Weekend Minor League roundup, 5/10-11: Big bats, big homers

The weekend action on the farm.

After a hiatus of a few days, we’re back for another San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball roundup, recapping all the action over a busy weekend. Let’s dive in!

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 fair bit of news to catch up on since I’ve gone a few days without a Minor League roundup. Most notably, the Giants sent outfielder/first baseman Jerar Encarnación on a rehab assignment with AAA Sacramento as he works his way back from a Spring Training injury. Unfortunately, fellow Sacramento outfielder/first baseman Victor Bericoto (No. 24 CPL) was placed on the 7-Day IL, while LHP Enny Romero was released.

Down at the lower levels, utility player Thomas Gavello was promoted from High-A Eugene to AA Richmond, while RHP Liam Simon, who had been rehabbing in the ACL, was assigned to Eugene.

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AAA Sacramento (18-21)

Saturday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners) 7-5 [box score]
Sunday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Tacoma Rainiers 12-7 [box score]

A great weekend for the trio of high-profile bats in Sacramento. Most critical to the Major League team was that first baseman/designated hitter Jerar Encarnación began his rehab assignment, and looked like he missed no time at all, hitting 3-7 with a double, a hit by pitch, and 2 strikeouts. Encarnación is eligible to come off the 60-Day Injured List in less than 2 weeks, and the Giants are very much hoping that his power bat can help tend to a scuffling offense.

Speaking of power bats, there’s still plenty of mustard in left fielder Marco Luciano’s swing, and he put that on display over the weekend, hitting 3-7 with a home run, a walk, a hit by pitch, and 2 strikeouts. Luciano’s homer occurred on Saturday and was a go-ahead grand slam, and it also gave him the farm system lead with 7 home runs.

The overall season numbers are more good than great for Luciano, who now has a .785 OPS and a 113 wRC+, but he’s firmly trending in the right direction following his slow start to the season. He’s been swinging the bat very well lately.

And speaking of swinging the bat well after slow starts, center fielder Grant McCray had a dynamic weekend, hitting 5-7 with 2 doubles, 3 walks, 2 stolen bases, and 1 strikeout. What a weekend!

McCray has had a very rough offensive season after his standout spring, so it was great to see him string together some excellent at-bats. And it’s also wonderful to see him stealing some bases, as he hasn’t been doing that nearly as much as we’d all like him to, given his speed. Hopefully this weekend is a sign of what’s to come for the exceedingly athletic McCray.

The pitching was not very good. The starters struggled in both games, with RHP Mason Black (No. 7 CPL) allowing 3 hits, 3 walks, and 3 runs in 5 innings on Saturday. Black threw just 50 of 81 pitches for strikes, and only punched out 3 batters. And on Sunday it was RHP Carson Ragsdale (No. 19 CPL) who gave up 4 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs in just 3 innings of work, with 3 strikeouts. Ragsdale has had a huge issue with control all year — he’s walked 15 batters in 23.1 innings — and he threw just 36 of his 61 pitches for strikes in this game.

The bullpen wasn’t any better, with the notable names struggling as well. On Saturday RHP Tristan Beck gave up 3 hits and a run in 2 innings, with 2 strikeouts, and on Sunday RHP Sean Hjelle pitched just 1 inning, and allowed 4 hits, 1 walk, 5 runs, and 4 earned runs, with 1 strikeout. With LHP Kyle Harrison taking Lou Trivino’s spot in the San Francisco bullpen, it’s hard to see Beck or Hjelle having a path back to the Giants that doesn’t involve someone getting injured.

AA Richmond (10-23)

Saturday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Harrisburg Senators (Nationals) 4-2 [box score]
Sunday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Harrisburg Senators 4-2 [box score]

This constitutes as a massively successful weekend for the Flying Squirrels, because in the 4 prior games in the series, they had been outscored by a score of … wait for it … keep waiting for it … 36-2. Remarkably though, they won 1 of those 4 games!

The excitement came in the 8th inning on Saturday, when the Flying Squirrels had 2 runners on base with 2 outs, trailing 2-0. Up came first baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL), who smacked a go-ahead home run, his 2nd of the year. Exactly 1 pitch later, center fielder Cal Mitchell added an insurance run with a solo blast.

Those are exciting swings, though they represent pretty much all the damage that those two middle-of-the-order bats did. Other than their home runs, Eldridge hit 0-6 with a walk and 3 strikeouts over the weekend, while Mitchell hit 0-7 with 2 strikeouts. Still and all, it’s been a successful start to the season for Eldridge this year, after missing the opening weeks with an injury, and Mitchell showed off his mitt.

Left fielder/shortstop Thomas Gavello had a nice weekend in his 1st games since getting promoted, as he hit 3-7 with 2 doubles and a strikeout, while playing a pair of positions he hadn’t played all season. Gotta love utility players!

A mostly uninteresting weekend on the mound. LHP John Michael Bertrand had a nice start on Saturday, giving up 4 hits, 1 walk, and 1 hit batter in 6 innings, while ceding 2 runs and striking out 4. The 2022 10th-round pick is having a so-so season in Richmond, with a 4.50 ERA and a 4.51 FIP. His walks are up and his groundball rate is down a bit this year, and he’ll want to reverse that.

Nice relief appearances from a pair of relievers having strong seasons: RHPs Braxton Roxby and Trent Harris (No. 20 CPL). Roxby, whom the Giants acquired in the Taylor Rogers trade, pitched a scoreless inning with a hit and a strikeout, and now has a 2.08 ERA and a 2.24 FIP, with a staggering 14.5 strikeouts per 9 innings. Harris, a very exciting relief prospect, gave up 1 hit and 1 walk in 1.1 shutout innings, with 2 strikeouts. He still has a 0.00 ERA, and also has a 1.59 FIP, while also notching 12 strikeouts against 2 walks in 10 innings this season.

High-A Eugene (16-17)

Saturday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Hillsboro Hops (D-Backs) 8-2 [box score]
Sunday: Eugene Emeralds lost to the Hillsboro Hops 10-4 [box score]

Saturday’s win came in hilarious small-ball style. The Emeralds scored their 8 runs without a single extra-base hit. Instead, they had 8 singles, 5 walks, 3 hit batters, and 6 stolen bases. That’s certainly one way to do it!

Before we get into the good performances, let’s discuss a concerning one. It was another rough weekend for right fielder James Tibbs III (No. 3 CPL), who hit 0-9 with a walk and 2 strikeouts. Tibbs was brilliant to start his 1st full season, but is slumping something fierce now. Just look at the splits for last year’s 1st-round pick:

First 15 games: 16-57, 2 home runs, 4 doubles, 13 walks, 9 strikeouts
Next 15 games: 5-50, 1 home run, 0 doubles, 12 walks, 10 strikeouts

It is, at least, encouraging that the walk-to-strikeout ratio has remained excellent even as the hits have dissipated. But this cold stretch has brought Tibbs’ OPS down to .673 and his wRC+ to 95.

Now, onto the good performances. Center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 11 CPL) continued his spectacular season, hitting 3-7 with a triple, a double, 2 walks, a strikeout, and a stolen base. Davidson has only played in 24 games this year due to injury, but already has a whopping 14 extra-base hits. The result is a .999 OPS, a 168 wRC+, and a whole lot of reasons for excitement.

Left fielder Jonah Cox (No. 26 CPL) and second baseman Quinn McDaniel also had delightful weekends. Cox hit 3-7 with 2 walks, a strikeout, and 2 stolen bases, while McDaniel hit 3-5 with 4 walks, 2 strikeouts, 2 stolen bases, and 1 caught stealing. Cox now has a .731 OPS, a 101 wRC+, and 15 stolen bases in 17 attempts, while McDaniel has a .755 OPS, a 110 wRC+, and 10 stolen bases in 12 attempts. Awesome seasons for the speedsters from the 2023 draft (where McDaniel was a 5th-round pick, and Cox a 6th-round pick by the A’s).

We’ll start the pitching the way we started the hitting: with a tough performance. Only because it’s such a fascinating one. LHP Esmerlin Vinicio started on Sunday and only made it through 1.1 innings. The catch? He didn’t give up any hits! But he walked 7 of the 11 batters he faced, which resulted in 4 runs going on his stat sheet. With that rough outing, Vinicio now has more walks (22) than innings pitched (21) this year, which is obviously far from ideal.

Saturday’s pitcher was much better, as LHP Cesar Perdomo pitched 5 innings, giving up just 6 baserunners and 2 runs, while striking out 4. Perdomo has been struggling a bit this year, so nice to see him have a good outing. A handful of good relief outings, most notably from RHPs Sadrac Franco, Liam Simon, and Dylan Hecht. Franco tossed 1.2 shutout innings with 1 walk and 1 strikeout, lowering his ERA to 1.93 and his FIP to 3.59. A nice 1st season in the organization for the Rule 5 selection. Simon walked 2 batters, but threw a scoreless, no-hit inning. It was just his 2nd appearance with Eugene this year and his 3rd anywhere this season, after starting the year injured. Great to see him out there. And Hecht pitched a perfect inning with 2 strikeouts. He’s fitting in brilliantly after making his professional debut recently … at 31 years old!

Low-A San Jose (18-15)

Saturday: San Jose Giants lost to the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) 8-7 (10 innings) [box score]
Sunday: San Jose Giants lost to the Lake Elsinore Storme 7-6 [box score]

Some very exciting performances over the weekend for the Baby Giants, particularly on offense.

Shortstop/designated hitter Walker Martin (No. 14 CPL) had what was hopefully a breakout, hitting 2-5 with 2 home runs and 2 strikeouts on Saturday, and following it up on Sunday by going 0-1 with 4 walks and a stolen base.

It hasn’t been a smooth year for Martin, or a smooth career since being drafted in the 2nd round in 2023. But, while his overall numbers are down year-over-year in San Jose (his OPS has dropped from .691 to .685 and his wRC+ from 95 to 83), there are reasons for optimism. Martin’s strikeout rate at the level has plummeted from 46.3% to 29.5%, and his isolated slugging has leaped from .131 to .213. Progress, though at some point the Giants will need to see that on the batting average front, as he’s hitting just .200, after hitting .202 for the Baby Giants a year ago.

Center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 8 CPL) only played in 1 game, but he made the most of it, hitting 3-5 and finishing a triple shy of the cycle, with a strikeout and a stolen base.

It’s been a brilliant season for last year’s 4th-round pick, though he hasn’t been showing much of his legendary power … until Sunday, that is. Despite the power that will eventually show up being somewhat absent, Jordan is up to an .850 OPS and a 136 wRC+. Critically, his strikeout rate is down to 26.9% (comfortably lower than his final season in college), and he’s stolen 13 bases in as many attempts, which is more successful steals than he had attempts, total, in his entire college career.

Also nice hitting weekends for first baseman/left fielder Jakob Christian (No. 30 CPL) and third baseman/first baseman Robert Hipwell (No. 25 CPL). Christian hit 3-7 with a double, a walk, a hit by pitch, and 2 strikeouts, with a stolen base, boosting his OPS to .863 and his wRC+ to 128. Hipwell hit 2-9 with a home run, a hit by pitch, 2 strikeouts, and a stolen base, and now has a .730 OPS and a 105 wRC+.

Strong starting pitching performances from a pair of electric young arms, LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 31 CPL) and RHP Gerelmi Maldonado (No. 36 CPL). Bresnahan pitched 5 brilliant innings, giving up just 2 hits, 2 walks, and 0 runs, while striking out 3. It’s been an up-and-down year for the 19-year old, who has a 4.81 ERA, a 4.46 FIP, and 29 strikeouts against 13 walks in 24.1 innings. There’s no denying the awesomeness in his arm, it’s just a matter of how well he can harness it. As for Maldonado, he only pitched 3 innings, but gave up no hits or runs, while walking 2 and striking out 3. Maldonado, who has a 4.30 ERA and a 3.77 FIP, is still struggling to find the strike zone this year in his return from Tommy John surgery, but he’s also showing why he’s such an exciting prospect.

Unfortunately, the arms that followed them struggled mightily, as RHP Ubert Mejias gave up 6 hits and 6 runs in just 1 inning, while LHP Tyler Switalski ceded 8 hits, 1 walk, and 4 runs in 4.2 innings.

Arizona Complex League (2-4)

Saturday: ACL Giants lost to the ACL Rockies 1-0 (8 innings) [box score]

It was all about pitching for the ACL Giants in their only game of the weekend. RHP Argenis Cayama (No. 28 CPL, 18 years, 2024 IFA) got the start, and was as good as advertised. The youngster threw 42 of 63 pitches for strikes, giving up just 2 hits and 2 walks in 3.1 shutout innings, with 5 strikeouts. Through 2 appearances, Cayama has allowed 7 baserunners in 7.1 innings, with no earned runs and 9 strikeouts.

Then it was RHP Jose Bello (No. 44 CPL, 19 years, 2023 IFA) who was even more electric. Bello allowed just 1 hit in 2.2 shutout innings, and struck out 5 batters. What a day! Through 2 outings he’s pitched 5.1 innings and allowed just 5 hits, 0 walks, and 0 earned runs, with 7 strikeouts. He’s an arm worth being excited about.

And rounding out the nice pitching day was RHP Samir Chires (21 years, 2021 IFA). Chires was tagged with the loss because he allowed the Manfred Man to score, but he gave up 0 hits, 1 walk, and 0 earned runs in 1.2 innings, with a strikeout. It’s Chires’ 3rd pass through the ACL, so he’ll really be hoping to show something this year.

Nothing doing on offense. The Giants had 3 hits, 0 walks, and 0 runs, and no one reached base multiple times.

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Home run tracker

AAA Marco Luciano (7)
AA Bryce Eldridge (2)
AA Cal Mitchell (1)
Low-A Walker Martin x2 (4)
Low-A Dakota Jordan (2)
Low-A Robert Hipwell (2)

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Injury report

Here are all the names that are currently on the Injured List, or any other unable to play list. Minor League bookkeeping is notoriously poor, so take all of this with a grain of salt.

Sacramento

LHP Reggie Crawford (No. 10 CPL) — 60-Day IL
RHP R.J. Dabovich — 60-Day IL
LHP Juan Sánchez (No. 33 CPL) — 60-Day IL
OF/1B Victor Bericoto (No. 24 CPL) — 7-Day IL
RHP Joel Peguero — 7-Day IL
LHP Ethan Small — 7-Day IL
C Max Stassi — 7-Day IL
RHP Cole Waites (No. 32 CPL) — 7-Day IL
RHP Keaton Winn — 7-Day IL
LHP Chris Wright — 7-Day IL

Richmond

2B Nate Furman — 60-Day IL
RHP Ryan Murphy — 60-Day IL
RHP Mat Olsen — 60-Day IL
CF Turner Hill — 7-Day IL
LHP Nick Zwack — 7-Day IL

Eugene

RHP Elijah Pleasants — Development List
OF Alexander Suarez — 60-Day IL
LHP Dylan Carmouche — 7-Day IL (on a rehab assignment)
LHP Hayden Wynja — 7-Day IL

San Jose

RHP Sam Bower — 60-Day IL
C Ty Hanchey — 60-Day IL
RHP Spencer Miles — 60-Day IL
SS Maui Ahuna (No. 23 CPL) — 7-Day IL (on a rehab assignment)
INF Jeremiah Jenkins — 7-Day IL
RHP Junior Flores — 7-Day IL
OF Jose Ortiz (No. 22 CPL) — 7-Day Il