A busy weekend for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates. Let’s jump into it!
Link to the 2025 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)
All listed positions in the roundup are the positions played in that particular game.
AAA Sacramento(72-66)
Friday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) 2-1 (10 innings) [box score]
Saturday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Las Vegas Aviators 12-0 [box score]
Sunday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Las Vegas Aviators 3-1 [box score]
Not a
very good weekend overall for the River Cats, but it was a good pitching performance. They pitching was fantastic on Friday and Sunday, and while they did give up 12 runs on Saturday, 5 of those were credited to position player Drew Ellis, who pitched the final frame in mop-up duty.
The strongest performance on the mound belonged to Friday’s starter, RHP Trevor McDonald (No. 15 CPL). By now everyone is surely aware of the tough season that McDonald has had — he’s never really felt like an option for the Major League roster, which is certainly notable for a player on the 40-man roster. But his presumably penultimate start of the year was a reminder of what he’s capable of. McDonald went 7 innings in the Sacramento heat, and gave up just 3 hits (all singles), 2 walks, and 1 run, while striking out 11 batters.
It was a much-needed bounce-back performance for the 24-year old, who had allowed 13 runs (11 earned) in his last 2 starts. On the whole, McDonald has a 5.35 ERA and a 5.53 FIP for the season, though he certainly shows plenty of glimpses like this one. I’m curious to see what role he plays in 2026: his deep repertoire is certainly a delightful thing for a starter, but 2026 will be his final option year, so it might be time to shift him to a role where he’s more likely to find success.
Sunday’s starter was LHP Seth Lonsway, who has adapted well to life in the Pacific Coast League following a recent promotion. Lonsway, the team’s 6th-round pick in 2021, pitched 6 innings into the game, giving up 5 hits (4 of which were doubles), 1 walk, and just 1 run, while striking out 6 batters. Through 7 starts at the level, Lonsway has a 3.55 ERA and a 4.09 FIP, which is made all the more impressive by the fact that he didn’t make it out of the 1st inning in one of those starts. He’s been fantastic, though it comes with the caveat that he’s not striking out a ton of batters (8.5 per 9) and is about to turn 27. There’s definitely a Major Leaguer in there, and a very Giantsy Major Leaguer at that, given his 56.0% groundball rate.
Unfortunately, Saturday’s struggles came at the expense of the starter the Giants most want to see succeed: RHP Hayden Birdsong. The command issues weren’t quite as bad for Birdsong in this one, though that bar is very low. But as he fought to find some command, he instead allowed a whole bunch of loud contact. He needed 67 pitches to get through just 2 innings, and allowed 5 hits (including 2 home runs), 2 walks, and 3 runs in those 2 innings, with 3 strikeouts.
It’s hard to characterize the season as anything other than a pure disaster for Birdsong, who many — myself included — thought would end the season as the Giants No. 3 starter. Since getting optioned he has a 5.64 ERA and a 7.13 FIP and, of greater concern, 22 walks in 30.1 innings. His ceiling is still remarkably high, but it’s feeling less and less of a sure thing that he can put the pieces together.
RHP Braxton Roxby had a decent outing on Friday, pitching 2 shutout innings, though he didn’t have a strikeout and he allowed 3 baserunners. He sure seems in line to make an MLB debut next year. RHP Miguel Díaz gave up 3 baserunners in 1.1 innings on Sunday, but struck out 3 and didn’t allow a run … it’s now 15 consecutive outings without an earned run for the 30-year old, who has a 3.57 ERA but a 5.02 FIP. And LHP Helcris Olivárez was the spitting image of effectively wild on Saturday, giving up a hit, a walk, and 2 hit batters in 2 shutout innings … but striking out the side in both of those innings. That’s been his season: his has 35 strikeouts in 24 innings with Sacramento … but also 32 walks.
The offense was very poor. 28 innings in the Pacific Coast League and the River Cats mustered a mere 4 runs which is, frankly, a little pathetic. They only went deep once, and it came from the least likely source: center fielder/right fielder Wade Meckler, who led off the 1st inning of Sunday’s game with his first home run of the year.
Meckler finished the weekend 4-13 with 2 strikeouts and an error, and now has a .732 OPS and a 102 wRC+ on the season. He’ll never be a big home run guy, but I’d imagine the Giants would like to see him have more than 1 in 360 plate appearances this year before thinking he’s part of the Major League plans in the outfield.
The other piece of happy news was that Jerar Encarnación began a rehab assignment, so there’s still a good chance that he plays in the Majors again this year. He played twice over the weekend, at designated hitter and left field, though he went 0-7 with a strikeout as he tries to fight off the rust.
The other notable names, and how they did: first baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL) hit 1-12 with a walk and 5 strikeouts; catcher Jesús Rodríguez hit 3-8 with a walk, 2 strikeouts, and an error; left fielder/designated hitter Marco Luciano hit 3-11 with a double, a walk, and 5 strikeouts; center fielder/right fielder/second baseman Tyler Fitzgerald went 2-9 with a walk, a hit by pitch, and a strikeout; and shortstop/second baseman Brett Wisely hit 2-7 with 3 strikeouts.
AA Richmond (52-77)
Friday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Altoona Curve (Pirates) 6-4 [box score]
Saturday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Altoona Curve 7-6 (10 innings) [box score]
Sunday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Altoona Curve 4-2 [box score]
Richmond salvaged a game in their penultimate series of the season, eking out a Saturday win but dropping the other 5 games of the set. They rode to success on the back of a hitter who is ending the season with quite a bang: right fielder/first baseman Victor Bericoto (No. 24 CPL).
Bericoto’s season has been a little disappointing, though he’s played well. He earned an early season promotion to AAA, but was injured after not much time there. By the time he returned from injury, Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL) was already manning first base in Sacramento, so Bericoto was returned to Richmond. Whether it was injury rust or disappointment from his assignment, he struggled for a while upon returning to the Squirrels.
But now he’s catching fire in a big way. He had 3 multi-hit games over the weekend, hitting 6-13 with a home run, a double, a walk, and 3 strikeouts.
Bericoto now has 5 consecutive multi-hit games, and has recorded at least 2 hits in 10 of Richmond’s last 13 games. During that time, the 23-year old slugger has hit 23-52 with 2 homers, 2 doubles, and 5 walks, which has brought his season numbers in the Eastern League up to a .785 OPS and a 131 wRC+. It may be a disappointing season for Bericoto, but it’s still been a good one, and he’s positioning himself to be the starting first baseman in AAA come Opening Day. I’d say it’s not outside of the realm of realistic possibilities that Bericoto ends up filling the role in the Majors that the Giants have been hoping Jerar Encarnación can.
Also homering on Saturday was shortstop Aeverson Arteaga (No. 12 CPL), who hit 5-13 with 2 strikeouts over the weekend. Arteaga, who basically missed all of 2024, has been in desperate need of some good games, so nice to see him have a strong weekend. He’s been healthy all year, which is great, but has just a .506 OPS and a 49 wRC+ on the season. Hopefully this is a year-long case of “one to measure, one to rake” for the defensive wizard.
Second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 16 CPL) had a good weekend as he continues to bounce back from a rough patch during the summer. The 21-year old switch-hitter went 4-11 with 2 doubles, 4 walks, and a hit by pitch. After a very tough August, Velasquez is slashing .348/.500/.478 through 6 September games, which has brought him back to a .675 OPS and a 106 wRC+.
A bit of a painful weekend for first baseman/third baseman Justin Wishkoski, who hit 1-7 with 2 strikeouts and was hit by a pitch in all 3 games … including on Saturday, when he entered as a replacement for Sabin Ceballos (No. 18 CPL), who left the game after getting hit by a pitch!
Richmond sent a trio of southpaws to the mound to start the weekend games. Saturday’s starter was by far the best, as LHP John Michael Bertrand took down 6 innings with relative ease, allowing just 5 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run, while striking out 5 batters. Bertrand just keeps limiting runs, which has resulted in a sensational 2.87 ERA through 131.2 innings this year. But he is still struggling with strikeouts, as the 6.2 per 9 innings explain both his 4.29 FIP and why the 27-year old will have a hard time making the Majors as a starter.
LHPs Jack Choate (No. 29 CPL) and Joe Whitman (No. 9 CPL) flanked Bertrand with poor results. Choate, who appears to be transitioning back into starter life after a brief blip as a reliever, started on Friday and 7 hits, 2 walks, and 2 hit batters in just 3.2 innings, which tagged him for 5 runs. Choate, who had 3 strikeouts, has a 3.60 ERA and a 4.10 FIP on the year, with 10.9 strikeouts per 9 innings. The 24-year old, taken in the 9th round of the 2022 draft, looks primed to begin 2026 in AAA.
Whitman also seems likely to start next year in AAA, though he is, unfortunately, using the end of the season to make a strong case for repeating AA. It was another tough go for Whitman, who has had quite a rollercoaster of a season. He made it through just 4.1 innings in this one, ceding 7 hits, 3 walks, and 3 runs, while striking out 4 batters, and throwing just 46 of 76 pitches for strikes.
Whitman, who turns 24 later this month, has really been struggling following a fantastic July. Since the calendar turned to August, he’s made 7 starts and pitched just 30 innings, allowing 49 hits, 12 walks, and 25 runs, with 30 strikeouts. That’s brought his ERA all the way up to 5.63 though, remarkably, his FIP still sits at just 3.72.
RHP R.J. Dabovich made his first appearance in a few weeks on Friday, and he struck out all 3 batters he faced. Always great to see the 2020 4th-rounder on the mound: he’s pitched just 15.1 innings over the last 3 seasons. RHP Cole Hillier made his second appearance since a promotion, and was dynamic, throwing 2 perfect innings with 3 strikeouts on Friday.
And finally, an aesthetically funny line for RHP Manuel Mercedes, who pitched 1.1 innings with 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 hit batter, 1 run, and 1 strikeout.
High-A Eugene (81-51)
Friday: Eugene Emeralds beat Spokane (Rockies) 5-1 [box score]
Sunday: Eugene Emeralds beat Spokane 9-1 [box score]
The Emeralds are absolutely gliding into the postseason. They swept their final series of the regular season, and ended the year having won 11 of their final 12 games … with 5 of those wins coming against Everett, the team they’ll face in the championship series on Tuesday. They’re sitting pretty!
A lot of players ended strong seasons on equally strong notes. Right fielder Jakob Christian (No. 30 CPL) balled out on the final day of the season, hitting 2-3 with a home run, a double, a hit by pitch, 3 runs batted in, and a strikeout, after not playing on Friday.
Christian, the team’s 5th-round pick a year ago, had a strong year in Low-A San Jose, and exploded after a promotion, posting a .950 OPS and a 154 wRC+ in 23 games with the Emeralds. There are serious concerns about the soon-to-turn 23-year old’s strikeout issues, as he had a 28.3% rate in San Jose and a 34.8% rate in Eugene. But he’s shown that when he makes contact he can do serious damage, and that’s a great building block.
Second baseman Jean Carlos Sio punctuated a breakout season with an awesome weekend, hitting 2-4 with a double, 3 walks, 2 hit by pitches, 1 stolen base, and 1 strikeout. And with that season, the 21-year old is officially on everyone’s radar: after posting an .821 OPS and a 130 wRC+ in San Jose, the lefty had an .808 OPS and a 128 wRC+ in 28 games with Eugene. What a fun player he is!
Designated hitter/third baseman Parks Harber was an on-base machine yet again, hitting 4-6 with 2 doubles, 1 walk, 2 hit by pitches, and 1 strikeout. He finished his 25-game stint with Eugene with a 1.097 OPS and a 195 wRC+ … not bad for the 3rd or 4th-most notable name the Giants received in the Camilo Doval trade!
And right fielder Jack Payton punctuated his season on Friday (he didn’t play Sunday) by hitting 1-4 with his 9th homer of the year. Payton, the team’s 11th-round pick in 2023, probably saw his prospect status drop this year, as the organization didn’t prioritize getting him playing time, and moved him off of the catcher position. But despite that, he finished the year with a .788 OPS and a 115 wRC+, so he at least hit well when given opportunities!
Tremendous starting pitching performances from LHPs Cesar Perdomo and Charlie McDaniel. Perdomo through 5.1 shutout frames on Friday, allowing just 1 hit and 3 walks, while striking out 5 batters. Perdomo’s season has been one of high highs and low lows, leaving no question as to both what he needs to work on, and how high his ceiling is. Want to see just how high the highs are and how low the lows are? Here’s his run prevention over his final 17 starts of the year:
0 earned runs: 8 times
1 earned run: 2 times
2 earned runs: 1 time
3 earned runs: 0 times
4 earned runs: 3 times
5+ earned runs: 3 times
Absolute feast or famine! But it sure ended with a feast: in Perdomo’s final 3 starts of the regular season, he allowed just 3 hits and 2 runs in 15.2 innings, with 17 strikeouts and 5 walks. He ends the year with a 3.96 ERA and a 3.91 FIP.
As for McDaniel, he was brilliant, allowing just 1 hit, 2 walks, and 1 unearned run in 7 innings, while striking out 8 batters. The 24-year old undrafted free agent didn’t put up great numbers once he got promoted, as he had a 5.77 ERA and a 4.82 FIP with Eugene, but he sure ended on a high note. And he certainly showed he has great command in his debut season, issuing just 2.2 walks per 9 innings between Low-A and High-A.
RHP Liam Simon, who simply could not find the strike zone this year as he works back from Tommy John, ended the regular season on a high note, pitching a perfect frame with 2 strikeouts. Here’s to a good — and healthy — 2026.
Low-A San Jose (81-51)
Friday: San Jose Giants beat the Modesto Nuts (Mariners) 7-1 [box score]
Saturday: San Jose Giants beat the Modesto Nuts 10-9 [box score]
Sunday: San Jose Giants lost to the Modesto Nuts 9-6 (10 innings) [box score]
And with that, a thrilling San Jose regular season comes to an end. A pair of the team’s top prospects shined in the batter’s box over the weekend, with shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 6 CPL) and center fielder/left fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 17 CPL) both punctuating exciting seasons.
Level, who has really cemented his status as the organization’s 3rd-best prospect in my eyes, had a trio of multi-hit games, going 6-13 with a home run, a walk, a strikeout, and a stolen base. After winning the MLB Prospect of the Year award at the Arizona Complex League, Level finished his A-Ball debut season with a .672 OPS and a 91 wRC+ … not bad numbers for an 18-year old shortstop. He’ll surely start 2026 with San Jose, and will probably start it as a top-100 prospect on many lists.
As for Diaz, he went 5-12 with a home run, 2 walks, a strikeout, a stolen base, and a caught stealing. He played some of his best baseball towards the end of the season, and ended the year with a .725 OPS and a 97 wRC+. Eye-popping numbers? No. But he just turned 20 years old, is solid defensively, stole 26 bases, and posted just an 18.7% strikeout rate. A very, very solid season.
The team’s recent 3rd-round pick performed very well, as center fielder/designated hitter Trevor Cohen hit 3-8 with a home run, a hit by pitch, and a stolen base. He ends his debut season with an .840 OPS, a 140 wRC+, 8 stolen bases, and just 15 strikeouts in 130 plate appearances. It’s an extremely small sample size, but that sure looks like a home run draft pick right now!
Mostly poor pitching performances, but LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 31 CPL) dominated to put an exclamation mark on a sensational season. He gave up just 4 hits and 0 walks in 5.1 shutout innings on Friday, while striking out 9 batters, and throwing 60 of 82 pitches for strikes. Bresnahan, who recently turned 20, finishes the year with a 2.61 ERA, a 3.00 FIP, and 12.0 strikeouts per 9 innings. What an incredible year for the southpaw, who came to the Giants at the deadline last year in the Alex Cobb trade. In his final 5 starts, Bresnahan pitched 24.1 innings and allowed just 19 hits, 8 walks, and 3 runs, with 33 strikeouts. Can’t wait to watch him in the Northwest League next year!
Home run tracker
15 — Victor Bericoto — [1 in AAA; 12 in AA; 2 in ACL]
14 — Jakob Christian — [4 in High-A; 10 in Low-A]
12 — Jhonny Level — [3 in Low-A; 9 in ACL]
10 — Lisbel Diaz — [Low-A]
9 — Jack Payton — [High-A]
6 — Aeverson Arteaga — [AA]
1 — Wade Meckler — [AAA]
1 — Trevor Cohen — [Low-A]
