Minor League roundup, July 23: An Aeverson Arteaga sighting!

Yesterday’s action on the Giants farm.

All seven of the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates were in action on Tuesday. Let’s jump into the action!

Link to the 2024 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

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

---

News

A bit of news on the farm. Most notably, there was a pretty exciting promotion: middle infielder Diego Velasquez (No. 21 CPL) has been promoted from High-A Eugene to AA Richmond. Velasquez, a switch-hitter who is still just 20 years old, hasn’t quite replicated his brilliant 2023 season, but has been strong nonetheless: he has a .746 OPS and a 114 wRC+ on the year, with a 10.1% walk rate and just a 17.0% strikeout rate. While prospect analysts have long pegged Velasquez for second base, where he’s spent about half his time in the pros, he’s played exclusively at shortstop this season, so perhaps the Giants see something there. This move also might be made with shortstop Aeverson Arteaga (No. 14 CPL) in mind, as Arteaga is just beginning a rehab assignment in the ACL after missing the first few months of the season …. perhaps Arteaga, when up to speed, will be headed to Eugene.

In other promotional news, third baseman Charlie Szykowny, who has been having a spectacular season, has been promoted from Low-A San Jose to High-A Eugene. Congrats, Charlie! Joining him in Eugene is outfielder Vaun Brown (No. 17 CPL). Brown, who began the year in AA Richmond but struggled horribly and was placed on the Development List, recently was activated again and placed in the Complex League. Now he’s moving back into A-Ball.

But it’s the season for sad news, as an influx of drafted players (not to mention optioned youngsters) presses the domestic reserve limit, forcing the team to say goodbye to a fair amount of players. Over the last few days, the Giants released quite a crop of players: first baseman Garrett Frechette (their 5th-round pick in 2019), outfielder Jared Dupere (their 13th-round pick in 2021), infielder Dilan Rosario (their 6th-round pick in 2019), and RHP Billy Sullivan and outfielder Alerick Soularie (recent Minor League free agent pickups). Best of luck to all of them as they continue chasing the dream.

---

AAA Sacramento (52-45)

Sacramento River Cats lost to the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Astros) 7-3
Box score

A very mild-mannered day for the River Cats, with the team’s MLB-adjacent hitters all struggling: shortstop Marco Luciano (No. 2 CPL) and second baseman Casey Schmitt both went 0-4 (the former with 2 strikeouts, and the latter with 1), while third baseman David Villar and catcher Blake Sabol both hit 1-4 with a strikeout.

But center fielder Hunter Bishop provided a spark … he only finished 1-4 with 2 strikeouts, but his hit was the team’s lone home run.

Bishop has been mired in quite a slump since a hot initial run after his early — and, if we’re being honest, team-need driven — promotion to AAA. It would be great to see him start to turn things around … he’s reached base safely in 6 straight games, and hit 2 homers during that time.

On the mound it was RHP Landen Roupp (No. 18 CPL) getting the start and pitching 3 solid innings, giving up 1 hit, 2 walks, and 1 run, while striking out 5. Roupp needed 58 pitches to get through those 3 innings, which isn’t ideal, but it’s great to see him healthy and striking batters out.

A pair of potential late-season bullpen depth pieces had nice outings, with RHP Austin Warren and LHP Kolton Ingram allowing a walk in otherwise clean innings.

AA Richmond (43-48)

Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Mets) 8-4
Box score

A pair of big stories in this game. The first was that left fielder Wade Meckler (No. 11 CPL) had one of his best games of the year. It’s been a very tough season for Meckler, who was having a nice Spring Training before suffering an injury, missed a few months, struggled upon returning, had an injury setback, and struggled again upon a second return. Meckler isn’t technically on a rehab assignment any more, but for all intents and purposes he is. And in his 4th game since getting moved to Richmond, Meckler looked like the player who tore up the league a year ago, hitting a perfect 3-3 with a double and a walk. That’s the Wade Meckler we know and love!!

But while Meckler’s performance was the most encouraging, the star of the game was third baseman Luis Toribio, who had a dynamic performance, hitting 3-4 with 2 home runs and a double. What a game! And they most certainly were not cheap home runs, either.

Yeesh. Swings like that are why the Giants haven’t yet given up on Toribio despite a rough season … the 23-year old has just a .184 batting average and a 36.0% strikeout rate in his debut AA season.

On the pitching front, starting RHP Dylan Cumming had a so-so game, pitching 5.1 innings (good!) but allowing 7 hits, 1 walk, and 3 runs (bad!), while striking out 6 (good!). Cumming only has a 5.03 ERA and 4.6 walks per 9 innings this year, but he has 9.8 strikeouts per 9 innings, a 47.8% groundball rate, and a 3.81 FIP. He’s got life in that arm!

RHP José Cruz pitched his 2nd consecutive scoreless inning after a rough go in which he gave up runs in 4 straight outings. He’s still trying to right the ship on a fairly ugly season from an ERA perspective, but he continues to show off strikeout stuff: since May 16, he has 34 strikeouts in just 18.2 innings.

High-A Eugene (44-46)

Eugene Emeralds lost to Spokane (Rockies) 8-2
Box score

Definitely more bad performances than good ones in this one. But we can get to the pair of good outings quickly, starting with another strong performance from right fielder Alexander Suarez, who hit 2-3 with a double.

Suarez, a 22-year old righty, has quietly had one of the best seasons on the farm. After back-to-back seasons in which he hit well below league average in Low-A, the corner outfielder got moved up a level and has shined: he has an .807 OPS, a 124 wRC+, 12 stolen bases in 14 attempts, and some high-level defense.

Yet even in his success, the red flags have shined fairly bright, as Suarez has rocked a sky-high strikeout rate and a microscopic walk rate (currently 28.0% and 3.8%, respectively). But Suarez has really been cutting down the strikeouts lately, which is amazing to see. In his last 14 games he has just 8 strikeouts in 47 at-bats … up until that point, he had 44 strikeouts in 123 at-bats. That’s the kind of progress the Giants are looking for more than the OPS or wRC+ numbers.

The other notable outing belonged to RHP Cody Tucker, who tossed 2 no-hit frames, giving up just 1 walk while striking out 2. Over his last 3 outings, Tucker has struck out 7 batters in 6 shutout innings, with just 4 baserunners.

Onto the less happy news. Shortstop Cole Foster (No. 30 CPL) had another rough one, striking out in all 3 of his at-bats. The 2023 3rd-round pick is now 2-37 with 21 strikeouts since getting promoted to High-A (though, funnily enough, MiLB’s website mislabeled some of his stats so his numbers look a little better there).

In other strikeout news, designated hitter Tanner O’Tremba was hit by a pitch and struck out twice. O’Tremba has been slumping horrendously lately, and has seen his strikeout rate creep up to 30.0%. In his last 9 games, he’s 2-32 with 17 strikeouts.

And finally, RHP Wilkelma Castillo got rocked, giving up 2 hits, 4 walks, and 4 runs in 3.2 innings. Given that he’s 24 and has been playing stateside since 2019, and still struggling in A-Ball, gotta think that Castillo’s time in the organization might be nearing an end.

Low-A San Jose (56-34)

San Jose Giants beat the Modesto Nuts (Mariners) 5-4
Box score

Just one game after hitting his first professional home run, designated hitter Drew Cavanaugh did it again! The 2023 17th-round pick, who had been going through a very tough year until this week, hit 2-3 with a 2-run shot and a walk. What a game!

Center fielder Bo Davidson appeared in his 3rd game since getting activated off the IL (and a very-successful rehab stint in the ACL), and had a very nice game, hitting 2-4 with a pair of doubles. It’s been a pretty impressive year for the undrafted outfielder from the 2023 class.

Don’t look now, but catcher Luke Shliger, last year’s 6th-round pick, is heating up in a big way. The lefty hit 2-4 with a double and his 7th stolen base of the year, and now has a 6-game hitting streak … and since June 20, he’s 19-59 with 1 home run, 2 doubles, and 19 walks. Nice!

RHP Ubert Mejias struggled a bit in his start, but RHPs Cole Hillier and Junior Flores were both strong in relief, each pitching 2 shutout innings. Hillier gave up 3 hits and struck out 3, which moved his ERA to 2.54 and his FIP to 3.72, while Flores allowed 2 walks and struck out a batter, lowering his ERA to 3.57 and his FIP to 5.10.

ACL Giants (31-27)

ACL Giants beat the ACL Athletics 8-4 (7 innings)
Box score

The exciting news in the Complex League is that Aeverson Arteaga (No. 14 CPL) has returned. The shortstop, who is a defensive wizard with a sneaky amount of home run power, was sidelined all through camp and the first few months of the season with thoracic outlet syndrome and surgery, but just began a rehab assignment, which is so wonderful to see.

On Monday, in his return, he hit 1-3 but struck out twice. And on Tuesday, playing in his second game (at designated hitter, like the first), he looked like a top prospect bound for a higher level, hitting 2-3 with a home run and a stolen base.

It’s really great that Arteaga was able to return to the field before the end of the ACL season, so he can rehab a little bit there before moving to A-Ball. Hopefully he can end the season strong and build momentum for a good — and healthy — 2025.

Center fielder Rayner Arias (No. 5 CPL, 18 years, 2023 international signing) is also hoping to find a groove before the ACL season concludes, and we’re all hoping he’s done enough (after a late start following a camp injury) to keep his season going in San Jose. Days like Tuesday certainly help, as he hit 2-4 with a double, bumping his OPS to .722 and his wRC+ to 95. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers, or anything close to it, but when you remember that he had rust to shake off they look at lot better. Here, check out the splits:

First 9 games: 4-29, 0 extra-base hits, 5 walks, 13 strikeouts
Next 14 games: 15-50, 1 triple, 7 doubles, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts

Yep, those numbers are much more befitting a top prospect!

Shortstop Walker Martin (No. 7 CPL, 20 years, 2023 2nd-round) continues his odd season … he went 0-1 with a strikeout, but drew 3 walks and stole a base. Among 152 ACL hitters with at least 100 plate appearances this year, Martin has the 7th-highest strikeout rate (38.0%) but the 5th-highest walk rate (21.8%). He’s just not putting balls in play, for better and for worse!

First baseman Jose Ramos (21 years, 2019 international signing) stayed hot, hitting 3-4. It was his 3rd consecutive multi-hit game, and in his last 10 games he’s 12-32 with 2 doubles, 8 walks, and just 5 strikeouts, which has his OPS up to .790 and his wRC+ at 115. A quietly solid season for him!

And rounding out the offense was another good game from second baseman Ryan Reckley (No. 44 CPL, 19 years, 2022 international signing), who hit 1-2 with a walk. Reckley started the season hot, went ice cold, and has now picked things up again. Just look at the 3 acts!

First 12 games: 12-31, 2 home runs, 1 triple, 7 walks, 9 strikeouts
Next 11 games: 4-33, 2 doubles, 8 walks, 14 strikeouts
Last 7 games: 8-20, 2 home runs, 1 triple, 7 walks, 6 strikeouts

There are still plenty of bumps and bruises for the young switch-hitter, who now seems to be a full-time second baseman after beginning his career as a shortstop. But he’s made absolutely enormous strides over his first 2 years in all the areas where he had been struggling … while maintaining the one area (drawing walks) where he had shined. I mean, look at this!

2022 in DSL: .194 batting average, .028 isolated slugging, 19.6% walk rate, 21.7% strikeout rate, 86 wRC+
2023 in ACL: .164 batting average, .097 isolated slugging, 19.1% walk rate, 37.6% strikeout rate, 64 wRC+
2024 in ACL: .274 batting average, .214 isolated slugging, 20.0% walk rate, 27.3% strikeout rate, 143 wRC+

If I had to guess, the Giants will take their wins where they can get them and have his season end with the the ACL’s, but it sure would be fun if he gets a Low-A assignment to end the year.

The pitching was all about rehabbing. MLB LHP Ethan Small opened the game with a perfect inning and struck out 2 batters. He could be making a San Francisco debut before too long. And High-A Eugene RHP Tyler Vogel was dominant as well, striking out 3 batters in 1.2 perfect innings. Fantastic.

A less smooth rehab appearance for Low-A RHP Kanoa Pagan, who got lit up for 2 hits, 2 walks, 4 runs, and 2 earned runs in just 1.1 innings. That’s pretty easy to dismiss as an outlier considering that in his first 4 appearances of the year he pitched 4.2 no-hit innings with 1 walk and 9 strikeouts. Yeesh!

DSL Black (25-10)

DSL Giants Black lost to DSL Arizona Red 8-1
Box score

Really nothing to see in this game. The offense mustered next-to-nothing, with no extra-base hits and just 6 baserunners. Only 2 players reached base twice, but they were perhaps the most notable (healthy) names on the team: designated hitter Jhonny Level (No. 38 CPL, 17 years, 2024 international signing), who hit 0-2 with 2 walks, bringing his OPS to .785 and his wRC+ to 111, and center fielder Oliver Tejada (17 years, 2024 international signing), who hit 0-2 with a walk, a hit by pitch, and his 12th stolen base in 20 tries, bringing his OPS to .952 and his wRC+ to 154.

RHP Marlon Franco (21 years, 2019 international signing) did something you very rarely see: he didn’t walk a batter, but he did hit 4 batters! That’s an odd type of lack of control, and it wasn’t a good game for him. It was a good game for RHP Moises Gonzalez (21 years, 2021 international signing) though, as he pitched 2 scoreless innings with just 1 baserunner allowed. Gonzalez had given up 11 hits and 8 earned runs in just 3.2 innings this year prior to that outing, so good to see.

DSL Orange (17-19)

DSL Giants Orange lost to the DSL Cubs Blue 3-2
Box score

A pair of performances to highlight. If you’ve been paying attention this year, you probably already know that I’m going to highlight designated hitter Jesus Alexander (18 years, 2023 international signing) who just keeps on hitting. The lefty went 3-4 with a walk in this game, and we just need to take a look at his year-over-year improvement again, just because it’s so funny.

2023: .171/.259/.263, 8.2% walk rate, 21.2% strikeout rate, .522 OPS, 46 wRC+
2024: .439/.484/.728, 9.4% walk rate, 12.5% strikeout rate, 1.212 OPS, 208 wRC+

May we all strive to make those sorts of improvements. Just incredible.

And RHP Argenis Cayama (17 years, 2024 international signing) kept up his awesome debut season, pitching 3 innings and allowing just 2 hits and an unearned run, with 4 strikeouts. Cayama has a 1.98 ERA, a 3.42 FIP, a 57.6% groundball rate, a 1.02 WHIP, and 16 strikeouts to 5 walks in 13.2 innings. What a great introduction!

---

Home run tracker

AAA Hunter Bishop (8 total, 6 in AAA)
AA Luis Toribio, 2 (7)
Low-A Drew Cavanaugh (2)
ACL Aeverson Arteaga (1)