SF Giants prospects: 2023 Richmond Flying Squirrels season in review
The Richmond Flying Squirrels made the Eastern League playoffs for the second consecutive season but just like last season, the squad failed to win the title as they got beaten by the eventual champions Erie SeaWolves in the Divisional Round.
Even though the team was loaded with hitters that would eventually play in the big leagues at various points of the season as well as a pitching staff filled with top-30 talent, the squad went under .500 as they only finished fourth in the division, largely due to the struggles of the pitching staff. Things turned around in the second half as the pitching improved and solid offensive performance from mid-season additions helped propel the squad as they were the best in their division.
Richmond saw some impressive performances this season such as the pitching domination against Altoona last June and the squad hitting a franchise-record eight home runs to close the month of August just to name a couple. However, nothing is more important to the squad than the support from its fans, with an average attendance of just under 7,000 a game which led all 30 Double-A teams. The average attendance and the more than 425,000 fans that packed The Diamond throughout this season were the most since 2013.
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Richmond's most outstanding hitter: Jimmy Glowenke
Choosing Richmond's most outstanding hitter for the 2023 season was tough. It was difficult to choose because, quite honestly, the roster churn kept on pushing guys in and out of the team. As a result, most prospects who would've stayed in Richmond for longer in a more conventional setting got promoted a bit too quickly to accumulate impressive stats.
With that said, I am choosing Jimmy Glowenke as Richmond's most outstanding hitter. Glowenke started off slowly at Richmond when he joined the team in late May. In his first 80 plate appearances, Glowenke only mustered 11 hits, three of which were doubles and no home runs.
Glowenke finally settled in by July and became Richmond's most reliable hitter. From July onwards, Glowenke led the team in batting average (.284), on-base percentage (.388), OPS (.847), total hits (52), and doubles (11), while being second in slugging percentage (.459), and third in home runs (seven), RBIs (28), and walks (23). He also maintained a healthy 22.2% strikeout rate over that stretch which was in line with what we saw from him in Eugene and even when he struggled in his first month as a Flying Squirrel.
Glowenke looked closer to his college self than his earlier days as a pro in the second half of the season with Richmond. He's consistently made solid contact, showed good approach, and was a fine defender at second base. He was as reliable as any hitter that Richmond has seen throughout the year and that's why he is my choice.
Other notable hitters
The Flying Squirrels Opening Day lineup had a cast of names that eventually made the big leagues this year. Perhaps the biggest of the bunch was Patrick Bailey. Bailey's complete turnaround as a baseball player started in Richmond. Bailey did not exactly light the Eastern League on fire but a .333 batting average, a .881 OPS, a 145 wRC+, and most importantly, a return to a more contact-oriented approach was more than enough for Bailey to earn a quick promotion to Sacramento after just 14 games.
The same can be said for Tyler Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald earned the EL Player of the Month honors in the first month of the season after amassing an impressive .324 average, six doubles, three triples, two home runs, and three stolen bases that earned him a quick promotion to Sacramento before making it to the big leagues towards the final moments of the season.
Luis Matos took a bit more time to get out of Richmond (took him until the middle of May to do so) but he also played very well at the level. He's essentially made the adjustments that fans, scouts, and the coaches wanted to see from him with a .304 batting average, a.842 OPS, fine defense at center and right field, and most importantly, a 12.8% walk rate compared to just a 9% strikeout rate.
Wade Meckler also took a bit of time to get out of Richmond when he got promoted to the level, a part of it was due to injury, but he's also looked like the Meckler that we've seen from him throughout the season. Meckler's classic line included a .336 batting average, a .881 OPS, nearly a walk per strikeout, and a solid defense in the outfield though he's pulled the ball much more often compared to when he was with Eugene.
Last but certainly not least, Marco Luciano did not post the results that fans wanted to see from him, with a .228 average and a 30% strikeout rate. However, he's still flexed his .450 slugging with 11 homers, tied for second-most with the team this season. However, as reiterated time and time throughout the course of the season, Luciano was focusing more on improving his approach rather than putting up gaudy numbers, and his 15% walk rate was the result of it.
Power was not exactly the name of the game for Richmond this season, as Carter Aldrete led the way in the power department with a team-leading 21 doubles and 13 homers. However, Aldrete showed a similar level of performance as he did last season when he got promoted to the level as he struggled to make enough contact (.223 batting average and 26.4% strikeout rate).
Like Glowenke, Shane Matheny put up the stats in the second half of the season for Richmond as he played the most games with 64, scored the most runs with 38, drove in the most with 32, drew the most walks with 42, tied for the most stolen bases with eight, and was second in both home runs with 10 and on-base percentage with .356.
Victor Bericoto started off slowly after his promotion to Richmond but he showed why he was one of the better hitters in the farm system at the final moments of the season. From August until the end of the season, Bericoto led the team in the power categories by a pretty significant margin (doubles, home runs, SLG) and also total hits and RBIs while being second among qualified hitters in terms of batting average.
Andy Thomas was an interesting thought experiment throughout the season as a lefty bat who fits the mold that the Giants really like. He played behind the plate, was great at controlling the strike zone (12.5% walk rate and 24% strikeout rate), and showed some power as he was tied for second in both doubles and home runs. He's also a full-time catcher and that drives his value up.
In plenty of ways, Logan Wyatt and Thomas have similarities in terms of their offensive game as approach-first hitters who tapped their power this year. Wyatt was better than Thomas in terms for making more contact but Wyatt was an above-average hitter for Richmond with a .257 average, 11 doubles, nine home runs, and a solid 10.6% walk rate and 21.6% strikeout rate.
Rounding off the Richmond hitters are two outfielders who came with different levels of expectations and were fan favorites but injuries got in the way. Ismael Munguia only played 75 games for the Flying Squirrels this year due to injury but was a solid leadoff hitter for the squad this season with a .282 average, 14 doubles, six home runs, 16 stolen bases, and his trademark sparkplug nature on the field and in the dugout.
On the other hand, Vaun Brown came with the expectation of joining his buddies up to Sacramento or even in San Francisco this year but he began and finished the season on the shelf. Moreover, he struggled to make contact in Double-A when he was playing with a .221 average and more concerningly, a 37.5% strikeout rate.
Richmond's most outstanding pitcher: Carson Seymour
If choosing Richmond's most outstanding hitter is tough, choosing the most outstanding pitcher is quite the opposite. It is without a shadow of a doubt that Carson Seymour was the most outstanding pitcher who donned the Flying Squirrels jersey this year. Seymour led the Richmond pitching staff in innings pitched and strikeouts while being the only qualified pitcher to be inside the top 10 in ERA in the Eastern League with a 3.99.
Seymour was nowhere near the conversation in the first couple of months of the season. His velocity was down. His command looked off. His breaking balls did not have the same bite. He needed a couple of months to regain his strength, but when he did, he looked dominant.
Peak Seymour started to show up in July when he was dialing up the fastball to 97 mph once again and his power breaking balls had that same crisp look as last year. Sure, there were a couple of clunkers that helped inflate his ERA, but since the beginning of July, Seymour struck out 34.1% of the batters that he faced while only allowing a 9.2% walk rate. He's also held batters to a .237 average although opposing batters posted a .350 BABIP, which meant that Seymour experienced some bad luck and could have been even better.
The workload, the consistency that he showed, especially in the second half where he basically carried the rotation, and the quality of stuff make Seymour an interesting pitcher to watch. There is legitimate big-league stuff coming from his right arm and made batters look foolish plenty of times this season. That is the reason why he is the easy choice for Richmond's most outstanding pitcher.
Other notable pitchers
Aside from Seymour, Ryan Murphy emerged as the team's other reliable starting pitcher having made a team-leading 27 starts. Murphy had an up-and-down season with a 4.36 ERA and 107 strikeouts in as many innings. Murphy did finish the season strong with only two earned runs over his past five regular-season starts though he struggled with control for various stretches of the season. His fringy fastball velocity also led to him giving up a team-leading 15 home runs.
Mason Black did not have a great start to his season as he battled with his control after making a few tweaks to his pitching. After reverting to some of the tweaks that worked for him last year, Black was dominant, allowing only one earned run in his last six starts before his promotion to Sacramento.
Kai-Wei Teng actually arrived earlier than Black even though he's posted a statistically worse season. In 47.1 innings pitched, he's posted a 4.75 ERA which is only marginally better than last year's 5.22 ERA. However, last year's Eastern League strikeout king made significant improvements with his peripherals including improving his strikeout rate from 27% to 34%, his walk rate from 14% to 10%, his opponent's batting average from .236 to .221, and FIP from 4.54 to 3.40.
Landen Roupp looked great whenever he's on the bump with 42 strikeouts to just nine walks in 31 innings pitched alongside a 1.74 ERA and a .206 opponent batting average. The problem, however, is that he's struggled to stay healthy throughout this year. He's had trouble staying healthy as he only pitched in The Diamond in late April before being shut down at the end of the first half.
Heading to the relief corps, Wil Jensen was seen as the primary bulk innings guy and was quite effective at the role. In 89 innings of work, Jensen posted a 2.53 ERA and he struck out 93 batters. He's continued to serve as a solid organizational piece even though the stuff is average across the board.
Evan Gates appeared in the most games out of the Richmond pitching staff this season with 42 appearances. While he was not quite as effective as he was last year, Gates was solid out of the Flying Squirrels bullpen with a 4.39 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 55.1 innings. The big issue for Gates is the 30 walks that he gave up, resulting in a 1.70 WHIP.
There were four lefties who pitched in Richmond early this season and earned their mid-season promotions. Juan Sanchez also enjoyed a nice season with Richmond with a 2.38 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 49 innings of work. The lefty is not entirely known for his stuff but the smooth-slinging reliever is known for having three solid pitches and solid control. Erik Miller only spent minimal time with Richmond because it was evident that his stuff was way too good for the level. The flame-throwing lefty only allowed just one run in 10.1 innings of work while striking out 15 batters and only walking four batters.
Nick Swiney had the least potent stuff of the four but was moved about the same time as Miller with 18 strikeouts and a 1.15 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched. Raymond Burgos arrived much later but had as good of a change as Swiney but had a better fastball velocity. Burgos struck out 37 batters in as many innings while only walking 15 batters paired with a 2.17 ERA.
Randy Rodriguez had quite a roller-coaster season where he's seen his velocity fluctuate throughout the season but still posted a solid year with Richmond. Used exclusively out of the pen this year, Rodriguez posted a 2.97 ERA and struck out 40 batters in 30.1 innings. Control still plagued Rodriguez for much of the season as he walked 18 batters though the stuff still looked big-league caliber.
Mat Olsen's surface-level stats indicate that he had a terrible stint with the Flying Squirrels with a 8.53 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP. However, there is massive bounce-back potential in 2024 with a 31% strikeout rate and an impressive 4.5% walk rate alongside a 3.28 FIP. Also, hitters also posted a .337 batting average and a .472 BABIP so there's a clear likelihood of improvement.
In terms of the mid-season arrivals, the performance of Carson Whisenhunt dipped a bit when he arrived in Richmond after a dominant stint in the low-Minors. The control looked worse and the fastball velocity dipped a tick, but he still posted a 3.20 ERA and struck out 27 batters in 19.2 innings.
Like what he did with Eugene, John Michael Bertrand continued to be a reliable presence in the Richmond rotation with 11 starts. His numbers might not look great with a 4.67 ERA and just 39 strikeouts in 52 innings, but he's looked better than what his stats indicate at times.
Hayden Birdsong struggled a bit when he reached Double-A, particularly in terms of locating his stuff with 13 walks in 23 innings. However, he's proven that his pure stuff played in the level with 33 strikeouts. He's also continued to pump his fastball up to 97 mph even after exceeding 100 innings for the season, a testament to his great physical shape.
Tyler Myrick proved in both Eugene and Richmond that he could be a potential back-end option with ice in his veins. The righty was effective whenever he got the call with a 1.44 ERA and a perfect 6-6 in save opportunities. The strikeout stuff that he showed in Eugene did not carry over in Richmond with only 21 strikeouts in 25 innings but the solid control did with only nine walks.
To finish off, let's talk about a couple of relievers who also pitched at the level at the mid-season mark. Both Jose Cruz and Ben Madison showed the ability to strike batters out at a high rate with Cruz striking out 39 batters in 25.2 innings while Madison struck out 43 in 31.2 innings. However, harnessing their stuff against a higher level of hitting proved to be difficult as Cruz and Madison walked 31 and 30 batters, respectively. Hopefully, the control that they've shown in Eugene can show up once more next season.
