Photo by George Kubas/Diamond Images via Getty Images
Yesterday’s action on the farm.
Wednesday was ... well, it was yet another day of baseball for the
San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates. They just keep coming, and I’m not in the least bit upset about it! And before too long, we’ll get to add the Arizona Complex League to
Link to the 2025 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)
All listed positions in the roundup are the positions played in that particular game.
News
Most notable on Wednesday was that AAA Sacramento RHP Keaton Winn, who pitched on Tuesday, was placed on the 7-Day Injured List. Hopefully he’s okay. AAA Sacramento also moved RHP Juan Mercedes to the Development List, and activated LHP Raymond Burgos.
AAA Sacramento (9-8)
Sacramento River Cats lost to the Salt Lake Bees (Angels) 4-1
Box score
Not a very exciting game for the River Cats, and a completely lackluster one on offense, where Sacramento had just 7 hits — all singles — and 3 walks. Only 3 players reached base multiple times: first baseman David Villar hit 1-3 with a walk to push his OPS to .888 and his wRC+ to 135; catcher Max Stassi went 0-2 with a strikeout but drew 2 walks, raising his OPS to .658 and his wRC+ to 85; and right fielder Hunter Bishop hit 1-3 with a hit by pitch, which saw his OPS rise to .694 and his wRC+ to 78.
Tough days for the 40-man roster players at the top of the order, as center fielder Grant McCray went 0-5 with a strikeout hat trick, left fielder Marco Luciano hit 1-5 with a bloop single and 2 strikeouts, and third baseman Brett Wisely went 1-4 with an error. Luciano did have a highlight defensive grab in left field, though he also dropped a ball that he should have caught.
The pitching was much better, and it was led by the arm who has been the star of Sacramento’s big-name rotation: RHP Carson Seymour (No. 21 CPL). Seymour put together yet another clinic, giving up just 1 hit in 4 innings of work, though he did hit a pair of batters and allow a run. It wasn’t the best strike-throwing day for Seymour, who tossed just 47 of 77 pitches for strikes, yet he managed 5 strikeouts with no walks.
Seymour’s season has been nothing short of sensational and, were the Giants in the position they were last year, he’d probably be getting a call up for his MLB debut. But the Giants are happy with their rotation, and have not just Hayden Birdsong waiting in the wings in San Francisco, but also Kyle Harrison in Sacramento. Still, it can’t be ignored how good Seymour has been: he has a 1.00 ERA and a 2.98 FIP, with 22 strikeouts against just 5 walks, and a mere 10 hits in 18 innings. If nothing else, his performance should earn him a spot in the Major League bullpen at some point.
RHP Sean Hjelle followed and was fantastic, striking out 3 batters in 2 perfect innings. Hjelle has a 1.86 ERA and a 1.54 FIP so far this year, with 10 strikeouts against just 1 walk in 7.2 innings. All of the damage against him this year came in 1 appearance, and he’s been virtually untouchable in his other 5 games. Hope to see him back in San Francisco soon.
RHP Ryan Watson made his season debut and got rocked a bit, allowing 3 hits and 1 run in an inning of work, though he recorded 2 strikeouts.
AA Richmond (2-9)
Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Chesapeake Baysox (Orioles) 10-6
Box score
The Squirrels lost yet again, but it was no fault of the offense. Thanks to a trio of excellent performances, Richmond had a strong game at the plate.
Perhaps the most encouraging sight came in the 5th inning, when shortstop Aeverson Arteaga (No. 12 CPL), who hit just 1-4 with 2 strikeouts, launched a ball deep into the night for a 3-run home run.
Here’s what
I wrote about Arteaga yesterday, after he hit 2-4 with a double:
It’s been a dreadful start to the season for Arteaga, who entered the game hitting just 3-29 on the year, with no extra-base hits. Some grace is required though: Arteaga only just turned 22, so he’s nearly 2 years younger than the average position player in the Eastern League, and he missed almost the entirety of the 2024 season due to injury. So he’ll need a little time to work his way back into form.
Perhaps he’s starting to round into form now! I still believe in his swing, which can produce a lot of power, though his glove will always be his carrying card.
And then, just a few batters later, left fielder Jairo Pomares (No. 41 CPL) followed Arteaga with a 2-run blast to cap a 5-run inning.
It was the only hit of the day for Pomares, who finished 1-4 with a strikeout, but it’s been a mighty fine season for the lefty, who is sitting on an .872 OPS and a 140 wRC+. He’s certainly reminding us of why he was one of the top hitting prospects in the system a few years ago, and finally looks fully healthy and recovered from the injury that cost him nearly all of the 2023 season.
The other hitter to have a nice day was designated hitter Victor Bericoto (No. 24 CPL), who went 2-3 with 2 doubles and a walk. It sure looks like Bericoto is figuring out AA after a mediocre season there last year, with the righty slugger up to a whopping .967 OPS and 173 wRC+. After going 0-7 with 4 strikeouts in the first 2 games of the year, Bericoto has gone 12-33 with 6 extra-base hits, 6 walks, and just 3 strikeouts since. Might be time to start thinking about him as one of the best hitting prospects in the system again!
It was a bad pitching game. LHP Joe Whitman (No. 9 CPL) got the start and really struggled, making it through just 2.2 innings. He only gave up 2 hits, but both of those hits were home runs ... and were compounded by 3 walks and a hit batter, resulting in 4 runs against him. Whitman only threw about half of his pitches for strikes, though he did K 5 batters. But a very rough outing.
The bullpen mostly struggled, especially RHP Nick Morreale, who gave up 4 runs in just 1 inning of work. The lone nice appearance came courtesy of RHP Dylan Cumming, who gave up just 1 walk in 2 no-hit, scoreless innings, with 2 strikeouts.
High-A Eugene (5-6)
Eugene Emeralds lost to the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 5-2
Box score
Well, not a good game for the Emeralds at all. They had more errors (3) than hits (2), walks (2), or runs (2). Not exactly a recipe for victory and, indeed, they failed in that quest.
Second baseman Thomas Gavello, who had just been activated off the Development List, had the big hit of the day for the Ems, hitting 1-3 with a home run and a strikeout. He’s only played in 5 games so far this year, but he’s 5-13 with 2 extra-base hits and a walk.
Shortstop Zane Zielinski continued his strong start to his career, hitting 1-3 and stealing a base. The 2024 9th-round pick made his debut last week, and in 5 games is 7-17 with a double, 2 walks, and 5 stolen bases without yet being caught.
Not very notable pitching. RHP Josh Wolf was hot and cold in the start, allowing 4 hits and 3 walks in just 3 innings, but limiting the damage to just 1 run, with 4 strikeouts. The Giants are still trying to find a way for Wolf, a 2nd-round pick in 2019 with the
Mets, to actualize his potential.
RHP Elijah Pleasants had a brutal appearance in what has been a tough season so far, issuing as many walks (5) as outs recorded, while giving up 3 runs (2 earned). But RHP Brayan Palencia pitched very well, allowing neither a walk nor a hit in 2 innings, with 4 strikeouts, though he did cede an unearned run. He has a 2.84 ERA and a 2.48 FIP so far in his debut High-A season.
Low-A San Jose (6-5)
San Jose Giants lost to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Dodgers) 5-3
Box score
Also a tough offensive game for the Baby Giants. Only 2 players reached base multiple times, and neither one of them had a hit, as designated hitter Robert Hipwell (No. 25 CPL) and left fielder Ryan Reckley (No. 35 CPL) both went 0-2 but drew 2 walks. Reckley’s been playing more outfield this year, which is intriguing, though his bat has been very slow to start the season. San Jose had just 3 hits on the day, with a double by right fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 17 CPL) representing the only extra-base hit of the day.
RHP Niko Mazza had a funny start. He gave up 3 hits and 3 walks in just 3.2 innings, and got tagged for 5 runs ... but none of those runs were earned, keeping his 0.00 ERA intact to start his career. He was followed by LHP Charlie McDaniel, an undrafted pitcher who, like Mazza, was pitching in just his 2nd pro game. McDaniel pitched quite well, giving up 4 baserunners in 4.1 shutout innings, with 3 strikeouts.
Home run tracker
AA Jairo Pomares (3)
AA Aeverson Arteaga (1)
High-A Thomas Gavello (1)
Thursday schedule
Sacramento: vs. Salt Lake, 6:45 p.m. PT (SP: Mason Black)
Richmond: vs. Chesapeake, 3:35 p.m. PT (SP: John Michael Bertrand)
Eugene: at Vancouver, 7:05 p.m. PT (SP: Josh Bostick)
San Jose: at Rancho Cucamonga, 6:30 p.m. PT (SP: Drake George)
