All four of the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates were in action on Wednesday, and the four teams combined to play five games! Let’s dive into the action.
Link to the 2025 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)
All listed positions in the roundup are the positions played in that particular game.
News
The only news is that second baseman/outfielder Ryan Reckley (No. 35 CPL) has been moved up from the ACL to High-A Eugene. Reckley had recently been dropped from Low-A San Jose
to the ACL, so you have to assume this is about logistics following Nate Furman’s departure rather than a promotion.
AAA Sacramento (70-64)
Sacramento River Cats lost to the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) 3-2
Box score
For the 2nd day in a row, Sacramento lost to Vegas by a score of 3-2. And this time, there’s not a whole lot to highlight. But one trend continued: Jesús Rodríguez just keeps piling up the hits.
Rodríguez was the designated hitter on Wednesday, and hit a perfect 3-3 with both a double and a walk. And with that, he registered a third of the team’s walks, half of the team’s hits, and all of the team’s extra-base hits. Most remarkably, though, was that it was the 4th consecutive game in which Rodríguez has had 3 hits. He’s gone 12-17 during that span, and struck out just once, and it’s raised his batting average to .353 since coming over in the Camilo Doval trade, while boosting his OPS to .872 and his wRC+ to 136.
It’s not all roses and cold beers for Rodríguez, who has a borderline Mecklerian lack of power. He has just an .088 isolated slugging percentage as a River Cat, which ranks 159th out of 177 Pacific Coast League hitters with at least 100 plate appearances (and even that mark is propped up in part by the fact that half of his home runs have come against position players), and his average exit velocity is just 45th percentile.
But the good far outweighs the bad, and the good in this case is not just that he is a certified hit machine, but that he’s also a catcher. We’re not talking about a corner outfielder here who needs to put up a gaudy stat line. If he can be a high-average hitter while playing behind the dish, he’ll be an awesome and extremely valuable player, even if all the hits are singles. And given that he only turned 23 during the season, there’s reason to expect some growth moving forward.
The other notable offensive day belonged to second baseman Dayson Croes. The lefty didn’t hit well, as he went 0-4, but it was a notable day nonetheless, as it was his AAA debut. What a story Croes, a 25-year old from Aruba, has become: he was playing Indy League ball earlier this year, with no history of affiliated baseball, when the Giants signed him to a Minor League contract. A few months later, and he’s already in AAA!
And here’s the update on the 40-man and other notable names in the lineup: right fielder Wade Meckler (No. 13 CPL) hit 1-4 with 2 strikeouts and a caught stealing, moving his OPS to .732 and his wRC+ to 103; center fielder Tyler Fitzgerald hit 1-4 with 2 strikeouts and now has a .692 OPS and an 83 wRC+; first baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL) went 1-4, moving his OPS to .824 and his wRC+ to 103; left fielder Marco Luciano went 0-1 with a strikeout, but drew 2 walks, hit a near-dinger sacrifice fly, and had an outfield assist, and now has an .812 OPS and a 111 wRC+; and pinch-hitter Brett Wisely went 0-1, putting his OPS at .715 and his wRC+ at 87.
It was an exciting day on the mound, as LHP Nick Zwack made his AAA debut. Zwack, a 17th-round pick by the Mets in 2021 who came over in the J.D. Davis/Darin Ruf trade, was in AA in 2023 when he underwent Tommy John surgery. He missed 2024, and started rehab games this May. He pitched fantastically in his return to AA, sporting a 2.53 ERA and a 2.93 FIP in 7 appearances, which earned him a promotion to Sacramento.
As most pitchers do upon reaching the PCL, Zwack had a fair amount of struggles. He couldn’t find the zone, throwing just 40 of 75 pitches for strikes, and walking 5 batters in 3.1 innings, while also hitting a batter. But he only gave up 2 hits, both singles, and all those free passes resulted in just 2 runs against him, while he struck out 2 as well. Not a dynamic performance, but a game he certainly won’t ever forget. It will be fun to see him get a few more starts before the season ends — there’s a lot of life in that arm.
RHP Trent Harris (No. 20 CPL) had a stellar game, pitching 2 perfect innings, striking out 2 batters, and requiring just 22 pitches (15 of which were strikes). Harris’ numbers since a midseason promotion are fairly poor: he has a 5.25 ERA and a 4.85 FIP, and his spectacular 14.1 strikeouts per 9 innings in AA have dropped to just 9.0 in AAA. But adjustments take time, especially for pitchers moving to the PCL, and Harris is certainly having plenty of outings where he shows how talented he is. I strongly suspect the 2023 undrafted free agent will make his MLB debut in 2026.
AA Richmond (51-74)
Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Altoona Curve (Pirates) 8-7
Box score
Not a good pitching performance, but there were a lot of nice games in the batter’s box to highlight for Richmond.
Most notable was that designated hitter Nate Furman made his Richmond debut. It’s been almost exactly a year since the Giants acquired Furman (he was technically traded about a month past the deadline, since he was the Player To Be Named Later in the Alex Cobb deal), who had reached AA in the Guardians system at the time of the deal. But an injury kept him from making his organizational debut until this season, and when he did debut, it was in rehab games. He worked his way up to High-A Eugene, where the just-turned 24-year old lefty was thoroughly dominant, sporting a 1.139 OPS and a 209 wRC+ in 21 games with the Emeralds.
Now the 2022 4th-round pick is back to his rightful level where, admittedly, he’s still fairly green — he played just 13 games in AA last year. But he brought his offense with him on the cross-country flight, as he was right at home in his Squirrels debut, hitting 2-3 with a walk, a sacrifice bunt, and 2 runs batted in. What an introduction!
Furman is a sneaky exciting prospect with a whole bunch of bat-to-ball skills. He doesn’t have a lot of power, but he’s a career .289 hitter in the Minors and plays a strong second base. One thing that will be interesting to watch as he feels more comfortable post-injury: can he become a stolen base artist again? He has quite good speed, and in his debut season in 2023 stole 37 bases in 108 games. Since then, he’s nabbed just 13 bases in 78 games.
Third baseman Sabin Ceballos (No. 18 CPL), back in his rightful defensive spot after a few days at first, had another strong game, hitting 2-3 with a double, a walk, and a hit by pitch. After a very tough and disappointing start to the season, the righty is really ending the year on a strong note. The 23-year old, who was taken in the 3rd round of the 2023 draft by the Braves, has hit 43-137 with 5 home runs, 11 doubles, 19 walks, and just 24 strikeouts over the last 2 months, which has brought his OPS up to .670 and his wRC+ to 102. Those numbers are pretty remarkable given how poor his opening months of the season were — add in his delightful hot corner defense, and there’s certainly no questioning his prospect status.
Second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 16 CPL) has done something of the opposite, as he had a hot start to the year but has been cooling down since. But he hit the pause button on that cooling down on Wednesday, hitting 3-5 with a double and a walk. That’s a nice game for someone who had a very tough summer, in which he sported a .600 OPS in July and a .579 mark in August. For the year, the switch-hitter has a .665 OPS and a 103 wRC+, and while those numbers are more fine than good, it’s worth contextualizing that he’s a 21-year old middle infielder in AA, where he’s 2.5 years younger than league average.
First baseman Victor Bericoto (No. 24 CPL) hit 2-5 with a strikeout, which marked his 6th multi-hit game in his last 9 outings. During that time, the 23-year old righty has gone 14-37 with a home run, a double, and 4 walks, boosting his OPS to .756 and his wRC+ to 123. Those are delightful numbers, but given that during that streak Bericoto surpassed the 1,000 plate appearance mark in AA, it’s probably hard for him to view his season as a success. Hopefully next year he’ll get an extended run in AAA.
The pitching was bad. RHP Ryan Murphy made his 2nd appearance for the Squirrels after more than a year on the sidelines, and a quartet of rehab appearances with Low-A San Jose. He looked like someone who still has rust to shake off, which he certainly is: in 3 innings, the 2020 5th-rounder allowed 4 hits, a hit batter, and 3 runs, with just 1 strikeout, though he didn’t walk anyone.
A very tough outing for RHP Shane Rademacher, who gave up 6 baserunners and 4 runs in 3 innings without a strikeout. Rademacher has really been having a hard time in AA, after dominating High-A Eugene earlier in the year. RHP Marques Johnson also wasn’t at his sharpest, allowing 1 hit, 2 walks, and 1 run in 2 innings, but he struck out 4 batters. Johnson, who came over in the Mauricio Llovera trade, has been lights out since a midseason promotion, with a 3.33 ERA, a 2.08 FIP, and a stunning 42 strikeouts in just 27 innings.
High-A Eugene (78-51)
Eugene Emeralds swept a 7-inning doubleheader against Spokane (Rockies) 4-1 and 4-0
Game 1 box score
Game 2 box score
A dominant doubleheader on the mound for the Emeralds, who allowed just 6 hits — 5 of which were singles — in 14 innings of action. And the players behind that dominance were a pair of pitchers who normally piggy-back in 9-inning games, but instead each got the start in the 7-inning affairs: LHP Tyler Switalski and RHP Darien Smith
Switalski, a 16th-rounder in 2024, and Smith, an undrafted free agent, are both in their debut seasons. And they’re both shining brightly. It was the southpaw Switalski who took down Game 1, pitching 6.1 innings and allowing just 1 hit, 2 walks, and 1 run, while striking out 5 batters. He only needed 81 pitches to retire 19 batters, and threw 57 of those 81 pitches for strikes. He didn’t put up particularly strong numbers to start the year with Low-A San Jose, but has been dynamic through 6 games with Eugene, sporting just a 1.17 ERA and a 2.91 FIP. That said, it may not be the most sustainable success: he’s currently riding just a .150 BABIP, and is only striking out 6.7 batters per 9 innings.
Smith took the mound for Game 2 and was utterly sensational, throwing 5 shutout innings while allowing just 2 singles and 0 walks, with 6 strikeouts. He was a strike-throwing machine, tossing 41 of 57 pitches for strikes, and it marked his 2nd consecutive outing with just 2 baserunners and 0 runs (though the other outing was just 3 innings). Smith’s numbers should be taken with a grain of salt, as he’ll turn 26 before the calendar year ends, but still: he has a 2.59 ERA and a 3.14 FIP in the Northwest League, with a brilliant 26 strikeouts to 5 walks in 24.1 innings.
Also pitching on Sunday was RHP Ubert Mejias, who made his High-A debut. And despite not pitching particularly well in Low-A this year, he looked just fine in Eugene, allowing a hit but throwing a scoreless inning.
Plenty of nice days on offense. Second baseman Jean Carlos Sio continued to find his groove at the level, as he hit 3-4 with a double in Game 1, though he was caught stealing and didn’t play in Game 2. Sio, who was promoted in early August, now has 5 multi-hit games in his last 7 contests, during which time he’s gone 11-30 with 3 home runs, 2 doubles, and 2 walks, which has brought his OPS all the way up to .794, and his wRC+ to 121. Figuring out where to rank the 21-year old middle infielder when the CPL rolls around is something I’m very intrigued by.
A strong doubleheader for center fielder Jonah Cox (No. 26 CPL), who hit 4-8 with a double, though he also had a strikeout and was caught stealing. Cox, the heist from the Ross Stripling trade, has hung right around league-average offense all year, with the just-turned 24-year old currently sporting a .731 OPS and a 101 wRC+. But average defense is pretty cool when you play excellent defense in center field and have an organization-leading 56 stolen bases.
And an awesome doubleheader for shortstop Zane Zielinski, who has had a hot few days. Last year’s 9th-round pick, who has been debuting at High-A this year, went 3-4 with a double, a stolen base, a sacrifice fly, and a sacrifice bunt. In his last 5 games, Zielinski has hit 10-17 with a home run, a double, a walk, and just 2 strikeouts. The overall numbers — .647 OPS, 86 wRC+ — still aren’t eye-popping, but he plays strong defense across the infield, has 32 stolen bases, and skipped Rookie Ball and Low-A.
Low-A San Jose (79-49)
San Jose Giants lost to the Modesto Nuts (Mariners) 12-4
Box score
Well, not the best game for a team that is still limping to the finish line, with so many of their top prospects injured and numerous fill-ins occurring every game.
There were a pair of strong hitting performances, with both coming from recently drafted players: shortstop Lorenzo Meola and right fielder Cameron Maldonado. Meola, the team’s 4th-round pick, hit 3-5 with a double, which boosted his OPS to .795 and his wRC+ to 111 through 13 games. He’s fitting in quite nicely, though he does have a 25.0% strikeout rate.
Maldonado, the team’s 7th-round pick, hit 2-4 with a double and a stolen base, though he also struck out twice. He’s still finding his footing as a pro, as he has just a .647 OPS and an 87 wRC+ through 13 games, with a 29.6% strikeout rate, though he’s already stolen 5 bases without yet getting caught.
On the mound, the starter was LHP Luis De La Torre, who made his 8th appearance with San Jose. De La Torre is part of a trio of arms who dramatically raised their prospect status with brilliant ACL seasons, joining RHPs Keyner Martinez and Argenis Cayama (No. 28 CPL). And so far that success has translated to Cal League, as evidenced by Wednesday’s performance: 4 innings, 2 hits, 2 walks, 1 unearned run, and 3 strikeouts, which lowered his ERA to 1.77 and his FIP to 2.44.
It shows you how good he’s been this year that it was a notably bad game from a K/BB perspective: between the 2 levels, he has 109 strikeouts against just 27 walks in a mere 74.1 innings. What a prospect he has become!
Later in the game we were treated to a debut, as 24-year old RHP Dylan Carter, an undrafted free agent out of Arkansas, pitched in a professional game for the 1st time in his career. Carter allowed 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run in just 1.2 innings of work, with a strikeout, but it’s a game he won’t soon (or ever) forget. Welcome to the pros, Dylan!
And then it was another debut, albeit not a professional one: RHP Jose T. Perez, who began the year in the DSL before getting a quick promotion to the ACL, made his A-Ball debut. Unfortunately, he got knocked around, allowing 6 baserunners and 4 runs in just 1 inning, though he struck out the side!
Home run tracker
There were no home runs on Wednesday! Sad!
Thursday schedule
Sacramento: 6:45 p.m. PT vs. Las Vegas (SP: Mason Black)
Richmond: 3:00 p.m. PT at Altoona (SP: Trystan Vrieling)
Eugene: 6:35 p.m. PT vs. Spokane (SP: Josh Bostick)
San Jose: 6:30 p.m. PT vs. Modesto (SP: Niko Mazza)
Reminder that (almost) all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV
