The ACL season is over, and the DSL regular season is over. The games are dwindling, but all four of the San Francisco Giants A-ball Minor League affiliates were in action on Wednesday, 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.
News
The only bit of news is that the Giants assigned third baseman Dalton Wentz to High-A Eugene. Wentz, who was their 16th-round pick in July, becomes
just the 2nd of the Giants recent draft class to head to an in-season team.
AAA Sacramento (70-49)
Sacramento River Cats beat the Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners) 9-6
Box score
It’s been a good year for Giants outfield prospects, and while we’ve seen some of that result in MLB debuts (Jonah Cox, Victor Bericoto, and Turner Hill), some players are still waiting their turn. But that doesn’t diminish what they’re doing.
Center fielder Scott Bandura is one such player, as his magnificent breakout season continued on Wednesday, when he hit 2-4 with a 3-run home run, a double, and 4 runs batted in.
That was just another day at the outfield office for the 2023 7th-rounder out of Princeton, who has been on fire for nearly 2 months now. It can take a little while to adjust to a new level, and Bandura, a lefty who just turned 25, did take his time following an early-season promotion.
But since June 26, he’s hit 60-168 with 7 homers, 13 doubles, 31 walks, and just 26 strikeouts. It might take an injury for him to make his MLB debut this year, since the Giants are (hopefully) wanting to give their prospects some extended looks instead of yanking them back and forth between San Francisco and Sacramento. But with an .852 OPS, a 123 wRC+, 17 stolen bases, and solid outfield defense across all 3 grassy positions, Bandura feels like a near-lock to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft, so the Giants probably won’t hesitate to call him up if they have an opening later this year.
That was really the lone standout day on offense, though second baseman Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) had a nice day, hitting 1-3 with a double, a walk, and a strikeout. Quiet days for the top prospects, as right fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) hit 1-4 while third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) went 0-4, though neither player struck out. Recently-optioned left fielder Grant McCray hit 1-4 with a stolen base, though he struck out 3 times. Recently-acquired shortstop Shay Whitcomb went 0-3 with a walk.
RHP Anthony Molina made his 4th appearances since being acquired in the Tyler Mahle trade, and he continues to look solid. Molina pitched 4 strong innings in this one, as he is getting stretched out to a starting role after being used as a reliever by his previous teams. In those 4 innings, Molina gave up just 3 hits, 0 walks, 2 runs, and 1 earned run, with 3 strikeouts. He’s definitely an interesting story to follow … you don’t see a lot of players put up mediocre numbers in relief and then get moved to the rotation, but the Giants clearly see something they’re intrigued about, and so far the results are strong.
Another tough outing for RHP Spencer Bivens, who gave up 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 hit batter, and 3 runs in 2 innings. Bivens has just a 4.73 ERA and a 5.15 FIP in Sacramento, and has been repeatedly passed over when San Francisco needs bullpen help. He’s got to feel like his spot on the roster is in peril entering the offseason.
AA Richmond (67-47)
Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Chesapeake Baysox (Orioles) 7-4
Box score
The power surge continues for designated hitter Sabin Ceballos (No. 43 CPL)! The righty slugger was back at it on Wednesday, hitting 2-3 with both a 2-run home run and a solo blast, while also drawing 2 walks. What a day!
Ceballos hasn’t had a great season, but him finding his power has quietly been one of the happier stories on the farm. The 2023 3rd-round pick (by the Braves), who turned 24 on Monday, had a serious show of power to end the 2024 season, after coming over in the Jorge Soler trade. That earned him an aggressive assignment in AA to open 2025, but in 420 plate appearances he bopped just 6 home runs.
This year? He’s at basically the same amount of playing time, as he has 426 plate appearances. But the big difference? He’s already up to 15 home runs. Very exciting!
Unfortunately, that power resurgence hasn’t really triggered success elsewhere. For the 2nd year running, Ceballos is sporting a very low batting average (.223) despite a low strikeout rate (18.1%). And, even though he’s hitting a lot of home runs, he’s not doing much damage on the other hits, as he only has 14 doubles and 0 triples. He’s hitting home runs and drawing walks, and that’s pretty much it, which results in a fairly average .747 OPS and 105 wRC+.
A great day for shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) who was a hit machine, going 4-5 with a double. It’s really remarkable how well Kilen has maintained — and built on — his performance while moving up from High-A to AA midseason. Last year’s 1st-round pick, who only turned 22 in late March, has raised his average (.282 to .333) and dropped his strikeout rate (13.8% to 13.0%), while seeing only negligible decreases in walk rate (9.2% to 8.9%) and isolated slugging (.179 to .176). He only has 1 home run in 28 games at the level, but I’m not hear to nitpick with a lefty middle infielder posting an .891 OPS and a 133 wRC+ in AA in their 1st full season of pro baseball. What a year he’s having!
Right fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL) struggled in his 2nd game since getting promoted, hitting 0-5 and striking out twice. Adjustments are to be expected!
On the pitching front it was a really nice start for RHP Trystan Vrieling. The 2022 3rd-round pick (by the Yankees) hasn’t had a very good season, but he’s been showing a lot of good signs lately. The Gonzaga product, who turns 26 in October, pitched 6 innings in this one, giving up 6 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs, while striking out 6 batters.It wasn’t a great strike-throwing performance, as he tossed 54 of 98 pitches for strikes, but he kept the Baysox from hitting the ball too hard, with 5 of his 6 allowed hits being singles. Vrieling now has a 4.26 ERA and a 4.99 FIP this season, which is his 3rd in AA … it’s basically the only level he’s played at (he has 1 rehab start each in Low-A and the Complex League). Unfortunately, he’s walking a lot of batters this year for the 1st time in his career.
RHP R.J. Dabovich made his AA return after a rehab stint, as he pitched in an Eastern League game for the 1st time since early April. He faced 4 batters and none of them put the ball in play, with 2 strikeouts punched and 2 walks issued. Unfortunately, that came back to haunt him when RHP Tyler Vogel entered the game, as the runners promptly stole some bases and scored on a single. That was the only hit Vogel allowed, and he struck out a pair in 1.1 innings.
High-A Eugene (70-45)
Eugene Emeralds beat the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 6-4
Box score
The excitement in this game was that RHP Ramon Marquez was making his 2nd start since the Giants acquired him in the Luis Arráez trade. And this start was certainly an exhibit as to why the Giants — and the sport as a whole — are so high on the righty, who turns 21 in about a month.
Marquez wasn’t dominant, but he was very strong, as he gave up 6 hits in 6 innings, with 0 walks, 0 home runs, and 2 earned runs. Marquez only struck out 4 batters, but the way he pounded the zone was surely exciting to the Giants, as he threw 52 of 70 pitches for strikes. Talk about an efficient outing!
Through 8 starts in High-A, Marquez has a 2.48 ERA and a 2.41 FIP … stats that rank 11th and 1st, respectively, out of the 305 High-A pitchers with at least 40 innings thrown this year. He also has 58 strikeouts to just 10 walks in 40 innings at the level. It will be fascinating to see how we rank Marquez in this winter’s Community Prospect List, but I’d say there’s an excellent chance that he ends up as the highest-ranked pitcher outside of Jackson Flora.
His teammate who came over in the Arráez trade also pitched, with RHP Marty Gair throwing a scoreless inning with a walk and a strikeout, with 9 of 13 pitches going for strikes. Gair has some of the nastiest stuff in the organization, so if he can continue to find the strike zone as effectively as he did in this game, he’ll be in good shape.
Right fielder Damian Bravo, who was just promoted, went just 1-4 with a strikeout, but smacked his 1st High-A home run. That’s always exciting!
Bravo, a 15th-round pick out of Texas Tech in 2025, spent his debut season last year with the Emeralds, but didn’t leave the yard in 98 plate appearances. He began his 1st full season in Low-A San Jose where he showed off the power, bopping 10 big flies in just 248 plate appearances. His season was paused in mid-June when he missed about 2 months with an injury, and when he returned it was in Eugene. Wednesday was his 2nd game of the year with the Emeralds, and great to see him get that 1st homer in the books.
First baseman Robert Hipwell had a really nice game, hitting 2-3 with a double and a walk. It’s been a very rough season for the 2023 6th-rounder, who has a .182 average, a .685 OPS, a 91 wRC+ (which is propped up almost entirely by a 17.1% walk rate), and a 41.7% strikeout rate in Eugene, and was briefly demoted to San Jose for a few games. But the Santa Clara product has been a lot better over the last week, so hopefully he’s ending the year on a high note.
Center fielder Jose Ortiz, playing in his 2nd game with Eugene, hit just 1-4 with 2 strikeouts, but had yet another outfield assist. The dude can play defense!!!
Eugene’s top prospect, shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL), had the day off.
Low-A San Jose (66-50)
San Jose Giants beat the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) 11-1
Box score
RHP Argenis Cayama (No. 13 CPL) returned a few weeks ago. But on Wednesday, he really returned. Yes, Cayama has made a few appearances since coming off the Injured List. But yesterday’s was a start that makes you say, he’s back.
Cayama was truly nothing short of dominant, and put forth one of the best pitching performances we’ve seen from a Giants prospect this year. Cayama retired the 1st 14 batters he faced, and he made them look absolutely silly. He finally gave up a baserunner with 2 outs in the 5th inning on … wait for it … an infield double. Yes, a groundball comebacker hit Cayama in the leg, and ricocheted into the dugout for a double. The game was paused for a while while the trainers checked in on Cayama, who stayed in the game and struck out the next batter. That ended his night, perhaps out of caution after the comebacker, or perhaps just because that was the plan.
The final line: 5 innings, 1 hit, 0 walks, 0 runs, and 9 strikeouts. Despite relying heavily on strikeouts, Cayama needed just 52 pitches to get through his 5 innings, and threw 39 of them for strikes. Just pure and utter dominance, through and through.
While the 19-year old Cayama, who is visibly larger and stronger this year, hasn’t had the best year from a run prevention stand point — he has a 4.18 ERA and a 3.96 FIP — he’s left no doubt that he’s one of the most exciting pitching prospects in the system, even with the influx of talent that rode in on the summer ships of the draft and the deadline. He has a staggering 66 strikeouts to 13 walks in 51.2 innings with San Jose … among the 88 Cal League pitchers with at least 40 innings this year, Cayama’s 11.5 strikeouts per 9 ranks 22nd, while his 2.3 walks per 9 is 10th, resulting in a 5.1 K/BB rate that is 7th. Not bad at all!
RHP Evan Gray picked up where Cayama left off, striking out 3 batters in 2 scoreless innings, with 1 hit and 0 walks allowed. Gray, who was a 15th-round pick in 2024, is repeated Low-A and struggling, with a 5.14 ERA and a 5.64 FIP. He now has 3 straight games without allowing a run, though.
Lots of great performances in the batter’s box. Catcher Junior Barajas had one of his best games of the year, hitting 2-3 with a home run, a double, and 2 walks.
The 22-year old lefty, taken in the 11th round last year, has really had a season that’s a tale of 3 acts.
April: 22-73, 4 home runs, 7 walks, 14 strikeouts
May/June: 29-140, 1 home run, 10 walks, 44 strikeouts
July/August: 28-89, 8 home runs, 15 walks, 18 strikeouts
Let’s hope that 3rd act lasts for the rest of the season! In all, Barajas has an .809 OPS and a 100 wRC+, and has really impressed with his power potential and his defensive chops behind the dish.
Also having a great day was second baseman Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL), who wants to make sure everyone remembers he exists even as the teenage uber-prospects have joined San Jose. Last year’s 4th-round pick hit 2-5 with a 3-run home run, a double, and a strikeout, and now is the solo leader in all of Minor League baseball with 38 doubles.
38 doubles and 13 home runs for a middle infielder is pretty delightful though, remarkably, despite that, Meola is actually hitting a hair below league average, with an .801 OPS and a 98 wRC+. He’s doing a lot of good things but not a lot of great things (except his shortstop defense!), as he has just a .263 batting average and a 24.6% strikeout rate. There’s been a lot to love about his season, but it is a little damning that he’s spent the entire year in Low-A for a fairly promotion-happy organization.
Rounding out the homer party was designated hitter Angel Guzman, who went deep for the 2nd night in a row, hitting 2-5 with a 2-run shot, a triple, and a strikeout. Guzman’s batting average has really tumbled since getting promoted from the ACL to Low-A, but the overall numbers are still a delight, as he has an .831 OPS and a 116 wRC+. The 17.5% walk rate is carrying a lot of that, but the 20-year old has shown some really nice things when he swings the bat.
That’s where the big flies came from, but other players had nice games as well. Shortstop Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) continues to own the level, as he hit 3-6 with a triple and a strikeout, which brought him up to a 1.071 OPS and a 163 wRC+, with 5 triples in 18 games. It’s just comical how much better he is than the competition, despite being an 18-year old who just got to the level.
Right fielder Tanner Mally went 3-5 with a strikeout, while left fielder Broedy Poppell hit 2-4 with 2 doubles, a walk, and 2 strikeouts. Mally, a 17th-round pick this year, has a 1.026 OPS and a 164 wRC+ through 11 games, and remains the only Giants 2026 draftee to debut. Poppell, a 13th-round pick a year ago, has a .709 OPS and an 83 wRC+.
Home run tracker
15 — Sabin Ceballos x2 — [AA]
13 — Lorenzo Meola — [Low-A]
13 — Junior Barajas — [Low-A]
11 — Scott Bandura — [8 in AAA; 3 in AA]
11 — Damian Bravo — [1 in High-A; 10 in Low-A]
5 — Angel Guzman — [3 in Low-A; 2 in ACL]
Thursday schedule
Sacramento: 6:45 p.m. PT vs. Tacoma (SP: Cesar Perdomo)
Richmond: 3:35 p.m. PT at Chesapeake (SP: Yunior Marte)
Eugene: 6:35 p.m. PT vs. Vancouver (SP: Henry LaLane)
San Jose: 6:05 p.m. PT at Lake Elsinore (SP: TBD)
Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV
