SF Giants Top 31 Prospect Rankings: 2020 Midyear Update

SF Giants top prospects: No. 18 — C Ricardo Genoves

Age: 21
Highest Level: Class-A (Augusta)
Acquired: IFA (2015)
Future-Value Grade: 40+

Ricardo Genoves was seen as a potential plus defensive catcher with intriguing raw power at the plate when the Giants signed him during the 2015 international free agency window. He’s come to live up to that billing.

That combination is generally a good bet to at least become a solid backup, but he has everyday potential. He’s steadily progressed up the organizational ladder from the DSL to Class-A Augusta and has yet to look extremely overmatched even against far older competition.

The additions of Joey Bart and Patrick Bailey have overshadowed his growth. While Bailey and Bart built up a strong pedigree from their performances in college, it might be worth wondering if Genoves deserves more buzz.

He’s only two weeks older than Bailey and is nearly two and a half years younger than Bart and has handled full-season pitching well.

In 2019, at just 20 years old, Genoves was challenged with an assignment to Low-A Salem-Keizer.  It didn’t end up much of a challenge. He posted a massive .229 ISO and was doing it without much swing and miss (just a 16.4% strikeout rate).

Genoves was promoted to full-season ball to finish the season with the Augusta Greenjackets. While other prospects like Logan Wyatt, Franklin Labour, and Sean Roby struggled, he continued producing. His strikeouts did increase a bit, but they remained reasonable alongside a productive .292/.361/.446 line.

He does have an abnormally large frame for a catcher. He’s listed at 6’2”-254lbs, but doesn’t look overweight. He has 20-grade speed so it’s unlikely he can handle a major move defensively. He has the ability to do everything he’d have to to be a solid defensive backstop.

Bart and Bailey rightfully garner most attention when Giants fans think about life without Buster Posey. Chadwick Tromp may be playing himself into that conversation as well. However, Genoves remains a legit piece that could become trade bait, a solid backup, or good insurance at the position.