We’re cruising right along with the top 10 in the 2027 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List, which will see us rank the top 44 prospects in the San Francisco Giants organization heading into the 2027 season. It’s a fascinating group of prospects this year, and we can expect a lot of the races to be very, very tight.
But not the most recent one. The latest chapter of the CPL was a blowout, with 56 of the 69 votes going to one name in the four-player race. That prospect? Shortstop Jhonny
Level, who has been voted as the No. 4 prospect in the system.
That’s a drop of one spot for Level, who was ranked No. 3 a year ago, and really, that tells you everything you need to know about the state of the farm. Level had an absolutely dreamy season, while one of the players ranked ahead of him last year (Bryce Eldridge) graduated from the system. And still, Level fell in the rankings.
And that’s how you know that things are changing ‘round these parts.
Level, a switch-hitter who signed in 2024 out of Venezuela, opened the season with Low-A San Jose, with the season starting just a few days after his 19th birthday. Hit hit the ground running with the Baby Giants and … well … he didn’t just hit the ground, he hit everything. In 44 games with San Jose, Level slashed .325/.392/.576 with 10 home runs, good for a .968 OPS and a 134 wRC+. He then took his talents to the Northwest League for 69 games with High-A Eugene, where his numbers stayed strong: a .302/.363/.473 slash line with eight home runs, an .836 OPS, and a 119 wRC+.
In addition to all those hits, homers, and walks, Level stole 26 bases on the season (though he was caught nine times), and played very strong defense at shortstop, while also getting a few reps at second base when splitting duties with Gavin Kilen during their brief overlap in the Pacific Northwest.
Those numbers all look fantastic, and even more fantastic when you account for Level’s defensive position, but they look even better when you contextualize his age: he was two years younger than his average peer in San Jose, and nearly three-and-a-half years younger when with Eugene. He was one of just three teenagers to log at least 100 plate appearances in the Northwest League and yet, despite that, made the All-Star team in the league. Perhaps even more critically, he was voted as the best MLB prospect in the league.
There’s really nothing that Level can’t do at this stage in his career. His contact skills are special, as he hit over .300 at both levels, and kept his strikeout rate well below 20%. He has some very impressive power, and is a good baserunner, while playing strong up-the-middle defense. There are a few things to work on (he’s a little bit of a free swinger, among other things), but really, the primary question with Level is the best question a prospect can have: can he keep this up against better competition? The answer to that question will determine whether Level flames out, survives, or becomes a star.
Given how strong he was in Eugene, and the length of his stay there, I would expect Level to open the 2027 season in AA. It’s possible that he’ll once again form a middle infield timeshare with Kilen there, though Kilen could very possibly begin the year in AAA. Either way, Level is one of the most must-watch prospects in 2027, because if he repeats his 2026 performance in the upper Minors, well … we’ve probably got a top-50 prospect on our hands.
Now let’s add to the list! We’ve got some new names to vote on, so head to the comment section to make your pick!
The list so far
- Josuar González — SS
- Jackson Flora — RHP
- Luis Hernández — SS
- Jhonny Level — SS
Note: Clicking on the above names will link to the CPL where they were voted onto the list.
No. 5 prospect nominees
Carson Bolemon — 19.7-year old LHP — yet to debut
Jacob Bresnahan — 21.4-year old LHP — 2.92 ERA/4.32 FIP in High-A (98.2 IP); 5.06 ERA/3.60 FIP in AA (16 IP)
Argenis Cayama — 20.1-year old RHP — 4.87 ERA/4.27 FIP in Low-A (57.1 IP)
Bo Davidson — 24.3-year old OF — .861 OPS/122 wRC+ in AA (315 PA); .923 OPS/138 wRC+ in AAA (234 PA); .714 OPS/100 wRC+ in MLB (22 PA)
Dakota Jordan — 23.5-year old OF — .879 OPS/125 wRC+ in High-A (355 PA); .697 OPS/87 wRC+ in AA (88 PA)
Gavin Kilen — 22.7-year old SS — .811 OPS/112 wRC+ in High-A (349 PA); .811 OPS/112 wRC+ in AA (143 PA)
Ramon Marquez — 21.1-year old RHP — 1.86 ERA/2.67 FIP in Low-A (29 IP); 2.48 ERA/2.45 FIP in High-A (40 IP)
Note: Each player’s first name links to their Baseball-Reference page, and their last name links to their Fangraphs page. All stats are from the 2026 season.
