SF Giants prospects: 2023 Eugene Emeralds season in review
After two consecutive Northwest League championships, the Eugene Emeralds (SF Giants High-A affiliate) were unable to repeat. In fact, they failed to reach the postseason. The Emeralds finished second to Vancouver in the first half and was third in the second half, eight games behind first-place Everett. Nevertheless, that does not mean that the Giants did not have several impressive prospects stand out.
In terms of blue-chip talent, this year's Emeralds did not have the same quality, unlike the previous two seasons. However, there were still plenty of great moments over the course of the season, with the high point being the team's first no-hitter since being a part of the Giants organization.
There was also great stuff that the Emeralds marketing department had in store for this season, like the Exploding Whales jerseys and its backstory. I thought that it was a great uniform design and concept in general though the Monarcas were still awesome. On the other hand, the team is continuing to try and find funding for a new stadium to keep them from having to use the University of Oregon's facilities.
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Eugene's most outstanding hitters: Victor Bericoto and Wade Meckler
There is one prospect that initially came into my mind when choosing the most outstanding hitter on this year's Eugene Emeralds: Victor Bericoto. I thought Bericoto was one of the more intriguing hitters in the Giants farm system with big breakout potential last offseason, and he lived up to that this season.
Bericoto played 71 games donning the Emeralds uniform, hitting for contact with a .296 average paired with a 19.4% strikeout rate, a solid enough approach with a 9.4% walk rate, and plenty of power (16 home runs, .533 slugging, and .237 ISO). Bericoto actually started the season slow, with just 10 hits in his first 47 at-bats, but he heated up with the weather in the Pacific Northwest and hit .314 with a .918 OPS over his final 58 games before he was called up to Double-A.
Bericoto emerged as one of the better-hitting prospects in the organization as a result of his all-around hitting performance in Eugene. There is definitely more work to be done in order for him to truly emerge as an MLB-caliber talent, but the ingredients are there to be one.
At first, I planned on only noting one hitter, but it would feel like a disservice to not have Meckler here. Sure, it was only 20 games, but those 20 games that Meckler played were far too memorable to pass up.
The Oregon State product started the season white hot and never really let up outside of his brief (seemingly preemptive) big-league stint.
It's time to look back once more at Meckler's ridiculousness in the Northwest League. Meckler's batting average was a ridiculous .456. Meckler recorded multiple hits in twice as many games as he finished hitless. Oh, his strikeout rate was only 10.3% as well.
You could absolutely call Meckler the Professor at the batter's box as he just plain toyed with High-A pitching that was still unable to paint the corners with their secondary pitches. His feel for the strike zone is tremendous, and his approach was simply head and shoulders above the rest. Everything that Meckler did this year started with a bang at Eugene.
Other notable hitters
Grant McCray came with massive expectations as he looked to repeat his magical 2022 season in Eugene. However, I felt that McCray had a so-so season where his high-risk, high-reward profile was highlighted more than ever. McCray flashed the tools that he had with 26 doubles, six triples, 14 homers, and 52 steals, but only a .255 batting average and, more importantly, a 29.3% strikeout rate.
Another prospect that came with massive expectations was Aeverson Arteaga. The primary shortstop for the Emeralds this season, Arteaga posted only a .235 batting average as a result of a putrid first half where he only hit .209, but he did much better in the second half as he hit .275 alongside a .802 OPS. He did show his power stroke with a team-leading 17 homers, though his 24.2% strikeout rate leaves some room for improvement.
Adrian Sugastey did not have as many lofty expectations as McCray and Arteaga did coming into the season, but the Panamanian backstop was worth watching as well. Sugastey had an exceptional month of May and July though his season was cut short due to an injury. There is still not much power in his swing, with just four home runs, but he's proven that the contact ability is legit with a .298 average with a 14% strikeout rate and he was voted the best defensive catcher in the Northwest League.
One of the more unheralded prospects who had a good season in Eugene is Damon Dues. The infielder was never known for his power, but he put his good speed to use as he hit 15 doubles and stole 25 bases. He's also shown a good approach at the batter's box with a 14.4% walk rate to go along with his .290 batting average.
There are three Ems hitters that could be put in the same basket: Luis Toribio, Jared Dupere, and Ghordy Santos. Each put up strong power-hitting seasons. Toribio blasted 17 home runs, while both Dupere and Santos hit a dozen long balls. However, all three have massive strikeout issues, with both Dupere and Santos having a strikeout rate north of 35%, while Toribio posted a more palatable 27.2% rate. Also, all three have lingering questions on defense, though Santos flashed more defensive versatility in the past.
Both Logan Wyatt and Jimmy Glowenke enjoyed a resurgence this season, and it started at High-A Eugene. Long criticized for his inability to tap into his raw power, Wyatt proved that he could tap into his power by posting a career-high .171 ISO with eight home runs and nine doubles, a respectable 22.7% strikeout rate, and a 14.4% walk rate. On the other hand, Glowenke wanted that Richmond spot by starting the season on fire with a .313 batting average with 10 doubles and three homers in just 26 games.
Carter Howell was tasked to fill up the Meckler-sized hole in the outfield when the latter was called up to Double-A. Coming off a strong start in San Jose, Howell held his own in a tougher environment. Howell's .270 batting average looked better when paired with his peripherals (10.7% walk rate and 19.8% strikeout rate) though he only had a .762 OPS because of the lack of power in his game.
When Sugastey suffered an injury in the second half of the season, the Emeralds trotted out the duo of Zach Morgan and Onil Perez to fill the void. Morgan was brought to the fold earlier than Perez and he did well with a .292 average. Perez came a little bit later but also did well with a .289 average. It looks like both will continue to have a timeshare in Eugene next season.
A couple of rehabbing prospects also made quite an impression when they played with the Emeralds this year. Sean Roby came to Eugene in the middle of July for his month-long rehab stint and was spectacular in his 22 games there, hitting nine doubles and eight homers. Brett Auerbach is not really doing a rehab stint per se, but he's trying to rehab his prospect value after a disappointing stint in Richmond earlier in the year. He did make another play of the year candidate behind the dish, but his bat (.229 average and 29% strikeout rate) put doubts about his ability to play at the next level.
Eugene's most outstanding pitcher: Carson Whisenhunt
Whisenhunt was flashing his potential but was not exactly dominant during his stay in San Jose. But when he stepped foot in the Northwest League after a dominant start against Fresno, that's when the Big Whiz really put the pedal to the metal.
The talented lefty made High-A hitters look like Rookie ball hitters with his cartoonish numbers. Whisenhunt posted a 1.42 ERA, a .107 opponent batting average, a .369 opponent OPS, a 38.3% strikeout rate, and a 0.67 WHIP. Whisenhunt only had one so-so outing, a three-inning effort against Everett where he allowed three earned runs. In his other 22.1 innings of work, he only allowed just one run.
Folks were still slightly skeptical of Whisenhunt's uptick in velocity when he was pitching in the California League last year. After he smothered the Northwest League, though, he proved that his improvements were real. He was blowing by hitters with his fastball that topped out at 97 mph, his changeup was still the plus-plus pitch that it ever has been, the curveball has seen improvements in terms of his conviction with the pitch, and he was peppering the edge of the zone often.
It was only one month, but Whisenhunt's May performance earned him the Northwest League Pitcher of the Month and left a lasting memory among plenty of folks all over.
Other notable pitchers
It was clear that Carson Ragsdale was the best pitcher in the Emeralds staff in the early months of the season once Whisenhunt was promoted. Ragsdale flashed the combination of great stuff with a 37.8% strikeout rate thanks to his low-to-mid-90s fastball and a knee-buckling curveball while also having a great feel for the zone with only a 5.4% walk rate. Unfortunately, he was shut down due to injury at the end of May.
Even though the team's starting pitchers were a disappointment early in the season, the relief corps was spectacular. Jose Cruz struck out 38.4% of the batters he faced while posting a 1.45 ERA thanks to his sinker-changeup combo. Tyler Myrick flashed the makings of a legitimate back-end bullpen option with a 1.04 ERA and a perfect 9-9 in save opportunities. Myrick flashed great control of his fastball-slider combo. Hunter Dula also pitched in save situations, earning eight saves in 10 opportunities while having a 3.14 ERA and a 27.3% strikeout rate. Mat Olsen also looked good with a 3.41 ERA and a 36.3% strikeout rate across 27 appearances. Nick Morreale also looked decent with a 4.36 ERA and a 26.4% strikeout rate alongside a 6.7% walk rate.
There is no reliever who boosted his stock in an Emeralds uniform more than Ben Madison. The hard-throwing right-hander was as nasty as they come in the Northwest League while he's there with a 40.8% strikeout rate and a 2.79 ERA. His premium stuff consists of a high-90s fastball and a slider with good depth that can be hard to control at times, as shown by his 13.2% walk rate, but the stuff is undeniably MLB quality.
Among all pitchers who threw at least 20 innings for the Ems this year, Trevor McDonald posted the lowest ERA at just 0.96. The right-hander was hurt on two separate occasions this season, but when he finally looked fully healthy in August, he never looked back and earned the NWL Pitcher of the Month. McDonald's fastball still topped out at 96-97 mph with a sharp slider and a solid curveball.
Talking about the rest of the Ems rotation, John Michael Bertrand was a reliable option. The lefty posted a 2.92 ERA in 49.1 innings. In terms of pure bulk and production, Nick Sinacola led the way with 88.1 innings, just 0.2 innings shy of Seth Lonsway's 89 innings, while leading the entire staff with 100 strikeouts. Sinacola's 4.58 ERA was a result of a number of clunkers, but when he's on, particularly the fastball to go along with his slider and splitter, he's looked as good as any pitcher in the Giants system.
Speaking of Lonsway, he's looked rough in a starter's role with a 6.93 ERA but fared much better when he pitched in a multi-inning relief role with a 3.54 ERA. The sinker control looked rough at times but he's looked better based on the games that I've watched. His curveball is still as snappy as ever. He's been stingy when he's gone ahead in the count and when runners are in scoring position, so a high-leverage relief role might be best suited for him.
For the 2022 pitching class that arrived later at the midseason mark, it was William Kempner who arrived first and has looked impressive exclusively out of the pen. With a 2.91 ERA and a 32.6% strikeout rate alongside a 9% walk rate, the sidewinding flamethrower could move quickly. Hayden Birdsong started off a bit slow but was absolutely dominant once he settled in, with a 1.55 ERA and a whopping 40 strikeouts to just five walks in his final 29 innings with Eugene. Jack Choate flashed more consistency than Birdsong in the early going with a 2.14 ERA though his reliance on deception rather than pure stuff caught up to him a bit with only 20 strikeouts in 21 innings prior to getting injured. Daniel Blair had a 16.2 consecutive innings scoreless streak with 21 strikeouts sandwiched between his paltry outings that resulted in his rather disappointing 5.58 ERA.
There were a couple of disappointments in the Emeralds staff this year. Eric Silva was poised to take the next step in his development but took several steps back, particularly with his control, which resulted in him pitching his final outings out of the bullpen and ending the year with a 5.92 ERA. Matt Mikulski continued to flounder as a pro with a 6.75 ERA while flashing stuff and control that looked nowhere near his college self which earned him a second-round selection a couple of years ago.
