San Francisco Giants Prospect is World Baseball Classic Qualifiers Player to Watch

The World Baseball Classic qualifiers are being held on February 21 and the San Francisco Giants have one intriguing prospect to keep an eye on.

Mar 13, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; A baseball fan of Nicaragua enjoys the game against Dominican Republic during the first round of the World Baseball Classic at LoanDepot Park. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The World Baseball Classic qualifying games begin February 21 in Taipei, Taiwan. Four teams will battle for two spots in the 2026 WBC. Elian Rayo is in the San Francisco Giants organization, and he is a player to watch during the qualifiers.

Rayo was an international signee during the 2019 signing period. At just 16 years old, the Giants gave Rayo $350,000 to join their organization, and quite honestly, San Francisco may have gotten a steal.

The now 21-year-old Nicaraguan has had a pretty good minor league career. He did not begin playing until two years after he was signed, but has done well considering his age. Last year, 2024, marked the first year that Rayo made it out of rookie ball in the organization. In 72 games with Single-A San Jose, Rayo slashed .243/.361/.395 with five home runs and 65 total hits. Even hitting only five home runs, Rayo's power is very real.

Rayo plays mainly third base, but he spent some time at first and second base during the 2024 season. At the hot corner this past year, Rayo had a low fielding percentage of .932. Clearly, the young talent has some work to do defensively, but he is someone to keep an eye on as he rises through the ranks.

Gaining ground through the ranks in the Giants organization will not be easy, though. San Francisco made some moves this offseason, and Buster Posey is looking to win as soon as possible. The infield of Matt Chapman, Willy Adames and Tyler Fitzgerald makes it very hard to get into the Big Leagues at the moment.

As for the minor leagues, the Giants have two third baseman in their top-30 prospects and eight total infielders. The path up the organization to the Major Leagues is certainly going to be challenging for the young man.

Nicaragua was a great story heading into the 2023 World Baseball Classic. However, their play was disappointing when they scored only four runs in four games while batting .192 as a team. After going 0-4 in pool play, Nicaragua is now forced to participate in the qualifying games.

Rayo was just 19 years old at the time the 2023 WBC happened and Nicaragua did not have the infielder as a part of their squad. However, the Central American country saw value and added him to the roster for this round of games and they are hoping he can make a big difference on the offense.

Rayo will make his Nicaragua team debut at 11:00 p.m. ET on February 21 against South Africa. He may not be the biggest name out there, but Rayo is definitely someone to keep an eye on during these qualifying games.