It’s time for another mega weekend Minor League Baseball roundup, and for the last time for a while, there are only five San Francisco Giants teams in action … the Dominican Summer League gets off and rolling today, and even though it’s the least exciting DSL lineup for the Giants in many years, it’s exciting nonetheless.
Now let’s cover a VERY busy weekend!
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
The big news is, of course, that AA Richmond outfielder Jonah Cox was called up to the big leagues on Sunday. It’s an incredibly exciting move, and I can’t wait to watch Cox play at the highest level. That said, I think it’s an incredibly stupid move by the Giants, and I would love to see Cox get challenged in AAA instead. Hopefully he makes me look dumb, but I have both eyebrows raised very high about this one.
In other news impacting both the Minors and Majors, AAA Sacramento infielder Buddy Kennedy and RHP Wilkin Ramos had their contracts purchased by the Giants, while catcher Jesús Rodríguez was optioned to Sacramento.
Sacramento shortstop Osleivis Basabe, Sacramento LHP Seth Lonsway, and Richmond RHP Logan Martin were all placed on the 7-Day IL.
In non-transaction news, Richmond LHP Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson, who came to the Giants in the Patrick Bailey trade, was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week after a 7-inning dominant start against his former team. He’s not the only award winner, however, as Low-A San Jose LHP Jordan Gottesman also took home Pitcher of the Week honors in the California League!
AAA Sacramento (33-22)
Friday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Reno Aces 5-3 (11 innings) [box score]
Saturday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Reno Aces 6-4 [box score]
Sunday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Reno Aces 13-11 [box score]
A fairly standard weekend for a Sacramento team that is constantly rotating pieces, as is par for the course this time of year. Players are coming and going from the Major League squad and from other Minor League teams, rehab assignments are running their course, and prospects are making a name for themselves. I wouldn’t say the River Cats are the most enthralling team in the world right now, but they’re certainly full of storylines and action.
Interestingly, given the shocking move to promote outfielder Jonah Cox to the Majors straight from AA, Jared Oliva began his rehab assignment this weekend. The 30-year old was a Minor League free agent over the offseason, and surprisingly made the Opening Day roster to be a pinch-running specialist and occasional defensive replacement, before suffering an injury that landed him on the 60-Day IL. I’ve spent much of the year comparing Cox to Oliva, as they’re among the best defensive outfielders in the system and, without question, 2 of the 3 best basestealers in the organization (arguably the top 2 … we’ll have to see how Josuar González does against better catchers).
So I found it a tiny bit odd that the Giants called on Cox right as Oliva is nearing a return. Either way, he began his rehab on Saturday, and it went quite well: across 2 games, he hit 3-5 with 2 doubles, a sacrifice fly, 2 stolen bases, and 1 strikeout, while playing designated hitter on Saturday and center field on Sunday (he didn’t play the full game either day). I certainly hope the Giants use Cox more than they used Oliva but, either way, their presences are slightly redundant, so it will be interesting to see what role Oliva plays going forward.
Of course, the promotion of Cox and the return of Oliva is very bad news for Grant McCray, who has now been passed over for 3 different players who were not on the roster (Oliva, Cox, and Victor Bericoto), in addition to a prospect (Drew Gilbert) and a veteran journeyman (Will Brennan, thrice). With Casey Schmitt looking more and more comfortable in the outfield, Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL) looking serviceable there, and Heliot Ramos presumably returning at some point before the All-Star Game (to make no mention of Harrison Bader), it’s getting harder and harder to see how McCray fits into the organization’s plans.
According to Roger Munter, McCray, who hit 0-4 with a walk, 2 strikeouts, and an outfield assist on Friday, but didn’t play on Saturday or Sunday, has also been placed on the IL, making his road back to the Majors even rockier. I wouldn’t be surprised if, at this point, he’s hoping for a trade so that he can hit the reset button with an organization that is more interested in playing him.
Sacramento is lacking a little bit in top prospects after the promotions of Rodríguez and Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL), but there were some bright spots from the players who were recently promoted to the level. Catcher Drew Cavanaugh (No. 19 CPL) went 0-5 with a walk and 3 strikeouts on Friday and Saturday, but bounced back on Sunday by hitting 2-5 with a home run, a walk, and 2 strikeouts. Cavanaugh is casually sitting on a 1.263 OPS and a 214 wRC+ through 15 games with Sacramento this year, and the way the Giants are doing things these days, that means he could be the starting catcher in the Majors by week’s end. I’m only mostly joking…
Outfielder Turner Hill, another player in the Oliva/Cox mold, had a decent weekend, hitting just 2-11 with 2 strikeouts, but drawing 4 walks and stealing 2 bases. The 27-year old undrafted free agent has 9 stolen bases in 32 games with Sacramento (while getting caught just once), and has an .801 OPS and a 121 wRC+.
As for the other recent promotees, outfielder Scott Bandure went 4-13 with 2 sacrifice bunts, 2 strikeouts, and an outfield assist, while shortstop Aeverson Arteaga hit 4-12 with 2 doubles, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, a caught stealing, and an error.
Second baseman Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) continues to be a hit machine, as he went 5-14 with a home run, a walk, 2 sacrifice flies, a stolen base, and an error. He has a .783 OPS and a 113 wRC+, with just a 12.3% strikeout rate in his 1st year at AAA, and certainly looks like he could play a role in the Majors at some point this year or next.
Rounding out the offensive performances was the do-everything glue player for the River Cats, Thomas Gavello. The 2022 13th-round pick, who turns 25 this week, hit 5-12 with a home run, a double, a walk, a sacrifice bunt, and 2 strikeouts, while playing second base and left field. He has a .660 OPS and a 76 wRC+.
It wasn’t a very notable weekend on the mound for the River Cats, and the most notable name struggled, as LHP Carson Whisenhunt (No. 8 CPL) saw his streak of great starts come to a close. The overall line for Whisenhunt was quite ugly: 4.2 innings, 7 hits, 3 walks, 1 hit batter, and 5 runs, with 6 strikeouts. But, as has been the case for him in most of his tough outings, Whisenhunt was really putting together a fantastic start before things came crashing down. He didn’t allow any runs through the 1st 4 innings of the game, and really wasn’t ever in much trouble. But it all came unraveled in the 5th, when he walked the leadoff hitter and then gave up a double, followed by a 1-out single and a pair of 2-out singles, with a wild pitch, a hit by pitch, and an intentional walk sprinkled in that 2-out fiasco as well.
Ultimately, the final line is what matters most, but it’s always more encouraging when the damage is bunched together at the end of an outing. Whisenhunt was, once again, pitching very well, until he ran out of steam. I’d imagine that’s what the Giants want him to work on before bringing him up: holding his quality of pitches even as the pitch count rises, and finding a way to pitch deeper into games. He’s been strong this year, with a 3.72 ERA and a 3.54 FIP, but he needed 82 pitches on Sunday and didn’t make it out of the 5th inning, which has been something of a trend. The 2022 2nd-round pick has pitched 5 innings in just 6 of his 12 games this year, and pitched more than 5 innings just 3 times.
RHP Spencer Bivens started on Friday, as he continues to make the transition from reliever to starter. I’m not sure if the Giants are doing that to see how he can perform as a starter (which would be odd, given how much he was struggling as a reliever), or because they just need someone to eat innings. Either way, it went well on Friday: despite playing in the offense-friendly environment in Reno, Bivens allowed just 1 run in 5 innings, while allowing just 5 hits, 1 walk, and 1 hit batter (though he also only had 1 strikeout).
It’s been a disappointing year for Bivens, who was left off the Opening Day roster and has struggled in his return to AAA, but he has looked a little better in a starting role.
RHP Jason Foley and LHP Reiver Sanmartin continued their rehabs with varying results. Both pitched only on Friday, with Foley striking out 2 batters in a perfect inning, and Sanmartin allowing a walk and a solo home run in an inning of work, with a strikeout. Foley has been excellent in his rehab, and looks about ready to join the club. Sanmartin has been less sharp, but also has options, so he may stay in Sacramento for a while. RHP Ryan Walker also pitched, and allowed 2 hits but 0 runs in an inning of work.
Rough weekends for a pair of good pitching prospects: RHP Trent Harris (No. 29 CPL) struck out the only batter he faced on Saturday, but on Sunday allowed 5 hits (including a home run), 1 walk, and 3 runs in just an inning of work. RHP Marques Johnson pitched twice, and gave up 3 hits, 2 home runs, 2 walks, 1 hit batter, 5 runs, and 4 earned runs in 2.1 innings, with 3 strikeouts. Harris has a 6.32 ERA and a 6.13 FIP, while Johnson has a 5.24 ERA and a 5.70 FIP.
AA Richmond (34-16)
Friday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Akron RubberDucks 4-3 (10 innings) [box score]
Saturday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Akron RubberDucks 10-3 [box score]
Sunday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Akron RubberDucks 11-5 [box score]
A losing streak for the Squirrels, which has been a very rare thing this year! Though, in their defense, they’ve really been sapped of a lot of their talent … many of Richmond’s top players have been promoted to Sacramento (and San Francisco!), while the replacements have usually been more logistical fillers than top prospects getting promoted from A-ball.
There weren’t a lot of standout performances, as the offense struggled — they scored just 12 runs in 28 innings — and the pitching was fairly rough.
LHP Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL), who has been staking a pretty nice claim to top pitcher in the Eastern League honors, had his worst game of the month on Saturday …. which speaks much more to his month than to his game. The 24-year old southpaw from Kent State went 6 innings against Akron, and ceded 6 hits, which included a triple and 2 doubles. That resulted in 3 runs on his ledger, but it’s hard to care too much about it, given that he ended the day with 0 walks and 9 strikeouts.
Still, 3 runs is an awful outing when held up against Whitman’s recent work: this was his 5th start of May and, stunningly, those were the only 3 runs he allowed. In all, Whitman ended the month having pitched 28 innings, while allowing just 14 hits, 5 walks, and 3 runs, with 37 strikeouts. WOW!
It certainly appears that Whitman, a 2nd-round compensation pick in 2023, is coming into his own and figuring things out. And anyone who reads these roundups knows just how much I love year-over-year improvements, so let’s look at how much he has grown in his 2nd year at the level: he’s dropped his ERA from 5.29 to 3.22, his FIP from 3.61 to 2.40, and his xFIP from 3.60 to 3.05; his strikeouts per 9 innings have jumped from 9.5 to 11.6, while his walks per 9 have dropped from 3.6 to 2.3. His ground ball rate is up slightly (41.2% to 42.7%), while his home runs per fly ball have dropped from 9.1% to 6.1%.
Just a sensational season all around, and I think it’s safe to say that, after a disappointing 2025 in which he tumbled down the rankings, he’s making a name for himself as one of the top pitching prospects in the organization again.
LHP Greg Farone has not had such a good season, but he did have a fantastic start as well, as the 2024 7th-rounder tossed 5 shutout innings on Friday, giving up just 2 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 3. It’s been a tough year for the Alabama product, as he has just a 6.52 ERA and a 6.11 FIP. But it’s only his 2nd year of professional baseball, and he hasn’t even hit the 150 innings mark this year, so it’s still early. As Whitman has shown, it can take a little while for things to click!
It was a very rough weekend for the bullpen, which gave up 16 runs (13 earned) over the trio of games. The worst outing, unfortunately, belonged to RHP Will Bednar (No. 24 CPL), who gave up 2 hits, 3 walks, and a hit batter, while recording just 1 out, which tagged him for 6 runs (3 earned). It hasn’t been the season that Bednar has been searching for, after the 2021 1st-rounder had a fantastic end to 2025, and earned an invitation to Spring Training. Since then he spent time on the Development List, got demoted from AAA to AA, and his struggled in his Richmond return, with a 5.09 ERA and a 4.87 FIP. Bednar has had a dramatic drop in strikeouts per 9 innings year-over-year at the level, from 14.9 to 10.7, while his walks have jumped from 6.8 to 7.6.
The hitting was uninteresting but, again, that’s what happens what you promote half of the interesting bats! Richmond had just 1 big fly on the weekend, which belonged to first baseman Charlie Szykowny, who hit a 2-run blast on Friday, but otherwise had a mild-mannered weekend, finishing 1-11 with 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, and 2 errors.
Szykowny, a 9th-round pick in 2023, is having a solid AA debut, with a .789 OPS, a 111 wRC+, and just a 17.3% strikeout rate. He has so many intriguing hitting skills, but the cold water is that he’s primarily a first baseman these days (though he still occasionally plays third base), and will turn 26 this month.
Shortstop Maui Ahuna (No. 33 CPL) has been struggling a bit lately but had a very nice weekend, as he went 2-7 with 1 double, 4 walks, 1 hit by pitch, 2 stolen bases, and 3 strikeouts. A 24-year old 4th-round pick in 2023, Ahuna has been holding his own within the context that injuries limited him to just 97 career games entering this year … and just 11 in High-A. He has a .733 OPS and a 96 wRC+, with 10 stolen bases in 12 attempts. The contact issues are still a red flag, though: he has a 34.1% strikeout rate and an 18.0% swinging strike rate, marks that both rank 110th out of 120 Eastern League hitters with at least 100 plate appearances this year. But his defense remains stellar and, as Jonah Cox has shown, it only takes a few adjustments for a great defender to take off.
Left fielder/third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) had an OK weekend, hitting 3-10 with 2 walks, 1 hit by pitch, 1 sacrifice fly, and 2 strikeouts. Harber is up to a .941 OPS and a 145 wRC+ and, after beginning the year only playing third base, is now mostly playing left field. That could be in part due to the promotions of Cox, Scott Bandura, and Turner Hill, leaving Richmond’s outfield barren. But it also could be the Giants getting prepared to shuffle yet another young player into the outfield mix. We’ll see.
Speaking of outfielders, center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) continued his slump, as he went 1-9 with a walk and 4 strikeouts. It’s been rough lately for the lefty, who has dipped to a .707 OPS and an 86 wRC+, and is 2-28 in his last 8 games.
High-A Eugene (37-14)
Friday: Eugene Emeralds lost to the Vancouver Canadians 7-3 [box score]
Saturday: Eugene Emeralds lost to the Vancouver Canadians 5-4 [box score]
Sunday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Vancouver Canadians 4-1 [box score]
If I had to hand out a “Player of the Weekend” award across the farm system, it would go to LHP Luis De La Torre (No. 14 CPL). It’s been an up-and-down season for Torre, one of the breakout stars of 2025. And, truthfully, there’s been more “down” than “up.” But he has repeatedly shown flashes of why everyone who follows the system fell in love with his game last year … and no flash was bigger than Sunday’s.
LDLT — a 22-year old who has the rare distinction of being an international free agent who played high school ball in the states — tossed 5 dominant innings against Vancouver, allowing just 2 hits (both doubles) and 1 walk, while striking out 9 batters and not allowing any runs.
That capped an exceptional May, in which De La Torre posted a 2.63 ERA while allowing just 11 hits in 24 innings … and striking out 33. But the most impressive thing about the outing was the “1” in the BB column … it was the 1st time all year that De La Torre had avoided issuing multiple walks, and in his last 4 starts he’d walked 16 batters.
Right now, that’s all that’s hurting De La Torre, though it’s hurting him in a big way: he’s walked 31 batters in 36 innings this year, which is the primary reason for his 4.25 ERA and his 4.77 FIP. When he finds the zone, though, great things happen: out of the 34 Northwest League pitchers with at least 30 innings thrown this year, De La Torre’s 11.3 strikeouts per 9 ranks 10th, while his .164 batting average against is 2nd. He’s pretty unhittable … he just needs to be unwalkable, too.
The same could not be said of the pitcher who followed him, RHP Gerelmi Maldonado (No. 21 CPL). Maldonado has struggled with walks for most of his career, and issued 3 of them in this game, while recording just 2 outs. He also allowed a hit and a run, with a strikeout. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on with Maldonado … the Giants this year have finally moved him from a starting role to a relief role, but suddenly he’s pitching just once a week, if that. He hasn’t been on the injured list, but he’s only pitched 6 times since April 22. Maybe it’s a hybrid Development List thing, where they’re just really working with him on stuff? Who knows. Someone, presumably. Just not this someone.
LHPs Charlie McDaniel and Tyler Switalski had odd outings in their starts. Neither pitched great, but they both showed some stuff. McDaniel got tagged for 8 hits (including a home run and 3 walks) in just 3.2 innings, which put 4 runs to his name … but he had 0 walks against 6 strikeouts. Switalski was sharper, as he only allowed 4 hits and 2 walks in 5 innings, while striking out 7, but still got hit for 2 runs. McDaniel, an undrafted free agent who will soon turn 25, has matching 3.99 ERAs and FIPs; Switalski, a 2024 16th-round pick who is about to turn 23, has a 4.06 ERA and a 4.01 FIP. Both players are in their 2nd seasons.
RHP Ryan Vanderhei and LHP Esmerlin Vinicio continued their excellent seasons from the bullpen. Vanderhei retired all 4 batters he faced, with 1 strikeout, lowering his ERA to 1.71 and his FIP to 2.91; he finishes May having allowed just 6 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs in 15.2 innings, with 18 strikeouts. Vinicio issued just 1 walk in 2 no-hit innings, dipping his ERA to a scintillating 0.40, with a 2.88 FIP. He’s walked 10 batters in 22.2 innings this year, but has only allowed 10 hits, too (and 8 of those hits have been singles).
On the offensive front there were plenty of good performances. Center fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL) had a fantastic weekend in his pair of games, as he hit 5-10 with a home run, a double, and a strikeout. It was the 1st home run of the year for last year’s 3rd-round pick, so congrats on your 1st High-A trot around the bases, Trevor!
Cohen, who is up to a .767 OPS and a 116 wRC+, with just a 12.8% strikeout rate, has really adjusted to the level lately. He had a slightly aggressive opening assignment this year, as he was placed in High-A after 28 games in Low-A following the draft last year (he hit very well in those 28 games, which was part of the equation). There was an adjustment period, though, as he hit just .220 in April, with 20 strikeouts in 82 at-bats. But May? He finishes with a .324 average, and a mere 8 strikeouts in 102 at-bats. It looks like he has completely settled in, and will likely just keep getting better and better.
He’s also playing a good amount of center field, as Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) is getting a few days at designated hitter and a few days off, facilitating some time for Cohen up the middle. Jordan has been hitting relatively poorly after his hot start, and over the weekend went 1-6 with 2 walks, a sacrifice fly, an outfield assist, and 2 strikeouts. Jordan still has a .780 OPS and a 113 wRC+, with preternatural power and speed, and tremendous potential in center field, but he’s not always able to access the power (he hasn’t homered since May 3), and he has a 30.2% strikeout rate. The sky is the limit for Jordan, but there’s a whole lot of work to do to get there.
Eugene’s other top hitting prospect had a cold weekend, as shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) went 1-12 with a double, a walk, and 3 strikeouts. The organization’s reigning 1st-round pick has had a solid 1st full season, with a .779 OPS, a 113 wRC+, and just a 14.4% strikeout rate, but, save for his dynamic opening series, he’s been more good than great so far.
Left fielder Carlos Gutierrez (No. 18 CPL) continued to show off both his contact decline and power increase, as he went 3-13 over the weekend, with a home run, a double, a walk, a stolen base, and 4 strikeouts.
It’s been a funny year for the 21-year old lefty from Mexico, whose average has dropped from .351 last year (in Low-A) to .257 this year. But he now has 5 home runs in just 40 High-A games, after entering the year with 3 big flies in 83 games across the DSL, ACL, and Low-A. He’s still striking out at a very nice rate (17.7%), but his swinging strike rate has jumped from 6.9% to 10.5% year over year. It’s an awesome overall package, though: despite his inexperience, he has an .812 OPS and a 124 wRC+, with strong outfield defense and 13 stolen bases without yet getting caught. Even with the decline in contact skills, he’s become one of my favorite prospects to watch.
A pair of other players who are fighting contact issues homered: right fielder Jakob Christian (No. 40 CPL) went 2-12 with a solo home run, an outfield assist, and 3 strikeouts, while third baseman Walker Martin hit 3-8 with a solo blast, a double, and a strikeout. The 23-year old Christian, who had a late start to the season due to injury, has a .740 OPS, a 104 wRC+, and a 35.6% strikeout rate, while the 22-year old Martin has a .719 OPS, a 98 wRC+, and a 29.6% strikeout rate.
Low-A San Jose (29-22)
Friday: San Jose Giants beat the Fresno Grizzlies 4-3 [box score]
Saturday: San Jose Giants beat the Fresno Grizzlies 6-3 [box score]
Sunday: San Jose Giants beat the Fresno Grizzlies 8-7 [box score]
San Jose has been the worst of the Giants 4 A-ball squads, but they had the best weekend, and roll into June with a 4-game winning streak.
Plenty of good days to go around, including from the Baby Giants’ top prospect, shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL). Level kept the good times rolling with a strong weekend, in which he hit 5-12 with a triple, a double, 3 walks, a stolen base, 2 strikeouts, and an error. The recently-turned 19-year old switch-hitter just keeps hitting and hitting and hitting … he’s hit safely in 33 out of 44 games this year, and is up to a .968 OPS and a 134 wRC+, with just a 16.6% strikeout rate and 11 swiped bags in 13 attempts. Right now it feels like the only question for Level in San Jose is whether or not he’ll still be there at the end of the month. There’s a good chance that the answer to that question is “no.”
We haven’t had too many chances to talk about corner outfielder Broedy Poppell this year, but the 2025 13th-round pick gave us plenty of reason this weekend, as he hit just 2-9, but smashed a home run and drew 3 walks, while striking out 3 times. The switch-hitter is still trying to adjust to pro ball — he has a .715 OPS and an 84 wRC+ in his debut season — but he finished May with a .774 OPS, after posting just a .649 mark in April.
Undrafted first baseman Hayden Jatczak just keeps on hitting, as he posted a multi-hit game in all 3 of the weekend contests, finishing 6-12 with 2 doubles, 1 walk, 2 sacrifice flies, 1 stolen base, 1 caught stealing, and 3 strikeouts. The right-hander has a .918 OPS, a 129 wRC+, and a sub-20% strikeout rate, and it will be interesting to see how he performs against more age-appropriate competition.
Home runs salvaged tough weekends for a pair of prospects, as center fielder/right fielder Cam Maldonado (No. 34 CPL) hit just 1-10 with 2 strikeouts but bashed a 2-run shot, while third baseman Dario Reynoso hit 2-13 with 6 strikeouts and an error, but smashed a 2-run bomb, while also getting hit by a pitch and stealing a base. Maldonado has an .872 OPS and a 112 wRC+, while tied for 2nd on the farm with 8 home runs; Reynoso has a .929 OPS and a 134 wRC+, and has really started tapping into his power lately.
A pretty uninteresting pitching weekend. LHP Braydon Risley led the charge with a strong start on Friday, giving up 6 hits, 1 walk, and just 1 run in 5 innings of work, with 4 strikeouts. Risley, who was the team’s 19th-round pick last year, has really been pitching well lately, and posted a 1.48 ERA in May … which included just 1 run over 15 innings in his final 3 starts of the month. He has a 2.15 ERA and a 4.10 FIP in his debut year, with 43 strikeouts against 11 walks in 37.2 innings. Good stuff!
LHP Ricardo Estrada one-upped Risley on Saturday, tossing 5 shutout innings with just 5 baserunners allowed (4 singles and a walk), and striking out 3. Estrada pounded the strike zone, with 48 of 65 pitches going for strikes, and it seems the soon-to-turn 24-year old has started to figure something out since moving to the rotation after beginning the year as a reliever/opener. But mostly it was just good seeing him find the strike zone, as he’s really struggled with walks this year.
Arizona Complex League (10-10)
Saturday: ACL Giants beat the ACL Athletics 4-2 (8 innings) [box score]
A pair of awesome pitching performances, beginning with the starter, RHP Alexander Fuentes. A 21-year old from Venezuela, Fuentes is repeating the ACL despite solid results there a year ago. This was his best game of the year, as he pitched 3 shutout innings while allowing 2 hits and 2 walks, and striking out a whopping 7 batters.
It’s been an odd season for Fuentes. He’s walked 11 batters in just 17 innings, while also giving up 3 home runs. Those ugly stats have tagged him for a 3.18 ERA and a 5.76 FIP, worse than his 2.62/3.96 marks a year ago (he gave up 0 home runs last season). But he also has an utterly absurd 30 strikeouts in those 17 innings. He’s probably headed for the bullpen at higher levels, and he should be very interesting in that role.
then it was RHP Trey Seeley, last year’s 14th-round pick. The 23-year old out of Hope International threw 2 perfect innings, while striking out 3 of the 6 batters he faced. After starting his career with 3 tough outings, Seeley has been excellent in his last 3 game, allowing just 2 baserunners in 4 scoreless frames, with 6 strikeouts.
Not too much on offense. Another extra-base knock for shortstop Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL), who hit 1-4 with a double and a strikeout, and now has 16 extra-base hits in 20 games to start his career. Not bad for a 17-year old! Unfortunately, fellow top prospect Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. Catcher Yohendry Sanchez hit 1-2 with a walk and a hit by pitch, raising his OPS to 1.081 and his wRC+ to 191 in his debut stateside season. Hell yeah!
Center fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL) is staying warm in the ACL as he was unable to cross the border to Canada with High-A Eugene … he hit 2-3 with a triple, a walk, and 2 stolen bases. Unfortunately, the game had a bummer of a situation at designated hitter, where Oliver Tejada was hit by a pitch in his 1st plate appearance and removed from the game. His replacement, Rayner Arias (No. 38 CPL), struck out in both of his at-bats, and is now 3-39 with 18 strikeouts to start the year, as his once bright future has dimmed even further.
Home run tracker
8 — Drew Cavanaugh — [5 in AAA; 3 in AA]
8 — Cam Maldonado — [Low-A]
6 — Walker Martin — [High-A]
6 — Dario Reynoso — [Low-A]
5 — Nate Furman — [AAA]
5 — Charlie Szykowny — [AA]
5 — Carlos Gutierrez — [High-A]
4 — Thomas Gavello — [AAA]
4 — Broedy Poppell — [Low-A]
3 — Jakob Christian — [High-A]
1 — Trevor Cohen — [High-A]
