Four games for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates on Wednesday, as all the A-ball teams were in action, while the trio of rookie ball squads had the day off. Let’s dive in!
Link to the 2026 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
Just a little news. AAA RHP Wilkin Ramos cleared waivers and was outrighted back to Sacramento. AA Richmond RHP Brad Deppermann was placed on the 7-Day IL.
AAA Sacramento (44-36)
Sacramento
River Cats lost to the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres) 6-3 Box score
It seems likely that the Giants will have some holes in their rotation to fill by the end of this month, as Robbie Ray and Tyler Mahle will presumably be traded. While Adrian Houser could slide back into the rotation, that’s not an exciting option, especially with Landen Roupp seemingly forgetting how to pitch. So they’ll almost surely dip into their reserve in AAA.
Unfortunately, Wednesday was not a good audition for Sacramento’s top pitcher, LHP Carson Whisenhunt (No. 8 CPL). Whisenhunt couldn’t miss bats against the Chihuahuas, as he gave up 7 hits in 5 innings (which included 2 home runs and 2 doubles), and only struck out 1 of the 24 batters he faced. The southpaw also walked 3, en route to allowing 6 earned runs and picking up the loss.
It was a continuation of a few concerning trends with Whisenhunt. Perhaps most notably given what the Giants desperately want and need out of starters, is that Whisenhunt has greatly struggled with efficiency this year. He needed 94 pitches (just 56 of which were strikes) to get through 5 innings, and has only recorded an out in the 6th inning in 4 of his 17 appearances this year. After a hot stretch a little while ago, Whisenhunt has also seen his strikeouts and walks get flipped on their heads: over his last 4 starts (3 with Sacramento, and 1 with San Francisco), Whisenhunt has more walks (13) than strikeouts (12) in 18.1 innings. That’s brought his ERA up to 4.42, and his FIP to 4.09.
His fellow Carson was quite a bit better, as RHP Carson Seymour came out of the pen to throw 2 no-hit innings with a walk and 3 strikeouts. It’s been an odd year for Seymour, who has a nice 3.63 ERA, but hasn’t been particularly impressive (4.46 FIP, and just 8.0 strikeouts per 9 innings). With LHP Matt Wilkinson set to rejoin Sacramento’s rotation, it seems that maybe Seymour is shifting full-time to relief for now. We’ll see.
Rounding out the pitching was RHP Trent Harris (No. 29 CPL), who gave up a walk with a strikeout in a no-hit inning. After a very rough start to the year, the 27-year old has had 14 scoreless outings in his last 15 appearances. If he keeps this up, you can expect him to make an MLB debut later in the year.
It was a boring but well-balanced game on offense for the River Cats, as all 9 of their position players picked up a hit … but only 1 of those 9 had multiple hits. That player was right fielder Will Brennan, who hit 3-5 with a double and a strikeout. Getting designated for assignment appears to have motivated Brennan, who has gone 14-41 with 4 doubles, 2 walks, and just 2 strikeouts since being outrighted.
AA Richmond (49-27)
Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Harrisburg Senators (Nationals) 7-2
Box score
Great news: it doesn’t appear that June was the secret to success for center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL). It instead appears that he has just turned a corner. If you read this space with any regularity, you know that the lefty UDFA had a phenomenal June, in which he slashed .309/.391/.681 with 11 home runs.
And July? Off to the same start! Davidson was the star in this game, leading off and hitting 1-3 with a solo home run, a walk, a hit by pitch, a stolen base, and a strikeout. Hell of a game!
It was his organization-leading 18th home run of the season, and brought him up to an .868 OPS and a 122 wRC+ on the year, despite his slow start. And he has 12 home runs in his last 26 games! Fans will surely be clamoring for a AAA promotion for Davidson, though there’s still work to be done on contact and chase, but still. There’s so much talent for the soon-to-turn 24-year old, and it wouldn’t be shocking if he’s in Sacramento by the end of the month … and rostered as a Rule 5 protection come November.
Otherwise a quiet offensive day, as the rest of the team combined for just 5 hits (all singles) and 5 walks. Second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 31 CPL) and catcher Adrián Sugastey continued to quietly hit decently, as both went 1-3 with a walk. Velasquez, a 22-year old switch-hitter in his 3rd AA season, has a .743 OPS and a 104 wRC+; Sugastey, a 23-year old righty, has a .721 OPS and a 92 wRC+. Both have very low strikeout rates.
RHP Yunior Marte (No. 25 CPL) made his 6th start since getting promoted. The electric 22-year old from the DR, who was the return in the Mike Yastrzemski trade last year, had a good if not overpowering start, allowing 5 hits (including a home run), 1 walk, and 2 runs in 5 innings of work, but only striking out 3 batters. Despite the low punchout total in this game, Marte has a blissful 11.1 per 9 innings in AA, with just 3.3 walks. Home runs have done him in, however, as he’s allowed 5 in just 27.2 innings (and 32 hits total), which has led to a 4.55 ERA and a 4.56 FIP.
A great relief appearance from another recently-promoted pitcher, RHP Ryan Vanderhei. The just-turned 25-year old, who was a 10th-round selection in 2023, tossed 2 no-hit innings with a walk and 3 strikeouts. Vanderhei has officially adjusted to life in AA: after giving up 7 hits, 9 runs, and 6 earned runs in his first 4 games at the level (spanning just 3.1 innings), Vanderhei has now gone 4 straight outings without allowing a hit or a run (and has 8 strikeouts against just 2 walks in those 5.2 innings).
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for LHP Jack Choate (No. 37 CPL) who had a very difficult outing, giving up 3 hits, 2 hit batters, and 5 runs, while recording just 1 out. Choate has really been struggling with free passes and strikeouts lately: over his last 12 games, the 2022 9th-rounder has pitched 15.1 innings and issued 13 walks and 4 hit batsmen, while striking out just 15. He has a 3.34 ERA and a 4.16 FIP on the season.
High-A Eugene (47-30)
Eugene Emeralds beat the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 12-9
Box score
Richmond’s Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) may be the farm’s clear leader in the home run race, but Eugene center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) is making himself the clear runner-up. The ultra-powerful Jordan, who I’d argue easily has the most raw power in the system, smashed yet another glorious home run in this game, as part of a 2-4 outing that also featured a walk and 4 runs batted in.
With that, Jordan is up to 13 home runs on the year, and has some separation between the trio of 3rd-place homer hitters. He’s also firmly put a slump behind him: over his last 6 games, he’s hit 9-22 with 4 home runs, 2 doubles, and, most excitedly, just 2 strikeouts. After dipping to near league-average, Jordan is back to an .814 OPS and a 114 wRC+, albeit there’s still a lot of work to do on the strikeouts.
One of those players who is tied for 3rd in the organization with 11 home runs is Jordan’s newish teammate, second baseman Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL). And while Level only has 1 of those 11 home runs in High-A, he did put on a show on Wednesday, going 2-4 with 2 doubles and a walk, though he also committed 2 errors (admittedly he’s a shortstop by trade, just sharing the position with Gavin Kilen).
Level’s numbers have fallen off a little bit since moving up from Low-A a month ago, but that’s to be expected. And ultimately, the numbers are still quite good, as the switch-hitter has a .781 OPS and a 110 wRC+ … and a reminder that, at a young 19 years old, he’s still more than 3.5 years younger than his peers in the Northwest League. Perhaps most encouraging is that Level’s contact skills have remained strong while moving up a level: his strikeout rate his risen by less than a percentage point, to just 17.5%, while his batting average is at .299. The walks and power are lagging a little bit, but I’d say that’s better than the other way around.
Another painful day for catcher Jancel Villarroel (No. 42 CPL), who hit 2-4 with a hit by pitch and a strikeout. It was the 2nd straight game being plunked for Villarroel, who has been hit 11 times on the year. That’s tied for most in the system with Drew Cavanaugh (No. 19 CPL) … what is it about catchers that makes pitchers want to throw at them whether they’re catching or hitting?
Regardless, Villarroel has had a delightful season, as the 21-year old righty is sporting an .820 OPS and a 121 wRC+. That’s made it a little easier to overlook the fact that Kai-Wei Teng (whom the Giants traded for Villarroel) has had a decent year for the Astros (though he’s been struggling lately).
Not a very good pitching performance for Eugene. LHP Luis De La Torre (No. 14 CPL) had some struggles once again, allowing 6 hits, 3 walks, and 5 runs in 5 innings, while striking out 5. After his breakout 2025 campaign, De La Torre has continually flashed things things season, but just has not been able to put it all together. He’s been especially poor lately, as his last 3 starts have resulted in 13 walks and 15 earned runs in just 13.1 innings. While he remains a great strikeout artist, with 11.8 punchouts per 9 innings, his other stats have cratered compared to last year, which he split between the Complex League and Low-A. His walks per 9 have more than doubled (3.3 to 7.0), his home runs per 9 have more than triple (0.24 to 0.75), and his groundball rate has dropped by more than 10 percentage points (48.4% to 37.9%). The result is a fairly ugly 5.22 ERA and 4.70 FIP for the 22-year old. Still too early to be worried, but a little concern is mounting.
RHP Ryan Slater continued his run of dominance, pitching 1.1 perfect innings with a strikeout. Since returning to Eugene following an injury and a rehab stint, Slater has made 6 appearances and thrown 6.2 scoreless innings, giving up just 1 hit and 2 walks, while striking out 11. He has a delightful 3.18 ERA and a 2.42 FIP.
Low-A San Jose (45-32)
San Jose Giants beat the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Angels) 5-4
Box score
A nice day for the strikeouts. LHP Jordan Gottesman, last year’s 5th-round selection (and the 1st pitcher the Giants took in the draft), showed off the strikeout stuff, K’ing 8 batters in 5 innings while walking 0 (though he hit a batter). That’s elite stuff!
As you would expect from an 8-to-0 strikeout-to-walk ratio, Gottesman lived in the zone, throwing 63 of 83 pitches for strikes. That came with a severe tradeoff, unfortunately, as he did give up 8 hits, including a home run. And as a result, he got hit for 4 earned runs. That’s been the debut season for the 23-year old Northeastern product: he has 9.7 strikeouts to just 2.9 walks per 9 innings … but is giving up nearly a hit per inning, and has already ceded 9 dingers in just 62 innings, giving him a 4.35 ERA and a 5.44 FIP. There’s a solid foundation there, but a lot to work on.
RHP Ubert Mejias struck out 3 batters in 3 shutout innings, giving up just 2 hits and 0 walks. That was a much-needed nice showing for Mejias, as he allowed runs in all 5 of his June appearances (13 total runs, in just 11.1 innings). Through both the good and bad performances, Mejias has maintained an elite strikeout-to-walk ratio: he has 55 strikeouts against just 7 walks in 51.2 innings. Like Gottesman, however, Mejias is allowing too many hits and way too many dingers: in those 51.2 innings he’s allowed 58 hits and 10 home runs, giving him a 4.70 ERA and a 5.26 FIP across 2 levels (Low and High-A).
Really not much at all on offense. Just a solid, well-balanced day, with no standout performances. Left fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL) hit 2-3 with a walk, though he had a strikeout and an error. Diaz is staying sharp with San Jose while High-A Eugene is playing in Canada, where he can’t travel due to visa issues. Third baseman Dario Reynoso, who has cooled after a brilliant stretch, went 1-3 with a double and a walk, but struck out twice. The 21-year old has a .924 OPS and a 130 wRC+, but a 30.6% strikeout rate.
Home run tracker
18 — Bo Davidson — [AA]
13 — Dakota Jordan — [High-A]
Thursday schedule
Sacramento: 5:35 p.m. PT at El Paso (SP: TBD)
Richmond: 3:30 p.m. PT at Harrisburg (SP: Cesar Perdomo)
Eugene: 7:05 p.m. PT at Vancouver (SP: Hunter Dryden)
San Jose: 6:30 p.m. PT vs. Rancho Cucamonga (SP: Ben Bybee)
Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV
