Note: Today is nomination day! In addition to voting for the No. 8 prospect, head to the comment section to nominate the next batch of prospects to vote on.
The 2027 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List is marching right along, and we’ve nearly got ourselves a top 10, as our quest to rank the top 44 prospects in the San Francisco Giarts organization continues.
There were five names to vote on in the latest election, but it quickly became a two-player race. In all, 67 McCoven cast their votes,
and 60 of those votes were split between two players. But only one can emerge victorious, and in this chapter it was left-handed pitcher Jacob Bresnahan, who has been named the No. 7 prospect in the system. That’s a rise of four spots for the southpaw, who was No. 11 on our list a year ago.
It was yet another brilliant season for Bresnahan who, along with the recently-traded (and recently-debuting) Nate Furman, came to the Giants in the 2024 Alex Cobb trade. Bresnahan, who turned 21 over the summer, was an overslot 13th-round selection out of high school in the 2023 draft, and immediately set to work impressing: in his first full season, he was named Pitcher of the Year in the Complex League. And then, last year, his first full season in the Giants organization, he was named Pitcher of the Year in the Low-A California League.
So there were some lofty expectations heading into the 2026 season, with Bresnahan moving up to High-A Eugene. But unfortunately, he hit a quick roadblock, as he suffered an injury during Spring Training, and was not healthy when the season began, and didn’t make his debut until late April, in the Emerald’s 21st game of the season.
Bresnahan then spun the tires a little bit as he tried to catch up to players who were more in rhythm, and had had healthy camps. His ERA flirted with the fives, and after his ninth start of the year, in mid-June, he had a very pedestrian 4.58 ERA. It’s funny: in my Minor League recaps, I remember quipping a few times that, between his delayed start to the season and his struggles over the first few months, he was going to need an absurd stretch of starts if he wanted to keep his Pitcher of the Year streak intact.
An absurd stretch of starts was precisely what followed. Bresnahan dominated his next five starts, allowing just 13 hits, seven walks, and and three runs in 29.1 innings, with 35 strikeouts. He came slightly back to earth eventually, but continued pitching brilliantly through the end of his run with Eugene, ending his time in Oregon with a 2.92 ERA, a 4.32 FIP, and 118 strikeouts to 38 walks in 98.2 innings.
And yes, he won Pitcher of the Year honors for the third year in a row.
Bresnahan earned a late-season promotion to AA Richmond, where things were a little rockier, which is quite understandable. In three starts, he had a 5.06 ERA, a 3.60 FIP, and 17 strikeouts against seven walks in 16 innings. He seemed to quickly adjust to the level, though, as his third and final regular season outing was dominant: he pitched seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts and just five baserunners (though his last appearance, made in the playoffs, didn’t go so well).
2027 will be a huge year for Bresnahan, as the AA (and potentially AAA) introductions are really where we start to see whether a prospect of his talent level can be a quality starter, or if they’ll end up a spot starter or a bullpen piece. Bresnahan has a mid-90s fastball that has a lot of break and extension, which he pairs with a delightful kick change. He does a great job of limiting hits and accumulating strikeouts, though gives up a fair amount of home runs which is something he’ll want to work on at higher levels.
If you’re anywhere near Virginia, I recommend grabbing some tickets for Richmond next year. Bresnahan is the third pitcher on our list, and it’s likely that the two names ahead of him (righties Jackson Flora and Ramon Marquez) will be joining him in the Flying Squirrels’ rotation when the 2027 season kicks off. And won’t that be fun!
Now, let’s add to our list! As a reminder, both voting and nominating takes place in the comment section.
The list so far
- Josuar González — SS
- Jackson Flora — RHP
- Luis Hernández — SS
- Jhonny Level — SS
- Ramon Marquez — RHP
- Bo Davidson — OF
- Jacob Bresnahan — LHP
Note: Clicking on the above names will link to the CPL where they were voted onto the list.
No. 8 prospect nominees
Carson Bolemon — 19.7-year old LHP — yet to debut
Argenis Cayama — 20.1-year old RHP — 4.87 ERA/4.27 FIP in Low-A (57.1 IP)
Dakota Jordan — 23.5-year old OF — .879 OPS/125 wRC+ in High-A (355 PA); .697 OPS/87 wRC+ in AA (88 PA)
Gavin Kilen — 22.7-year old SS — .811 OPS/112 wRC+ in High-A (349 PA); .811 OPS/112 wRC+ in AA (143 PA)
Note: Each player’s first name links to their Baseball-Reference page, and their last name links to their Fangraphs page. All stats are from the 2026 season.
