The Minor League Baseball season is winding down, but there’s still a lot happening. Here’s what went down for the San Francisco Giants affiliates on Tuesday.
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
Lots of movement in the Minors, partially due to lots of movement in the Majors, as the Giants celebrated September call-up day by promoting catcher Zach Morgan, LHP Cesar Perdomo, and RHP Wilkin
Ramos from AAA Sacramento. The River Cats lost a lot of their roster, as LHP Hayden Wynja and RHP Ryan Slater were returned to High-A Eugene, RHP Samir Chires was returned to Low-A San Jose, and infielder Zander Darby (who had been in Eugene), was sent to AA Richmond.
They did recoup some talent, though, as San Jose catcher Fernando Gonzalez was sent to Sacramento for emergency depth duty, while the organization signed Dusty’s son, infielder/outfielder Darren Baker, and assigned him to AAA.
RHPs Marty Gair and Niko Mazza were promoted from Eugene to Richmond, while Richmond RHP Ben Peterson landed on the 7-Day IL. Meanwhile, LHP Jordan Gottesman was promoted from San Jose to Eugene.
Catcher Scott Gell, who was an undrafted free agent in July, was assigned to San Jose, which brings us to our big news of the day … RHP Jackson Flora is headed there as well. July’s 4th overall pick has been assigned to Low-A and, per the beat reporters, will start on Friday.
AAA Sacramento (74-56)
Sacramento River Cats lost to the Salt Lake Bees (Angels) 4-1
Box score
The only real bit of good news from this game? That the next 3 games on the list get better. This was a capital B Boring game for Sacramento.
There were a pair of good offensive performances, from right fielder Will Brennan and first baseman Charlie Szykowny. Brennan, who was designated for assignment and outrighted earlier in the year, and will almost certainly sign elsewhere this offseason, hit 1-4 but smashed a solo home run in the 9th inning, which kept the River Cats from being shut out.
It hasn’t been a great year for the 28-year old, but he’s been solid in Sacramento, where he has an .801 OPS and a 107 wRC+. He’ll certainly be in Spring Training with someone come February, should we be lucky enough to actually have a Spring Training.
As for Szykowny, he hit 2-4 with a double. The 26-year old lefty, who was taken in the 9th round of the 2023 draft out of Illinois-Chicago, was brought up from AA recently thanks to Sacramento being fairly shy on players. Despite having a mediocre year with Richmond, Szykowny has fit right in with the River Cats through 4 games, as he’s hit 4-12 with 2 doubles and just 2 strikeouts. My guess is he’s here to stay.
The same cannot be said for catcher Fernando Gonzalez, who was brought up straight from Low-A to fill the catcher void (the Giants called up Zach Morgan on Tuesday as part of the expanding September rosters, leaving Adrián Sugastey as the only catcher in AAA). Gonzalez, a 20th-round pick in 2024 who was having a modest offensive season in San Jose, did collect his first AAA hit, as he went 1-3 with 2 strikeouts. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Giants try to sign a veteran backstop for Sacramento, but then again, with the season so close to concluding, they may just ride it out with Gonzalez before returning him to an appropriate level in 2027.
Rough days for the trio of top prospects at the top of the order: center fielder Scott Bandura went 0-3 with a strikeout, though he reached base via a hit by pitch and stole a base. Left fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) and third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) both went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts. Harber has really been scuffling lately, as in his last 6 games he’s hit just 1-24 with 2 walks and 8 strikeouts, bringing his OPS down to .781 and his wRC+ to 106.
It was a bullpen game on the pitching side, and while holding a team to 4 runs in Sacramento isn’t bad, it wasn’t a particularly inspired performance. RHP Darien Smith led things off, and while he shined in his AAA debut a few days ago, his follow-up performance didn’t go as well, as he gave up 2 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs in just an inning of work. It’s unclear if it was a scheduled bullpen game or if Smith — who worked as a starter for Richmond before hitting the IL in the summer — just had his day shortened by nature of having thrown 37 pitches in the 1st inning.
R.J. Dabovich was the bright spot in the bullpen, as he tossed a perfect 9th inning, while throwing 6 of 8 pitches for strikes. It’s so great seeing Dabovich healthy and on the mound again, and he’s making the most of it as he’s ending the year with a bang. Through 3 appearances with the River Cats, the 2020 4th-round pick has given up just 1 hit and 1 walk in 3 scoreless innings.
AA Richmond (73-52)
Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Akron RubberDucks (Guardians) 13-12
Box score
The Giants might have lost a dramatic game 13-12, but their AA affiliate won a dramatic game 13-12. Kind of funny!
And, just like the Giants, the Squirrels had to climb back into the game after a rough outing from their starter. And, just like the Giants, that rough outing resulted in allowing 9 runs in a single inning.
For Richmond, it was RHP Shane Rademacher, who had a 2nd inning to forget. The 25-year old UDFA, who has been having a difficult season, made it through the 1st inning with relative ease, giving up just a single. But here’s how his 2nd inning went:
Double
Single
Hit by pitch
Single
Hit by pitch
Walk
Single
Grand slam
And that was it for him. 8 batters, 0 outs, and 8 runs scored.
The pitching obviously got better from there, but it still stumbled for a while, as RHPs Logan Martin and Dale Stanavich didn’t have very good outings, either. Finally things got buckled down late, thanks to RHPs Mitch White and Ryan Vanderhei. White gave up a single and a walk in 2.1 scoreless innings, with 2 strikeouts, while Vanderhei handled 2 no-hit, no-run frames, allowing just 1 walk while striking out 3. White, a 26-year old signed out of an indy league who is in his debut season, has struggled this year, with a 5.73 ERA, a 6.69 FIP, and as many walks as strikeouts. Vanderhei, a 25-year old taken in the 10th round in 2023, has had a strong season, with a 2.61 ERA and a 3.70 FIP following a midseason promotion, which came after tremendous High-A results.
The offense was where things really shined, though, and the Flying Squirrels did it in small ball fashion. Richmond scored their 13 runs despite having 0 home runs, and just 2 of their 18 hits went for extra bases. But 16 singles goes a long way, especially when paired with 7 walks and 4 stolen bases.
Second baseman Dayson Croes let the hit brigade, as he went 4-6 with a strikeout. It hasn’t been a very good 2nd season for the 26-year old lefty from Aruba, as he had modest numbers in AAA and was returned to AA, where he has a .704 OPS and a 91 wRC+. Croes has awesome contact skills, but unfortunately, there’s just not a lot else in his game.
Right fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL), playing in his 3rd game since returning from an IL stint that lasted over a month, hit 2-5 with a double, a walk, a stolen base, and a strikeout. Not surprisingly, strikeouts remain an issue for the exceptionally exciting 23-year old, as he has a 24.5% K rate in Richmond, with a sky-high 17.9% swinging strike rate. But he has so, so, so much talent, and through 12 games at the level has an .845 OPS and a 123 wRC+. Unfortunately, the injury took out enough of his season that he probably lost the opportunity to play his way into a AAA assignment to open 2027, but if he keeps hitting like this, he won’t have that long of a stint in the Eastern League. He also, intriguingly, has 6 stolen bases in those 12 games, without yet getting caught.
Also lovely games for left fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL), shortstop Maui Ahuna (No. 23 CPL), catcher Jancel Villarroel (No. 42 CPL), and third baseman Sabin Ceballos (No. 43 CPL). Diaz, who is starting to find his footing following a recent promotion, hit 3-5 with a sacrifice fly and a strikeout, raising his OPS to .622 and his wRC+ to 59 through 12 games; Ahuna went 2-5 with a walk and a whopping 4 runs batted in, while also swiping a bag, striking out, and committing 2 errors, which brought his OPS to .674 and his wRC+ to 87, with 30 stolen bases in 33 attempts; Villarroel who, like Diaz, had a slow start following his promotion, went 2-4 with 2 walks, a stolen base, and the go-ahead RBI single as part of a 3-run 9th, boosting his OPS to .589 and his wRC+ to 59 through 23 games, with 3 stolen bases in as many attempts; and Ceballos hit 3-4 with a walk and a sacrifice fly, bringing him up to a .739 OPS and a 104 wRC+.
Unfortunately the offensive explosion did not find its way to first baseman Zander Darby, who made his AA debut but went 0-6 with 4 strikeouts.
High-A Eugene (76-50)
Eugene Emeralds beat the Hillsboro Hops (D-Backs) 7-5
Box score
A pair of excellent performances in this game, one on each side of the ball. And, while we all love when less-heralded prospects break out and show things, there’s nothing quite like the star performances coming from the star prospects … which is exactly what happened in this game.
On the mound, it was LHP Henry Lalane, the exceptionally intriguing 6’7 southpaw whom the Giants acquired in the Heliot Ramos trade. Lalane was brilliant in Low-A for the Yankees’ affiliate this year, where the 22-year old posted a 2.74 ERA and a 2.64 FIP in 13 games, with 11.7 strikeouts per 9 innings. Things have been a little more difficult for him in High-A, but you wouldn’t know it if you watched Tuesday’s game, as he dealt 5 brilliant shutout frames, allowing just 3 hits (all singles) and 1 walk, while striking out 4 batters.
Lalane looked overpowering to the helpless Hops batters, and he did an excellent job pounding the strike zone, with 54 of his 79 pitches going for strikes. Even with the great game, Lalane’s numbers are quite poor since the trade: in 5 starts, he has a 4.57 ERA and a 4.82 FIP, with just 16 strikeouts in 21.2 innings. He’s really going to be a fascinating choice for the Giants when Rule 5 protection decisions need to be made in November … he’s far too talented to lose, but do the Giants really think he’ll get poached given how low in the system he is? And can they find space, given that their 40-man roster currently has 54 players on it?
In the batter’s box, it was shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL) who shined, with his best game in quite some time. Level’s performance since moving to High-A earlier in the year has been absolutely fantastic, but he had been fairly quiet recently. He was not quiet in this game, though, as the 19-year old switch-hitter went 2-5 with a double and a 2-run home run in the 8th inning that provided what proved to be some critical insurance.
I should note that Level, who also struck out once, hadn’t been quiet in a bad way. It was more that he had been consistently decent (which is a tremendous skill for a young player), and hadn’t had his usual superstar games. Before going 0-5 on Sunday, Level had an 11-game hitting streak going, which is mighty impressive. But this was his 1st home run since August 8, and that’s something we certainly love to see.
Since getting promoted, Level has an .852 OPS and a 123 wRC+ in 65 games. He’s hitting for average (.305) and power (.183 ISO), while striking out just 17.4% of the time. There’s not much more we can ask of him, and there’s no doubt now that he’ll begin 2027 in AA.
While Lalane’s fellow pitchers didn’t do anything of note, Level’s fellow hitters had a few nice performances, namely from right fielder Cam Maldonado (No. 34 CPL) and designated hitter Walker Martin. Maldonado hit just 1-3 with a strikeout, but was hit by 2 pitches and stole a base, while Martin went 2-4 with a swiped bag and a strikeout. Maldonado has been absolutely other-worldly since a recent promotion, posting a 1.175 OPS and a 189 wRC+ through 18 games with the Emeralds, and stealing 4 bases. Martin has had his fair share of struggles throughout the year, and has a .736 OPS and a 93 wRC+, with 20 stolen bases in 23 attempts.
Low-A San Jose (76-51)
San Jose Giants beat the Fresno Grizzlies (Rockies) 8-6
Box score
It was all about the offense in this game for the Baby Giants, and there was a quartet of stars who came about success in very different ways. Half of that quartet opted for the all-or-nothing approach, while the other half went for a more balanced attack.
The all-or-nothing pair was third baseman Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL) and designated hitter Angel Guzman. Meola and Guzman only had 1 hit apiece, but that hit left the yard in both instances. For Meola, who finished 1-4 with a walk and a strikeout, the home run represented just another tally on a summer of extra-base hits. Last year’s 4th-round pick has really found both the hits and the juice since the summer sun came out. The splits are fairly stark for the 22-year old righty:
April/May/June: 58-255, 6 home runs, 1 triple, 19 doubles, 28 walks, 82 strikeouts
July/August/Sept: 68-205, 8 home runs, 4 triples, 21 doubles, 22 walks, 46 strikeouts
That’s pretty dramatic improvement! The cold water is that his heater pretty perfectly coincides with when pitchers started to get promoted from the Cal League to High-A, but still … those are mighty impressive numbers either way, and have brought his season line above the league average (.830 OPS, 105 wRC+). It’ll definitely be fun to see if he can continue building on this success in Eugene next year.
As for Guzman, he went 1-3 with a hit by pitch and a strikeout, as he has really started to figure out the level. After a slow introduction to Low-A (he was promoted in early July), Guzman has found his footing, and posted a .947 OPS in August. After opening September with a home run, the 20-year old lefty is up to an .849 OPS and a 120 wRC+ in 31 games with the Baby Giants. Very impressive stuff!
The other pair of hitters was shortstop Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) and right fielder Tanner Mally. González, as I’ve almost grown tired of typing, was particularly inspiring: he had 4 official at-bats and roped 4 singles, while also knocking a sacrifice fly and stealing a base (the lone bad part of his day was that he was caught stealing).
You can talk about any number of elements of González’s game: his power is mesmerizing, his baserunning is must-see TV, he’s drawing walks like it’s going out of style, and his defense is truly magical. But I want to just stop for a moment and admire how impressive it is that he’s just getting hits. The top prospect in the organization is still just 18 years old, a full 3 years younger than the average hitter in the Cal League. And after this game (which gave the switch-hitter a 5-game hitting streak), he’s hitting a staggering 42-112 through 27 games.
There are 128 prospects who have logged 100 plate appearances in the Cal League this year, and González’s .375 batting average ranks 2nd among those 128 … behind only Kayson Cunningham, a 1st-round pick last year who is 20. It’s just absurd what González is doing.
As for Mally, he went 1-1 and drew 3 walks though, like González, he was caught stealing. Mally only has 5 extra-base hits through 21 games, but July’s 17th-round pick has a .400 batting average. That is damn impressive!
The pitching wasn’t good, but unfortunately, it was notable, as RHP Trey Seeley left the game in the 1st inning with the trainers, after only throwing 17 pitches. You never want to speculate on an injury, but Seeley was visibly distraught coming off the mound, with tears that appeared to be due to emotional rather than physical pain. His velocity was also down so … you can unfortunately put two and two together with a fairly high chance of being correct.
The one good pitching performance belonged to RHP Dylan Carter, an undrafted free agent from last year’s class. Carter gave up a hit in a scoreless inning, while striking out a pair, lowering his ERA to 4.91 and his FIP to 4.50. Not a very good season for the Arkansas alum, but he’s ending it on a high note: in his last 7 games, he’s pitched 13.1 innings and allowed just 10 hits, 2 walks, and 1 earned run, while striking out 18. Love to see players end the year strong!
RHP Ian Korn, July’s 10th-round pick, made his 2nd pro appearance. He struggled, allowing 2 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs in 1.2 innings, with 1 strikeout, but he did pick up his 1st professional win!
Home run tracker
18 — Jhonny Level — [8 in High-A; 10 in Low-A]
14 — Lorenzo Meola — [Low-A]
7 — Will Brennan — [AAA]
6 — Angel Guzman — [4 in Low-A; 2 in ACL]
Wednesday schedule
Sacramento: 6:45 p.m. PT vs. Salt Lake (SP: Joe Whitman)
Richmond: 3:35 p.m. PT at Akron (SP: Miguel Mendez)
Eugene: 6:35 p.m. PT vs. Hillsboro (SP: Ubert Mejias)
San Jose: 6:50 p.m. PT at Fresno (SP: TBD)
Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV
