SF Giants weekly prospects recap: Kyle Harrison, Bryce Eldridge shine
Welcome to the SF Giants prospect recap, where we take a look at the organization's prospects and minor leaguers who stood out this past week. Since we took some time off after the draft and trade deadline though, I will include some tidbits from the first week of August as well.
Before reading, be sure to check out our midseason Giants prospects rankings to get acclimated to players throughout the system. Rankings shown beside the players highlighted are based on the highest rank in either Marc or Wrenzie's list. Repetitions might occur as a result.
SF Giants Triple-A affiliate: Sacramento River Cats
Hitters
Wade Meckler (Giants #7 prospect) continued his barnstorming ways as he got promoted to Sacramento as the calendar flipped to August. He was still trying to acclimate to the level in his first Triple-A series against Reno but was back hitting in Las Vegas with eight hits, including his first Triple-A home run. Do not expect gaudy exit velocities from Meckler, but the hitter-friendly PCL, most especially the ABS, shall only make his patience/contact-based approach play even more. In his first ten games, Meckler has already amassed eight walks to just five strikeouts. It will only be a matter of when Meckler plays into the 40-man equation as he can definitely make a big-league impact as soon as this month.
Tyler Fitzgerald (Giants #11 prospect) cooled off a bit last July but is back at it once again this week with a mind-boggling 13 hits against Reno this week, including five doubles, a triple, and two home runs. He now has 17 home runs and 23 stolen bases across two levels this season and he is definitely on track to repeat his 20-20 season. It is slightly surprising to me that he still has not had a crack at making the big-league roster given the offensive woes at shortstop and against left-handed pitching. I think Fitzgerald has a shot at becoming the answer that the Giants badly need at the position.
Before making an impact with the Giants over the past couple of games, Heliot Ramos (Giants #24 prospect) was on a roll over his past eight games with the River Cats with 10 hits including a double, triple, and home run. Ramos has shown a bit of improvement in terms of lifting the ball more and hitting toward the middle of the field this season, and he could stay in San Francisco for the upcoming weeks.
Pitchers
Kai-Wei Teng continues to cook in Sacramento this season after getting promoted to the team in mid-June. The month of August could not have gotten off to a better start for him, as he struck out a season-high 12 batters against Reno on August 1st. Since the beginning of July, Teng has managed to keep his walks in check with a 10% walk rate while striking out batters at a 29% rate. He had a rough one in his latest start against Las Vegas last Saturday, but before that start, he's posted a 2.84 ERA, and batters were only hitting .191 against him. His assortment of pitches led by his plus, mid-80s slider that can creep up to 3000 rpm at times are putting batters in a bind. Teng might not be a name to be the next man up for the Giants this season, but he will definitely put himself in the 40-man roster conversation this offseason.
Mason Black (Giants #10 prospect) has also been struggling to throw strikes since coming up to Triple-A, like seemingly most of the Giants' prospects so far. But he has pitched well lately with a 2.00 ERA in two starts this month striking out nine batters. It is interesting to see how his two varieties of slider overlap in terms of movement profile while only throwing his changeup very sparingly. His low release height definitely plays though, and it will interesting to see if the Giants have a plan for him as a back-end relief arm in the long run. For now, he will get plenty of shots to start.
Kyle Harrison (Giants #1 prospect) returned to Sacramento after missing almost a month of action due to a hamstring injury. The Giants still expect him to pitch in the big leagues this season, so fans are watching his starts moving forward. His first start back could not have gone any worse as he walked four and only threw 18 of his 42 pitches for strikes. His second start though, was a whole different story. He threw three perfect innings before exiting after 3.1 innings with four strikeouts and no walks allowed. To show that he's fully healthy, his fastball is up to 97.4 mph in his last start and saw success when he threw his slider more than his heater. The control is still of issue, but the stuff is back and better than ever. His starts are now must-watch TV as the clock now ticks towards his eventual arrival at Oracle Park.
Other pitchers of note: Randy Rodriguez (Giants #35 prospect) has been one of the likeliest prospects to be traded come the deadline but was spared given the lack of moves that the team made. While his control is still very inconsistent (allowed a walk in all but one outing for Sacramento this season) the stuff is crisp with his fastball touching 98 mph, matching Erik Miller (Giants #20 prospect). Alongside Miller, there are also a couple more lefty relievers who recently got promoted to Sacramento. Raymond Burgos has struggled with the long ball as he already allowed four homers in his five outings so far. On the other hand, Juan Sanchez has done much better with a 1.42 ERA and a steady 8:3 strikeout-walk ratio in his first three outings before getting tagged for five earned runs last Saturday.
SF Giants Double-A affiliate: Richmond Flying Squirrels
Hitters
Will Wilson got sent down to Richmond after struggling to produce for much of the season for the River Cats. He is off to a strong start with eight hits in his first six games including a couple of home runs and a triple. Wilson has clearly fallen out of favor in terms of the middle infield depth chart. Hopefully, this demotion can help him gain his confidence back and be the hitter that the Giants saw from him a couple of years ago.
After a cold start to his Double-A career, things started to turn around for Victor Bericoto (Giants #18 prospect) in August. Bericoto only hit a paltry .116 along with a .464 OPS in his first 13 games. Since the calendar flipped to August, Bericoto has 11 hits in as many games including a couple of doubles, a triple, and a home run. Bericoto has been a bane for scouts because of his lower-half swing mechanics but when he's seeing the ball well, his hands are so quick and so strong that it can render it moot. It would still be nice if he could clean up his swing, but the approach has worked for him for the past couple of years, and he's done a great job with the stick overall this season.
Other hitters of note: Shane Matheny has been Richmond's most productive hitter so far this month, including a seven-game hitting streak. Jimmy Glowenke has also hit well this month with seven hits including two doubles this month.
In unfortunate news, the Flying Squirrels have placed Vaun Brown (Giants #14 prospect) on the 7-day injury list.
Pitchers
Carson Seymour (Giants #21 prospect) is now really starting to roll after struggling at the start of the year. He had his best outing of the season on August 1st against Altoona, throwing five one-hit innings with a season-high nine strikeouts. Since he moved back to the rotation in the middle of June, Seymour has a 31.9% strikeout rate with just an 8.5% walk rate while holding opponents to a .213 batting average. He is even better over the past month with a 2.22 ERA, a 34.8% strikeout rate, and a 7.1% walk rate across six starts.
His stuff is back to the level that we saw from him last year in Eugene with his fastball creeping up to 97 mph alongside his flurry of secondaries highlighted by his high-80s slider. He's currently #21 in our rankings, but Seymour shall enter once again in the teens if he can finish the season strong.
Hayden Birdsong (Giants #26 prospect) got promoted to Richmond after an absolutely dominant stretch for the Emeralds last month. His first two starts have not gone well with six walks allowed and an 8.31 ERA in just 4.1 innings pitched. It is nice to see that his stuff is still the same as at the start of the season even though he has already logged 82 innings. His fastball is still sitting in the 94-97 mph range with a high-80s changeup, a mid-80s slider, and his high-70s hammer curveball still looking sharp. The control has taken a step back since his promotion which might be a case of fatigue in a similar fashion to Carson Whisenhunt (Giants #5 prospect) when he got to the level earlier this year.
Other pitchers of note: A couple of relievers have found their groove since the start of the month. José Cruz (Giants #29 prospect) has been nasty in his four outings this month as he struck out nine of the 19 batters he's faced while only allowing one run. His fastball is back in the mid-90s, and his changeup looked nasty. Ben Madison (Giants #32 prospect) struck out 14 batters in 8.2 innings of work this week. He's been excellent over his past five outings with a 36.2% strikeout rate as his fastball-slider combination continues giving opposing batters fits.
A couple of starters also have done well this month. John Michael Bertrand has been a reliable innings-eater for Richmond, throwing for five innings in four of his five outings for the Flying Squirrels this season. Ryan Murphy (Giants #37 prospect) has a 30% strikeout rate over his past five starts and has looked better than what his 4.08 ERA might suggest. Yes, the 90-94 mph fastball still looks very hittable against Double-A hitters, but the slider flashes above average, and there is still some of the old Murphy magic that we've seen from his San Jose days though the control still looks worse this season.
SF Giants High-A affiliate: Eugene Emeralds
Hitters
Aeverson Arteaga (Giants #7 prospect) needed a strong second half to recover some of the lost stock after a so-so first half of the season. So far, he's answered the call with 16 hits this month including seven doubles, a couple of home runs, and two walks to the tune of .891 OPS. And since July, the slick-fielding shortstop has hit 14 doubles, eight homers, a .289 batting average, and a .888 OPS. Unfortunately, the peripherals are still a reason for concern (26.6% strikeout rate vs. a 4.5% walk rate). Still, if the Giants want to push a couple of prospects up from San Jose to Eugene, Arteaga has earned a Richmond call-up based on his recent production.
Before he recently moved to Richmond, Sean Roby torched the Northwest League when he was with the Emeralds. In just 22 games, he was already tied for seventh in the league in home runs, and he's also hit six doubles with a .965 OPS. Roby missed the start of the season due to an injury and spent the first month rehabbing in the ACL. His High-A stint can still be considered a rehab stint due to his play in Double-A last year. But if there is one thing that's certain, it's that he's clearly a man among boys at the High-A level.
Grant McCray (Giants #11 prospect) has been streaky this year. His lows have been Challenger Deep-esque, like what he's currently experiencing this month where he had a 4-35 streak with 17 strikeouts prior to him posting five hits in his last two games. However, the highs have not matched his production in San Jose. McCray has definitely shown plenty of promise as a legitimate center fielder with high base-stealing potential and some power but the concerning bat-to-ball skills limit his ceiling and future role.
Other hitters of note: Newcomer Zach Morgan looks great in an Emeralds uniform, already posting 14 hits including three doubles and a home run while Matt Higgins looks a bit challenged with the level with four doubles and a home run to his credit but only with a .624 OPS. Even though Brett Auerbach might have the play of the year for the second straight season, his bat continues to disappoint with a .210 batting average and a .621 OPS. It will be interesting to see how the catching situation plays out now that Onil Perez (Giants #18 prospect) has been promoted to Eugene, giving the team four catchers all vying for playing time.
Carter Howell might be turning things around this season for the Emeralds with 13 hits including a couple of doubles this month but has struggled since his promotion with a .705 OPS. Both Ghordy Santos and Luis Toribio hit a couple of home runs so far this month (for Santos, it was three) but both also have a strikeout rate north of 30%.
Pitchers
The Giants drafted William Kempner (Giants #28 prospect) last year due to his highly unique traits that are best suited out of the bullpen. They initially trotted Kempner in the rotation with the hopes of stretching him out, but they eventually moved him to the pen and promoted him to Eugene. And over his past four outings, Kempner has not allowed a walk, threw 71% of his pitches for strikes, struck out 14 of the 29 batters that he faced, and the only two runs that he allowed over the stretch came via solo home runs. Since getting promoted to Eugene, Kempner has had a 36.6% strikeout rate and a palatable 9.8% walk rate. The stuff is now showing out, and he's now on track as one of the best relief pitchers in the system.
It is understandable that the Giants are cautious with Reggie Crawford's (Giants #5 prospect) workload. After four straight one-inning outings since his promotion to Eugene, the Giants have not started to trot out the two-way prospect to two-inning affairs while still maintaining a relatively strict 30-pitch limit. Crawford has only allowed an unearned run over his two outings this month while also striking out six. The stuff still looks good with his fastball still sitting in the mid-90s with a nasty slider and a developing changeup. He's also taken a bat for the first time in just under two months last Thursday and he struck out. The Giants will continue to be cautious with Crawford's workload on the mound though it is interesting to see what the plan for him as a hitter is, if there is one at all.
Trevor McDonald (Giants #39 prospect) has not had a clean bill of health this season with him only managing to have just one appearance on the mound for the Emeralds prior to his rehab assignment in the ACL this season. He joined the Emeralds once again at the beginning of the month and has looked good so far with 11 strikeouts in the same innings of work with three walks, all of it coming last Saturday, and an unearned run. McDonald clearly has top-30 prospect-level stuff but just needs to find a consistent playing time for him to return inside the top 30.
Other pitchers of note: It was a slow start for Daniel Blair, but the NDFA signee has pitched four straight scoreless starts (though has allowed an unearned run) with 21 strikeouts, six walks, and just five hits in 16.2 innings of work. He induced 15 swinging strikes against Tri-City on August 1st and has looked good since with a career-high 17 swinging strikes against Everett last Sunday. He's looked really good where his fastball can touch 96 mph alongside a low-80s sweeper and a mid-to-high-80s cutter.
For the second straight season, Hunter Dula has been one of the best relievers on his team. Dula has a 2.57 ERA with 50 strikeouts to just 16 walks in 42 innings pitched this season. There will be occasions where he will have a flare-up, but the 18th-rounder in the 2021 draft from Wingate has looked much better than players drafted a day or two earlier than him. Nick Sinacola has looked good this month with 11 strikeouts and just one earned run in 9.2 innings of one-run ball. He's looked much better on the road with a 2.70 ERA compared to when he's pitched at PK Park with a 6.38 ERA. Hayden Wynja has been a strikeout machine over his past three outings with a 31.6% strikeout rate where his slider looked great, but he's been very hittable with a 4.73 ERA.
On the other hand, it was a season to forget for both Eric Silva (Giants #19 prospect) and Matt Mikulski. Silva threw just his second scoreless outing of the season on July 27th against Spokane but has looked rough in his two outings this month with nine earned runs in 7.2 innings while only striking out six. Silva's stuff has looked lifeless and the control has been erratic for the most part this season. He's also been moved to the pen this week, so it's not a great sign.
The same goes for Mikulski though there are some positives over his last 14 outings before his five-run stinker last Wednesday. Over his last 14 outings from the middle of June to the first week of August, Mikulski struck out 22 batters in 16.2 innings pitched alongside a 4.32 ERA but has walked 21 batters and only threw 53% of his pitches for strikes.
SF Giants Single-A affiliate: San Jose Giants
Hitters
Let's talk about the surge P.J. Hilson is on right now. Hilson has struggled badly for most of the first three months that he's been in San Jose with a .221 batting average. He was still flashing his big tools. He also has solid peripherals with a 17.4% strikeout rate and a 4.7% walk rate, but he was just not making consistent hard contact in general.
When the calendar flipped to August, it was like a switch was flicked. The outfielder exploded with 17 hits this month including two doubles, a triple, and six home runs resulting in a 1.490 OPS. Always a tinkerer at the batter's box, Hilson has changed his batting stance on different occasions this season with the hopes of finding something that works. With an open crouch set-up with his bat perpendicular to the bat when he waggles it, Hilson has found his groove. It's going to be interesting if he can hold this form until the end of the season. It might be the spark that Hilson needs to surge up the organization's depth chart given his tools.
Diego Velasquez (Giants #25 prospect) has also played out of his mind for most of the season, but he's actually got even better as the season rolls along. He has a .378 batting average in the month of August, and if we extend his surge over the past 27 games, he's batting .389 with 12 doubles, a triple, two homers, a 14.8% strikeout rate, and an 8.9% walk rate over that span. He's shown that he is a legitimate hitter on both sides of the ball (.317 average as a lefty batter, .333 as a righty) and that he can play middle infield at a solid rate. He's still limited power-wise and is a likely second baseman, but there's no denying that Velasquez is a clear top-30 prospect this season.
Another prospect who played out of his mind lately has been Turner Hill. A mid-season signee from Marietta College, Hill has been the sparkplug that the San Jose team needed when the front office promoted Carter Howell up to Eugene. Over the past 18 games, Hill has an astonishing .431 batting average with six doubles, two triples, and 10 stolen bases. He's had six games with at least three hits over that stretch highlighted by a 5-6 performance on August 2nd. Hill might be old for the level, but he's been performing as the catalyst for the team.
Other prospects of note: Let's now talk about the 2023 draftees in action. The best performer has been seventh-rounder Scott Bandura who already posted eight hits this week with a double, his first San Jose home run, and a couple of stolen bases. My first impression of him after watching a couple of games is that his athleticism stands out on both sides of the ball. In the batter's box, he has great flexibility and torque. The way he leans back on his torso is impressive, though the swing can get long as a result. Still, this is a great athlete that can turn into one of the steals of the draft if he can gain more physicality in his frame while retaining the twitch and flexibility that he has.
Third-rounder Cole Foster absolutely demolished Rookie ball pitching before hitting a wall in his first taste of full-season ball, already striking out 10 times in his first four games including a couple of golden sombreros. He nonetheless hit his first home as a San Jose Giant last Sunday, and he's also served as the team's starting shortstop. Foster has learned to make more contact this year at Auburn, but we're still yet to see the Foster that we saw in the backfields earlier this year. There's a chance that it will come sooner rather than later.
For all the talk about Bandura and Foster, it was Luke Shliger who made the team first, skipping Rookie ball entirely to compliment Onil Perez as a lefty-hitting catcher. While he has not broken any records so far, he's been doing what the Giants saw in him made him their sixth-round selection with seven hits and four walks compared to just one strikeout. It's the tantalizing combination of contact, patience, strike-zone control, and the rare profile of a lefty-hitting catcher that makes Shliger a borderline top-30 prospect at the end of the season.
Pitchers
One of the most pleasant developments over the past month has been the improvement in Tyler Vogel's performance this season. He's been nails in his last seven outings with a 1.65 ERA, a 39.4% strikeout rate, a 10.6% walk rate, and holding batters to just a .186 batting average. Vogel's control can be inconsistent with his control but he has three legitimate pitches that are at least average or better. There is a chance that the 12th-rounder from last year's draft is a deep sleeper candidate in the coming years like Hunter Dula.
Mikell Manzano has missed much of the 2023 season presumably due to injury and has only returned to action last month in the Complex League. He's now back in San Jose and pitched his first outing for the lil' Gigantes last Wednesday with four scoreless innings of four-hit ball with one walk and no strikeouts. Manzano will never be a high-strikeout guy due to his rather modest stuff, but his good control and pitchability shall make him a valuable organizational piece in the next couple of years.
Another pitcher who returned to the team is Seth Corry. It's been an arduous journey for the left-hander as he started his 2023 season in the Papago backfields before making his way back to full-season ball in San Jose before July started but only appeared in just three outings before getting shelved once again and has just returned last week. The stuff is still there with his low-90s sinker, changeup, and curveball flashing promise but the control has been as inconsistent as they have been for the past couple of seasons.
Other pitchers of note: Cameron Cotter looked sharp recently out of the Giants bullpen, often pitching late in games with five straight scoreless outings with 10 strikeouts to just one walk in nine innings pitched. Signed by the Giants before the ACL season started, Cotter has a diverse arsenal with a fastball that can touch 95 mph, a slider, a splitter, and a cutter. Esmerlin Vincio has also looked good over the past month with a 2.93 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 15.1 innings pitched. There might not be much ceiling for the lanky lefty without a big velo jump, but his curveball is still one of the prettiest in the organization.
SF Giants Rookie affiliate: ACL and DSL Giants Orange and Black
There is not much DSL-related stuff recently other than Rayner Arias (Giants #6 prospect) potentially missing the rest of the 2023 season with a wrist sprain. It did look a lot worse than what the prognosis said and it is a great sign that we will potentially get a fully-healthy Arias at Instructs.
Hitters
It's not a recap without talking about this year's first-round pick Bryce Eldridge. Here's the short-form version of what I think of him: the sky is the limit for him. After watching a good number of his at-bats, his height and the big strike zone that he has is clearly a weakness for him. There are instances where he can get badly fooled by a secondary pitch and chase out of the zone, particularly down and in. Fortunately, Eldridge is already showing patience at the batter's box. He's laying off pitches that are way out of the strike zone and he can adjust on repeatedly located balls. There's also the easy lefty stroke where you would think that there's not much bat speed, but he's a great athlete, and I've seen him flick his wrists quickly on a thigh-high, inside fastball and shoot the ball up the middle.
With a hitter-ish swing, a developing approach at the batter's box, and an 80-grade power potential, Eldridge might be the most promising power hitter in the system outside of Marco Luciano (Giants #2 prospect). Originally thought of as a first-base limited defender, there have been reports from people on site that Eldridge's defense at right field can play. Oh, he's also a pitcher. We might not see him throw on the mound soon, mostly likely until Instructs, so let's enjoy the hitter version of Eldridge before we savor his pitcher version that also has big potential.
Outside of Bandura and Foster, another player who absolutely torched the Rookie league is 11th-rounder Jack Payton. Giants fans had to wait until the final hour for the Louisville catcher to sign with the organization, and he wasted no time proving that he was definitely a player worth targeting. In his last four games with the Orange team before being called up to San Jose, he was 8-16 with a double and a stolen base. He's a top-hand swinger with a short stroke and some rotational tendencies. He's got that "gamer" feel and he and Shliger will likely be a duo that we'll see over the next couple of years.
Other hitters of note: It only took just six games for 20th-rounder Nadir Lewis to make his mark as he hit for the cycle. He has a .308 batting average and a .934 OPS in nine games. Fifth-rounder Quinn McDaniel displayed surprising pop in his seventh game as a pro by hitting two home runs, but his bread-and-butter is his ability to draw walks at a high rate with 11 including seven in his past four games. The 12 strikeouts did raise my eyebrows though. Ninth-round Charlie Szykowny has nine hits including a double, a triple, and a home runs in 10 games this season. The lefty has a rhythmic swing and some raw power. Sam Houston State product and 16th-rounder Charlie Wishkoski also looked good with 10 hits including four doubles and a home run.
There is a trio of hitters who have played before the 2023 draft class arrived who deserve a spot in the San Jose squad before the ACL season ends. Javier Francisco has been really good since July 1st, leading both ACL Giants teams with five home runs, eight doubles, a .339 batting average, an 18.3% walk rate, and a 22% strikeout rate while playing solid defense all over the infield. Guillermo Williamson also deserves a bump with nine doubles, four home runs, a .293 average, and a 20.8% walk rate. Cesar Quintas has had a .337 average since July with six doubles, a home run, and a ridiculous nine hit by pitches.
On the other hand, Ryan Reckley has not had the bounce-back season that I expected him to take this season. Even though he's hit three home runs and a 21.3% walk rate since July 1st, he's hitting a putrid .132 with a 42.7% strikeout rate. There's definitely plenty of time to clean up his offensive woes, but it's definitely a struggle for him.
Pitchers
Second-round compensatory pick Joe Whitman took the mound for the first time as a pro last Saturday and struck out a batter in a clean inning of work. It's easy to see why the Giants' amateur scouts thought highly of Whitman. It's a lean frame that shall fill out quite nicely over the winter and shall help him gain a tick or two to his fastball. It sat in the low-90s but has hit 96 mph this year and can potentially bump up to 97-98 mph when he's fully matured to his frame. His slider looked absolutely wicked with spin rates above 2,700 rpm with late break inside righties. He also has a changeup that looked solid. I am excited about what he can do next season when he gets fully acclimated to the organization.
The biggest surprise on the pitching side might be eighth-rounder Josh Bostick. Bostick already has a great backstory but what matters now is the way that he pitches in a Giants uniform and he has not disappointed so far, striking out a third of the batters that he's faced. Bostick is a great athlete and even though the mechanics look relief-ish, he will likely be given a chance to start. However, if that does not work out, there is always the high-end relief potential with a fastball that will likely sit in the high-90s in one-inning bursts alongside a sharp slider.
Other pitchers of note: NDFA Trent Harris has been impressive to start his pro career with 15 strikeouts to just one walk in nine innings pitched. He throws from an over-the-top slot with a fastball that can touch 95-96 mph with a good curveball, a slider, and a splitter. Tommy Kane, the 19th-round selection this year, also looked good in the early going with a 1.69 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 10.2 innings of work. He has a low-90s sinker and a low-80s slider with good depth that he throws from a high 3/4 slot. Nick Herold pitched one of the best performances so far in any level this season with six one-run innings where he struck out 10 batters, walked just one, and only allowed three hits. The fastball only tops out at 92 mph but he has a funky delivery with a long arm action that gives him plenty of deception.
Alix Hernandez's fastball velocity might have dipped in his first pro season, but he's still managed to strike out 15 batters in his two starts this season. The fastball was topping out at 96 mph earlier this year, but it's been parking in the low-90s recently. His high-spin slider is still the carrying tool. If he can manage to hold his mid-90s velocity throughout a full season as a result of strength gains, he has bigtime potential.
Chen-Hsun Lee has yet to impress me with his first taste of pro-ball action in terms of his control. He is consistently overthrowing. However, the stuff has potential with his fastball already touching 95 mph, and both his slider and splitter flashed good potential when thrown properly. Hopefully, the SF Giants can hone in on Lee's control, most likely by toning down his leg kick for him to be more balanced on the mound.
