For one last weekend, all of the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates were in action, playing regularly scheduled games. Both Low-A San Jose and High-A Eugene wrapped up their seasons on Sunday though … but it’s on to the playoffs!
Here’s everything that happened on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
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 (76-59)
Friday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the
Salt Lake Bees 8-7 (10 innings) [box score] Saturday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Salt Lake Bees 6-3 [box score] Sunday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Salt Lake Bees 6-3 [box score]
One of the themes late in the season for the River Cats is that their highly intriguing trio of position players started leaking oil to end otherwise phenomenal years. Thankfully, that trend reversed a bit this weekend, as each of them had strong games.
The tone-setter was left fielder/right fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) who once again put his power on display, hitting 5-12 with 2 home runs, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, and an error.
With that performance, Davidson pushed his organization-leading home run total up to 28. He has a dozen games left to hit 2 more big flies, which would make him the Giants first Minor Leaguer with 30 homers since Adam Duvall hit 30 in High-A back in 2012.
The small cold streak before this recent burst brought Davidson’s numbers down a bit, but it’s still been a sensational introduction to AAA, as he has an .878 OPS and a 126 wRC+ through 45 games, with just an 18.4% strikeout rate. His Statcast page certainly suggests there is nothing lucky about those numbers, either!
Center fielder Scott Bandura also had a sensational weekend, as he hit 4-11 with a home run, a double, 4 walks, and a strikeout.
At this point, it certainly feels close to a guarantee that the Giants will protect Bandura from the Rule 5 Draft, as the 25-year old lefty has posted an .888 OPS and a 133 wRC+ through 90 games in AAA. Like Davidson, it sure feels like Bandura will have a chance to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster next Spring Training, should we be lucky enough to convene in Scottsdale for some spring baseball.
Rounding out that trio is third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL). Harber’s weekend wasn’t quite as dynamic as Davidson’s or Bandura’s, but it was much more needed, as he had been slumping the hardest. The right-handed slugger entered the weekend having hit just 1-32, with 4 walks and 12 strikeouts over his prior 8 games, but broke through with a pair of decent games sandwiched around a Saturday off-day. In total, the soon-to-turn 25-year old went 3-9 with a double and a walk, though he struck out 5 times. It’s been a strong season for Harber, who will almost certainly make his MLB debut next year, but he’s limping to the finish line … after running some very nice lines in his first few weeks in AAA following a midseason promotion, Harber is down to a .756 OPS and a 101 wRC+ at the level, with a 25.3% strikeout rate.
A trio of other offensive players worth mentioning: third baseman Brett Harris made his organizational debut on Saturday, after being claimed off of waivers, and hit 1-8 with a walk and a strikeout; recently-signed left fielder/second baseman Darren Baker went 5-12 with a stolen base and 3 strikeouts; and catcher Thomas Gavello, while only playing once, hit 1-3 with a home run and a hit by pitch (he’s been plunked 16 times this year, in just 80 games).
An uninteresting weekend on the mound, which isn’t at all surprising given how many of Sacramento’s arms are currently in San Francisco. RHP Trystan Vrieling made his 2nd AAA appearance on Friday and it went miserably, as the 2022 3rd-round pick (by the Yankees) allowed 8 hits, 3 walks, and 6 runs in just 4 innings of work, though he struck out 7 batters. Vrieling is in AAA more because of a logistical need and less because he played his way out of AA and, unfortunately, so far the results are showing that.
The only notably good start came from RHP Spencer Bivens, who has been used oddly this year, both in the Majors and Minors. He once again got stretched out (like Vrieling’s promotion, likely more due to need than merit), but handled the assignment brilliantly, allowing just 4 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run in 4 innings, while striking out 5.
A pair of really nice relief outings from RHPs Will Bednar (No. 24 CPL) and R.J. Dabovich. Bednar, who has been struggling mightily since a recent promotion, handled 3 scoreless frames on Friday with just 1 hit and 1 walk, while striking out 4 batters. Dabovich, who is finally healthy once more, pitched a perfect frame on Saturday with a strikeout. Through 5 appearances with Sacramento this year, the 2020 4th-rounder has allowed just 3 baserunners in 5.1 scoreless innings, with 6 strikeouts.
AA Richmond (73-57)
Friday Game 1: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Akron RubberDucks 3-1 (7 innings) [box score]
Friday Game 2: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Akron RubberDucks 4-3 (8 innings) [box score]
Saturday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Akron RubberDucks 9-0 [box score]
Sunday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Akron RubberDucks 14-6 [box score]
It’s been a good season for the Squirrels, but you wouldn’t know it based on the weekend, when they lost 4 games in 3 days by a combined score of 30-10, giving them a 5-game losing streak.
Quite a miserable weekend for the offense, which mustered 0 home runs in the 4 games, and just 5 extra-base hits total (all doubles). Center fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL), who had been scuffling lately, put together a lot of good at-bats, as he hit 5-11 with 2 walks, 3 stolen bases, and 1 strikeout.
Cohen right now is kind of a 1-tool player with the bat. His power is virtually nonexistent, as he has just 10 extra-base knocks in 206 AA plate appearances, resulting in an .094 isolated slugging. Despite what he did in High-A, Cohen also isn’t drawing walks in AA, where his rate is just 6.3%. But the skill he does show off — contact — is really on display, as Cohen is sporting a .302 batting average with the Squirrels, and just a 9.2% strikeout rate. That’s led to a distinctly average line, as he has a .740 OPS and a 100 wRC+.
The good news is twofold: an average line in AA is still impressive, given that Cohen was drafted last year, and it certainly suggests there’s a lot of untapped offensive abilities; and an average line is all he needs to be effective, given that he plays quality center field defense and, in 44 AA games, has already stolen 20 bases.
The other notable offensive performance belonged to catcher Jancel Villarroel (No. 42 CPL), who hit 3-8 with 2 doubles and 3 walks. The 21-year old right-hander, who was acquired before the season in the Kai-Wei Teng trade, really struggled upon his promotion to AA, but is starting to find his rhythm. The overall numbers are still lagging — he has a .628 OPS and a 72 wRC+ through 31 games — but his at-bats are much better, and the results are recovering as a result.
Center fielder/right fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL), who only recently returned from the IL, hit 2-12 with a double, 2 walks, an outfield assist, and 4 strikeouts. He has a .765 OPS and a 104 wRC+ in 17 games with the Squirrels.
The most notable pitching performance didn’t go well, as LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL) made his 2nd start since getting promoted to AA. Bresnahan got rocked on Saturday, ceding 10 hits, 1 walk, and 6 runs in 4 innings of work, with just 2 strikeouts. I would say there’s nothing to be concerned about with 2 tough starts at a new level, especially since Bresnahan, who turned 21 in late June, is still nearly 4 years younger than the average Eastern League pitcher. Right now it’s just about getting his feet wet at the level, so he can hit the ground running in 2027.
RHP Niko Mazza made his AA debut following a recent promotion, and it went fairly well. The 2024 8th-rounder needed a few batters to get his feet set, as he gave up a single, a walk, and a home run within the 1st 4 batters he faced. But he didn’t allow another run after that, and finished the game having given up just 5 baserunners in 5 innings, with 5 strikeouts. Mazza didn’t have the best season in High-A this year, where he posted a 4.15 ERA and a 4.55 FIP, but he did strike out 10.4 batters per 9 innings, while running a 45.1% groundball rate. There’s some intrigue in that arm, for sure.
LHP Charlie McDaniel was fine if not noteworthy, giving up 8 baserunners and 2 runs in 6 innings, with 4 strikeouts, which lowered his ERA to 5.40 and his FIP to 5.13. LHP Greg Farone couldn’t find the strike zone, as he failed to record an out in the 2nd inning before 5 walks, 2 hits, 6 runs (just 3 earned), and 52 pitches forced him out of the game.
An unfortunate occurance in Saturday’s game, when LHP Esmerlin Vinicio opened the 5th inning and walked the 1st 2 batters he faced, then was pulled with an injury in the middle of the 3rd batter he was facing. That’s never a good sign. He was replaced by RHP Ryan Vanderhei, who kept the trend going by walking that batter (which officially went on Vinicio’s ledger), before walking in all 3 inherited runners.
In happier bullpen news, RHP Marty Gain made his 2nd appearance since getting promoted and, after getting shellacked his 1st time out, settled into this one, pitching a perfect inning with a strikeout.
High-A Eugene (79-52)
Friday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Hillsboro Hops 3-2 [box score]
Saturday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Hillsboro Hops 5-4 [box score]
Sunday: Eugene Emeralds lost to the Hillsboro Hops 7-6 [box score]
Some fairly dramatic games to end the regular season for the Emeralds. On Saturday, they trailed 4-2 going into the 8th inning and 4-3 going into the 9th, but won; on Sunday, the got walked off in the bottom of the 9th after squandering a 6-4 advantage.
A fun story over the weekend, in the form of catcher Charlie Muniz. The Giants recently signed Muniz, a 24-year old who was destroying the Pioneer League, because they needed some catcher depth. Through 3 games (including Friday’s), Muniz was getting an unfortunate taste of how different the pitching is between indy leagues and Minor Leagues, as he went 0-11 with 1 walk and 8 strikeouts.
But on Sunday? He made sure he logged a hit in his debut season, and he made it count, with a glorious 3-run home run, as part of a 1-4 day that also featured a walk and, critically, no strikeouts. A fun fact courtesy of the Eugene PR department: Muniz is actually the all-time leader in collegiate home runs! So perhaps we’ll see a few more of these next year…
Otherwise, it was a fairly nondescript offensive weekend. Third baseman Dalton Wentz ended his short debut season on a high note, hitting 2-7 with 2 doubles and a walk, though he also committed an error and struck out 3 times. Wentz, a just-turned 21-year old switch-hitter who was drafted in the 16th round in July, but with a 4th-round bonus, finishes his debut regular season with a .797 OPS and a 114 wRC+ in 13 games.
Given those numbers, the size of his bonus (just shy of $600,000), and the fact that he came from an ACC school (Wake Forest), it wouldn’t surprise me if Wentz begins his 1st full season next year back in Eugene, rather than the more standard stint in Low-A.
Not the loudest weekend for shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL), but he racked up some more hits, going 4-15 with a walk, a stolen base, and 5 strikeouts. The 19-year old switch-hitter is almost surely bound for a AA assignment to open next year, after posting an .836 OPS and a 119 wRC+, with 15 stolen bases and just an 18.1% strikeout rate in his 69-game run through the Northwest League following a fairly early promotion.
The pitching stars came from the bullpen, as it was a nondescript weekend for the starters. That was especially true for Friday and Saturday’s arms, as RHP Cade Vernon gave up 7 baserunners (including 4 walks) and 2 runs in 4 innings, with just 1 strikeout, while RHP Hunter Dryden allowed 8 baserunners, 4 runs, and 3 earned runs in 3.2 innings, with 4 strikeouts. Vernon, a 10th-round pick in 2024, ends his 2nd season with a 4.52 ERA and a 5.20 FIP, while mostly working in bulk relief and spending the entire year in Eugene. Dryden, a 17th-rounder in 2024, ends his 2nd season (also spent entirely with the Emeralds) with a 4.47 ERA and a 5.47 FIP.
LHP Luis De La Torre (No. 14 CPL) had a better and more intriguing start, if not the best outing. He gave up 5 hits on Sunday (while celebrating his 23rd birthday), including a home run, which tagged him for 2 runs in 4 innings. But LDLT only walked 1 batter, while striking out 5.
There’s no way to sugarcoat the disappointment of De La Torre’s season, as ends it with a 5.81 ERA and a 5.45 FIP. Most damning is the 7.3 walks issued per 9 innings, but if you need a reminder as to how much talent he still possesses, you’ll find it in the 11.3 strikeouts per 9. There’s something there, but it’s still a notable step backwards after last year’s breakout campaign.
As for those bullpen stars, Eugene’s pair of electric flamethrowers with control issues ended the year on a high note, as RHP Gerelmi Maldonado (No. 21 CPL) pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout (while throwing 9 of 12 pitches for strikes), while RHP Liam Simon tossed 2 shutout frames with 1 hit, 0 walks, and 4 strikeouts. Both players spent the whole year in High-A, with Maldonado ending the season with a 3.90 ERA, a 7.22 FIP, and 45 strikeouts to 44 walks in 32.1 innings, while Simon had a 5.51 ERA, a 5.29 FIP, and 68 strikeouts to 40 walks in 47.1 innings.
Also having fantastic outings in their final games of the year: RHPs Matt Dunaway, Mauricio Estrella, Ryan Slater, and Cole Hillier.
Low-A San Jose (80-52)
Friday: San Jose Giants beat the Fresno Grizzlies 8-5 (10 innings) [box score]
Saturday: San Jose Giants beat the Fresno Grizzlies 4-3 [box score]
Sunday: San Jose Giants beat the Fresno Grizzlies 5-3 [box score]
The Baby Giants enter the postseason as the hottest team in baseball, having won a sensational 20 of their final 22 games. And they did it in style, too: they took Friday’s game into extras, before a 4-run 10th-inning explosion, and overcame a 9th-inning deficit on Saturday.
A trio of recent draftees made their pro debuts on Friday, which was exciting to see. Most notable was the team’s 4th overall pick, RHP Jackson Flora, who started the game and pitched an inning, giving up both a hit and a walk, but keeping runs off the board and striking out 2. Just exciting to see him in action, and while his debut season will officially end with just 1 outing, we’ll get to see him in the playoffs, as he’s scheduled to start Thursday’s game.
Flora struggled with command a little, but looked pretty awesome!
Later in the game, RHP Eric Nachtsheim made his debut, though less successfully. The 6th-round selection gave up 2 hits and 1 run in an inning of work, while striking out 1 batter.
But the star debut came from third baseman Drew Smith, a right-handed hitting 23-year old drafted in the 15th round out of Oregon. Smith wasted positively no time making an impression, as he bopped both a home run and a double in his professional debut, while knocking in 4 runs. What an introduction!
Smith finished his debut weekend 4-12 with 3 strikeouts and an error.
While the debuting players stole the show, there were other performances worth noting. Most notably, shortstop Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) ended his outstanding year with a bang, hitting 2-8 with a home run, a walk, and 2 strikeouts.
With that, González officially ended his debut A-ball campaign with an OPS that doesn’t begin with a decimal, as he posted a 1.010 OPS and a 151 wRC+ through 31 games with the Baby Giants. With that (and with Bryce Eldridge’s graduation), González is the unquestioned top prospect in the organization, someone who is likely to be a top-20 prospect on nearly all prospect lists over the winter, and, it would seem, poised to open the 2027 season in High-A. Just an absolutely phenomenal year … now we get to see how he handles the pressure of the playoffs!
Shortstop/second baseman Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL) also ended the year strong … he had a tough Friday, going 0-4 with a walk and 2 strikeouts, and didn’t play on Saturday, but in Sunday’s finale hit 2-4 with a home run, a hit by pitch, a stolen base, and a strikeout. Meola, who was a 4th-round pick in 2025, had a very slow start to the year, but really kicked things into gear in the 2nd half, and ended the season with an .821 OPS, a 103 wRC+, and 17 stolen bases. He’ll almost certainly be accompanying González to Eugene next year.
On the mound, RHP Keyner Martinez ended a hot-and-cold season on a high note, giving up just 4 hits, 2 walks, and an unearned run in 5 innings of work, while striking out 5. A solid way to end the year!
Martinez ends the year with just a 4.61 ERA and a 4.77 FIP, but the just-turned 22-year old struck out 12.9 batters per 9 innings. There’s a lot he needs to work on and address, but I’d guess that he’ll be co-headlining Eugene’s rotation with Flora when next year rolls around, and that sure will be fun to watch!
RHP Ian Korn, a 10th-round pick in July, made his 3rd pro appearance and it went quite well, as he threw 2 scoreless innings with 1 hit and 1 strikeout. RHPs Samir Chires and Chen-Hsun Lee finished up strong years with strong outings, as the former struck out 2 in a perfect inning, while the latter retired both batters he faced.
Home run tracker
28 — Bo Davidson x2 — [9 in AAA; 19 in AA]
15 — Lorenzo Meola — [Low-A]
12 — Scott Bandura — [9 in AAA; 3 in AA]
8 — Thomas Gavello — [AAA]
5 — Josuar González — [3 in Low-A; 2 in ACL]
1 — Charlie Muniz — [High-A]
1 — Drew Smith — [Low-A]
Tuesday schedule
Sacramento: 7:05 p.m. PT at Las Vegas (SP: TBD)
Richmond: 4:05 p.m. PT vs. Chesapeake (SP: Miguel Mendez)
Eugene: 7:05 p.m. PT at Vancouver (SP: Henry Lalane)
San Jose: 7:05 p.m. PT at Stockton (SP: Argenis Cayama)
Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV
