Minor League roundup, 5/15: Bryce Eldridge homers

Yesterday’s action on the farm.

The San Francisco Giants had an off-day on Thursday, but their Minor League Baseball affiliates were all in action. Let’s dive into the games!

Link to the 2025 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions in the roundup are the positions played in that particular game.

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News

The Giants announced on Friday that they had signed third baseman Drew Ellis and assigned him to AA Richmond. Ellis, who is 29, was a 2nd-round pick by the D-Backs in 2017, and spent last year playing for the Angels AAA affiliate, where he posted a .787 OPS and a 100 wRC+. He has played 47 games in the Majors for the D-Backs, Phillies, and Mariners, where he posted a .563 OPS and a 61 wRC+.

AA Richmond outfielder Turner Hill and Low-A San Jose first baseman Jeremiah Jenkins, who began the year injured, were assigned to the Arizona Complex League to begin rehab assignments.

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AAA Sacramento (20-22)

Sacramento River Cats lost to the Salt Lake Bees (Angels) 6-0
Box score

A very unexciting game for the River Cats, on both sides of the diamond. Right now the notable story in Sacramento is the 3 rehabbing players, and even those updates don’t give us reason for optimism. Tyler Fitzgerald played in his 3rd straight game, hitting 1-4 with a strikeout as the designated hitter. I’d expect him back in San Francisco tonight, and if not tonight, then at some point this weekend. All good news there.

But Casey Schmitt, who started his rehab on Tuesday, was absent for the 2nd consecutive game. And Jerar Encarnación, who began his rehab last weekend, was out for the 4th straight day (a team off day, and 3 games that he didn’t play in). Hopefully those 2 are okay.

Really nothing doing on offense. Center fielder Grant McCray and left fielder Marco Luciano were the only players to reach base multiple times, with the former hitting 1-2 with 2 walks, a strikeout, and a stolen base, and the latter going 0-2 with a strikeout, but drawing 2 walks. Second baseman Osleivis Basabe and shortstop Sergio Alcántara doubled for the team’s only extra-base hits.

Not the best start for RHP Carson Seymour (No. 21 CPL). Seymour avoided hard contact — he didn’t allow any extra-base hits — but he gave up 6 hits and 3 walks in just 4 innings. That’s the bad. The good is that, despite all that, he only allowed 1 run on the day, and he struck out 6 batters.

It’s been a good season for Seymour, who has a 3.89 ERA and a 4.33 FIP. But he’s definitely cooled off following his brilliant start. Check out the splits:

First 4 starts: 18 innings, 10 hits, 4 walks, 2 runs, 22 strikeouts
Next 5 starts: 23.2 innings, 27 hits, 15 walks, 16 runs, 26 strikeouts

That, combined with how brilliant LHP Carson Whisenhunt (No. 2 CPL) has been lately, probably has Seymour tumbling a bit down the depth chart, though his 40-man status means he’s still a top option if the Giants need an arm somewhere.

As is the case for RHP Sean Hjelle, but he had his 3rd straight tough outing, giving up 3 baserunners and 2 runs in just an inning of work, though he did strike out 2. I’d assume Hjelle is still the first name called if the Giants have an injury and need another pitcher, but, like Seymour, his brilliant start is fading fast. Here are his splits:

First 11 appearances: 19.1 innings, 11 hits, 6 walks, 0 hit batters, 2 runs, 21 strikeouts
Next 3 appearances: 3 innings, 8 hits, 3 walks, 1 hit batter, 8 runs, 7 earned runs, 4 strikeouts

Let’s hope he can bounce back from that soon. Speaking of bouncing back, LHP Raymond Burgos, who has not had a very good season, struck out all 3 batters he faced. Awesome!

AA Richmond (11-25)

Richmond Flying Squirrels split a 7-inning doubleheader against the Erie SeaWolves (Tigers), winning 3-1 and losing 3-2
Game 1 box score
Game 2 box score

For as long as first baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL) is in Richmond, he’ll be the biggest story for the Squirrels. And on Thursday he lived up to that billing. After hitting 1-3 with a strikeout in Game 1, Eldridge exploded in Game 2, hitting 2-3 with both a home run and a double, to go with another strikeout. What a great day at the yard!

After a slow start with the strikeouts — understandable for a player starting late and returning from injury — Eldridge has started to get the Ks in check, and the rest of the numbers are holding strong. The K rate is still at 28.6%, so there’s room for improvement, but he’s hitting .279/.364/.471 in a low-offense environment, with a 10.4% walk rate, an .834 OPS, and a 145 wRC+. He’s only played 19 games this year, but my goodness he looks quite at home. We know the Giants will be fairly conservative with prospects this year relative to the old regime, but I’m still very curious to see when Eldridge makes it to Sacramento.

Catcher Adrián Sugastey (No. 38 CPL) also got in on the homer party, hitting 1-2 with a solo shot in Game 1, before getting Game 2 off.

He hasn’t been showing much on offense — he has just a .571 OPS and a 67 wRC+ — but he has just a 9.2% strikeout rate and has been playing fantastic defense behind the dish.

Other than Eldridge, the best performance took place on the mound, where LHP Joe Whitman (No. 9 CPL) was spectacular in Game 1, pitching a 7-inning complete game. Even though Whitman only struck out 3 batters, he kept the SeaWolves off-balance all game, only giving up 7 baserunners — 4 hits, 2 walks, and a hit batter. A solo home run by top-50 prospect Thayron Liranzo was the only damage he allowed on the day. For the 2nd consecutive season, Whitman’s ERA is really lagging behind his FIP: the numbers are 4.88 and 3.89, respectively, which is right in line with where he was in 2024. Whitman does have some potential for electricity, though the strikeouts aren’t quite what you’d hope for a top pitching prospect who doesn’t get a ton of groundballs: he’s K’ing 9.48 batters per 9 innings this year, after 9.44 last year. Not a bad number, per se, but certainly not elite. For comparison, the other 2 top southpaws that have come through the system, Kyle Harrison and Carson Whisenhunt, posted K/9 numbers in AA of 13.61 and 12.36, respectively.

The Squirrels almost got 2 complete games in 1 day, as LHP Seth Lonsway came an out away from making it through the full 7 innings in Game 2. He wasn’t as good as Whitman, but still a strong game, as he gave up 8 hits, 1 hit batter, and 3 runs, while striking out 4 and not walking any. The 2021 6th-round pick, who has a 2.75 ERA and a 4.13 FIP, has established himself as one of the best control pitchers in the system, with 3.00 walks per 9 innings and a 54.2% groundball rate. That said, those numbers were better a year ago, and he is 26 years old.

High-A Eugene (16-20)

Eugene Emeralds lost to Spokane (Rockies) 7-3
Box score

Some concern that came out of this game, as center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 11 CPL) left the game in the 3rd inning. Davidson, who has been one of the best performers in the system this year, already missed a chunk of time this year with an injury. Let’s hope that whatever took him out of this one was minor.

Edit: Davidson is in the lineup for today’s game, thankfully.

Right fielder James Tibbs III (No. 3 CPL) had a much-needed nice game, hitting 2-4 and nabbing an outfield assist. Tibbs got off to a brilliant start but has been slumping in a big way since. This broke a streak of 13 straight starts without a multi-hit game, during which time he had hit just 5-50. Thankfully, even when slumping, he’s been keeping the strikeouts in check.

The best offensive day, though, belonged to left fielder Scott Bandura, who hit 2-4 with a double. Bandura, taken in the 7th round of the 2023 draft, has quietly been having an excellent season, with the lefty sporting an .892 OPS and a 151 wRC+. Given that he spent 56 games in Eugene last year following a mid-season promotion, I would assume we’ll see him in Richmond sometime in the next 2 months.

RHP Josh Bostick (No. 27 CPL) continued his tough season (which has been slowed by injury as well), giving up 4 hits, 3 walks, and 3 runs in 3 innings, while striking out 3. He only threw 31 of his 61 pitches for strikes, and has now brought his walk rate up to 6.75 per 9 innings. There’s a lot to love about Bostick’s talent, but he’s just having a hard time making it produce. He has a 4.95 ERA and a 6.21 FIP on the season, and you’ve got to wonder if the Giants might consider a move to the bullpen at some point, though it’s probably too early for that.

Excellent relief appearances for RHPs Sadrac Franco and Marques Johnson, as each allowed just 1 hit and 0 runs with 4 strikeouts, Franco in 2 innings and Johnson in 2.1. It was just more of the same for Franco, who has a 1.59 ERA and a 2.90 FIP in his 1st season with the team. Johnson hasn’t been too shabby either, as he has a 3.77 ERA and a 3.82 FIP.

Low-A San Jose (20-16)

San Jose Giants lost to the Stockton Ports (A’s) 5-3
Box score

Would you believe me if I told you that right fielder Carlos Gutierrez and shortstop Walker Martin (No. 14 CPL) had good games? Well, if you’ve been reading these roundups lately, then I’m pretty certain that you would believe me, because those 2 have been hotter than hot lately.

For Gutierrez, it was yet another multi-hit game, as he went 2-4 with a hit by pitch and 2 stolen bases, though he also was caught stealing and struck out. It was the lefty’s 5th consecutive multi-hit game, during which time he’s gone a hilarious 14-23 with 2 walks, a hit by pitch, and just 3 strikeouts. It was also his 7th time in the last 8 games with multiple hits, and the 14th time he’s done it in 30 games this year.

Gutierrez has quickly emerged as one of the best contact bats in the system, with a .354 batting average and just a 15.2% strikeout rate. And it’s not a case of a veteran bat beating up on younger pitchers: Gutierrez is 20, and played just 3 games of rookie ball last year due to injury, after spending his debut season in 2023 in the DSL. He’s up to an .887 OPS and a 147 wRC+, and has 15 stolen bases in 17 attempts, with quality outfield defense. What a story he’s been!

As for Martin, he went 2-3 with a walk and a stolen base, his 3rd of the year. Martin has been the hottest hitter on the planet over the last week, yet somehow these were the 1st singles he’s had during his hot streak. Ready for a masterclass in how to turn a tough season around? Take a look:

First 17 games: 12-68, 1 home run, 1 triple, 1 double, 4 walks, 7 RBI, 1 stolen base, 23 strikeouts
Next 6 games: 9-23, 5 home runs, 1 triple, 1 double, 5 walks, 13 RBI, 2 stolen bases, 7 strikeouts

Let’s hope that the recent success is a sign of what’s to come for the rest of the season for the 2023 2nd-rounder.

RHP Drake George, last year’s 13th-round pick, had a so-so start. It wasn’t his best stuff, but his strikeout magic was on display. The 23-year old struck out 7 batters in 4 innings, while allowing 3 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs. He has 34 strikeouts against 10 walks in 29.1 innings in his debut season, and is sitting on a 3.38 ERA and a 3.32 FIP.

Arizona Complex League (4-5)

ACL Giants lost to the ACL White Sox 7-3 (8 innings)
Box score

Richmond Left fielder Turner Hill began a rehab assignment on Thursday and made his season debut, hitting 1-2 with a double, a walk, and a strikeout. Nice to see him back on the field. It was also the start of a rehab assignment for San Jose first baseman Jeremiah Jenkins, who hit 1-3 with a strikeout. Welcome back!

Things were less good for the other rehabbing players, as San Jose center fielder Jose Ortiz (No. 22 CPL) went 0-3 with 2 strikeouts while Eugene designated hitter Maui Ahuna (No. 23 CPL) went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts. Ortiz is now 0-6 with 3 strikeouts in his rehab stint, while Ahuna is 4-24 with 3 extra-base hits, 3 walks, and 10 strikeouts.

RHP Melvin Pineda (21 years, 2021 IFA) and RHP Alexander Fuentes (20 years, 2023 IFA) both had really nice appearances on the mound. Pineda pitched 1.2 no-hit innings with 3 strikeouts, though he did hit a batter and allow an unearned run. Fuentes gave up 3 hits and 2 walks in 3.1 innings, but kept runs off the board and struck out 6. It was just the 2nd appearance of the year for each (and the 2nd stateside appearance, total, for Fuentes), but so far so good for the young righties.

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Home run tracker

AA Bryce Eldridge (3)
AA Adrián Sugastey (3)

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Friday schedule

Sacramento: vs. Salt Lake, 6:45 p.m. PT (SP: Mason Black)
Richmond: vs. Erie, 3:35 p.m. PT (SP: John Michael Bertrand)
Eugene: vs. Spokane, 6:35 p.m. PT (SP: Cesar Perdomo)
San Jose: at Stockton, 7:05 p.m. PT (SP: Greg Farone)