Giants Have Young Prospect Stashed with Potentially Elite Hit Tool

The San Francisco Giants are keeping an eye on a fourth-year prospect who has all the makings of a great Major League hitter.

A San Francisco Giants hat and glove sits on the bench of a dugout. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants have some elite hitters at the Major League level. Rafael Devers. Willy Adames. Matt Champman. They were all struggling prospects at some point.

But, after putting those struggles behind them, each impressed their respective teams, got to the Majors and carved out long careers. If the Giants want to contend for the playoffs this year, those three players will be a big part of it.

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Down the line, the Giants will need hitters that can take their place. Many of them are in the farm system. Some have power. Some have a great eye. Some can run like the wind. San Francisco has a player that Baseball America (subscription required) believes could be the franchise’s future leadoff hitter — and the site believes he could be in for a breakout in 2026.

Giants Prospect Carlos Gutierrez

Oracle Park on Opening Day, the home of the San Francisco Giants. | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Carlos Gutierrez signed with the Giants as an international prospect in January of 2023. He started his career like most international prospects in the Dominican Summer League, followed by a move stateside in 2024 with the Arizona Complex League Giants and in 2025 with Class-A San Jose. He’s made progress, but he hasn’t played much.

Injuries have kept him off the field for most of his career. He’s played just 85 games, but 60 of them were with San Jose last season. But his numbers were spectacular, with a slash of .351/.445/.452 with two home runs and 30 RBI. It lines up with his career slash, even in the small sample size, which is .352/.443/.459 with three home runs and 40 RBI.

In addition to the high on-base percentage, he’s walked 49 times and struck out 47 times in his career, along with 38 stolen bases. Baseball America analyst Josh Norris broke down what Gutierrez does best at the plate.

“His hit tool is based around supreme bat control that allows him to manipulate the barrel to all sectors of the strike zone while rarely offering at pitches outside of it,” Norris wrote. “Just three of his hits were on pitches that would likely have been called balls.”

There is a reason why his hit tool grades at 60 on the 20-80 scale, the highest grade among his tools. He also grades 55 for running and fielding, along with 50 for his arm and 40 for his power. If the Giants are looking for a power-hitting leadoff man, it probably won’t be Gutierrez. But if San Francisco wants a contact hitter who makes pitchers work and avoid chase, the 21-year-old is shaping up to be a potential star.

Now, he must stay healthy. A great spring could put him on a path to High-A Eugene to start 2026.