Wednesday was a good day. For the second day in a row, the San Francisco Giants and their four Minor League Baseball A-ball affiliates all won their games. That’s a whole lot of winning, so let’s talk about it!
Link to the 2026 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
AAA Sacramento (7-4)
Sacramento River Cats beat the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) 8-7 (11 innings)
Box score
It took a pair of extra innings, but the River Cats manager
to win their 4th consecutive game. And they did it with a fair amount of drama. Sacramento allowed the Manfred Man to score in both the 10th and 11th innings, and in the 11th, they started off the bottom half of the inning with back-to-back strikeouts, failing to move the runner over. But shortstop Osleivis Basabe, who hit 1-3 with an error, drew his 2nd walk of the day, and center fielder Drew Gilbert put the ball in play, reaching base safely — and knocking in the tying run — on an error.
And that brought up second baseman Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL), who ended the game by smashing an RBI double.
Rodríguez finished the day 2-5 with a walk, and is really heating up after a slow start. After being held hitless in the season opener, the righty has hit safely in 7 straight games, and so far in 3 games against Vegas, he’s 6-13 with 2 extra-base hits, 2 walks, and just 1 strikeout, which has brought him up to a .754 OPS and a 104 wRC+. He’s still a few weeks away from turning 24, and he’s on the 40-man roster … don’t be surprised if he makes his Major League debut in the coming months, whether as a backup catcher, a fill-in second baseman, or a utility player.
But while Rodríguez provided the winning hit, the most notable hit belonged to the most notable player on the roster: first baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL). Eldridge needed just 1 at-bat in this game to provide a sight for sore eyes: a towering, majestic, absolutely gorgeous 2-run home run.
It’s weird to say, but we hadn’t seen Eldridge’s power in a little while. Counting Spring Training, he had gone 24 consecutive games without putting a ball over the fence, with just 6 total extra-base hits during that time (though, admittedly, he wasn’t playing full Spring Training games).
But no more. Eldridge has his 1st home run of the year … and the 1st of many, I’m sure. The only question is how many will be in a Sacramento jersey, and how many will be in a San Francisco jersey.
Still, the warnings I issued in yesterday’s roundup are still true for Eldridge, who finished the day 2-5 with 2 strikeouts. While the nice day boosted his batted ball metrics, which had been lagging behind what we’ve grown to expect, the strikeout issues are still concerning, as the tall lefty is 16th percentile in strikeout rate, 11th percentile in whiff rate, 12th percentile in in-zone contact rate, and 32nd percentile in swinging strike rate. Work to be done, but a big step forward.
Another player who figures to hit a lot of home runs this year in either Sacramento or San Francisco went deep as well: left fielder Victor Bericoto (No. 35 CPL), who went just 1-5 with 2 strikeouts, but bashed a tie-breaking home run in the 8th inning.
Like Eldridge, Bericoto is striking out a little too much (26.2%), though that’s not been a big issue in his career, so probably something that will lower as he adjusts to the level. The sample is small, but through 9 games this year, Bericoto looks nothing like the hitter who struggled in 11 games at the level last year. Then he hit .196/.196/.283 with a wRC+ of 16; this year, he’s hitting .306/.381/.583, for a 155 wRC+.
And the final member of the home run party was center fielder Drew Gilbert, who hit just 1-6 but smacked a solo home run.
Gilbert had a rough Spring Training as he dealt with a shoulder injury and never was able to find a rhythm. But he’s been hitting very well in Sacramento, with an .833 OPS, a 135 wRC+, and more walks than strikeouts. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for right fielder Grant McCray, whose strikeout issues are starting to return, as he hit 0-4 with a walk and 2 Ks. McCray is mired in quite a slump at the moment: in his last 5 starts, he’s 0-16 with 7 strikeouts. He does have 6 walks in that time, and that’s been his saving grace this season: he’s hitting just 6-35 with 0 home runs, but has drawn 10 walks and been hit by a pitch.
While the hitters who are on the 40-man roster mostly had good days, the same cannot be said for the pitchers. Unfortunately, it was another rough outing for RHP Trevor McDonald (No. 12 CPL) who got the start but simply could not find the strike zone. The silver lining (if you really squint) is that McDonald was unhittable, ceding no hits all game. But that was because he was wild, and not effectively wild, either. He needed 52 pitches to get through 2.1 innings, and threw just half of them for strikes. While that did earn him a pair of strikeouts, it also resulted in 4 walks, a hit batter, and 2 runs to his name … and it could have been more than that, as he left with the bases loaded and just 1 out, but only 1 of the inherited runners scored.
McDonald was one of the stars of the start of Spring Training, but it’s been all downhill since then for the recently-turned 25-year old. In his last 6 games — 3 each in Spring Training and AAA — McDonald has pitched 12.2 innings and allowed 13 hits, 7 walks, 3 hit batters, and 14 earned runs, albeit with 14 strikeouts. He’s got some ironing out to do to catch the other young, unproven pitchers on the 40-man roster.
Replacing McDonald was RHP Tristan Beck, who is trying to work his way back to the MLB bullpen. He didn’t enter the rosiest situation, but also didn’t pitch his best, allowing 3 hits and 1 earned run in 1.2 innings of work, with 1 strikeout. Beck’s been fine so far this year — he has a 3.18 ERA, a 1.87 FIP, and 9 strikeouts against 3 walks in 5.2 innings — but isn’t yet forcing the issue.
Unlike McDonald and Beck, RHPs Gregory Santos and Will Bednar (No. 24) aren’t on the 40-man roster, but they have some of the best fastballs in the organization, and are hoping to become part of the Major League bullpen plan at some point soon. They had so-so days: Santos gave up 2 hits and an earned run in 2 innings, with a strikeout, while Bednar pitched the 10th and 11th innings and allowed both Manfred Men to score, but gave up just 1 hit and no earned runs, with 1 strikeout. Bednar is performing much better than he did in his brief glimpse of AAA last year. His velo was notably down in this game, but that could potentially be due to the fact that he wasn’t supposed to pitch in this game, and was called into action when it went to extra innings.
AA Richmond (4-1)
Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Altoona Curve (Pirates) 5-3
Box score
It was a very well-balanced attack for the Squirrels on Wednesday, as they, too, drove their winning streak to 4 games. The biggest contribution came from the hitter at the very bottom of the lineup: center fielder Jonah Cox.
By now, you’re likely familiar with the story of Cox, the 2023 6th-round pick whom the Giants stole from the A’s in the Ross Stripling trade. He’s arguably the best baserunner in the system (Jared Oliva takes the cake if we’re including the Majors), and plays quality defense at all 3 outfield positions. It’s an Oliva-esque 4th/5th outfielder profile, and that’s Cox’s ceiling unless he can start hitting better. Last year he spent the full season in High-A Eugene, where he had a modest .731 OPS and a 103 wRC+.
But he’s off to quite a start in Richmond. On Wednesday the 24-year old righty hit 2-4 with a double and a strikeout, raising his OPS to .831 and his wRC+ to 124. There will be some regression — he has a 27.3% strikeout rate and a .500 BABIP — but still. It’s good to see him making things happen with the bat.
His legs, meanwhile, did what we’re accustomed to them doing, as he stole a pair of bases. Through 5 games he now has 5 thefts in 6 attempts. What a fun player.
Third baseman Dayson Croes had yet another nice game, hitting 2-5 with a double. He’s hit safely in all 5 games this year, which includes 3 multi-hit games, and he’s 10-24 on the year. I talked quite a bit about Croes in yesterday’s roundup, so you can get a refresher there if you missed it, but don’t be surprised if the Giants find a way to get him in AAA soon. He spent a chunk of time there last year, and hit quite well, and is probably only in AA because Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) is occupying a very similar role for the River Cats.
Catcher Drew Cavanaugh (No. 19 CPL) continues to make an enticing case that last year’s breakout season was no fluke. The lefty hitter, who had the breakout season of all breakout seasons after 2 middling years following a 17th-round selection, hit 1-3 with a double and a walk. It’s only been 3 games — he’s splitting catcher duties with Adrián Sugastey — but Cavanaugh is hitting about as well as you could possibly hope, as he’s 6-11 with 5 extra-base hits and 4 walks. Perhaps most impressively, though, is that a year after running a 28.3% strikeout rate in AA (and a 27.4% rate across 4 levels), Cavanaugh has yet to strike out.
Also great days for second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 31 CPL) and right fielder Turner Hill. Velasquez, a contact maven who is lacking a bit in power and physicality, hit 1-2 with a double, 2 walks, and a strikeout, raising the 22-year old switch-hitter’s OPS to 1.264 through 3 games, with a 263 wRC+. Hill, a lefty who just turned 27 and who has a very similar profile to Cox, went 1-3 with a triple, a walk, 3 RBIs, and a strikeout, boosting his OPS to .818 and his wRC+ to 105 through 5 games.
It was an odd pitching game for Richmond. They gave up just 3 hits on the day, but walked 9 batters. The only player immune from the walks was the closer, RHP Tyler Vogel, who pitched a scoreless inning with a hit and 2 strikeouts. Vogel has been sensational through 3 appearances this year, giving up 3 hits, 1 walk, and 0 runs, while striking out 7 batters. He was dominant in 16 innings with Richmond last year, and earned a cup of coffee in Sacramento, so I’d say he’s not going to be a Squirrel for much longer. He’s really meeting the moment, and since he’s Rule 5 eligible, I’d guess the Giants would like to see what he can do in AAA.
The start was the organizational debut of RHP Logan Martin. A 24-year old taken in the 12th round in 2023, Martin came to the Giants over the winter in the Mason Black trade. It was also Martin’s AA debut, as he spent all of last year with Kansas City’s High-A affiliate, where he had a 3.45 ERA and a 3.79 FIP in 22 starts.
It was a so-so introduction to the level, as Martin pitched 4 innings and gave up 2 hits, 3 walks, and 3 runs, with 5 strikeouts. Only allowing 2 hits is great, though they were both extra-baggers, including a home run. But needless to say, the walks will need to come down. Still, the strikeouts proved encouraging: Martin only K’d 7.7 batters per 9 innings last year, so it will be interesting to see if the Giants have untapped some better swing-and-miss stuff, or if this was just an outlier where his wildness made amateur hitters uncomfortable.
Really funny scoreless relief appearances from LHPs Jack Choate (No. 37 CPL) and Dylan Carmouche. Neither of the 24-year old late-rounders (9th round in 2022 for Choate, 15th in 2023 for Carmouche) could find the strike zone, for better and for worse. Choate tossed 2.2 no-hit innings with 4 strikeouts, but walked 3 batters. Carmouche was even more extreme, with 3 walks and 2 strikeouts in just 1.1 no-hit innings.
High-A Eugene (5-0)
Eugene Emeralds beat the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 5-2
Box score
Eugene saw Sacramento and Richmond’s 4-game winning streaks and said they’ll do one better: a 5-game winning streak! And a 5-game winning streak to start the season, no less.
The most notable players on the Emeralds roster are on the position player side, but let’s start with the pitching, because it really was a sensational day on the mound for the Ems. And it started, as things tend to do, with the starter: LHP Tyler Switalski.
Switalski, a 16th-round pick in 2024, is not generally a strikeout artist. He K’d just 7.6 batters per 9 innings in his debut season last year, which was split 75% in Low-A and 25% in High-A.
But you wouldn’t know he wasn’t a big strikeout guy if you watched Wednesday’s game, when he simply wore down Vancouver’s hitters all game long. He gave up just 2 hits in 4.1 innings, and only walked 1 batter while throwing 53 of 73 pitches for strikes. And the kicker? A whopping 9 strikeouts.
You couldn’t craft a better start to the year for Switalski, who through 8 scoreless innings has issued 4 hits, 1 walk, and struck out 17. By comparison, he also struck out 17 batters in High-A last year … except that came in 23 innings, not 8. Obviously the sample size is small, but if he’s made tangible improvements to his stuff, then he’s worth keeping an eye on. Funky lefties can always rise the ranks … but most pitchers stall out if they can’t strike out batters.
Speaking of southpaws with strikeouts, LHP Esmerlin Vinicio made his season debut and struck out 3 batters in 1.2 no-hit innings, with 1 walk allowed. Vinicio only recently turned 23, but this is his 6th season of Minor League Baseball, and he’s still trying to prove himself in High-A. It might be a make-or-break season for him.
RHP Gerelmi Maldonado (No. 21 CPL) showed off both his electricity and command issues in the 9th inning, throwing just 14 of 27 pitches for strikes, while walking 2 batters, allowing a hit, and giving up a run. But he also hit triple digits, and struck out the side. That’s the Maldonado package: he has some of the nastiest stuff in the system, and if he can figure out how to slash the walks in half, he could fly from A-ball to a high-leverage MLB role in a shockingly short amount of time. After a few years of being being developed as a starter, it looks like the Giants are now committing to using the 22-year old strictly as a reliever, which seems like a good idea to me.
There was a lot of excitement on the offensive side, primarily from Eugene’s pair of highest-ranked prospects, center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) and shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL).
Kilen’s season has been nothing short of a 5-game revelation, and that continued on Wednesday, when he hit 2-4 with a double and a sacrifice fly. Some people — not ashamed to admit that I’m very much included in that group — might have had concerns about how last year’s 1st-round pick would fare with an opening assignment in High-A, after posting a .561 OPS and a 58 wRC+ in a 10-game sample in Low-A last year.
Smarter people — again, not ashamed to admit I’m very much not included in that group — felt confident in the assignment, given that the lefty, who turned 22 a few weeks ago, is a highly polished hitter coming out of the best conference in college (the SEC), and who was playing through an injury in his debut last year.
A 5-game sample is small, but it’s also enough to tell us emphatically that if Kilen is at the wrong level, it’s because he should be up a ring, not down one. All he’s done in Eugene is hit, hit, and hit some more. He’s hit safely in all 5 games, with 4 multi-hit showings. In total, he’s gone 10-20 with 5 extra-base hits, 3 walks, and only 2 strikeouts. And while there will be a lot to do in the coming months and years to prove that he can stay at shortstop, he’s looked good there so far.
As for Jordan, a fellow high-impact SEC bat, things have been not quite as solid, but plenty electric. The strikeout issues that plagued his career at Mississippi State — and led to him falling to the 4th round in 2024, despite having some of the best power, speed, and athleticism in the draft — took a step in the right direction last year in Low-A, but have come roaring back in High-A. That didn’t change at the start of this game, as he K’d in his 1st pair of at-bats … but after that? A double, followed by a double, followed by a double.
No, let me correct that: a loud double, followed by a loud double, followed by a loud double.
We’re seeing both sides of the coin with Jordan right now. He’s hitting 6-22, which is good, and all 6 of his hits have gone for extra bases, which is beyond great. He’s also struck out in 13 of his 23 plate appearances, which … well, yeah. You don’t need me to editorialize or contextualize there!
It’s a new level and it’s cold in the Pacific Northwest this time of year, which is something that someone who was born and raised in the south probably isn’t all too familiar with. So perhaps there’s no need to overcomplicate this … it might just be an adjustment period. But no matter how scary the strikeouts are, the impact when he makes contact has me drooling.
The other good offensive day belonged to someone in desperate need of one: catcher Diego Cartaya. You’re all probably familiar with Cartaya’s story at this point, but if not, here’s the quick and dirty: he was one of the best prospects in all of baseball in the Dodgers system, but fell apart as he reached the higher Minors, and was released (he was on the 40-man roster) last year. He got picked up by the Twins last year, and almost exclusively struck out — seriously, while playing for Minnesota’s AAA affiliate, he hit 5-59 with 40 strikeouts. They released him, and the Giants signed him to a multi-year Minor League deal.
San Francisco has, wisely in my opinion, decided to hit the reset button with Cartaya. Despite his experience in the upper Minors (he has 595 plate appearances in AA and 277 in AAA), they’ve sent him down to High-A to be in a lower pressure environment. It started very poorly: in his 1st 3 games, he hit 0-9 with 8 strikeouts and 2 walks. But Wednesday was a reminder as to the talent he has, as he got his 1st hit of the year, launching an absolutely stunning home run.
In his other 3 plate appearances, Cartaya struck out once and walked twice. There’s a lot of work to do. A lot of work to do, both for Cartaya and for the organization … but my goodness, that swing sure is gorgeous when it connects.
Second baseman Zander Darby had a very nice day, hitting 3-4 with a stolen base and a strikeout. A lefty who was taken in the 12th round in 2024, Darby had a very strong year in Low-A last season, but struggled following a late-season promotion to Eugene. So far he’s putting those struggles behind him, as he’s 8-15 with 3 extra-base hits on the year.
Low-A San Jose (4-1)
San Jose Giants beat the Visalia Rawhide 8-2
Box score
Bryce Eldridge might have had the most exciting game in the system thanks to his proximity to the Majors. But there can be no denying who had the best game: shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL).
2025 was a breakout year for Level, a switch-hitter who turned 19 just a few weeks ago. But if the 1st week is any indication, 2026 is somehow going to be an even better year.
Level was utterly superb in this game, hitting 3-5 with a home run, 2 doubles, and 1 strikeout. Yeeeeeesh.
Level held his own in a short High-A stint last year, which was mighty impressive given his age. But this year he’s downright killing it, hitting 12-23 with 6 extra-base hits, 2 walks, and 3 stolen bases. Given his prospect pedigree and his defensive chops, plus the fact that he spent some time at the level last year, it wouldn’t be surprising to me if he ends up getting a fairly early promotion, assuming he keeps hitting like this. In the meantime, if you live in the Bay Area, maybe get to a Baby Giants game and enjoy the show while it’s still there. This dude is unreal!
Catcher Junior Barajas is having quite a professional debut, as he had yet another standout game, hitting 2-4 with a home run, a walk, and a strikeout. The 11th-round pick last year has hit safely in all 4 of his games in his debut season, and that underscores just how good he’s been: he’s 8-19 with 6 extra-base hits and 10 RBIs. Those are good numbers for anyone, but especially exciting stats for a player who has some solid chops behind the dish.
Taken 1 round ahead of Barajas last year was designated hitter Isaiah Barkett, who is a second baseman by trade. The 22-year old out of Stetson has only played in 2 games in his debut season, but he has also made quite an impression: after going 2-3 with a double and a walk in his debut, he went 3-4 on Wednesday, hit his first professional home run, and bopped another double. Happy debuts all around!
First baseman Jeremiah Jenkins, a 14th-round pick in 2024, continued his nice season, hitting 2-3 with a double, a walk, and a strikeout in his 2nd game of the year.
The best game on the mound came from a great story: RHP Sam Bower. Bower was an 11th round pick back in 2022 out of St. Mary’s, and was born in Visalia (hey, that’s who the Giants were playing!). But, due to a series of injuries, the 22-year old entered 2026 — technically his 5th season as a pro — still looking to make his Minor League debut.
That debut happened on Friday, and it didn’t go well, but it was a huge milestone nonetheless. But on Wednesday he made his 2nd appearance, and this was one he’ll remember, as Bower tossed 2 no-hit innings in relief, allowing just 1 baserunner on a walk, while striking out 3 batters and recording his 1st career win. What a great moment, and hopefully there are many, many more games in his future.
RHP Mauricio Estrella, who turns 22 next week, continued his great season of relief, throwing 2 shutout innings with 3 hits allowed … but 4 strikeouts. Through 2 games, Estrella has 7 strikeouts in 3.2 scoreless frames.
Like Bower and Estrella, RHP Dylan Carter pitched in his 2nd game of the year, and like Bower, it put a bad season debut well behind him, as the 2025 UDFA threw a perfect 9th inning with 2 strikeouts.
RHP Cody Delvecchio got the start, and it didn’t go as well as his sensational debut last week. The 2025 12th-round pick out of UCLA gave up some hard contact, as he allowed 4 hits (including 2 doubles) in 3 innings of work. That, plus a walk, tagged him for 2 earned runs, though he struck out 4 batters. Impressively, the recently-turned 22 year old threw 49 of 64 pitches for strikes, which you know the Giants love to see.
Home run tracker
2 — Victor Bericoto — [AAA]
2 — Jhonny Level — [Low-A]
2 — Junior Barajas — [Low-A]
1 — Bryce Eldridge — [AAA]
1 — Drew Gilbert — [AAA]
1 — Diego Cartaya — [High-A]
1 — Isaiah Barkett — [Low-A]
Thursday schedule
Sacramento: 6:45 p.m. PT vs. Las Vegas (SP: Carson Whisenhunt)
Richmond: 4:05 p.m. PT vs. Altoona (SP: Greg Farone)
Eugene: 7:05 p.m. PT at Vancouver (SP: Niko Mazza)
San Jose: 6:00 p.m. PT vs. Visalia (SP: Jordan Gottesman)
