SF Giants prospects weekly recap: Luis Matos and Grant McCray star in debuts
Welcome to the weekly SF Giants prospect recap, where we take a look at the organization's prospects and minor leaguers who stood out. It is the second series of the season for Sacramento while it was Opening Day for the remaining full-season minor league affiliates in the Giants farm system. I'm here to give you my first impressions on the Giants prospects.
Before reading, be sure to check out our top 42 prospects ranking to get acclimated to players throughout the system.
SF Giants DH Casey Schmitt at bat against the Texas Rangers during a Spring Training game. (2023)
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SF Giants Triple-A affiliate: Sacramento River Cats
Hitters
Brett Wisely (Giants #22 prospect) stood out to me as one of the better hitters in the River Cats team after their series against El Paso. He is exhibiting several aspects of his game at a high level that the Giants liked about him when they traded for him from Tampa Bay. He puts good wood on the ball often with seven hits, three of which have been doubles, and a couple of outs with an exit velocity greater than 100 mph. He has also exhibited a strong approach at the plate, drawing six walks while only striking out seven times. He's also displayed his defensive versatility by playing second base, shortstop, and center field throughout the series though he looks stretched when he played short. He has also stolen a couple of bases. I was not keen on Wisely when he was acquired but he left a solid first impression on me after watching him in the series.
This is your weekly Casey Schmitt (Giants #3 prospect) update. Like Wisely, Schmitt has also garnered seven hits, three of which have been doubles, and struck out seven times. However, he has not gained any favors in the Giants' decision-makers by still having zero walks in 37 plate appearances. Even though Schmitt still has not drawn a single walk, he flashed the ability to work the count and is hunting for pitches to drive early in at bats. He's split his time in the dirt at both shortstop and third base and has had a clean performance at the premium position so far.
Will Wilson (Just missed the list) hit his first home run of the 2023 season against El Paso but has been pressing a bit at the plate in the early going, with six strikeouts in the El Paso series where five came over the final two games. Overall, he's already struck out 11 times in 33 plate appearances. He's seen time at third base, shortstop, and second base so far this year but I still see him playing his best defense at second base. His routine throws from shortstop have bounced more times than I'd like to see.
Pitchers
It was understandably Kyle Harrison (Giants #1 prospect) week as the left-hander pitched in the home opener and in the final game of the series against El Paso. He threw two shutout innings before he walked a couple of batters in the third inning and was pulled from the game in his debut. One of those runners scored, leaving a blemish on his final line. He struck out four across 2+ innings while allowing four walks and a hit.
He did not fare any better in his second start as he did not get out of the first inning. He threw 10 straight balls to start the outing and was pulled after just 0.2 innings having allowed four walks and three runs. For much of his two outings, the root of his struggles lie in the failure to establish his pitches early in the count with the automated ball-strike system. The minor leagues aren't supposed to be easy, and at Triple-A, Harrison may be finally facing his first significant challenge.
There are a couple of changes that I have noticed with his Statcast profile in his two starts compared to his Futures Game appearance last year. His fastball still sat in the 94-96 mph range but it looked improved in terms of its movement profile, with less sink and more run allowing it to play even better at the top of the zone. His slider has seen changes as well, retaining the depth he had on his pitch but with much less sweep with the hopes of making the pitch look more tantalizing for hitters to chase. His changeup also looked more consistent movement-wise. The changes culminate with a slightly higher release height, around a couple of inches, this year.
I'm pretty surprised to see Keaton Winn (Giants #18 prospect) start the season at Sacramento after just six Double-A starts in 2022. He served as Harrison's piggyback this week and suffered much of the same fate as the left-hander in terms of strike-throwing. However, his pitch data showed why the Giants believe in the righty. He has a four-seamer that topped out at 99 mph alongside a sinker, splitter, and slider. The sinker is highly interesting since it can mesh itself well between the four-seamer and split. Granted, the pitch categorization systems can be finicky, particularly early in the season, I noticed a couple of splitters categorized as sinkers. The biggest challenge for Winn will be maintaining velocity over the course of his outing. His fastball was down to the low-90s by the end of his final inning of work in both of his starts. He surrendered seven earned runs on ten hits and six walks across three innings pitched with three strikeouts in his first two outings this year.
White Sox's Rule 5 draft pick Nick Avila was returned to the Giants and pitched with Sacramento three times this week. His first outing was focused more on his fastball variety (high-80s cutter, low to mid-90s sinker, and four-seamer) while he opened up his repertoire in his second and third outings, flashing his 79-80 mph curveball and 85 mph slider. Avila struck out two batters, walked three, and gave up two earned runs this week. He is one of the top relief-pitching prospects to follow this season given his track record and his proximity to the big leagues.
SF Giants prospect Luis Matos running the bases during the Arizona Fall League. (2022)
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
SF Giants Double-A affiliate: Richmond Flying Squirrels
Hitters
The biggest headliner this week for the Flying Squirrels' hitting has been Luis Matos (Giants #4 prospect) with a 3-4 performance in the first game of the season where he also hit his first home run of the year. For comparison, it took him until June 7 last season to hit his first home run. The biggest standout though is his much-improved approach at the box with a two-walk performance in the second game. Even though he struck out two times in his third game, there is clearly a game plan at the plate as he laid off good pitches and tried to work the count if he does not find a pitch in the middle of the plate early in the count. If this new approach continues, we will definitely see a Matos resurgence in 2023.
Another Richmond hitter who is off to a stellar start is 2019 first-round pick Patrick Bailey (Giants #21 prospect) who already has two doubles with a 1.214 OPS in three games. He said coming into the season that he wants to become more hitter-ish after becoming a homer-happy hitter last year. He is getting the results that we want to see from him so far with the extra-base hits while sprinkling in his strong ability to work the count. Let's see if Bailey can sustain the level of quality with his at-bats as the season progress.
Other hitters of note: Ismael Munguia (Just missed the list) looked solid in the early going with three singles, two walks, and two strikeouts in the first series of the year. The energy is back and it is contagious. Tyler Fitzgerald (Giants #20 prospect) also looked strong with four hits in eight at-bats including a double with two walks and a stolen base. Brett Auerbach is clearly being tested right now as the starting third baseman with two errors already but otherwise has looked good offensively with three hits and a stolen base.
Pitchers
Carson Seymour (Giants #13 prospect) took the ball to start the first game of the season and looked solid in general across his four innings of work with one run allowed, two walks, and three strikeouts. His low-90s sinker looked average but his mid-80s slider had good depth and threw he mixed in a loopy curveball as well. We will likely see his cutter and changeup be featured more as the season rolls along.
Ryan Murphy (Giants #23 prospect) piggybacked Seymour and even though he only pitched two innings, it was two stressful innings as he threw 47 pitches. He struck out five Reading hitters though in a two-hit scoreless outing with just one walk allowed. The main takeaway is that Murphy looked like his 2021 self, at least in terms of stuff, in his first pitching appearance with his low-90s fastball looking crisp, his slider had good depth. Now he needs to refine his command back to its 2021 levels.
The best pitching performance of the young season in the Giants farm system belonged to Nick Zwack's (Giants #30 prospect) four one-hit innings with nine strikeouts. Zwack's command was on point as he avoided the heart of the zone for most of his outing. The quality of his stuff was also on point as well as he generated 15 whiffs with his fastball-cutter-slider combo. His control waned a bit when he was acquired by the Giants in the Darin Ruf trade, but he looked like the Zwack that dominated the lower minors when he was still with the Mets.
Mason Black (Giants #8 prospect) looked good outside of a home run that he allowed in the first. There are two striking adjustments that I've seen from Black. The first is he's added a bit more crossfire to his motion which in theory should help his east-west approach with his sinker-sweeper combo, though, the two-run homer that he gave up was from a hanging sweeper. The second adjustment is the addition of a pitch that looked like a splitter. It looked solid with a higher potential as it flashed good depth and running action. Having a third pitch is crucial for Black to continue his path as a starting pitcher.
Capping off the Richmond pitching is Nick Swiney (Giants #40 prospect) who twirled three scoreless innings of one-hit ball with three strikeouts. He was vintage Swiney as he junk-balled his way through the Reading lineup with his changeup and curveball in full spotlight. Swiney's biggest issue last year is his inconsistency but we saw the best of Swiney last night. Hopefully, we'll see a positive trend in terms of consistent control throughout the 2023 season.
SF Giants High-A affiliate: Eugene Emeralds
Hitters
Grant McCray (Giants #5 prospect) is already showing off his power-speed combo, finishing a homer short of the cycle in the season's first game and hitting a double in the second game. The speed was also on display when he legged out a bunt single, stole his first base of the season, and covered plenty of ground in the outfield. He has already struck out three times and that is the biggest aspect of his game that he needs to improve but so far, so good for the athletic outfielder.
Another hitter who looks great this week has been Wade Meckler (Giants #39 prospect), one of the best stories in the organization, with five hits including a double, two walks, and just two strikeouts. The only player in the Giants 2022 draft class to start the year at High-A, he featured great barrel control and even though there is not much impact, he put the ball where the defenders are not around. The ceiling is low but there is such a high floor that it's not hard to think that he will find a way to the big leagues.
Luis Toribio had a great start to his 2023 season with already two hits, one of which was a two-bagger, and two walks with just one strikeout. He displayed his patience at the box, and he looks to be in great shape. He's also the primary third baseman and he looked good in his fundamentals in the two times that he was tested on defense. Toribio might have felt disappointed when he did not get the call to Richmond at the start of the year, but he will get to the East Coast sooner than later if he keeps performing like that.
Another prospect who returned to Eugene is Jimmy Glowenke, who posted a 3-3 performance in his only game this week where he also hit his first home run of the season. He is off to a good start and should follow Toribio to Richmond if he keeps up this level of performance.
Pitchers
Carson Ragsdale received the Opening Day nod for the Emeralds and he looked solid across four innings of work with four strikeouts, three walks, and only an earned run allowed. The most important takeaway from Ragsdale is he looked fully healthy after undergoing thoracic outlet surgery last year. His fastball topped out at 96 mph while his curveball still has the depth and the bite. He will be soaring back up the rankings if he can stay healthy.
The bullpen that followed Ragsdale also looked solid. Nick Sinacola pitched two scoreless innings with two strikeouts where his signature slider looked sharp though a lack of improvement with his velocity suggests that he might be a bullpen piece moving forward. Jose Cruz (Giants #27 prospect) also looked pretty dominant in his only inning of work. He threw eight of his nine pitches for strikes and sat down the hitters that he faced in order.
Eric Silva (Giants #11 prospect) started in the second game of the series and only looked average in his four-inning start. He only struck out one AquaSox hitter while allowing two walks and a home run. The camera angle at Everett is not the best in terms of watching pitch movements but Silva's arsenal and control looked solid in general. Let's see if there is more in the tank for Silva, or if this might be the norm moving forward. Remember, he's a 20-year-old at High-A so holding his own against much older competition is still a positive sign.
SF Giants Single-A affiliate. San Jose Giants
Hitters
Thomas Gavello was San Jose's best hitter in the first series of the season. He registered the first hit for the Giants this year and also made a solid barehanded throw at third base. Listed as a catcher, the 13th-round draft pick last year shall play multiple positions in the infield this season as they look to have his lefty bat in the lineup as much as possible. He's also drawn three walks as well which showcases his strong eye at the plate.
It seems like Zach Morgan and Onil Perez will have the lion's share of playing time at catcher with the two getting even opportunities in the crouch. A Fresno State alumn, Morgan has already shown his advanced approach at the batter's box as he already drew three walks without striking out. On the other hand, Perez has already displayed his sizable raw power as he hit the first home run for the San Jose squad this year. Both of their bats will be a crucial part of the Giants' lineup which looks pretty thin this year.
Another one of the crucial bats in the SJ lineup that needs to continue to hit is Diego Velasquez. The 19-year-old second baseman has already done good things in the batter's box with his ability to make contact with three hits in three games as well as his ability to work the count, as displayed with his three walks, one of which was a result of a ten-pitch battle. He still lacks the strength to put more impact on his contact ability but he looks to be a prospect that the Giants like.
Pitchers
Carson Whisenhunt (Giants #9 prospect) led the charge on Opening Day for San Jose, and he was impressive across three innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts. Let's talk about his bread and butter: the changeup. Out of the 10 changeups that he threw, eight batters swung at the pitch, and they missed six times (75% whiff rate). The only two swings that made contact resulted in low exit velocities. In the simplest terms, it's an amazing pitch.
On the other hand, the non-changeup elements do need work. Even though he showed good command of his low-90s fastball, Single-A hitters had no trouble putting it in play (10% whiff rate). His high-70s curveball flashed the pieces to be a solid pitch, but he has no ability to locate it at this time. Maybe a cutter would be a nice equalizer against lefties and righties looking for the changeup. There were lots of talk about his rapid ascension through the system, but until he can prove he can dominate with his non-changeup pitchers, he may need to refine his arsenal in the lower minors for longer than expected.
Following Whisenhunt was 2022 fifth-round pick Liam Simon (Giants #38 prospect) and he looked even more impressive than Whisenhunt in his piggyback role with four scoreless innings of work. Simon encountered a bit of a bump towards the end of his outing but was cruising for most of it. He heavily relied on his mid-90s fastball in his 2023 debut (73%). His control of it is still fringy, but it already looks significantly better than it did at Notre Dame. Opposing hitters recorded a 59% whiff rate against his heater. His mid-80s slider was his secondary pitch tonight which looked like an above-average pitch at best. There were a couple of changeups that I charted, but it was a clear third pitch for him. Simon's fastball control is already better than what he showed in college and if he finds consistency, he has top-10 prospect potential.
2022 sixth-rounder Hayden Birdsong also made his 2023 debut the day after and while he was not as sharp as both Whisenhunt and Simon, he still flashed his potential as all of the outs came via strikeout. His fastball topped out at 97 mph with some running action that induced a number of whiffs. His best pitch was a mid-80s slider with good depth and some sweep though he did not have a consistent feel for his high-70s curveball and his mid-80s changeup. I would love to see him improve his control moving forward but the present stuff is already promising.
The pitcher that left me the most intrigued was 2022 ninth-rounder Jack Choate, drafted out of Division-III Assumption College. The 6'6" lefty registered five strikeouts in 2.1 innings of work with 16 total whiffs. While the fastball velocity was only in the low-90s, Fresno hitters were often late because of Choate's crossfire delivery, which adds deception and gives his pitch a flat approach angle. His slider and changeup flashed solid potential, and he used both pitches against lefties and righties. He struggled a bit with his control but his deception gives him more room for error. It is still very early but Choate is already looking like the next potential "diamond in the rough" prospect for the Giants.
William Kempner (Giants #29 prospect) capped off the opening series with three scoreless innings in his first start of the year. His control was the worst out of the 2022 pitching class that has pitched so far with three walks allowed but his high-spin slider and his changeup had their moments with the former consistently flashing plus. The velocity is also there as he hit 96 mph on the radar gun. Kempner needs to improve his fastball control moving forward to fully tap his ceiling as a strikeout-generating machine.
One of the more pleasant pitching performances this week came from Dylan Cumming as he pitched four scoreless innings of relief to earn the save for San Jose's first win of the 2023 season. Signed as an NDFA by the Giants last winter, this is Cumming's professional debut, and the Tread Athletics athlete flashed a nasty low-80s slider with plenty of sweep that he generated three strikeouts. His low-90s sinker is fringy but his slider will keep him an interesting prospect to follow.
