Fair warning: this is going to be a very long roundup. It was the first weekend of Minor League Baseball, and for the first time in many, many months, the San Francisco Giants had four affiliates in action. There’s a lot to get to. So let’s get to 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
While a lot happened on the field, not a lot happened off it. AAA Sacramento RHP Trent Harris (No. 29
CPL) was placed on the Development List after a slow start to the season. Sacramento Osleivis Basabe, who started the year injured, was activated off the 7-Day IL.
AAA Sacramento (5-4)
Friday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Salt Lake Bees 6-5 [box score]
Saturday Game 1: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Salt Lake Bees 5-4 (7 innings) [box score]
Saturday Game 2: Sacramento River Cats beat the Salt Lake Bees 7-1 (7 innings) [box score]
Sunday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Salt Lake Bees 9-5 [box score]
As if these Friday-Sunday weekend roundups didn’t have enough baseball in them, Sacramento went and had their Thursday game against the Angels’ affiliate postponed, resulting in a Saturday doubleheader. Yeesh!
That said, it was a fairly mild-mannered quartet of games. The biggest boom came from right fielder Victor Bericoto (No. 35 CPL) who, I’m pleased to say, is finding the success in AAA that eluded him a year ago.
In case you forgot about 2025, I’ll get you up to speed: Bericoto, a Venezuelan who was in the same international signing class as Marco Luciano and Luis Matos, started the year in AA, but was quickly promoted to AAA. He hit poorly in 11 games there, with just a .478 OPS and a 16 wRC+ while mostly playing first base due to Sacramento’s bloated outfield, before suffering an injury. By the time he returned from injury, Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL) had been promoted, and was the everyday first baseman, which meant Bericoto headed back to Richmond to play out the year.
Bericoto reached Minor League free agency this past winter, but re-signed, was an NRI, and won the Barney Nugent Award after an exceptional Spring Training. And so far he’s carrying it into 2026. Bericoto ended the weekend with serious momentum, with 2 extra-base hits in each of the final 2 games. Over the course of the 4-games, he hit 6-15 with a home run, a triple, 2 doubles, 3 walks, and 5 strikeouts.
His home run, a 3-run shot in the 1st inning on Sunday, was his first of the year, and a reminder as to the extreme power potential he has.
And with that, Bericoto is up to a 1.031 OPS and a 174 wRC+. A much better start this year, and it’s safe to say that if his performance continues and San Francisco’s offensive putridity continues, we’re going to see him in the Majors at some point…
In order to get there, though, Bericoto will need to be added to the 40-man roster. That’s not an issue for left fielder Will Brennan, a rostered outfielder who has MLB experience. Brennan had a fine, if not exciting Spring Training, and a slow start to the AAA season. But he started to find his rhythm over the weekend, hitting 5-12 with a home run, a triple, a double, a walk, and a sacrifice fly.
Brennan’s up to an .874 OPS and a 126 wRC+ on the season, but the Giants are probably as interested — if not more — in his tiny 11.4% strikeout rate (he didn’t strike out over the weekend!) and his solid defense at all 3 outfield spots.
Speaking of strikeouts, the Giants struggling offense — not to mention their adventures at first base while Rafael Devers was semi-sidelined — have resulted in fans clamoring to see first baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL) get called up. That will obviously happen at some point this year, but Eldridge is going to need to show improvement in the swing-and-miss category before it does. Reading between the lines, it’s not hard to arrive at the conclusion that Eldridge missed out on the Opening Day roster due in large part to his 38.0% strikeout rate in Spring Training.
Unfortunately, Eldridge has been striking out quite a bit to start the year with Sacramento. He did some good things over the weekend, but that hole in his game is still being exposed: over the 4 games, he hit 4-14 with 2 doubles, 4 walks, and 7 strikeouts.
Eldridge has 5 multi-strikeout showings in 9 games this year, and so far his rate (29.5%) is only a hair above what it was in AAA last year (30.8%). He also is still searching for his first home run of the year.
But it ain’t all bad. Despite that high strikeout rate, Eldridge is still sporting a very high batting average, at .281. And he’s been an absolute on-base machine thanks to a 20.5% walk rate. All of that has resulted in an .852 OPS and a 151 wRC+. That will come down when the .474 BABIP invariably drops … but hopefully it will rise with some more power, and fewer strikeouts.
Mild weekends for the other 3 hitters on the 40-man roster: catcher Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL) only played in 2 games, and hit 3-9 with a strikeout, and now has a .534 OPS and a 42 wRC+ as his season starts slowly; outfielder Grant McCray slowed a little over the weekend while playing all 3 outfield spots, as he went 0-9 with 4 walks, 4 strikeouts, and a sacrifice fly, lowering his OPS to .680 and his wRC+ to 99; and left fielder/center fielder Drew Gilbert hit 5-14 with a double, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts, and a sac fly, moving his OPS to .788 and wis wRC+ to 129.
Like the offense, the pitching was so-so. The highlight came at the start of the “weekend,” with Friday’s starter: LHP Carson Whisenhunt (No. 8 CPL).
Whisenhunt is still having some issues with finding the strike zone (he threw 49 of 84 pitches for strikes), and his pitches are still getting hit too hard, but Friday was a reminder that he still can show off some significant strikeout stuff. Against a Salt Lake lineup that is heavy with players with MLB experience, Whisenhunt struck out 8 batters in just 4.2 innings, while allowing 3 hits, 2 walks, and just 1 run.
All signs point to Whisenhunt being the next man up if/when San Francisco needs an additional starter. He was given the Opening Day assignment, and has been allowed to pitch deeper into games that RHPs Trevor McDonald (No. 12 CPL) and Carson Seymour, as well as RHP Blade Tidwell (No. 9 CPL), who was recently called up to be in the Giants’ bullpen. So if the Giants need a fill-in starter, you can assume it will be the reigning Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year, who has a 5.19 ERA but a 2.57 FIP through 2 starts, with 12 strikeouts in 8.2 innings.
Speaking of McDonald and Seymour, they started the Saturday doubleheaders, and Seymour in particular shined, with 4 no-hit innings, which required just 42 pitches out of him. He didn’t have tremendous command — he threw 24 of those 42 pitches for strikes, walked 2 batters, and only struck out 2 — but still. A quartet of no-hit innings is impressive, especially against a lineup with familiar names like Trey Mancini, Chris Taylor, and Vaughn Grissom (plus former Giants Wade Meckler and Donovan Walton).
It’s kind of unclear how Seymour fits into the team’s plans, as the team seems to have a foot in both doors when it comes to developing him as a starter vs. a reliever. He clearly has MLB-level stuff, though, so he’ll be back in the Majors at some point, after making his debut a year ago.
It wasn’t so smooth for McDonald, who pitched Game 1 of the doubleheader and gave up 2 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs in just 2.1 innings of work, with 1 strikeout. Like the others, McDonald struggled with the strike zone, with just 27 of 48 pitches going for strikes. He started the spring so well, but has been struggling for a while now, and like Seymour (and Tidwell), it’s not entirely apparent whether the Giants view him as a starter, a reliever, or an amorphous blob who will fill in depending on what the team needs. Probably that last one.
Some players do have more defined roles as relievers, and unfortunately a pair in Sacramento that are on the 40-man roster did not have good weekends. RHP Spencer Bivens, who was passed over for Tidwell when the Giants needed a José Buttó replacement last week, pitched on Friday and gave up 2 hits and 2 walks in just 1.1 innings, allowing a run in the process. It was the 2nd consecutive rough outing for Bivens, who was optioned to start the year after spending all of 2025 in the Majors. RHP Tristan Beck also pitched once over the weekend, and faced 5 batters. While he didn’t allow any runs (or hits, for that matter), he did walk 3 of those 5 batters.
Bivens and Beck are no longer the only Sacramento relievers on the 40-man, thanks to the recent trade for RHP Dylan Smith. The 2021 3rd-round pick made his organizational debut on Saturday and it went well, as he pitched a scoreless inning with a hit and a walk allowed, but 2 strikeouts. Welcome!
And finally, strong performances from a pair of relievers who I expect to work their way onto the roster this season: RHP Gregory Santos pitched twice, throwing 3 shutout innings while allowing just 1 hit and 2 walks, with 2 strikeouts; and RHP Will Bednar (No. 24 CPL) threw a no-hit inning on Sunday, while walking one and striking out the side. That was his season debut, and it was a lovely one!
AA Richmond (2-1)
Friday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Erie SeaWolves 7-6 [box score]
Saturday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Erie SeaWolves 13-6 [box score]
Sunday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Erie SeaWolves 11-9 [box score]
Richmond’s season got underway this weekend, and it came with a whole lot of offense, with 31 runs scored over the 3 games. That’s impressive as is considering the pitcher-friendly environment of the Eastern League, but it’s double impressive when you consider that the Squirrels are temporarily playing without their 2 highest-profile bats: outfielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) who missed opening weekend while on paternity leave (hope all has gone/is going well for him and his family), and third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL), who is still nursing that hamstring injury he sustained in Spring Training.
Davidson and Harber gained their prospect status largely on the back of breakout 2025s, and there’s another player in Richmond (who is playing right now) who did the same: catcher Drew Cavanaugh (No. 19 CPL). A 17th-round pick in 2023, you can make the case that Cavanaugh had the biggest breakout of any Giants prospect last year. He began the year with Low-A San Jose where he was viewed somewhat as organizational filler/necessary catcher depth. He proceeded to homer at all 4 levels of affiliated ball, and finished the year with a 136 wRC+ across those levels … a very high number for a defensively-solid catcher.
But there were still warning signs. He had a 27.4% strikeout rate, and there were questions as to his surge in power after not showing much early in his career. In his 2 weeks with Richmond last year, he hit below the Mendoza Line, but his numbers held up thanks to an unsustainably-high walk rate.
So, like with Davidson and Harber, we’re going to learn a lot about Cavanaugh this year based on how he handles this upper Minors assignment. And the first test? Passed with flying colors, honors, extra credit, and a few gold stars.
Cavanaugh didn’t play on Opening Day, but made up for it with what he did on Saturday and Sunday, when he hit 5-9 with a home run, 3 doubles, 3 walks, and no strikeouts. My goodness, what a re-introduction! Hopefully that’s a sign of what the rest of the season will look like. And if it is? Well, he probably will be headed back to the West Coast by the summer.
He wasn’t the only left-handed hitter to get off to a rollicking start, as corner infielder Charlie Szykowny hit very well also. Szykowny, a 25-year old who was a 9th-round pick in that same 2023 draft as Cavanaugh, had a strong 2025, but it was noteworthy that the Giants kept him in High-A for the entirety of the year. But he looks ready for a new challenge: after going 0-5 in the opener on Friday, Szykowny went 4-10 over the actual weekend, with a home run, a double, a walk, a stolen base, and 2 strikeouts.
It will be interesting to see how playing time shakes out at the corners when Harber returns. Right now, Szykowny is splitting first and third base with Sabin Ceballos (No. 43 CPL), who hit 2-10 with a double, a walk, and 5 strikeouts. Dayson Croes also got some action at third base.
Shortstop Maui Ahuna (No. 33 CPL) was given an aggressive assignment to open the year in AA, despite playing just 11 games in High-A thanks to a career that has been derailed on multiple occasions by injuries. Watching how Ahuna fares in Richmond is one of the biggest storylines of the year, as evaluators are a little split on him, and the organization is quite clearly very high on him. He has had a swing-and-miss issue for his career, but has the type of glove that will take him straight to the Majors if his offensive production can sustain. His debut weekend at the level showed both the good and the bad, as he hit 3-12 with a double, 3 walks, and stolen base, though he was also caught stealing once, and struck out 5 times.
Speaking of shortstops, Aeverson Arteaga made his season debut in the series finale, and hit 1-3 with a walk, a hit by pitch, and a stolen base. That’s a very tiny thing to hang a hat on, but after his utterly disastrous 2025 — he had a .508 OPS, a 49 wRC+, and a 26.2% strikeout rate — it was good to see him start the year on a positive note. His double play partner last year also began the year well, as second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 31 CPL) went 2-5 with 3 walks, a hit by pitch, a stolen base, and 2 strikeouts.
One fun note for the Squirrels: they are running! That shouldn’t be surprising given that the best base-stealer in the organization last year, outfielder Jonah Cox, is on the roster, but it’s fun to see. Richmond stole 9 bases over the weekend, with Cox leading the way with 3 swiped bags (they were also caught stealing 3 times).
It wasn’t a great weekend for the starting pitchers, but opening day went very well for LHP Greg Farone. Richmond is an exciting opening assignment for Farone, who was a 7th-round pick in 2024 out of Alabama. He didn’t debut during his draft year, and split his 2025 evenly between Low-A and High-A. Despite having just a 4.25 ERA and a 4.63 FIP with High-A in 12 starts, Farone — who turns 24 in a month — drew the opening assignment to AA, and the opening day assignment as well.
He rewarded both choices, tossing 4.2 dominant innings against the Tigers affiliate. Farone gave up just 3 hits (though that included a very-early solo home run for the only run he gave up), walked none, and struck out 8 Erie hitters. 8! In 4.2 innings! That was great to see, especially after watching his strikeout stuff really struggle following his midseason promotion last year (he had 13 strikeouts per 9 innings in Low-A, but just 7.9 in High-A). That’s a tremendous introduction to 2026 and to AA for Farone, who is a tall and well-built southpaw.
Richmond ran another southpaw to the mound to start on Saturday, LHP Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL). Like Farone, Whitman showed off some delightful strikeout stuff, with 7 Ks in 3.2 innings. The rest of the stuff wasn’t as good, though, as he ceded 4 hits, 1 walk, and 4 runs. That said, Whitman was done in by some unfortunate sequencing. He was perfect in the 1st and 2nd innings, and retired the only 2 batters he faced in the 4th. All of his baserunners came during a 4-run 3rd inning. So while the ERA may be bloated after 1 start, it was still an encouraging showing.
Less so for Sunday’s starter, RHP Trystan Vrieling who, like Whitman, is a reasonably high draft pick repeating the level. Vrieling was a 3rd-round pick in 2022 by the Yankees (he came over in the Camilo Doval trade), but AA has stymied the 25-year old. The lone bright spot of his Sunday start was that he didn’t give up any extra-base hits, but he only pitched 3 innings while allowing 4 hits, 4 walks, and 4 runs, with 1 hit batter and 4 strikeouts. He threw just 34 of 62 pitches for strikes, and is surely eagerly awaiting his next start to course correct a little.
The bullpen was hit-and-miss. RHP Tyler Vogel, pitched twice and pitched well, throwing 2 scoreless innings and allowing 2 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 5. The 2022 12th-round pick had a slow start to his career due to both performance and injuries, but really started to show nasty stuff last season, and is picking up where he left off. Given his performance with Richmond last year — a 1.13 ERA, a 2.42 FIP, and 18 strikeouts against 3 walks in 16 innings — I would expect that we see him in Sacramento sooner rather than later.
High-A Eugene (3-0)
Friday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Hillsboro Hops 8-6 [box score]
Saturday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Hillsboro Hops 10-4 [box score]
Sunday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Hillsboro Hops 6-4 [box score]
If you’re a fan of tracking old friends so you can have confused emotions when they play well, then you’ve probably been keeping an eye on James Tibbs III. The Giants 1st-round pick in 2024 had middling results with the organization, and not much was thought of losing him when the Giants sent him to the Red Sox in the Rafael Devers trade. The Red Sox immediately turned around and sent Tibbs to the Dodgers, and all he’s done to start 2026 with the evil empire is get assigned to AAA and hit 18-38 with 7 home runs, 12 extra-base hits, 5 walks, and a 336 wRC+.
So if that’s depressing you, then have I ever got the antidote: forget about the team’s 2024 1st-round pick, and instead think about their 2025 1st-round pick. Folks, I humbly present to you shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL). After playing just 10 games in his debut season, Kilen was given a High-A assignment to start the year. On the one hand that made perfect sense, as he’s a polished 1st-rounder hitter out of an SEC school (Tony Vitello’s Tennessee). On the other hand it was a little scary, given that he struggled mightily during his debut with Low-A a year ago (though, to be fair, he was playing through an injury).
So does he belong in High-A, or are the Giants moving him too quickly. Well, I think he answered that question during his debut on Friday, when he hit 2-5 with a 3-run home run in the 5th inning … and then a walk-off home run in the 9th. It’s hard to have a more memorable debut than that!
But Kilen wasn’t done. Friday wasn’t a one-off. He followed it up on Saturday by hitting a perfect 3-3 with 2 doubles and 2 walks. He finally came back to earth on Sunday, with just a normal good game, in which he went 1-3 and drew a walk.
The Giants aren’t going to be overly aggressive with Kilen — that’s not their style — but he sure spent his 1st week in the Northwest League trying to convince them that maybe he should be fast-tracked. That’s putting the cart well, well ahead of the horse, but it sure was great to see. With Ahuna in AA (and a pair of talented defensive shortstops in Low-A San Jose), Kilen should be getting everyday reps at shortstop in Eugene, which is part of the reason why he’s at that level. It will be interesting to see what the reports are of his time in the infield … he has a lot of skill, though many evaluators have already pegged him for an eventual move to the other side of second base.
Speaking of talented infielders, third baseman Walker Martin also drew a High-A assignment in what feels like a make-or-break season for the recently-turned 22-year old lefty. Martin was a 2nd-round pick in 2023 out of high school, but his highly-touted athleticism never really showed up. He struggled mightily in his 2024 debut between the Complex League and Low-A, where he had a 107 wRC+ but a 41.0% strikeout rate across the 2 levels. He spent all of 2025 in Low-A, where he was moved from shortstop to third base and dramatically cut back on strikeouts, but still sat at a concerning level (28.4%) while posting just a 106 wRC+.
So High-A is a big challenge for him, and so far one that looks good on him: in the 2 games he played, he hit 3-8 with a home run and 2 doubles. There’s the power we’ve been looking for! That said, he also struck out 3 times and committed an error in each game. Baby steps!
Also having a high-impact, high-strikeout weekend in his High-A debut was center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL). As most people know by now, the 2024 4th-round pick has more power than perhaps anyone in the system, but also a huge swing-and-miss issue. His Northwest League debut showcased both, as he hit 3-13 with a home run and 2 doubles, but also struck out 8 times. When he hits the ball he hits it hard and he hits it far … but he needs to hit the ball move.
He also continues to look the part of someone who could be an impact center fielder, which is a huge development.
Sunday was a fun day for a pair of lower-profile Eugene prospects who are trying to have the breakouts that make following the Minors so fun. First baseman Jack Payton and right fielder Ty Hanchey didn’t play at all in the 1st games of the series, but asked for more playing time on Sunday. Payton in particular shined, hitting 3-4 with a pair of solo home runs. Hanchey had a boom-or-bust showing, striking out in 3 of his 4 at-bats, but bashing a 2-run bomb in his other. Both players joined the system in 2023 (Payton as an 11th-round pick; Hanchey as an undrafted free agent) as catchers, and are now utility player depth pieces.
Speaking of catchers, Eugene is where the Giants assigned Diego Cartaya, the former top-10 prospect who was the star of the Dodgers system, but who has really fallen on hard times in recent years. His strikeout stuff is, unfortunately, still a severe issue, as he went 0-6 with 1 walk and 5 strikeouts.
The pitching wasn’t very good, but there was a standout performance thanks to Saturday’s starter, RHP Hunter Dryden. The 2024 17th-round pick out of tiny Whitworth University in the Pacific Northwest felt right back at home making his Eugene debut, and tossed 4 shutout innings. The soon-to-be 24-year old only allowed 2 hits (both singles) and 1 walk, and struck out 6 batters. Dryden is coming off a decent-but-not-great debut season with Low-A San Jose, which featured a 2.90 ERA but a 3.82 FIP with so-so strikeout and walk numbers (10 K/9 and 4 BB/9). Hopefully Saturday’s start is a sign of a big year ahead for him.
LHP Tyler Switalski was selected 1 round ahead of Dryden in 2024, and he made his season debut on Friday in long relief. It was utterly sensational, as the tall southpaw took down 3.2 shutout innings with a whopping 8 strikeouts, while allowing just 2 hits and a hit batter. Switalski really struggled with Low-A San Jose last year, but still drew a late-season promotion, and really shined in Eugene. Perhaps there’s something in the air, because it’s carrying over into this year!
Also nice scoreless relief appearances from RHPs Ben Peterson (1.1 innings, 0 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts) and Austin Strickland (2 innings, 1 hit, 0 walks, 4 strikeouts).
Unfortunately, Eugene’s highest-profile pitcher, LHP Luis De La Torre (No. 14 CPL) did not see his 2026 get off to a great start. One of the breakout stars of 2025, De La Torre had a 2.78 ERA and a 2.93 FIP across 18 games in the Complex League and Low-A, with 13.2 strikeouts per 9 innings. But he has some work to do to find that success in High-A ball, as he allowed 2 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs in 2.1 innings on Sunday, with just 1 strikeout. Not exactly a concerning outing, but not a good one.
And finally, RHPs Gerelmi Maldonado (No. 21 CPL) and Liam Simon both continued their struggles with walks. Maldonado, who is perhaps the hardest-throwing pitcher in the organization but who 6.7 batters per 9 innings in Low-A last year, faced 4 batters and walked 2 of them, while striking out the other 2. Simon, who, like Maldonado, was recovering from Tommy John last year, walked 12.4 batters per 9 innings (yikes!). He gave up 1 hit, 3 walks, and 3 unearned runs in an inning of work, but, like Maldonado, got all his outs by way of strikes.
Low-A San Jose (2-1)
Friday: San Jose Giants lost to the Stockton Ports 6-2 [box score]
Saturday: San Jose Giants beat the Stockton Ports 15-4 [box score]
Just 2 games for the Baby Giants, as their opening 3-game series went Thursday-Saturday instead of Friday-Sunday.
As I mentioned in the Eugene section, Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) is currently getting to be an everyday shortstop in High-A, because the other top shortstops are playing at other levels. But that could change before too terribly long if shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL) keeps this up.
Level, who turned 19 last week, had a breakout in the Complex League last year, and then held his own in Low-A, where he’s back to start 2026. And if he keeps playing like this, he won’t stay long. The switch-hitter had a slow Friday, hitting 0-3 with 2 strikeouts, but drawing a walk and stealing a base. But on Saturday? He went 4-5, finished a triple shy of the cycle, and drew a walk for good measure.
To my eye, he looks even more athletic than last year, which is saying something. And while 3 games aren’t enough to make any grand proclamations, it sure feels like he’s headed for another great season.
He’ll likely hand off a fair number of days at short to Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL) who played second base on Friday, and took over shortstop on Saturday when Level DH’d. Meola, the team’s 4th-round pick last year who recently turned 22, has a stellar glove and some intrigue with his bat as well. It was a good weekend for him, as he hit 3-8 with 2 doubles, 2 walks, and a strikeout.
The other best hitting performances went to players who had sensational professional debuts on Thursday, as covered in Friday’s roundup: first baseman Hayden Jatczak and catcher Junior Barajas. Jatczak was an on-base machine, hitting just 1-4 with a double, but drawing a whopping 6 walks and stealing a base. The cold water here is that Jatczak is an undrafted free agent who will turn 25 this season, but still. A phenomenal professional debut! As for Barajas, the organization’s 11th-round pick in July’s draft, he sat on Friday but hit 3-6 on Saturday, with 2 doubles, 4 runs batted in, and 1 strikeout. He is sure giving the team a reason to be excited!
Left fielder/center fielder Damian Bravo, who was a 15th-round pick out of Texas Tech last year, only hit 2-10 with 4 strikeouts, but he did smash a home run. That was his 1st career home run, as he was held dingerless in 24 games with High-A last season.
Friday’s game began with a debut on the mound, as LHP Jordan Gottesman made his pro debut, and looked mighty fine doing it. Gottesman, who was the team’s 6th-round pick last year, gave up just 1 hit (a single) in 3 innings, though he also allowed 2 walks and an unearned run. He only threw 37 of 62 pitches for strikes, and subsequently struck out just 2 batters, but still: a debut as a starting pitcher that results in a 0.00 ERA is a delightful thing!
One of the top prospects in the organization (and another 2025 breakout star) also had a start, as RHP Argenis Cayama (No. 13 CPL) took the mound on Saturday. Cayama dominated the Complex League last year but struggled in his brief time with San Jose … understandable, given that he was just 18 at the time. He’s 19 now, though unfortunately the struggles carried over into his 1st start of 2026, as he gave up 8 hits in 3.2 innings, which tattooed him for 4 runs. But on the bright side, he didn’t walk any batters, and he struck out 4. Very excited to see what he does this year … I’m expecting big things.
There were a few dynamic bullpen performances, one of which came in a debut. LHP Braydon Risley, who was taken in the 19th-round last year and only just turned 21 last week, was perfect on Saturday. He retired all 7 batters he faced, including 3 by way of the strikeout. The Junior College southpaw also threw 20 of 32 pitches for strikes.
He was followed up by RHP Melvin Pineda, who is back in San Jose after a brief introduction to the league last year. Pineda, a Venezuelan who turns 22 next month, struck out 5 batters in 2 shutout innings, while giving up 2 hits.
RHP Mauricio Estrella is also a soon-to-turn 22-year-old who got a taste of Low-A last year, and shined in his season debut. On Friday he needed just 20 pitches to retire all 5 batters he faced, with 3 strikeouts.
And that’s your first mega roundup of the season, friends!
Home run tracker
2 — Gavin Kilen — [High-A]
2 — Jack Payton — [High-A
1 — Victor Bericoto — [AAA]
1 — Will Brennan — [AAA]
1 — Drew Cavanaugh — [AA]
1 — Charlie Szykowny — [AA]
1 — Dakota Jordan — [High-A]
1 — Walker Martin — [High-A]
1 — Zander Darby — [High-A]
1 — Ty Hanchey — [High-A]
1 — Jhonny Level — [Low-A]
1 — Damian Bravo — [Low-A]
Upcoming schedule
As is customary, all of the Giants Minor League affiliates are off today, and all kick off 6-game series on Tuesday. Sacramento will be hosting the Las Vegas Aviators at 6:45 p.m. PT; Richmond hosts the Altoona Curve at 4:05 p.m. PT; Eugene visits the aptly-named Vancouver Canadians at 7:05 p.m. PT; and San Jose hosts the Visalia Rawhide at 6:00 p.m. PT.
