Minor League roundup, August 27: Kai-Wei Teng returns to form

Yesterday’s action on the Giants farm.

A busy day for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates on Tuesday, with 5 teams in action. Let’s dive into it!

Link to the 2024 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

Only one piece of news, but it’s a fairly notable one: the Giants released AAA Sacramento RHP José Cruz. It’s a fairly surprising release given that Cruz is less than 2 years removed from being rostered by the Giants as a Rule 5 protection. They quickly realized that was a mistake, and non-tendered him last offseason before re-signing him to a Minor League deal.

Cruz, a 2017 international signing who is 24 years old, was one of the most prolific strikeout artists in the system, but has not been able to get his walks under control. Over the last 2 years — spent between High-A, AA, and AAA — he had struck out 113 batters in just 75.1 innings … but had walked 76. Best of luck to him.

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AAA Sacramento (68-59)

Sacramento River Cats beat the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) 8-2
Box score

Big games for a pair of young players who are probably a little nervous about their roster status with the offseason approaching. On offense, that player was catcher Blake Sabol, who hit 1-3 with a walk and a 3-run home run.

I won’t dwell on this long, because both Roger Munter and Alex Pavlovic have talked about this lately, and they’re worth reading and listening to on the subject if you want deeper analysis, but it’s hard to imagine a player on the 40-man roster that was more hurt by the team’s switch from Gabe Kapler to Bob Melvin. Under Kapler, the philosophy was pretty clearly “it doesn’t matter how bad your defense is, if you can hit you’re worth putting in the field,” which is how we ended up with things like Joc Pederson regularly in the outfield and Wilmer Flores sprayed around the dirt. With Melvin the philosophy has been nearly the opposite, which is how we’ve ended up with … uhh … well, Nick Ahmed, among other things.

Sabol’s in one helluva pickle, just a year after spending the entire season on the active roster as a Rule 5 pick. He in theory has value as a left-handed hitting catcher with offensive potential and the versatility to play first base and the outfield. But in reality, Melvin does not view Sabol as someone who should be catching … and his offense (he has a .685 OPS and a 75 wRC+ in Sacramento) isn’t currently anywhere near what it needs to be to get playing time at a different position.

As such, his roster spot seems to be in question. Barring an unlikely managerial change, the Giants keeping Sabol is dependent on thinking that he can either develop into a defensively-solid catcher, or a bat strong enough to play at a premier offensive position.

I can’t speak to the former, since I didn’t watch this game, but days like Tuesday certainly help the latter. He now has a 5-game hitting streak, with just 3 strikeouts in that time. Hopefully he can make a push to stay on the roster over the final weeks of the season. One thing’s for sure: I’m rooting like hell for him.

The other player attempting to do that? RHP Kai-Wei Teng (No. 23 CPL). Teng was added last offseason as a Rule 5 protection, even though many people (full transparency: I was not one of them) thought that he shouldn’t be protected. Those people certainly looked smart when Teng got beat up early in the year when forced into MLB action to cover some roster holes, and then completely fell apart in Sacramento before landing on the Injured List.

But he was nothing short of dominant on Tuesday, which is only made more impressive when you see how many Major Leaguers were adorning Vegas’ roster: the top 3 in the lineup were Nick Allen (who was called up this morning), Darell Hernaiz, and Ryan Noda. Teng thoroughly dominated the lineup, giving up just 1 hit and 0 walks in 6 shutout innings, while striking out 7 batters.

That’s the player that the Giants were excited to roster! Teng lived in the strike zone, throwing 57 of his 77 pitches for strikes, and got swings-and-misses all night long. One good game isn’t enough to undo the season (or, in all likelihood, to earn him a spot on the active roster with Robbie Ray and Jordan Hicks hitting the IL), but it is an important positive data point of the potential that Teng still has.

Now, onto the other players. The other big hit came from the newest River Cat, as second baseman Cavan Biggio hit 1-3 with a home run and 2 walks. The Giants recently signed Biggio to a Minor League deal after he had spent the year on the MLB rosters of the Blue Jays and Dodgers. He hasn’t been bad in the Majors this year — just uninteresting — so he gives them some good depth should they suffer an injury.

First baseman Trenton Brooks continues his solid season, as he went 2-3 with a walk and a double. Hard to see him making his way back to the Majors this year after he was outrighted, but still a great year that should get him a look as a depth piece for some system next year. Designated hitter Hunter Bishop hit 1-3 with a walk and 2 RBI as he continues to show a little bit of a bounce back following a tough summer. He’s on a 5-game hitting streak, during which time he’s 8-18 with 2 doubles, 5 RBI, 1 walk, and just 2 strikeouts.

Quick 40-man roster roundup: left fielder Luis Matos went 2-5 with a strikeout; right fielder Wade Meckler (No. 11 CPL) went 1-5 with a strikeout; third baseman David Villar went 0-4 with a walk and a strikeout; center fielder Brett Wisely went 1-3 with a walk and a strikeout; and Marco Luciano (No. 2 CPL) didn’t play.

Back to the mound, where LHP Ethan Small pitched a scoreless inning with 1 hit allowed. It was the first hit Small had allowed since August 6: in his last 6 outings he’s thrown 6 scoreless innings with just 1 hit, 1 walk, and 8 strikeouts. He’s on the 40-man, so gotta think he could be the September call-up on the pitching side.

AA Richmond (55-66)

Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Erie SeaWolves (Tigers) 4-1
Box score

A very quiet day for the Squirrels. The offense did next to nothing, with just 3 hits and 3 walks. Center fielder Carter Howell provided the only extra-base action, hitting 1-4 with a triple and a strikeout, and now has a .763 OPS and a 119 wRC+ to go along with his quality center field defense and 15 stolen bases. Just a tremendous 2nd full season for the undrafted righty, who should start 2025 in AAA … and as a member of the next CPL, I’d sure think (and hope).

The only player to reach base multiple times was second baseman Jimmy Glowenke (No. 39 CPL), who hit 1-2 with a walk. It certainly hasn’t been the year Glowenke was hoping for after his fantastic 2023, but he’s been finding a lot of rhythm lately: in his last 7 games, the 2020 Compensation Round pick has hit 7-20 with 2 home runs, 1 walk, 3 hit by pitches, and 4 strikeouts.

Unfortunately, the struggles continued for right fielder Vaun Brown (No. 17 CPL), who is only playing against LHPs right now, as Roger Munter reported. Brown struck out in both of his plate appearances before being removed from the game when Erie turned to the bullpen. Since returning to Richmond following a month-long stint on the Development List, followed by appearances in the ACL and High-A, Brown has hit just 3-17 with 1 double, 2 walks, and 12 strikeouts. He’s always had a lot of strikeout in his game, but his contact issues this year are one of the more confounding things I can remember seeing in the Minors. Here’s hoping he can find the fix this offseason, whether it’s mechanical, mental, or, in all likelihood, both.

The pitching was better but not particularly noteworthy. RHP Nick Morreale had a pretty decent game, allowing 3 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs in 5 innings of work, with 4 strikeouts. A midseason switch of not just locations, but roles seems to have helped Morreale, who had a 3.89 ERA with High-A Eugene (his 4th stint there) while primarily serving as a reliever … but now has a 1.89 ERA in 6 appearances with Richmond, working as a starter. Admittedly there may be a little mirage in that number, as his strikeouts are quite a bit down, his walks are a tad up, and his FIP sits at a much-less aesthetic 4.17.

A funny outing for LHP Nick Swiney, who gave up 3 walks and 2 runs, but 0 hits and 0 earned runs. RHP Wil Jensen pitched 2 shutout innings with just 1 walk and 3 strikeouts, and now has a delightful 88 strikeouts against just 26 walks in 73.2 innings with Richmond this year. If I had to put money on an unheralded player making their MLB debut next year and impressing, it would probably be Jensen.

High-A Eugene (55-65)

Eugene Emeralds lost to the Everett AquaSox (Mariners) 12-7
Box score

First baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 3 CPL) has done a fantastic job at cutting back on strikeouts lately, but that wasn’t evident on Tuesday, when he struck out 3 times. It was his first hat trick in over a month, and you might think that having 3 strikeouts — or having me begin the recap like this — means he had a bad day.

Wrong.

Eldridge hit 2-5, and while his 3 outs were of the K variety, his 2 hits were of the extra-base kind … a double and his organization-leading 18th homer of the year.

It’s the continuation of an utterly outrageous month for Eldridge, still just 19. His OPS is up to 1.089 for August, and if we go back to late July, he’s hit safely in 18 out of 21 games. His line during that time? 34-99 with 7 home runs, 1 triple, 5 doubles, 19 walks, and 28 strikeouts. It really does feel like a move to AA to end the season is inevitable …. what else are you supposed to do when your top prospect has a .946 OPS and a 162 wRC+ in his 2 months of High-A?

An equally good game for left fielder Scott Bandura, who hit a perfect 2-2 with 2 walks and a home run.

Bandura, a lefty taken in the 7th round last year, has been quietly having a very strong year, and now has a .735 OPS and a 112 wRC+ in Eugene. He had been cooling off following a blistering start to the month, so good to see him have a monster game like this.

Rounding out the excellence in the batter’s box was center fielder Quinn McDaniel, who hit 3-4 with 2 doubles and an outfield assist. McDaniel’s 1st full season has been a little funny, as the 2023 5th-round pick has had a .734 OPS, a 110 wRC+, and 32 stolen bases, all while learning the outfield on the fly, but has also struck out 32.5% of the time. That’s been a little bit of a theme for some of the team’s prospects this year!

Right fielder James Tibbs III continues to struggle a little as he acclimates to his new level, as he went 0-4 with a walk and a strikeout. After racking up 17 hits in 9 games with Low-A San Jose — including 7 straight multi-hit games to end his brief stint — Tibbs has gone just 1-22 with 4 walks and 10 strikeouts in 6 Eugene games. He was drafted less than 2 months ago, so I sure as heck wouldn’t worry.

And shortstop Aeverson Arteaga (No. 14 CPL) also continues to struggle as he tries to find his post-injury rhythm. He went 0-5 with 2 strikeouts, and is just 6-43 with 2 doubles, 5 walks, and 14 strikeouts since returning to Eugene.

Not a very notable pitching game. LHP Cesar Perdomo had some struggles in the start, giving up 7 baserunners, 5 runs, and 3 earned runs in just 4 innings, albeit with 7 strikeouts. His 1st year of full-season baseball has to be considered a success, even if it’s had a lot of outings like this one, which have given the 22-year old a 4.70 ERA and a 4.45 FIP in Eugene. RHP Wilkelma Castillo will wish I would not mention what he did, as he surrendered 6 runs while recording just 2 outs.

But LHP Matt Mikulski had his 2nd consecutive hitless outing, tossing 2.1 shutout frames. He flipped the script on his last appearance, when he walked 4 against just 1 strikeout … this time he struck out 4 with just 1 walk.

It’s been a rough year for Mikulski, who is still trying to find his place in pro ball after being a 2nd-round pick in 2021. But he’s now had scoreless appearances in 5 of his last 6 outings, so hopefully he’s headed for an encouraging end to the year.

Low-A San Jose (69-51)

San Jose Giants beat the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Dodgers) 7-5
Box score

Plenty of players to highlight here, but I want to start be pointing out that right fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 42 CPL) is really starting to find his groove in San Jose, and that’s a delight to see. Diaz, who is only a month removed from turning 19 (making him one of the youngest stateside players in the system), impressed in just 22 games in the DSL in his debut last year. And then he impressed so much in 22 games in the ACL to start the year, that the Giants promoted him to Low-A even before the ACL season ended.

He got off to quite a slow start with the Baby Giants, which is understandable given his inexperience … and the fact that he’s more than 3 years younger than the average player in the California League.

But now he’s really starting to heat up. The righty hit 3-5 on Tuesday, and while all 3 of those hits were singles, he added in a stolen base and an outfield assist. He’s worked his numbers back to league average — a .754 OPS and a 98 wRC+ — and it’s always more impressive when that comes after a slow start, rather than just being consistently average. And indeed, that’s exactly what happened.

Diaz had a nice 1st 5 games after getting promoted, then fell into the expected struggles. And now he’s breaking out. Check it out:

June 30 through August 4: 17-96, 1 home run, 5 doubles, 10 walks, 23 strikeouts
August 6 through August 27: 29-79, 4 home runs, 2 triples, 4 doubles, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts

If he ends the year hitting like this, he’ll be a lock to start 2025 in High-A, which is very exciting. Oh, and he now has a whopping 12 outfield assists this year! Outrageous!

Also continuing to shine is third baseman Robert Hipwell, the team’s 6th-round pick in July’s draft. Hipwell had another sensational day, hitting 2-4 with a solo home run. Through 20 games, Hipwell’s pro debut has gone swimmingly, as he has an .869 OPS and a 136 wRC+, with a sky-high 17.6% walk rate (and a fairly tidy 24.2% strikeout rate). Can’t ask for a debut to go much better than that!

Catcher Ty Hanchey had a nearly identical day to Hipwell, as he also went 2-4 with a home run, but his was a 2-run dinger. Hanchey struggled to start the year, but a little time in the ACL seemed to set things right, as he’s sitting on a .909 OPS so far in August.

Shortstop Walker Martin (No. 7 CPL) had one of his better games since getting promoted, though the strikeouts remain a huge issue. He hit 2-5 with a double and 4 runs batted in, though he struck out twice and committed an error. According to Roger Munter, scouts remain enamored with Martin’s swing, so hopefully the terrifying 54.4% strikeout rate in San Jose (after being an equally-terrifying 37.6% in the ACL) starts to reflect that scouting. When you see the rare occurrences where he does make contact, you can understand the excitement.

It was a very uneventful day on the mound, with tough outings for RHPs Ubert Mejias (who started the game) and Cole Hillier (who ended it). But in between them was a delightful showing from RHP Elijah Pleasants, who tossed 3 shutout innings with 3 baserunners and 2 strikeouts. Pleasants, who is in his 1st Minor League season after starting the year with the Oakland Ballers, has a 2.11 ERA and a 57.7% groundball rate with San Jose. On the less encouraging side, he has 14 walks in 21.1 innings, and a 4.28 FIP.

DSL Black (eliminated)

DSL Giants Black lost to the DSL Angels 5-4
Box score

And with that, the DSL season is over for the Giants. The DSL Giants Orange team didn’t make the playoffs, and the DSL Giants Black team — despite sporting the best record in the regular season — lost the 3rd and decisive game of their best-of-3 semifinal matchup.

Shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 38 CPL, 17 years, 2024 international signing) put a bow on one hell of a debut season, though. He admittedly went just 1-5 and struck out 4 times, but the young switch-hitter bashed a 2-run home run. Postseason numbers don’t show up on official statlines, but they sure do show up on the ones I give you, and so with that, Level ends his debut season with 11 home runs in just 54 games.

The Giants will likely promote a small handful of players from the DSL to the states next year, but Level stands as the only one you can be guaranteed to see in Arizona come 2025 …. and he’ll still be just 17 years old when Spring Training gets under way. Be excited. Be very excited.

RHP Marlon Franco (21 years, 2019 international signing) will hope to join him there. Franco also put a bow on a stellar season, giving up just 3 baserunners and 1 run in 5 excellent innings, while striking out 7.

Franco is, admittedly, in his 4th pass through the DSL. But after having a 2.68 ERA and a 3.95 FIP last year (quite nice numbers), he dropped them down to 1.65 and 3.43, respectively, this year (again, those are regular season numbers). Perhaps most impressively, he issued just 5 walks in 49 innings in the regular season, and then followed up the year with a great postseason performance: 10.1 innings, 6 hits, 1 walk, 2 runs, and 11 strikeouts. Hopefully the Venezuelan gets a taste of American baseball next year.

And now we say goodbye to the DSL Giants until 2025.

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Home run tracker

AAA Blake Sabol (8 total, 7 in AAA)
AAA Cavan Biggio (6 total, 1 in AAA)
High-A Bryce Eldridge (18 total, 8 in High-A)
High-A Scott Bandura (5)
Low-A Ty Hanchey (6 total, 3 in Low-A)
Low-A Robert Hipwell (3)
DSL Jhonny Level (11)

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Wednesday schedule

Sacramento: vs. Las Vegas, 6:45 p.m. PT
Richmond: at Erie, 3:05 p.m. PT
Eugene: vs. Everett, 6:35 p.m. PT
San Jose: vs. Rancho Cucamonga, 1:00 p.m. PT

Reminder that Minor League games can be watched on MLB TV.