommen.

Home Runs

AA Andy Thomas (8)
AA Jimmy Glowenke (2)

Montagsplan

Sacramento: gegen die Reno Aces, 18:45 Uhr PT
Richmond: @ the Reading Fightin Phils, 15:35 Uhr PT
Eugene: @ den Everett AquaSox, 19:05 Uhr PT
San Jose: gegen die Modesto Nuts, 18:30 Uhr PT

Erinnerung daran, dass Spiele der Minor League jetzt auf MLB TV angesehen werden können.

Liste der Verletzten

Eine Zusammenfassung aller Interessenten, die auf einer Verletztenliste stehen.

40-Mann-Aussichten (60-Tage-IL)

OF Heliot Ramos (Nr. 12 CPL) [on rehab assignment]
LHP Thomas Szapucki

Sacramento

RHP RJ Dabovich (Nr. 17 CPL) – Ganzsaison
RHP Clay Helvey – Entwicklungsliste
C Brett Cumberland – 60 Tage
LHP/1B – Ronald Guzmán – 60 Tage
RHP Ljay Newsome – 60 Tage
LHP Darien Nuñéz – 60 Tage
RHP Joe Ross – 60 Tage
RHP Kade McClure – 7 Tage
RHP Logan Shore – 7 Tage
INF Donovan Walton – 7 Tage (im Reha-Einsatz)

Richmond

OF Hunter Bishop – 60 Tage
RHP Conner Nurse – 60 Tage
RHP Michael Stryffeler – 60 Tage
INF Carter Aldrete – 7 Tage
OF Ismael Munguia – 7 Tage (im Reha-Einsatz)
INF Sean Roby – 7-Tage (im Reha-Einsatz)
INF Brady Whalen – 7 Tage

Eugen

RHP Will Bednar – 7-Tage (im Reha-Einsatz)
LHP Seth Corry – 7-Tage (im Reha-Einsatz)
OF Jairo Pomares – 7-Tage (im Reha-Einsatz)
RHP Carson Ragsdale – 7 Tage
INF Michael Wielansky – 7-Tage

San Jose

RHP Sam Bower – Ganzsaison
INF/RHP Connor Cannon – Ganzsaison
RHP Davis Hare – Ganzsaison
RHP Ian Villers – Ganzsaison
LHP Rohan bereit – 60 Tage
INF Abdiel Layer – 60 Tage
RHP Spencer-Meilen – 60 Tage
OF Mauricio Pierre – 60 Tage
RHP Liam Simon – 60 Tage
RHP Mikell Manzano – 7 Tage

ACL

C Braden Frankfort – Eingeschränkte Liste
RHP Kanoa Pagan – Eingeschränkte Liste
INF Irvin Murr III – 7 Tage

DSL

LHP Ricardo Estrada – Eingeschränkte Liste
RHP Ruben Ortiz – Eingeschränkte Liste
RHP Anderson Azor – 60 Tage
LHP Luis Custudio – 60 Tage
C Alessandro Duran – 60 Tage
RHP Fernando Estrella – 60 Tage
LHP Antonio Millan – 60 Tage
RHP Jose T Perez – 60 Tage
RHP Christopher Torres – 60 Tage
RHP Fernando Vasquez – 60 Tage
OF Fabio Villadiego – 60 Tage
INF Franco Willias – 60 Tage
RHP Luis Yepez – 60 Tage

Weiterlesen

The post San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball roundup, 7/2/23 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

All eight of the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates were in action on Thursday. Let’s jump in!

Link to the 2023 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions are the positions played in that game.

News

A few days after being named the Northwest League Pitcher of the Week, RHP Ben Madison has been promoted from High-A to AA. Madison, who had a 3.05 ERA and a 2.94 FIP with Eugene, ranks 2nd among all Giants Minor League pitchers (minimum: 30 innings) with 14.6 strikeouts per 9 innings. He’s Rule 5 eligible.

Congrats, Ben! Now onto the games.

AAA Sacramento (35-41)

Sacramento River Cats beat the Reno Aces (Diamondbacks) 8-4
Box score

Bombs away for catcher Joey Bart! After going 60 straight games between AAA and MLB without a home run, Bart hit a big fly for the 2nd-straight game. And this one was a grand slam!

Bart finished the day 2-4 and, just as crucially, didn’t strike out. His disappointing season has been defined by a lack of power and an abundance of strikeouts, but he’s firmly been trending in the right direction lately. After starting his Sacramento stint by going 5-42 with 2 doubles, 2 walks, and 21 strikeouts, Bart has fired off a 4-game hitting streak, going 5-16 with 2 homers, 1 walk, and 0 strikeouts.

With the emergence of Patrick Bailey (No. 10 CPL) as both the everyday catcher for the Giants this year, and their catcher of the future, Bart’s future is in question. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Giants traded him, but it’s worth noting that he’s still a valuable and intriguing player. His defense is good enough for him to be a valuable backup, and his power remains intriguing.

Speaking of people who have been in the Majors this year, center fielder Brett Wisely (No. 33 CPL) continues to stay ready. He went 2-4 in this game with both a home run and a double.

Wisely has struggled to hit in the Majors this year, which is understandable: he entered the season having played in just 5 AAA games, and no MLB games. But he continues to make waves in Sacramento, and now has a .954 OPS and a 133 wRC+, to go with strong defense up the middle of both the dirt and grass.

Not to be outdone, a fellow left-handed hitting infielder on the 40-man roster shined, as second baseman Isan Díaz hit 1-3 with a homer and a walk.

Díaz was recently optioned after just 2 games with the Giants, but he’s been stellar in his short, injury-riddled stint in Sacramento: he’s 9-27 with 4 home runs, 1 double, 2 walks, and 9 strikeouts.

Shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald (No. 18 CPL) doubled, but also struck out in his other 3 at-bats. Strikeouts were the biggest issue facing Fitzgerald entering this season, and he showed dramatic improvement in AA and for the start of his stint in AAA. But lately the Ks have been coming back to bite him in the butt: he has 18 in his last 11 games. Not surprisingly, the other offensive numbers have cooled off a little as the Ks have gone up. During that stretch he’s 12-46 with 3 home runs, 1 double, and 2 walks. On the year, he has an .852 OPS and a 100 wRC+. It’s been a good season, albeit not a breakout.

Unfortunately it was another rough outing for LHP Kyle Harrison (No. 1 CPL), who made it through just 3.2 innings, while giving up 6 hits, 3 walks, and 3 runs. But the strikeouts were, as always, there, as he had 7 of them.

There’s really no reason to worry about Harrison. The 7.09 walks per 9 innings are far from ideal, but the jump to the PCL does that to a pitcher, especially a young one. For comparison, there are 142 pitchers in the PCL who have thrown at least 20 innings, and 24 of them have worse walk rates than Harrison, including 7 of his teammates. In all, 43 pitchers in the league are walking at least 6 batters per 9 innings, and the median is 4.7. That doesn’t make Harrison’s walk rate good, but it’s important context if you find yourself worrying about him.

Also an important reminder: he’s 21, and just 265 innings into his pro career, and the organization and scouts continue to rave about him. I’ve yet to read any report coming from the Giants or other scouts suggesting that the walks are a long-term issue.

That said, it’s worth adjusting our expectations of the timeline. Harrison making his debut this year was considered a “when, not if” question at the start of the year, but it’s not longer a foregone conclusion. The Giants rotation has been good this year, RHP Keaton Winn (No. 16 CPL) seems to have entered it, and there’s a good chance they’ll add a starter at the deadline. With the Giants in contention and Harrison not being Rule 5 eligible, there’s really no rush to get him on the roster.

Silver lining: Harrison threw 83 pitches, so the Giants are stretching his arm out more.

Nice relief games from RHPs Nick Avila and Mauricio Llovera, and LHP Chris Wright, who all had no-hit outings. With a few good games in a row, Avila and Wright could become MLB bullpen options, or at least garner serious Rule 5 consideration.

AA Richmond (35-36)

Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Reading Fightin Phils (Phillies) 14-5
Box score

All I can say about this offensive performance is WOW. What a game. I’ll have to rocket through the stellar performances so I don’t spend a few thousand words here.

First off, left fielder Vaun Brown (No. 5 CPL) had himself yet another great game, and that is so good to see. He hit 2-6 in this game, with both a home run and a double, and stole a base for good measure.

Brown was really scuffling earlier in the month, which we’d never seen him do since the Giants chose him in the 10th round of the 2021 draft. He went through a 2-week stretch in early-mid June in which he hit just 4-45 with 1 triple, 1 double, 4 walks, and 19 strikeouts. In 6 games since then (it’s a 6-game hitting streak), Brown is up to 9-27 with 3 home runs and 2 doubles.

If you need a reminder as to Brown’s potential, he has an .800 OPS and a 114 wRC+, despite shaking off injury rust, and despite that ice-cold stretch accounting for about half of his season so far. That tells you how well he’s playing when he’s not scuffling.

It will be interesting to see what the Giants do about Brown’s bat if he keeps hitting like this. They’ve been really aggressive with a lot of promotions lately, but they’ve also been pretty hesitant to promote players who are struggling with strikeouts. Brown’s season strikeout rate has been suppressed a little bit by his rehab stint in A-ball, but if we just count his time in Richmond, then his 36.1% strikeout rate is 2nd-worst among the Giants 49 prospects with at least 100 plate appearances this year.

Will the Giants wait to see improvements before moving him further through the system, something they seemingly tried to do last year when they let him effectively murder Low-A pitchers for more than 2 months before promoting him, then let him do the same in High-A for nearly 200 plate appearances? Or will they point to the fact that all 9 of the MLB hitters this season with strikeout rates worse than 30% are hitting better than league average, and remember that there are multiple ways to succeed? It will be interesting to see.

Damn it, I said I wouldn’t dive too deep here and I did. Let’s move on. Also doubling and homering: first baseman Logan Wyatt, who hit 2-5.

Wyatt is a reminder that not all prospects blossom at ages where most of us are making questionable decisions on college campuses. A 2nd-round pick in 2019 (the 1st year that Farhan Zaidi was at the helm), Wyatt entered the season as a 25-year old who struggled with injuries, had been highly underwhelming, and had never even flirted with getting out of A-ball. Perhaps most concerning was that Wyatt, who is firmly just a first baseman defensively, had just 5 home runs and 25 extra-base hits in 612 career plate appearances.

And then 2023 happened. Wyatt had a strong performance in High-A, earned a recent promotion, and has been excelling in AA. After those 5 home runs in 612 plate appearances from 2019 through 2022, Wyatt already has 10 this year in just 260 plate appearances, to go with 11 doubles. In 8 games with Richmond, Wyatt is 9-27 with 2 homers, 2 doubles, and 3 walks.

But it’s not just using his big frame to recklessly swing for the fences. Across the 2 levels, Wyatt’s strikeout rate is 22.7%, which is better than average in the Giants system. His walk rate is 13.8%, which is 13th out of 49 Giants Minor Leaguers with at least 100 plate appearances. What a fun story.

Position players usually aren’t targeted in the Rule 5 Draft, but the ones that are often are players with good control of the strike zone. If Wyatt continues to hit like this, could that come into play?

Speaking of fun stories, there may be none better than center fielder Wade Meckler (No. 42 CPL). Meckler had a very Meckler-esque game, hitting 4-6 with a double.

Meckler may not have prospect shine — he was an 8th-round pick last year — but no player has been more aggressively promoted since Zaidi took over. He’s yet to reach 90 plate appearances at any level, and is probably knocking on the door of a promotion to AAA despite having just 272 plate appearances in his career. For reference, there are 7 players on the Giants farm who have already had that many plate appearances this season.

The question for Meckler right now is if he can access his power at higher levels. He hasn’t projected as a power hitter at all, but had good power in both Low and High-A. But with 5 doubles representing his only extra-base hits in 85 plate appearances with Richmond, his ISO has dropped more than .100 points from where it was in Eugene, and nearly .200 points from where it was in San Jose (small sample size applies to all 3 levels).

But there’s no question about his hit tool. Meckler has played 38 games this year, and has multi-hit games in 18 of them. He’s had at least 4 hits in 6 different games this year. His 64 hits are 8th among Giants Minor Leaguers this year, despite injuries limiting him to being just 35th in plate appearances. And he has the 3rd-best strikeout rate in the system, with more walks (20) than Ks (19).

The Giants told us we should be excited about Meckler. They were right.

Shortstop Marco Luciano (No. 2 CPL) had a beautiful day, hitting 2-3 with a double and a pair of walks.

Despite a .268 BABIP that ranks 101st out of 128 Eastern League hitters with at least 100 plate appearances, Luciano has an .801 OPS and a 115 wRC+ on the year. He has the highest ISO (.244) of any Giants Minor Leaguer, and a delightful 15.7% walk rate. Right now the 30.3% strikeout rate is the only stain on what has turned into a fantastic season for a player who is still in the discussion for best prospect in the system.

Catcher Andy Thomas hit 1-4 with a home run and 2 walks, and I forgot to mention it until I wrote the rest of this article, so that’s how good Richmond was.

An encouraging start from RHP Carson Seymour (No. 28 CPL), who struck out 4 batters in as many innings, giving up 4 hits and 2 runs. Seymour has a 3.43 ERA and a 3.86 FIP, so it’s been a nice season for him in that regard. But he’s struck out just 5.6 batters per 9 innings, a mark that ranks 369th out of 378 Minor League pitchers who have thrown at least 50 innings. This was just his 4th time in 15 games where he struck out at least as many batters as innings pitched.

High-A Eugene (36-35)

Eugene Emeralds lost to the Everett AquaSox (Mariners) 1-0
Box score

We’ve mostly been talking about hitters so far, so let’s shift our attention to pitchers. Because they were dominant for Eugene on Thursday.

Leading the charge is one of the breakout stars of 2023, RHP Hayden Birdsong (No. 36 CPL). A 6th-round pick in 2022, Birdsong received strong praise from the Giants throughout the end of last season, the offseason, and this Spring Training. He showed why with a dominant run in Low-A prior to a promotion. He entered Thursday with just 2 games in Eugene: 1 of which was very good, and 1 of which was awful.

Now it’s 2 that are very good and 1 that is awful, which is a nicer ratio.

Birdsong went 5 innings for the 1st time this year, allowing just 4 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run, while striking out 5 batters. He hasn’t fully figured out how to let the strikeout stuff fly in the Northwest League, but it’s early: he has 11 strikeouts in 12 innings, after a staggering 70 Ks in 41.2 innings in San Jose. Still and all, his 13.6 strikeouts per 9 innings are 3rd among all Giants Minor Leaguers with 30 innings pitched, and 2nd behind only Kyle Harrison among starters.

The bullpen was perfect, with RHP William Kempner retiring all 3 batters he faced, and RHP Hunter Dula retiring all 6, with 2 strikeouts. Dula is down to a 1.91 ERA and a 2.83 FIP on the year, while Kempner has given up just 5 hits, 2 walks, and 1 earned run in 5 innings since getting promoted, with 7 strikeouts.

Very little on offense, as the Emeralds got 2-hit. Still, 3 players reached base twice: center fielder Grant McCray (No. 6 CPL), catcher Adrian Sugastey (No. 22 CPL), and right fielder Victor Bericoto.

Low-A San Jose (41-30)

San Jose Giants lost to the Modesto Nuts (Mariners) 5-3
Box score

The biggest story in this game was a home run from designated hitter Heliot Ramos (No. 12 CPL) in his 2nd rehab appearance. It’s still a beautiful swing, damn it.

If you missed it, Ramos started a rehab assignment on Wednesday. It was an aggressive move by the Giants, because Ramos’ maximum of 20 days rehabbing will end at the same time that he hits Day No. 60 on his 60-day IL stint. Which means the Giants are committing to making a roster move with him at the earliest possible date.

What that move will be remains to be seen. Ramos has had a very disappointing 2-year stint, but he’s also a defensively-talented, powerful outfielder who is just 23 years old. You could convince me that the Giants will look to trade or even DFA him after his 20 days are up, and you could also convince me that he’s not even close to being the last name on the 40-man roster, and will just be slotted right back into things while someone like Dalton Guthrie is designated for assignment. We’ll see, but I’m rooting for him.

Also homering was left fielder P.J. Hilson (No. 37 CPL).

A 6th-round pick in 2018, Hilson — still just 22 — has had a very tough year, after playing well last season. He has just a .644 OPS and a 75 wRC+. But he’s an outstanding athlete, a quality defensive player, and has just a 19.3% strikeout rate. So there are certainly some signs there.

A very nice game by RHP Hayden Wynja, who allowed just 5 baserunners and 1 unearned run in 4 innings, with 4 strikeouts. Wynja who, by the way, is 6’9”, has been struggling to keep runs off the board lately, but finishes June with 22 strikeouts to 6 walks in 19.1 innings.

ACL

ACL Giants Orange (6-13) beat the ACL Giants Black (11-8) 4-1 (7 innings)
Box score

The dreaded intrasquad game, but one with a tremendous silver lining: the return of center fielder Ismael Munguia.

Munguia rose up prospect boards with a very exciting 2021, but missed all of 2022 due to injury. He returned this year and was playing really well in AA, before suffering another injury. But Thursday marked his return, as he started a rehab assignment and played for the first time since May 18.

That, in and of itself, is exciting enough. That he hit 1-2 with a home run and a walk makes it even better.

Also homering was third baseman Javier Francisco (20 years, 2020 IFA). Francisco earned the rare midseason overseas promotion last year, when he dominated the DSL in his 2nd stint there, and got sent to the ACL after just 9 games. He struggled in the ACL and he’s struggling there again now, but there are certainly signs of life. Most importantly: he’s drawn 12 walks this year, while striking out just 9 times. If you can control the zone that well, then the .150 batting average will likely rise. And when it does, presumably the power (this was his first extra-base hit in 52 plate appearances this season) will show up.

Center fielder Lazaro Morales (19 years, 2021 IFA) and left fielder Guillermo Williamson (19 years, 2021 IFA) both reached base twice with a double. Both players are in their first year at the level, and while Morales is struggling, Williamson is shining: he has a .991 OPS and a 139 wRC+.

Some really nice pitching days. RHP Samir Chires (19 years, 2021 IFA) struck out 7 batters in 5 innings, allowing 7 baserunners and 1 run. Chires has been struggling in his ACL debut season, but this was his best outing.

RHP Jason Bonilla (24 years, 2018 IFA) only struck out 2 batters in 4 innings, but he allowed just 3 baserunners in a scoreless outing. His 3rd season at the ACL has been something of a disaster, as he has 21 walks to just 8 strikeouts, but nice to see a good game from him.

DSL Orange (10-8)

DSL Giants Orange beat the DSL Mariners 4-2
Box score

Not very much in this game, with the Giants Orange team squeaking out a win despite having just 2 hits. But they drew 4 walks, stole 3 bases, and were aided by 2 errors.

Homering also helps, and that’s what right fielder Miguel Blanco (17 years, 2023 IFA) did. Blanco, who also drew a walk and stole a base, is having a pretty decent debut season, hitting 5-24 with a homer, a triple, and 5 walks to 5 strikeouts. Good stuff!

A quality outing for RHP Randry De Leon (17 years, 2023 IFA). He gave up just 2 baserunners and a run in 4 innings of work, with 3 strikeouts. Despite having a totally fine 1.31 WHIP, De Leon has a 10.13 ERA in his debut season. Starts like this do a lot to fix that!

DSL Black (13-4)

DSL Giants Black beat the DSL Twins 5-3
Box score

Excellence from the middle of the lineup for the Giants Black team. Batting 3rd was the hottest hitter in the system, center fielder Rayner Arias (No. 27 CPL, 17 years, 2023 IFA). He was an on-base machine, hitting 1-2 with a hit by pitch, 2 walks, and a stolen base. Arias, who turned 17 just 2 months ago, has justified the Giants giving him their largest signing bonus since Lucius Fox by hitting a cool and collected 24-57 with 4 home runs, 2 triples, 6 doubles, and 15 walks to just 10 strikeouts. I cannot wait to see this kid in the states next year.

In the cleanup spot was left fielder Moises De La Rosa (18 years, 2022 IFA) who is making the DSL look like child’s play in his 2nd season. He hit 2-3 with 2 walks, giving him an OPS of 1.049 and a wRC+ of 179. I am also very excited to see him in the states next year.

And batting 5th was right fielder Carlos Concepcion (17 years, 2023 IFA) who went 2-5 with a home run. He had a slower start to the season, but that will change with games like this.

Not very good pitching, but RHP Larry De Jesus (20 years, 2019 IFA), who is playing in his debut season despite being signed 4 years ago, pitched a perfect inning. He’s had a funny year: he’s allowed just 1 hit and 2 walks in 4 scoreless innings, but only has 1 strikeout.

Home runs

AAA Brett Wisely (4)
AAA Isan Díaz (4)
AAA Joey Bart (2)
AA Andy Thomas (7)
AA Vaun Brown (5 in AA, 6 total)
AA Logan Wyatt (2 in AA, 10 total)
Low-A P.J. Hilson (3)
Low-A Heliot Ramos (1 in Low-A, 3 total)
ACL Ismael Munguia (1 in ACL, 4 total)
ACL Javier Francisco (1)
DSL Carlos Concepcion (2)
DSL Miguel Blanco (1)

Read more

The post San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball roundup, 6/29/23 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

So much to dive into from Sunday, even though only half of the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates were in action. The ACL and DSL both had the day off, so it was just the A-ball teams … who get today and tomorrow off.

Let’s jump in.

Link to the 2023 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions are the positions played in that game.

News

Let’s start with a bummer of some news. Apologies if this is old news and I only just realized it.

While perusing the rosters for today’s Injured List segment (at the bottom of the article), I noticed that AAA RHP R.J. Dabovich (No. 17 CPL) has been moved from the 7-day Injured List to the Full-Season Injured List. It’s a huge bummer for Dabovich, the team’s 4th-round pick in 2020, who moved quickly through the system and made it to AAA last year. He was someone I had pegged for an MLB debut this year, as a high-strikeout, low-walk bullpen arm. Instead, his season is over after just 2.2 innings. Dabovich is Rule 5 eligible this offseason and, had he not made his debut, would have been a player the Giants would consider protecting if he stayed healthy. I’m guessing they won’t feel the need to protect him if he’s coming off a lost year, but one can’t be sure.

In happier roster-moving news, LHP Seth Corry, who has been rehabbing in the ACL after missing the first 2 months of the season and almost all of 2022, is now listed as being on a rehab assignment in Low-A. He’s on High-A’s roster, so if his San Jose rehab goes well, we’ll probably see him in Eugene soon.

And now, in celebratory news. AAA LHP Kyle Harrison (No. 1 CPL) has once again been selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game on July 8. Harrison, whose 14.86 strikeouts per 9 innings ranks 5th out of the 589 Minor League pitchers who have thrown at least 40 innings this year (with the 4 above him either substantially older or at substantially lower levels), is on pace to make an MLB debut this year if he can lower his walks.

AA LHP Carson Whisenhunt (No. 9 CPL) is joining Harrison at the Futures Game. A 2nd-round pick last year, Whisenhunt dominated Low-A and High-A to start the year, and has made 3 starts in Richmond since getting promoted. His 12.87 strikeouts per 9 innings ranks 27th among the aforementioned 589 Minor Leaguers.

And High-A RHP Ben Madison has been named the Northwest League Pitcher of the Week after allowing just 1 baserunner in 5 scoreless innings, with 9 strikeouts. He has a 3.13 ERA and a 3.01 FIP on the season.

AAA Sacramento (34-40)

Sacramento River Cats lost to the Round Rock Express (Rangers) 5-4
Box score

The River Cats took a 4-3 lead into tho 8th inning but gave up the tying run then, and the walk-off run an inning later. Ahh, well. You can’t win them all or, in Sacramento’s case, even most of them. But as always, we’re far more invested in the individual performances than the team performance so … whatever, or something.

RHP Kai-Wei Teng made his 2nd start since getting promoted, and the walks were again a huge issue. Teng, who earned his promotion after seeing his AA walks drop from 5.6 per 9 innings last year to 3.8 this year, walked 6 batters in just 4 innings, though he limited the damage to 3 hits and 1 run.

I said it after his last start and I’ll say it again: the jump for a pitcher from AA to AAA is, in my eyes, the single most difficult leap a prospect in the Giants system can make, since you’re facing not just a much higher level of competition, but going from a pitcher’s environment to a hitter’s environment, and confronting the automatic balls and strikes system for the first time.

So while it would be great if Teng hadn’t walked 9 batters in his first 7 innings, I also wouldn’t read anything into it.

Also struggling in his 2nd appearance since getting promoted was RHP Randy Rodríguez (No. 32 CPL), who gave up 2 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs in an inning of work, though he did strike out the side. Rodríguez briefly made it to AAA last year, and while urgency may not be the right word for him, it is worth noting that he’s in his 2nd year on the 40-man roster and the Giants don’t like having those spots bogged down.

Not too much on the offensive front. Recently-traded for left fielder Dalton Guthrie, playing in his 2nd game with the River Cats, had the team’s only extra-base hit, going 1-4 with a double and a walk. Catcher Joey Bart had a strikeout-free game, which was good to see, as he went 1-4 with a walk. He’s really been struggling this year, and is just 7-50 with 2 doubles, 3 walks, and 21 strikeouts since returning to Sacramento, and hasn’t homered in a game at any level since September 10, unless we’re counting his one blast in Spring Training.

Second baseman Tyler Fitzgerald (No. 18 CPL) had the only multi-hit game, going 2-5 with a stolen base, albeit with 2 strikeouts. He’s in a small cold patch, as his last 5 games have seen him go 4-20 with 0 extra-base hits, 1 walk, and 7 strikeouts, which has dropped his overall numbers to an .851 OPS and a 100 wRC+. The Giants have started to play him in center field a little bit though, so he’s finding new ways to potentially provide value.

Shortstop Will Wilson (No. 21 CPL) had a bad line, hitting 1-4 with 2 strikeouts, but you can’t hit a single further than this:

It’s just been a tough luck season for Wilson, who has a .717 OPS and a 65 wRC+, with a BABIP that ranks 124th out of 130 Pacific Coast League hitters with at least 100 plate appearances.

AA Richmond (33-36)

Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Harrisburg Senators (Nationals) 4-3
Box score

After a rough patch, Richmond has found their groove, and has now won 4 games in a row. Way to go, dudes!

It shouldn’t be a surprise that as the Flying Squirrels are heating up, so too is their best prospect: shortstop Marco Luciano (No. 2 CPL).

Luciano only hit 1-4 in this game, and struck out twice … but the hit he did have cleared the fences.

Despite not making his season debut until May, and despite playing in a pitcher’s environment, Luciano is already tied for 3rd in the system in home runs this year, with 10 in just 188 plate appearances. The only players with more are High-A outfielder Victor Bericoto, who has 14 in 94 more plate appearances, and AAA infielder Will Wilson (No. 21 CPL), who has 11 in 80 more plate appearances. There are still some things for Luciano to work on, as he has a 30.9% strikeout rate and a .218 batting average, and his defensive future is still murky.

But for now he’s a 21-year old shortstop in AA who is pretty clearly the best power hitter on the farm … his .250 ISO is head and shoulders above any other player in the system, and 11th out of 138 Eastern League hitters with at least 100 plate appearances.

Prospect analysts continue to peg Luciano for the corner of the infield or even the outfield, but until the Giants move him off the position I am going to continue to dream about a power-hitting shortstop, damn it.

By the way, Sunday’s homer came a day after hitting a perfect 4-4. In his last 13 games, Luciano is hitting 17-48 with 5 home runs, 3 doubles, and 11 walks, albeit with 18 strikeouts. His unlucky BABIP is starting to course correct, and he has an .803 OPS and a 115 wRC+ on the year. Don’t let the amazing seasons by some of the other great prospects make you forget that Luciano is arguably the top prospect in the system!

Center fielder Vaun Brown (No. 5 CPL) had a nice day, which was good to see. He hit 2-4 with a double, and in his last 3 games is now 5-13 with a home run, a double, and just 3 strikeouts. That ended a 9-game slump in which he had hit 4-39 with 1 double, 3 walks, and 18 strikeouts. Love to see that, and hopefully it keeps up. He has a .750 OPS and a 103 wRC+ on the season.

First baseman Logan Wyatt continues to heat up, as he hit 3-4 with a double, a game after hitting his 1st AA home run. Wyatt went hitless in his AA debut following a recent promotion, but has a 5-game hitting streak since then. In his 6 games at the level he’s 7-19 with a home run, a double, and 3 walks to just 5 strikeouts. Is the 2019 2nd-round pick starting to figure it out after a start to his career that was defined by poor performance, lack of power, and injuries? Let’s hope so.

Another step forward for RHP Mason Black (No. 11 CPL), the team’s 3rd-round pick in 2021. The Giants 1st and 2nd-round picks in that draft (RHP Will Bednar [No. 25 CPL] and LHP Matt Mikulski, respectively) may be struggling and gigantic question marks, but Black is starting to put it all together, and Sunday was another sign of that, as he pitched 4.1 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits, 2 walks, and a hit batter, while striking out 5.

In his 1st full season last year, in High-A, Black posted modest numbers — a 3.94 ERA and a 4.52 FIP — but the scouting reports painted a picture of a much better player than the numbers were portraying. After taking a while to find his bearings in AA (but still earning high marks from scouts and analysts), we’re starting to see the results of that now.

Black’s 1st 10 starts of the year showed his potential but ultimately weren’t great. Here’s his numbers from those 10 games: 36.2 innings, 34 hits, 15 walks, 26 runs, 24 earned runs, and 45 strikeouts.

He’s made 4 starts since then. Here are his numbers: 17.1 innings, 8 hits, 5 walks, 0 runs, and 21 strikeouts. Those numbers are exciting and that ability to adjust and improve is exciting, and Black’s starts are now one of the most exciting things in the farm. Keep an eye on him, folks.

RHP José Cruz (No. 35 CPL) had a funny game. He managed to walk 3 batters and hit another in just 1.1 innings, but didn’t allow a hit or a run. He’s given up 8 walks and a hit batter in just 10 innings since getting promoted, but has 12 strikeouts and just 5 hits allowed. The future is bright for Cruz, who was added to the 40-man roster over the offseason.

High-A Eugene (36-33)

Eugene Emeralds beat the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 6-4
Box score

What a game for left fielder Jared Dupere! The lefty, who was a 13th-round pick in 2021, had his best game of the year, hitting 3-4 with a pair of home runs. It was just Dupere’s 3rd game since returning from the IL, and he certainly showed off.

It’s been a very bizarre season for Dupere. He has a pretty good batting average (.263) and a good amount of power (.181 ISO), but his strikeout rate of 42.3% is nearly 10 percentage points higher than any other Giants prospects with at least 100 plate appearances this year. Strange stuff.

Center fielder Grant McCray (No. 6 CPL) had a great day, which you love to see, as he hit 3-5 with a stolen base and an outfield assist. After an ice cold April (.554 OPS) and a red-hot May (.909 OPS), McCray has been highly mediocre in June, with a .613 OPS. His defense and base stealing (29 bags in 35 attempts) paint the picture of an excellent prospect, but his mediocre numbers (.712 OPS and 92 wRC+) and struggles with strikeouts (30.5% rate, 8th-worst out of 48 Giants Minor Leaguers with 100 plate appearances) have taken off some of the shine that saw him fly up prospect boards last year.

Speaking of prospects hitting cold patches, shortstop Aeverson Arteaga (No. 7 CPL) hit 0-3 with a walk, a strikeout, and 2 errors. He started to find his groove in May, but has really struggled in June, where he’s hitting just 16-77 with 2 homers, 2 doubles, 5 walks, and 20 strikeouts. His OPS is down to .667 and his wRC+ to 78.

A reminder: when someone asked Patrick Bailey why Luis Matos struggled last year, his response was “Eugene.” So….

RHP Nick Sinacola had a fine, but not exciting game, allowing 5 baserunners and 2 runs in 4 innings, but with just 2 strikeouts. Sinacola is searching for the magic he had early in the season. In his first 6 games of the year, he pitched 21 innings and allowed just 13 hits, 6 walks, and 2 runs, with 29 strikeouts. In 9 games since then, he’s pitched 32.1 innings and allowed 45 hits, 12 walks, and 29 runs, with 36 strikeouts.

The late bullpen continues to shine for Eugene, with RHPs Hunter Dula and Tyler Myrick again pitching scoreless frames with a strikeout, with a walk by Myrick being the only baserunner allowed. Dula, who has a 2.05 ERA and a 2.94 FIP, has given up just 4 earned runs in 22.2 innings after his first 2 appearances of the year. Myrick, who has a 1.13 ERA and a 3.60 FIP, has given up just 1 earned run in each month this year.

Low-A San Jose (41-28)

San Jose Giants lost to the Stockton Ports (A’s) 6-5
Box score

It hasn’t been a good season for center fielder P.J. Hilson (No. 37 CPL), who has just a .597 OPS and a 65 wRC+ on the year, a year after the 22-year old had his 1st offensively-strong season as a pro (he was drafted in the 6th round in 2018).

But Sunday was a step in the right direction, and perhaps his best day of the year, as he hit 2-3 with a triple, a walk, a stolen base, and an outfield assist. The future may be murky given Hilson’s lack of performance, but if Grant McCray taught us anything last year, it’s to be patient with exceptional athletes, because sometimes things start to click. And while the OPS and wRC+ might not be pretty, Hilson plays a lovely center field, has 7 stolen bases in as many attempts, and has a strikeout rate of just 18.8%, with is 18th out of 93 California League hitters with at least 100 plate appearances.

Also having multi-hit days were left fielder Turner Hill, first baseman Andrew Kachel, and catcher Zach Morgan. Morgan, who hit 2-3 with a double and a walk, only has a .731 OPS and a 105 wRC+, but has 34 walks to just 37 strikeouts. Among those 93 aforementioned hitters in the League, Morgan’s 17.4% walk rate is 8th-best, while his 19.0% strikeout rate is 21st-best. That’s an exciting profile for last year’s 7th-round pick.

The biggest hit, however, belonged to third baseman Thomas Gavello, who only hit 1-4 but smacked one over the fence. It’s an .857 OPS and a 138 wRC+ for Gavello, a 13th-round pick a year ago, in his 1st full season. Great stuff.

A 2nd-straight up-and-down start for RHP Gerelmi Maldonado (No. 40 CPL). The bad was that he allowed 8 baserunners and 4 runs in 4.2 innings. The good was that he struck out 7 batters. Maldonado caught fire at the end of May, and had a 4-start streak in which he pitched 16 innings and allowed just 6 hits, 2 walks, and 1 earned run, with 22 strikeouts. In 2 starts since then he’s given up 10 hits, 5 walks, and 12 runs, albeit with 13 strikeouts in just 7.2 innings.

That hurts his ERA, which is now 5.29 (his FIP is 5.05), but he’s still a player who should be flying up every prospect list. Check out his strikeout and walk numbers by month, keeping in mind that he won’t turn 20 until late December:

April: 12.2 innings, 11 walks, 12 strikeouts
May: 15.1 innings, 12 walks, 20 strikeouts
June: 19.2 innings, 6 walks, 29 strikeouts

Bright future. Very bright future.

One note on the Baby Giants: LHP/DH Reggie Crawford (No. 8 CPL) has not appeared as a hitter or pitcher since June 16. I haven’t heard anything about him, but I’ll keep my eyes open.

Home runs

AA Marco Luciano (10)
High-A Jared Dupere, 2 (7)
Low-A Thomas Gavello (9)

Monday schedule

Sacramento: Off day
Richmond: Off day
Eugene: Off day
San Jose: Off day

Injured List

I’ve been forgetting to do this lately, but the goal is to every Monday post the players on the Injured List, since it’s easy to lose track of players. So I’ll try to remember to do that going forward.

40-man prospects (60-day IL)

OF Heliot Ramos (No. 12 CPL)
LHP Thomas Szapucki

Sacramento

RHP R.J. Dabovich (No. 17 CPL) — Full season
C Brett Cumberland — 60-day
LHP/1B Ronald Guzmán — 60-day
RHP Ljay Newsome — 60-day
LHP Darien Núñez — 60-day
RHP Joe Ross — 60-day
RHP Clay Helvey — Development list
RHP Kade McClure — 7-day
RHP Phoenix Sanders — 7-day
RHP Logan Shore — 7-day
INF Donovan Walton — 7-day (on rehab assignment)

Richmond

OF Hunter Bishop — 60-day
RHP Conner Nurse — 60-day
RHP Michael Stryffeler — 60-day
OF Ismael Munguia — 7-day
INF Sean Roby — 7-day (on rehab assignment)
INF Brady Whalen — 7-day

Eugene

LHP Seth Corry — 7-day (on rehab assignment)
OF Jairo Pomares — 7-day (on rehab assignment)
RHP Carson Ragsdale — 7-day
INF Michael Wielanski — 7-day

San Jose

RHP Sam Bower — Full season
RHP/INF Connor Cannon — Full season
RHP Davis Hare — Full season
RHP Ian Villers — Full season
LHP Rohan Handa — 60-day
INF Abdiel Layer — 60-day
RHP Spencer Miles — 60-day
OF Mauricio Pierre — 60-day
RHP Liam Simon — 60-day
RHP Mikell Manzano — 7-day

Arizona Complex League

C Braden Frankfort — Restricted List
RHP Kanoa Pagan — Restricted List
INF Irvin Murr III — 7-day

Dominican Summer League

LHP Ricardo Estrada — Restricted List
RHP Ruben Ortiz — Restricted List
RHP Anderson Azor — 60-day
LHP Luis Custodio — 60-day
C Alessandro Duran — 60-day
RHP Fernando Estrella — 60-day
RHP Antonio Millan — 60-day
RHP Jose T Perez — 60-day
RHP Christopher Torres — 60-day
RHP Fernando Vasquez — 60-day
OF Fabio Villadiego — 60-day
INF Franco Willias — 60-day
RHP Luis Yepez — 60-day

Video round up

Haven’t done a Minor League round up in a while, so here are some of the video highlights you might have missed from the last few days.

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The post San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball roundup, 6/25/23 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Friday was a busy day for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates, so let’s get straight into the action!

Link to McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL) 2023

All positions listed are the positions played in this game.

AAA Sacramento (21-22)

The Sacramento River Cats defeated the Reno Aces (Diamondbacks) 7-3
box score

Given the aggressive promotions of Casey Schmitt (No. 3 CPL) and Patrick Bailey (No. 10 CPL) to the majors, it’s fairly fair to look at midfielder Luis Matos (No. 4 CPL) and assume he’s only a few good players is weeks away from getting this exciting call.

This isn’t meant to put the cart before the horse, but it’s clearly the way the Giants are going about their top prospects. So it’s worth keeping an eye on Matos, and he rewarded those keeping an eye on his third AAA game by scoring with a triple and an outfield assist to make it 3-5.

After going unhit in his AAA debut, Matos adapted immediately and with 2 extra base hits is 5-9 in the next two games. Despite his impeccable plate discipline and contact form, Matos has only netted one strikeout in his 15 AAA plate appearances…he’s only netted 18 strikeouts in 148 plate appearances that year. Elite and ridiculous considering he turned 21 less than four months ago.

But while Matos had the most exciting day due to his talent status, the best day went to right fielder Clint Coulter, who hit two home runs to make it 2-5.

Coulter, a 12-year minor league veteran looking for his first MLB game, has cooled down significantly after his red-hot start to the year, so it’s nice to see he’s having a good game.

Also home was third baseman David Villar, who is looking to find his momentum again after a disappointing start to the year in San Francisco resulted in him being optioned.

2-hit days for third baseman Ford Proctor (who also had a walk) and catcher Ricardo Genovés, who is currently the only catcher on the roster after Bailey’s promotion (third catcher, Brett Cumberland, is in 60-day IL) .

RHP Sean Hjelle (No. 30 CPL) took the mound, giving up just 2 runs in 5 innings, allowing 5 hits and 1 walk while notching 4 strikeouts. He will surely return to San Francisco at some point this season.

Another fine performance for LHP Erik Miller, who went two no-hit innings with a walk despite not having a strikeout. He has a 3.86 ERA and 3.35 FIP since being promoted earlier in the season.

AA Richmond (18-18)

The Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Akron RubberDucks (Guardians) 11-9
box score

A lot of attacks came from the River Cats, and most of them came from two players. First baseman Riley Mahan had a day and batted 2-5 with both hits being homers.

Mahan hasn’t had a particularly good year with the racquet (.695 OPS, 81 wRC+) but days like this certainly do a lot to change that.

The other star was left fielder Carter Aldrete, who also made it 2-5 with a home run and a double. Aldrete has a strong offensive season (.786 OPS, 116 wRC+) while playing the corners in both the infield and outfield.

Those were the stars, but there were other good days too. Right fielder Carter Williams scored 3-5 while continuing to find his rhythm. In his last 7 games, Williams has gone 8-21 with 1 home run, 2 walks and 5 strikeouts.

And third baseman Brett Auerbach (No. 38 CPL) and hitter designated Andy Thomas both went 1-3 with 2 walks. Thomas has 20 walks and 31 strikeouts this year.

Notable: It wasn’t the star-studded day in Richmond that we expected as shortstop Marco Luciano (No. 2 CPL) and recently activated outfielder Vaun Brown (No. 5 CPL) had days off for Matos and Bailey, two of the top -Team’s candidates for the start of the year, have moved on.

But RHP Landen Roupp (No. 20 CPL) pitched! Roupp started the year injured, making his season debut in late April and promptly re-injuring himself. This was only his third appearance of the year and he did well, scoring twice in two perfect innings.

Roupp has only given up 2 hits, 2 walks and 1 run in 6 innings this year, including 10 strikeouts. Not bad for someone who should still be trying to shake off the rust.

RHP Carson Seymour (No. 28 CPL) had a fun outing that was either good or bad depending on your point of view. He pitched 3.2 innings and gave up 4 hits, 1 walk, 1 hit batter and 5 runs, but only 1 run was earned and he had 5 strikeouts.

It was nice to see him having a good strikeout game…after Seymour had 108 strikeouts in 80.2 high-A innings last year (with 2 franchises), he’s only had 16 in 29.2 in Richmond so far innings

Very tough assignments for LHPs Juan Sanchez and Raymond Burgos who otherwise had really nice years.

High-A Eugene (20-16)

Eugene Emeralds lost to the Hillsboro Hops (Diamondbacks) 5-3 (10 innings)
box score

Not a particularly good day for the Emeralds. The offensive didn’t bring much with the bats, but much with their eyes, because they scored 10 walks.

This campaign was led by center fielder Grant McCray (No. 6 CPL), who scored 0-2 but completed three walks, taking his OPS to .708 and WRC+ to 90. He also stole his 14th and 15th bases of the year! Talk about a guy with a lot of tools.

The best offensive day belonged to left fielder Jared Dupere, who went 2-4 with a double and a walk and increased his OPS to .740 and wRC+ to 98. Not a great season for him when you combine those numbers with a 43.7% strikeout rate.

Also three times catchers Adrian Sugastey (No. 22 CPL), who hit 2-4 with a walk, and Luis Toribio, who hit 1-3 with 2 walks. Shortstop Aeverson Arteaga (No.7 CPL) doubled and grabbed a walk, although he’s still looking for his swing in High-A (.624 OPS, 68 wRC+).

Another really nice relief performance from RHP Jose Cruz (No. 35 CPL), who batted four batters in 1.2 innings without hitting, despite giving up a walk and batting one. Cruz, who was added to the 40-man roster in the offseason, now has 17 strikeouts and just 6 hits allowed in 12.1 innings, but he has run 6 batters and batted 4.

And nice to see Mat Olsen making a nice showing, struggling to regain his electrifying form from a year ago. He knocked out two batters in a perfect inning.

This is also amazing:

Low-A San Jose (23-14)

The San Jose Giants defeated the Stockton Ports (A’s) 14-4
box score

Holy heavens, what an offensive day for the Baby Giants, who hit 19 hits that day…including 10 extra base hits and 6 homers.

We could spend all day talking about the great games, so let’s try to go through them quickly. First baseman/left fielder Matt Higgins had the best day, scoring two big flies in a 4-6 win.

With an OPS of .899 and a WRC+ of 143, the undrafted Higgins has done everything the Giants asked of him and we’ll have to see if he plays at a higher level.

Catcher Zach Morgan and designated hitter PJ Hilson (No. 37 CPL) had identical days, going 3-4 with a home run and a walk.

Morgan hasn’t shown much strength this year, with a batting ratio of just .351. But his disc discipline – he has a 22.5% walk rate and only a 16.7% strikeout rate – has given him a .743 OPS and a 114 WRC+ in his first full season. Those numbers could look really good once his .250 BABIP stabilizes.

Hilson, who is only 22 despite being in his sixth year with the organization, is trying to get back on his feet after missing part of the year through injury. He has an OPS of .714 and a WRC+ of 88.

Also successful were third baseman Thomas Gavello, who made the 4-1 win with a walk, and shortstop Jose Ramos, who made the 5-1 win.

Gavello’s first full season was magical as he has an OPS of 1.055 and a WRC+ of 180. Ramos on the other hand had a brilliant start to the year but was left freezing. In his 9 games prior to this one, he had gone 4-33 with no extra base hits, 4 walks and 11 strikeouts. Hopefully the homer gets a great season back on track.

But you don’t have to hit home runs to have good attacking days, and that’s proven by right fielder/midfielder Carter Howell, who went 3-6 with 2 doubles and a triple, raising his OPS to .824 and his wRC+ to .824-128 A fine first full season for the undrafted hitter.

Another really nice start for RHP Hayden Birdsong (No. 6 CPL), who had four scoreless innings with one hit and six strikeouts. The only downside of the day was the issue with the free pass as he had two walks and hit a batter. Birdsong, who has a 1.65 ERA and a 2.79 FIP, has 45 strikeouts in just 27.1 innings despite giving up 14 walks and 3 hit batters. The organization holds him in high esteem, and it’s easy to see why.

RHP Luis Moreno, making only his second appearance of the year through injury, performed well, scoring five in 2.1 scoreless innings but allowing three and a walk. RHP Sam Delaplane, who is only pitching for the third time this year — and only his seventh since 2019 due to injury — was shaken, giving up 1 hit, 3 walks and 4 runs while recording just 1 out.

home runs

AAA Clint Coulter, 2 (3)
AAA David Villar (2)
AA Riley Mahan, 2 (6)
AA Carter Aldrete (5)
Low-A Thomas Gavello (7)
Low-A Matt Higgins, 2 (5)
Low-A PJ Hilson (2)
Low-A Zach Morgan (2)
Low-A Jose Ramos (1)

saturday schedule

Sacramento: @ the Reno Aces, 4:05 p.m. PT
Richmond: vs. the Akron RubberDucks, 3:05 p.m. PT
Eugene: vs. the Hillsboro Hops, 6:05 p.m. PT
San Jose: @ the Stockton Ports, 7:05 p.m. PT

Reminder: All minor league games can now be viewed with an MLB TV subscription.

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The post San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball spherical up, 5/19/23 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.