Minor League roundup, 7/22: Jhonny Level leads the charge

Yesterday on the farm.

All seven of the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates were in action on Tuesday … and since we didn’t have a roundup on Tuesday, I’m including the trio of Monday games as well.

Let’s dive into it!

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

A few bits of news. The Giants have assigned virtually all of their draftees and UDFAs from the 2025 cycle to the ACL, though it’s unclear if we’ll actually see any of them play games.

Shortstop Maui Ahuna (No. 23 CPL) was promoted from Low-A San Jose to High-A Eugene, with infielder Jose Ramos going in the other direction. RHP reliever Tyler Vogel has been promoted from AA Richmond to AAA Sacramento, and Eugene RHP Austin Strickland is joining him there, though that’s an emergency fill-in after the Giants grabbed 2 players out of Sacramento’s bullpen yesterday.

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AAA Sacramento (48-49)

Sacramento River Cats beat the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) 8-0
Box score

There were 2 big stories for the Giants’ AAA affiliate on Tuesday, as they kicked off a new series. Most relevant in the short term was the starting pitcher … or lack thereof. With speculation swirling about who will pitch on Sunday for the Giants in place of RHP Hayden Birdsong, who was optioned, it was quite notable that RHP Kai-Wei Teng was scratched from his scheduled start for Sacramento.

Teng has been Sacramento’s best starting pitcher this year, and one of the best pitchers in the Pacific Coast League. He’s not on the 40-man roster, but given the struggles of the options who are, you can see why the Giants might be motivated to work Teng back into the fold.

Of course, it could be nothing. Teng could have been dealing with an ailment, or the Giants could have been keeping him fresh in case they had a disaster yesterday and needed a last-minute arm for some depth on Wednesday. But if I were a betting man, I’d say Teng — who, in his last 4 outings has allowed just 1 earned run while striking out 35 batters in 19.2 innings — is the favorite to start on Sunday in San Francisco.

The other big story was a beautiful game from first baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL) who is healthy once more, and making a push towards becoming part of the Major League team’s plans down the stretch. Eldridge had a blissful day, hitting 2-4 with a home run, a double, 2 strikeouts, and 3 runs batted in. His double left the bat at 101 mph, while his homer — a no-doubter to center field — was hit at 106.6 mph.

Eldridge had an understandable adjustment period after getting promoted, but started to find a rhythm before his injury, and has found it again on the other side. In his last 9 AAA games, the power lefty is 11-32 with 2 home runs, 4 doubles, and 3 walks.

The other nice offensive day belonged to left fielder Daniel Johnson, who hit 2-4 with a home run and a strikeout.

On the surface, it would look like Johnson could be the casualty when the Giants need to add a player to the 40-man roster, which could come on Sunday with Teng. But with a crowded outfield, the Giants appear to be prioritizing playing time for Johnson over Marco Luciano and Wade Meckler (No. 13 CPL), so who knows what they’re thinking.

The outfield is crowded in part because Jerar Encarnación is rehabbing, and on Tuesday he hit 1-4 with a strikeout and a walk. It’s not entirely clear what the plan is for him.

Other 40-man hitters: designated hitter Meckler went 0-2 with 2 walks and a strikeout; center fielder Grant McCray hit 1-4 with a walk and a strikeout; and second baseman Tyler Fitzgerald had a 2-5 with a strikeout and an error.

In Teng’s absence, Sacramento went with a bullpen game and the results were fantastic. LHP Antonio Jimenez kicked things off and needed just 41 pitches to cruise through 3 shutout innings, allowing just 2 baserunners while striking out 5. The 24-year old, who is in his 1st year with the organization, lowered his ERA to 3.62 and now has 44 strikeouts in 37.1 innings, though he also has 27 walks.

RHP Joel Peguero was next, and he struck out 3 batters in 2 no-hit innings, while walking 1. Peguero has had a disappointing season since opening eyes in Spring Training, but he’s been much better lately, as the powerful righty has now been nearly perfect in his last 4 outings, which spans 6 innings, giving up 0 hits, 1 walk, and 0 runs, with 8 strikeouts.

Then it was RHP Keaton Winn, who made his 2nd appearance since returning from a 3-month injury hiatus. Winn retired all 4 batters he faced, 2 by way of strikes. Don’t be surprised if he’s back in the Majors sometime soon.

The penultimate pitcher was RHP Tyler Vogel, who made his AAA debut. It went quite well for the 2022 12th-round pick, as he gave up 2 walks but neither a hit nor a run, and struck out a batter. RHP Miguel Dìaz finished the shutout with a scoreless 9th in which he allowed 2 hits but struck out 2 batters. He had given up runs in his last 2 outings, so nice to see a scoreless game.

AA Richmond (34-55)

Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Portland Sea Dogs (Red Sox) 3-2 (11 innings)
Box score

A little revenge for Portland right fielder James Tibbs III, who was included in the Rafael Devers trade, and faced his old organization for the 1st time. He only hit 1-5 with 3 strikeouts, but he got the win!

It was all about the pitching for Richmond, as they took a shutout into the 9th inning before things fell apart. The starter was LHP John Michael Bertrand, who had one of his best outings of the year in a 5-inning appearance. Bertrand only allowed 2 hits (both singles) all game, and despite throwing just 44 of his 70 pitches for strikes, he had 6 punchouts and only walked 1 batter. That’s a fantastic line.

Given the congestion with Sacramento’s pitching staff, there’s a chance that Bertrand spends all year in Richmond, even though the 2022 10th-round pick currently has a 3.10 ERA and is repeating the level after spending all season there in 2024 (save for a pair of late-season starts with Sacramento after Richmond’s season ended).

It’s fair to wonder how Bertrand, who is already 27, will fare against higher competition. He doesn’t throw very hard, and has just 62 strikeouts in 95.2 innings this season. But keeping runs off the board is the name of the game, and he’s done that well. He’s done that more than well in July, where he’s made 3 starts and pitched 17.2 innings, giving up just 8 hits, 5 walks, and 1 run.

RHP Cameron Cotter tossed 2 perfect innings in relief, with a strikeout. A slow start to the year has made it hard to erase his ugly ERA, which still sits at 5.85, but he’s been so much better lately. In his last 9 outings, the 2023 UDFA has thrown 10.1 innings and allowed just 11 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs, with 12 strikeouts. Then it was RHP Dylan Hecht, who kept his 0.00 ERA in check with a shutout inning, giving up 1 hit and striking out a batter.

A pair of standouts on offense, and both are players who are having down years. Third baseman Sabin Ceballos (No. 18 CPL) continued his recent surge, hitting 3-3 with a double and a walk. His average is still below the Mendoza Line and his OPS still begins with a 5, but his July has been quite swell. After posting a .148/.235/.180 line in June, he’s responded by hitting .280/.377/.460 this month.

And left fielder/right fielder Carter Howell hit 1-4 with a walk, 2 stolen bases, and a strikeout. His OPS also begins with a 5, which is disappointing after a solid year in Richmond in 2024. Here’s to more games like this.

As for the newbies at the level, center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 11 CPL) hit 1-5 with a strikeout, while left fielder Scott Bandura entered the game late and went 0-1.

High-A Eugene (51-39)

Eugene Emeralds beat the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 12-3
Box score

A whole lot of offense for the Emeralds, even though they’ve lost their top 2 prospects from the start of the season, Tibbs and Davidson. And while it was a balanced attack up and down the lineup, the bulk of the damage came from the 3 hitters at the very top.

That started with an exciting debut: shortstop Maui Ahuna (No. 23 CPL), who made his 1st High-A appearance following a recent promotion. The 2023 4th-round pick is experiencing an extended bout of good health for the 1st time in his career, and boy is he running with it. The glove is as good as advertised — maybe even better — and he’s done nothing but hit for the last few weeks.

That earned him the promotion, and he began his time in the Northwest League by hitting a calm and cool 2-4 with 2 walks and 2 runs batted in, while also striking out once. Welcome to High-A, Maui!

Given how advanced his glove is, and the names coming up behind him — specifically Jhonny Level and Gavin Kilen (if he stays at the position) — I’d think Ahuna is in position to start the 2026 season in AA if he performs well over the next 2 months. Not bad, given how hard it’s been for him to take the field in his career.

Next up was center fielder Jonah Cox (No. 26 CPL), who is arguably the highest-profile outfielder for Eugene now that Tibbs, Davidson, and Bandura have departed. By now you know the deal with Cox: he’s a glove and legs prospect who is hoping to hit well enough to make those things play. Days like Tuesday certainly aid him in that quest, as he went 2-6 with a home run and a strikeout.

And then it was one of the breakout stars of the farm this year, catcher Drew Cavanaugh. Those who have expected Cavanaugh to stop hitting will have to keep waiting, as the 2023 17th-rounder just keeps raking and raking and raking (while also playing strong defense). It was a 4-hit day for the lefty, who added a triple, a double, and a walk, though he also struck out and was caught stealing. It’s safe to say the promotion from Low-A to High-A did nothing to slow him down, as he went from hitting .293/.450/.556 in San Jose to .381/.474/.651 in Eugene! My goodness, Drew!

Also having a good day was third baseman Cole Foster, who continues to look improved following his time on the Development List. The 2023 3rd-round pick, who has really struggled offensively since getting drafted, went 3-5 and bopped a double. Before his stint on the Development List (which was followed by a short reset in the ACL), Foster hit a painful 19-135 with 3 home runs, 3 doubles, 15 walks, and 51 strikeouts. Since returning to Eugene 2 weeks ago, the switch-hitter is 7-32 with 2 home runs, 1 double, 5 walks, and 10 strikeouts. Still not great, but notable improvement, and that’s the name of the game.

Not a very notable pitching performance. LHP Cesar Perdomo improved his ERA (which is 4.40) by giving up just 1 unearned run (due to his own error), but he wasn’t very sharp, as he allowed 3 hits and 3 walks in 3.2 innings, with just 2 strikeouts, and threw just 41 of 71 pitches for strikes. RHP Ryan Vanderhei, a 10th-round pick from 2023 who has struggled quite a bit this year, threw 3 shutout innings with 2 strikeouts, but allowed 3 hits and 2 walks.

Low-A San Jose (59-32)

San Jose Giants beat the Inland Empire 66ers (Angels) 10-3
Box score

Another game where the star of the show was the offense, with a balance attack from top to bottom. No one had a better day than third baseman Walker Martin (No. 14 CPL), who is starting to see his batting average rise. The 2023 2nd-round pick had a swell game, putting his powerful left-handed stroke on display as he hit 2-4 with a home run, a walk, and a strikeout.

Don’t look now, but Martin is up to a .244 batting average on the year. Still, perhaps, a concerning number for a former high-pedigree player in Low-A a full 2+ years after being drafted, but certainly loads better than it was for the bulk of the year.

The improvements to his batting average are coming at the cost of some power, admittedly. In May he hit just .210, but bopped 7 home runs; he followed that up by hitting .256 in June, but only smashing 2 home runs. And in July? Well, he’s hitting .316, but Tuesday’s 2-run shot was his 1st homer of the month.

Still, as his (currently injured) teammate Dakota Jordan can attest to, you can more easily fold the power back in once the hit tool has been fixed than you can fold in a better hit tool while still selling out for power. It’s not like Martin has magically lost the ability to hit the bal hard.

There are still plenty of pink flags for Martin. The batting average is still quite low, he doesn’t look anything like the athlete who earned rave reviews 2 summers ago, and the move to third base hasn’t improved his defense as much as you might hope. But it’s still been a good season with tons of encouraging signs, and if the batting average can keep rising, then there will be plenty of reasons for optimism.

Joining him in Dingerville (Population: 2) was second baseman Zander Darby, who only hit 1-5 with 2 strikeouts, but bashed his 5th homer of the year. Darby’s debut full season has been awesome, as the 2024 12th-round pick has an .872 OPS. He’s hitting for average (.291) and power (.176 isolated slugging), and is walking nearly as often as he’s striking out. He’s also settling in all right at second base, while also still playing the infield corners occasionally.

Another nice game for left fielder Jean Carlos Sio, who hit 2-5 with a double and 2 strikeouts, and for designated hitter Robert Hipwell (No. 25 CPL), who went 1-3 with a double, a walk, a hit by pitch, and 2 strikeouts. Both players are having very encouraging seasons.

And right fielder Ryan Reckley (No. 35 CPL) channeled his inner Foster, by continuing to show improvements following a reset. Reckley, who hit 1-3 with a walk, a stolen base, and a strikeout, was atrocious to begin the year, then went to the ACL to work on some things. He played sparingly there, presumably doing the bulk of his work behind the scenes (including learning right field), and recently went back to San Jose. Prior to the demotion, Reckley hit a paltry 7-76 with 1 double, 9 walks, 30 strikeouts, and 0 stolen bases. Since returning to Low-A out of the break, the switch-hitter has gone 4-15 with 1 triple, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, and 2 stolen bases.

RHP Hunter Dryden didn’t have his best stuff in his start, giving up 2 hits, 2 walks, a hit batter, and 2 runs in just 3.2 innings, though he struck out 5 batters. The 17th-round pick in last year’s draft has had an awesome debut season, with a 2.20 ERA and 68 strikeouts against 28 walks in 65.1 innings, but he’s been slowing down quite a bit lately. A rookie wall, perhaps!

RHP Cade Vernon closed out the game and lowered his ERA, as last year’s 10th-round pick tossed 2 shutout innings with 2 hits, 1 walk, and 2 strikeouts. He’s down to a 1.70 ERA on the year, though he has just 33 strikeouts in 42.1 innings. But that’s still a mighty successful debut season for Vernon, and he’s only gotten stronger: he hasn’t allowed an earned run since May, and hasn’t allowed an unearned run since June. Over the summer months, Vernon has made 11 appearances and thrown 20.2 innings, giving up just 10 hits, 4 walks, and 3 unearned runs, while striking out 16. Impressive!

Arizona Complex League (41-18)

Monday: ACL Giants beat the ACL Rangers 9-8 [box score]
Tuesday: ACL Giants beat the ACL Cubs 12-4 [box score]

A lot of fun performances in these games, including one from arguably the top player in the entire Complex League this season, shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 6 CPL, 18 years, 2024 IFA). Level had a rare pedestrian game on Monday, hitting just 1-5 with a strikeout, but he more than made up for it on Tuesday, when he went 2-3 with a home run and a walk.

Level has done everything the Giants have asked of him this year, and more, and it’s catapulted him to the clear No. 3 prospect in the system, in my eyes. He’s hitting for average (.293) and power (.209 isolated slugging). He’s drawing walks and rarely striking out (32 and 38, respectively, in 256 plate appearances). He’s stealing bases (17 in 22 attempts). He looks comfortable, looks confident, looks athletic, and looks like he’s recognizing pitches well. The only knock has been an at-times feeling-out period with the mitt, as he committed his 13th error of the season on Monday. But errors are a poor way to judge lower-Minors defense, and Level looks to me like someone who can stick at shortstop, and maybe even shine.

There were other homers, though, including one on Monday from his classmate, catcher Santiago Camacho (18 years, 2024 IFA, who hit 3-4 with a solo blast and a hit by pitch. Camacho is backing up his stellar debut season in the DSL last year with a solid performance in his stateside debut. It hasn’t been a special offensive season, but it’s been a competent one, which is no small thing for an 18-year old catcher with solid defensive chops!

Perhaps the most encouraging swing came from left fielder Rayner Arias (No. 4 CPL, 19 years, 2023 IFA), who is desperately trying to turn his season (and career) around. He struck out in his only plate appearance on Monday, but on Tuesday went 1-2, smashed a home run, and drew 2 walks. There have been glimpses of the old Arias in there this year, but the Giants need more.

Rounding out the homer party was third baseman Ramon Peralta (21 years, 2021 IFA) who had quite a 2-day stretch, hitting 3-6 with a grand slam, a triple, 2 walks, and a hit by pitch, though he also struck out and committed 2 errors. The righty has been having a solid season, but probably needs to do more than just have a solid season given that it’s his 3rd pass through the ACL.

Not a very good stretch of pitching. RHP Mauricio Estrella (21 years, 2022 IFA) retired all 4 batters he faced on Tuesday, with 2 strikeouts. He’s up to 37 strikeouts in just 28.2 innings this year, though he also has 18 walks. But this was a nice performance for him after a few tough outings.

Starting Monday’s game was RHP Jose T. Perez (21 years, 2021 IFA), who continued his fun story. Perez missed 3 straight years with injury, then pitched just once in the DSL this year before being sent to Papago. And so, despite signing with the Giants 4.5 years ago, Monday’s start was just his 12th game as a professional. It was a decent one, as he gave up just 4 baserunners in 4 innings, with 5 strikeouts, though he allowed 2 solo home runs, the only runs against his name. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but he’s been fitting in so far.

Dominican Summer League Black (25-11)

Monday: DSL Giants Black beat the DSL Pirates Black 12-3 [box score]
Tuesday: DSL Giants Black beat the DSL Blue Jays Blue 7-3 [box score]

Just as the Giants have arguably the ACL’s best player in Level, they also have arguably the DSL’s best player in shortstop Josuar González (No. 5 CPL, 17 years, 2025 IFA). And just as Level’s performance has made him (arguably) the 3rd-best prospect in the system, González’s performance has made him (inarguably) the 2nd-best prospect in the system.

The stats haven’t been there for González for much of the year, but the process sure as hell has been. But lately? The stats have been, too. He hit 3-7 over this pair of games, with both a home run and a triple, as well as 3 walks (he also had a strikeout and an error). The home run on Monday was his 2nd in as many games … and his 2nd this season. Suddenly the outrageous bat speed is starting to result in extra-base hits, and it’s a delight!

Catcher Yohendry Sanchez (No. 40 CPL, 18 years, 2024 IFA) isn’t a name we’ve heard a lot of this year, after he was the biggest signing bonus in the team’s 2024 class but missed much of his debut year with an injury. He had a tremendous day on Monday though, hitting 3-4 with a pair of doubles and a walk. Tuesday was a different story though, as he went 0-4 and struck out twice. Still, it’s a .278 batting average, a .729 OPS, and quality defense behind the dish for Sanchez, and that should be plenty enough to get him to Arizona in 2026.

Monday’s starter was the pure definition of effectively wild. LHP Leandro Rodriguez (19 years, 2025 IFA), who has operated mostly out of the bullpen this year, pitched 3 innings and hit 3 batters. But he also gave up just 1 hit and 0 runs, somehow didn’t walk anyone, and struck out 4 batters. That’s been the story of the season for him so far: he’s only allowed 11 hits in 24.2 innings, but has 10 walks and 7 hit batters.

RHP Frainer Mejias (19 years, 2023 IFA) had similar results but in a more conventional way, as he tossed 3 no-hit, no-run innings with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. Mejias has been struggling in his 3rd DSL season, so nice to see this outing from him.

RHP Lender Bracho (20 years, 2023 IFA) pitched on Tuesday and struck out a whopping 5 batters in just 2 innings, though he allowed 3 hits and 2 walks. He has an unimpressive 4.26 ERA this year, but it’s been mostly due to a few blowup performances surrounded by great outings.

Dominican Summer League Orange (26-10)

Monday: DSL Giants Orange beat the DSL Pirates Gold 7-6 (12 innings) [box score]
Tuesday: DSL Giants Orange beat the DSL Mariners 11-4 [box score]

Last year, Sanchez was the big-name catcher in the DSL for the Giants. And while he had a fine season in his limited appearances, he was outpaced by a surprising name in Camacho. This year, something similar is happening. Sanchez is again the big-name catcher for the Giants’ DSL squads, but he’s being outpaced (in raw stats, at least) by a surprising name: Miguel Caraballo (16 years, 2025 IFA).

No one expected that Caraballo, a backstop who is one of the youngest players in the system, would have this sort of a year, but he’s rocking a .924 OPS, has nearly as many walks as strikeouts, and, after hitting 2-4 with a walk and a solo home run on Tuesday, leads all Giants DSL hitters with 5 homers. Will that be enough to get him to the states in 2026, where he won’t turn 18 until after the ACL season would end? Only time will tell.

Right fielder Brandon Vasquez (18 years, 2024 IFA) had a super fun 2-day stretch, hitting 6-11 with 2 doubles, 2 stolen bases, a strikeout, and an error. Talk about making adjustments: after sporting a .187 batting average in his debut season last year, the lefty is up to .306 this year. It’s mostly a slap profile — he has just 9 extra-base hits and no home runs in 160 plate appearances across the 2 years — but he’s having great success with it this year.

No real notable pitching performances, so we’ll end this outrageously long article here.

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Home run tracker

AAA Bryce Eldridge (11) [4 in AAA, 7 in AA]
AAA Daniel Johnson (9) [1 in MLB, 8 in AAA]
High-A Jonah Cox (7)
Low-A Walker Martin (11)
Low-A Zander Darby (5)
ACL Jhonny Level (9)
ACL Santiago Camacho (5)
ACL Ramon Peralta (4)
ACL Rayner Arias (3)
DSL Miguel Caraballo (5)
DSL Josuar González (2)