It was, as it usually is, a busy weekend for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates. Let’s jump into all the action!
All listed positions in the roundup are the positions played in that particular game.
Some prospect ranking news! Baseball America released their final top 100 of the season, and for the first time in a while, there are a trio of Giants on the list. Not surprisingly, AAA Sacramento first baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL) tops the Giants contingency of the list at No. 20. DSL shortstop Josuar González (No. 5 CPL) came in at No. 85, while AA Richmond outfielder Bo Davidson (No. 11 CPL) is excitingly in the top 100 as well, at No. 88.
Low-A San Jose LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 31 CPL) was named Cal League Pitcher of the Week after a dominant showing last week, in which he struck out 8 batters over 5 shutout innings, with just 1 hit allowed.
Also, outfielder Daniel Johnson, who had been playing for Sacramento but was recently DFA’d, was claimed off of waivers by Baltimore.
Saturday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Astros) 4-3 [box score]
Sunday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Sugar Land Space Cowboys 4-3 [box score]
A pair of 4-3 victories for Sacramento as they pulled off the rare 6-game sweep. See how much nicer things look when you’re 6 games above .500 than when you’re exactly .500? The Giants could stand to learn a lesson there! They did it in fun fashion, too, with back-to-back walk-offs courtesy of third baseman Thomas Gavello and shortstop Osleivis Basabe!
Sunday was a fun game on the mound, as it was handled entirely by pitchers who are likely to be in San Francisco soon. Kicking it off was rehabbing RHP Landen Roupp, who took the mound for the first time since starting for the Giants on July 22. Roupp stretched out to 50 pitches, which covered 3 innings, and he allowed 3 hits and 2 runs, while striking out 4 batters. Given that he has an injury history, and that the Giants are likely enjoying getting a chance to look at a pair of rookies in a lost season, I’d expect Roupp to get at least one more start in AAA before returning to the Majors, where he’s been one of the best stories on the team this season.
And closing the game was another rehabbing arm, LHP Erik Miller. It was the 2nd rehab appearance for Miller, who last pitched in the Majors on July 2. Since then, both Joey Lucchesi and Matt Gage have established themselves as high quality southpaw relief arms for the Giants, so I’m a little curious as to what the plan ends up being with Miller. He pitched an inning in this game, giving up a hit, a walk, and a run, while registering a strikeout.
In between that pair of MLB arms was a prospect, but one the Giants are likely to look at soon: RHP Blade Tidwell. It was the 2nd Sacramento appearance for Tidwell since joining the organization in the Tyler Rogers trade, and it would be hard to be more impressive. Serving as the piggybacking starter, Tidwell took down 5 scoreless innings, giving up just 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 7 batters. As we know the Giants value, Tidwell pounded the strike zone, with 53 strikes from his 78 pitches.
Tidwell is on the 40-man roster, and while his MLB numbers have been awful in his debut season, they’ve also come in a very small sample. It seems likely that the Giants will want to give him a shot in the rotation at some point before the year is up.
Saturday’s pitching was less fruitful. RHP Mason Black (No. 7 CPL) struggled in the start, giving up 4 hits, 4 walks, and 2 runs in 3 innings, with 3 strikeouts. It remains a very disappointing year for Black, who has a 4.89 ERA and a 5.64 FIP and, save for a day of emergency coverage, hasn’t felt like part of the big league plans at any point this year. Add in the arrival of Tidwell and the (re)emergence of Kai-Wei Teng, and Black — who will be entering his final option year in 2026 — is starting to look like he has a very, very critical offseason ahead of him.
The bullpen was strong on Saturday, though, and it featured a perfect inning from RHP Keaton Winn, who struck out a batter in his best outing since returning from injury. He’s still shaking the rust off after missing 3 months. RHP Sean Hjelle made his 2nd appearance since getting DFA’d and outrighted and shined, giving up just 1 hit in 3 shutout innings, with 3 strikeouts.
On offense, we were treated to both sides of the Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL) coin. On Sunday, the first baseman hit yet another home run — and yet another big home run. Big both in stature and meaning, as Eldridge took on the opposite field with ease while bashing a go-ahead 3-run bomb in the 8th inning.
It was the 12th dinger for Eldridge with the River Cats this year, despite it being just his 36th game. He’s hitting a home run once every 3 games, every 11.6 at-bats, and every 13.1 plate appearances. What a talent he is!
But, as I mentioned, we got both sides of the coin. In his other at-bats of the weekend, Eldridge hit 0-7 with 4 strikeouts. For as excited as we all are to see him hitting baseballs into McCovey Cove, there’s certainly a lot for him to work on as well.
Speaking of things to work on, there’s a reason Luis Matos is in AAA right now while the Giants opt for an all-lefty unproven duo of Grant McCray and Drew Gilbert in right field. But Matos, playing in center field over the weekend, showed some of the talent he’s working on, by smashing a home run on Saturday, his 2nd in as many days.
Unfortunately, like Eldridge, it was a tough weekend for Matos when he wasn’t hitting homers, as he went 0-7 with 3 strikeouts in his other at-bats.
Catcher Sam Huff might have seen his opportunities run out with the organization after he was outrighted — especially after the team acquired Jesus Rodriguez (who hit 2-7 with a walk and a strikeout). But Huff was quick to remind everyone that he has a special bat, as he started on Saturday and hit 2-3 with a triple, a double, a walk, and a strikeout. What a game! Third baseman Thomas Gavello also provided some Saturday spark, hitting 2-3 with a 2-run home run, though he went 0-4 with 3 strikeouts on Sunday.
One last important note: Tyler Fitzgerald played exclusively in right field over the weekend, his 1st time seeing the outfield grass since last year. Is that a sign that the Giants are desperate to find anyone who can play right field, or a vote of confidence in Casey Schmitt to be the second baseman for the foreseeable future? Probably both. Either way, he hit 2-8 with a strikeout over the weekend. The other 40-man players: second baseman Brett Wisely hit 1-7 with a walk and 2 strikeouts, while left fielder Marco Luciano hit 1-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
Saturday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Erie SeaWolves (Tigers) 8-6 [box score]
Sunday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Erie SeaWolves 4-0 [box score]
A pretty mild-mannered split weekend for a team that has been pretty mild-mannered this year. There were no strong offensive weekends, though a few decent days. A pair of newish-comers each had a good game, with left fielder Scott Bandura going 3-5 with a triple, a double, and a stolen base on Saturday, while center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 11 CPL) hit 2-4 on Sunday, though he had a strikeout and was caught stealing.
Bandura, a 24-year old lefty who went 0-4 with 3 strikeouts on Sunday, has really been fitting in nicely since his recent promotion, with a .737 OPS and a 123 wRC+ in 20 games. It’s been a little less smooth for Davidson, a 23-year old lefty who didn’t play on Saturday, as he has a .678 OPS and a 104 wRC+ in 17 games, though he’s also dealt with some minor ailments. Very successful debuts in new homes for both of them, though!
Center fielder Turner Hill had an awesome game on Saturday, hitting 4-5 with a stolen base, though he went 0-4 on Sunday. With the arrival of Davidson, Hill — a 26-year old lefty — is no longer the most successful undrafted free agent in Richmond. But his year is certainly worth drawing attention to, as he has a .752 OPS and a 126 wRC+, with awesome defense and 15 stolen bases in 19 attempts. He doesn’t have much power, but there are certainly some Major League skills in the other elements of his game.
A very nice start on Sunday from LHP Nick Zwack, who is finally healthy and at the right level. After making it to AA in 2023, Zwack lost all of 2024 to injury, and has been rehabbing his way back up the system this year. He’s finally returned to Richmond, where on Sunday he pitched 5 quality innings, giving up 5 hits, 1 walk, 1 hit batter, and 2 runs, while striking out 5. It was his 4th appearance since returning to the Eastern League, and in those 4 games he’s allowed just 15 hits, 4 walks, and 4 runs in 19.1 innings, though he only has 14 strikeouts.
Saturday’s start didn’t go quite as well, as LHP Joe Whitman (No. 9 CPL) got hit fairly hard. Whitman needed 78 pitches to get through 4 innings (and threw just 49 of them for strikes), while giving up 6 hits, 1 walk, and 3 runs, and only striking out 2 batters. It’s been a year of electric performances met with poor outings for Whitman, whose 5.20 ERA and 3.83 FIP really feel like they tell 2 true stories of his season.
Excellent relief on Saturday from RHP Tyler Vogel, who struck out 4 batters in 2 shutout innings, while allowing 2 hits. After a very strong season in High-A, Vogel has been even better in his short stint with Richmond, registering 6 strikeouts against 0 walks in 4.1 innings, and not yet allowing an earned run in his 3 appearances. On Sunday, LHP Jack Choate (No. 29 CPL) needed to face just 3 batters to register 4 outs, while also nabbing a strikeout. He recently moved to the bullpen, though it’s unclear if that’s a short-term or long-term thing.
Saturday: Eugene Emeralds beat Spokane (Rockies) 5-4 [box score]
Sunday: Eugene Emeralds lost to Spokane 8-7 (10 innings) [box score]
Everyone please join me in welcoming third baseman Parks Harber to the Giants organization! The 23-year old, who is a right-handed undrafted free agent from 2024, is the least heralded of the 4 players the Giants received in the Camilo Doval trade, but as Bo Davidson has reminded us all, being talented is more important than being heralded. And if Sunday is any indication, Harber is certainly talent.
The 6’3 UNC product made his organizational debut on Saturday and hit 0-3 with 2 strikeouts … understandable struggles for someone who hadn’t played in a game in quite a while and went through the emotional rollercoaster of being traded. But on Sunday? Well he more than made up for it, hitting 3-4 with a 2-run home run, a pair of doubles, and 4 runs batted in. That’s a damn good day! And one that has me excited to see more from him.
He wasn’t the only player who is new to Eugene who homered over the weekend. On Saturday, designated hitter Nate Furman played in his 4th game with the team and hit 2-5 with a solo home run and a strikeout. Furman, who played second base on Sunday and went 0-3 with a hit by pitch, is listed on Richmond’s roster and just rehabbing his way up the system, as the toolsy infielder — acquired last year in the Alex Cobb trade — missed the first few months of the season.
And hey, second baseman/designated hitter Jean Carlos Sio didn’t homer, but he’s also a new-to-Eugene player who performed well over the weekend. Unlike Harber and Furman, Sio is new not just to Eugene, but to High-A baseball, yet it hasn’t seemed to phase him. He went 2-5 with a double, a walk, 2 hit by pitches, and a strikeout over the weekend. Sio looks right at home in the Northwest League: after posting a .311 batting average, an .821 OPS, and a 130 wRC+ with Low-A San Jose, the 21-year old lefty has a .316 average, a .803 OPS, and a 135 wRC+ through 6 games with the Emeralds. He’s really put himself on the radar this season.
A good news/bad news situation with right fielder Jack Payton. On Saturday he had another swell day, hitting 2-3 with a double and a walk. The 2023 11th-round pick has really been on fire lately lately, as it was his 5th consecutive multi-hit game — during that time he’s hit 11-19 with 4 doubles, 2 walks, and just 2 strikeouts. But on Sunday he left the game early after suffering an injury on defense. Hopefully it was just something minor.
A fairly uninteresting weekend on the mound. LHP Greg Farone made the start on Saturday, as he continues to get acclimated to the level. It was the 7th High-A start for last year’s 7th-round pick, who is in his debut season, and this was a pretty nice outing: Farone pitched 5 innings with just 2 hits and 1 walk allowed, though a home run resulted in 2 runs to his name, and he only struck out 3 batters.
Farone, a 6’6 southpaw from Alabama, has done an impressive job adjusting to the level. In his 1st 3 starts with the Ems, he gave up 19 hits and 13 earned runs in 12.1 innings, but in 4 starts since he’s ceded only 9 hits and 3 runs in 21 innings. Impressive stuff!
RHP Austin Strickland pitched a perfect inning with 2 strikeouts on Saturday. He’s now been excellent in both of his August outings, as he tries to bounce back from a very difficult July. Unfortunately, RHP Liam Simon’s struggles to find his pre-injury form have continued, as he had another tough day at the office, facing 4 batters and walking 2 of them, while recording just 1 out and getting dinged for a pair of runs.
Saturday: San Jose Giants lost to the Visalia Rawhide (D-Backs) 5-2 [box score]
Sunday: San Jose Giants beat the Visalia Rawhide 6-5 [box score]
The Baby Giants have been one of the most electric teams in all of Minor League Baseball this year, but it was a quiet weekend for them. They did earn a split, but only had 1 extra-base hit all weekend long, with minimal exciting performances on either side of the ball.
Let’s start with the bad news. Center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 8 CPL), who hit 1-5 with 2 strikeouts, left Sunday’s game. According to Roger Munter, Jordan looked to be moving a little uncomfortably after diving back to a bag following a wild pitch. It’s been a wildly successful essentially debut season for last year’s 4th-round pick, who has made enormous strides to his pre-draft contact issues, while sporting an .875 OPS and a 137 wRC+. But his flirtations with injuries have been the lone downside, and look like they’ll keep him from getting introduced to Oregon until 2026.
San Jose’s roster has a trio of recently-drafted players, and it wasn’t a very smooth weekend for a pair of them. Shorststop Gavin Kilen, the team’s 1st-round pick, hit 0-7 and was picked off, though he had just 1 strikeout while drawing 2 walks. Catcher Daniel Rogers, who went undrafted, had a Saturday to forget, striking out in all 3 of his plate appearances and committing an error — he didn’t play on Sunday.
But Trevor Cohen, the team’s 3rd-round pick, had a delightful weekend, hitting 4-7 with a walk and a strikeout. The Giants are high on Cohen’s ability to play center field and, after beginning the weekend in right, he shifted to the middle of the grass to replace Jordan. He may get some extended run there to show what he can do.
The best offensive weekend belonged to designated hitter/first baseman Robert Hipwell (No. 25 CPL), who hit 2-5 with a double and 2 walks, though he also struck out twice and committed an error. A 6th-round pick out of Santa Clara a year ago, the left-handed corner infielder has a .902 OPS and a 147 wRC+ this year, but also a 30.4% strikeout rate. Lots to love; lots to work on.
Saturday featured the organizational debut of RHP Yunior Marte, the player acquired in the Mike Yastrzemski trade. Marte, a soon-to-turn-22-year-old from the Dominican Republic was having a very strong season for Kansas City’s Low-A team, and that transferred to San Jose, where he gave up 2 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run in 4 innings of work, while striking out 4 batters. The Giants are pretty intrigued by what he has in his arm, and so am I!
Speaking of intriguing arms, RHP Keyner Martinez started on Sunday and struck out 5 batters in 3 innings, though he allowed 4 hits, 1 walk, and 2 unearned runs. Martinez opened a whole bunch of eyes in the ACL this year, when he registered 67 strikeouts against just 10 walks in 47.1 innings. And so far he’s keeping the good times rolling in San Jose, where he has 8 strikeouts and 3 walks in 6.1 innings.
A fellow electric arm, RHP Argenis Cayama (No. 28 CPL) followed Martinez from Papago to San Jose, though his results were poorer on Sunday, as he pitched 2.2 innings and gave up 4 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs, with 2 strikeouts. Cayama’s been roughed up a bit in his 2 games, but he’s also only 18 years old (Martinez is 20).
RHP Gerelmi Maldonado (No. 36 CPL) really struggled with command on Saturday, walking 5 batters (and hitting another) in just 1.2 innings. He also gave up 2 hits and 3 runs, while striking out just 1. Maldonado has had the walk issues that one comes to expect with a pitcher returning from Tommy John surgery, though I’m not sure how comforting that is given how big his walk issues were before the surgery, too.
And RHP Ryan Murphy made his 2nd rehab appearance, though it didn’t go as well as the 1st. He allowed a hit, 2 walks, and a run in 1.1 innings on Sunday. Just great to see the 2020 5th-round pick back on the mound after so much time lost to injury. Here’s hoping he’s back in AA by the end of the year.
Dominican Summer League Black (31-18)
Saturday: DSL Giants Black beat DSL Colorado 6-1 (7 innings) [box score]
The DSL season is nearing an end, and shortstop Josuar González (No. 5 CPL, 17 years, 2025 IFA) is making sure he ends it on a high note. The consensus No. 2 prospect in the system is ending the year on a tear, as his numbers catch up to his tools. It was another great day for González on Saturday, as he hit 1-3 with a triple, a walk, and a strikeout. He’s been a hit machine lately: in his last 7 games, the switch-hitter is 12-25 with a home run, a triple, a double, 4 walks, and 4 strikeouts.
And just like that, González’s numbers look fantastic, as he’s rocking an .836 OPS and a 125 wRC+, and still has more walks than strikeouts. He’s the real deal, folks.
A great game for first baseman Evan Estevez (17 years, 2024 IFA), who is having a really nice 2nd season. The right-handed hitter, who will celebrate his 18th birthday later this week, hit 2-3 with a triple, a double, and a walk. He has an .836 OPS and a 120 wRC+, and while his strikeout rate (25.0%) is still fairly high, it’s much improved over last season.
Designated hitter Yoxander Benitez (18 years, 2024 IFA) hit a perfect 2-2 with a walk, and also stole a base. The righty only has a .672 OPS and an 89 wRC+, but a year after having a 25.0% strikeout rate and stealing just 4 bases (while being caught twice), Benitez has just a 9.9% strikeout rate and has stolen 15 bases (while being caught just once) in the same number of games played.
On the mound, it was an impressive performance by RHP Dilan Fernandez (20 years, 2023 IFA). He pounded the strike zone for 5 innings, though he did walk 3 batters. But he only allowed 4 hits and 1 run, and he struck out 6 batters. It was a nice rebound for Fernandez, who had a few tough outings recently. His numbers look very similar to what they were in his debut last year.
Dominican Summer League Orange (32-16)
Saturday: DSL Giants Orange beat DSL Arizona Black 13-7 (7 innings) [box score]
It was a fantastic performance by the Giants Orange squad’s offense, which mustered 11 hits and 10 walks in just 7 innings, while only striking out 6 times. But it was a well-balanced affair, as the game was defined more by everyone playing well than by anyone making a statement (on offense at least — the pitching isn’t worth discussing at all!)
Let’s just highlight 2 players who had really nice games: center fielder Rainer Espinoza (16 years, 2025 IFA) and third baseman Juan Colorado (18 years, 2024 IFA). Espinoza had one of his best games as a pro, hitting 2-3 with a double, 2 walks, and a stolen base. The righty now has a .761 OPS and a 117 wRC+ in his debut season, with 5 stolen bases in as many attempts. He also has more walks than strikeouts, which is the result of having a sky-high walk rate (23.4%) rather than a low strikeout rate (22.5%). Colorado hit 2-4 with a double and a walk, though he also had a strikeout and was caught stealing. The righty has been having a really difficult season, but hopefully he can end it on a high note.
AAA Bryce Eldridge (19) [12 in AAA, 7 in AA]
AAA Luis Matos (10) [5 in MLB, 5 in AAA]
AAA Thomas Gavello (9) [4 in AAA, 3 in AA, 2 in High-A]
High-A Parks Harber (7) [4 in High-A, 3 in Low-A]
High-A Nate Furman (2) [1 in High-A, 1 in Low-A]
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