SF Giants prospects rundown 5/8: Kyle Harrison’s anticipated debut

Minor league baseball is finally back. After MLB canceled last year’s slate of affiliate games due to the COVID-19 pandemic and began an unprecedented consolidation of minor-league ball, fans finally have official box scores to track and highlights to watch on MILB TV. Make sure to revisit our daily SF Giants prospect rundowns to keep up with each of their minor-league affiliates.

If you do not feel well acclimated to the prospects throughout the farm system, you might want to revisit our prospect week articles that detailed the system from the top prospect to lower-level fringes. If you’re just interested in the biggest names, then the preseason SF Giants top 31 prospects list is the one-stop-shop for you.

SF Giants Prospects Rundown 5/8: Triple-A

Sacramento River Cats 10 at Las Vegas Aviators 11
Performance of the Game: Bryce Johnson (2-3, HR, 3 BB, K, 2 R, 2 RBI)

Not too long ago this would have been a Pacific Coast League special. Now in Triple-A West, the River Cats fell on the wrong side of a slugfest in Las Vegas. Conner Menez got the start and, like many pitchers at the beginning of the year, struggled with control. He issued a pair of walks in 2.1 innings of work and was tagged for three runs. Kervin Castro replaced Menez in the third inning, but the recently converted reliever struggled mightily, walking three and surrendering two hits, including a home run.

The River Cats offense got back in the game quite quickly, tagging top A’s prospect Grant Holmes for five runs in three innings, led by Bryce Johnson’s second home run in as many days. Johnson was drafted by the Giants in the 6th round of the 2017 draft out of Sam Houston State and has always had an elite combination of baserunning and defensive ability. He’s always worked walks at a decent rate as well (10.3% career minor-league walk-rate) but has never posted a slugging percentage over .369 in a season. With just six career minor-league home runs entering 2021, his pair of early-season homers creates an extremely intriguing trend to watch.

Thairo Estrada and Joe McCarthy each had multi-hit performances, but Mitchell Tolman was the remaining offensive star, blasting a grand slam in the sixth inning to put Sacramento up 10-5.

Daniel Alvarez covered for the innings Menez was unable to give the team, allowing a solo home run in an otherwise solid 3 innings of work. Then, recently demoted Gregory Santos struck out a pair in two perfect innings of work before Yunior Marte fell apart in the bottom of the ninth inning. Marte recorded an out but allowed a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases before a wild pitch on a strikeout allowed a run to score. Still up three with two outs in the inning, Marte had an opportunity to close things out. However, a pair of singles cleared the bases and tied the game at 10. Without any other pitchers scheduled to pitch, the River Cats through utility man Jason Krizan on the mound in the bottom of the tenth, who recorded one out before allowing a walk-off hit that scored the runner on second.

SF Giants Prospects Rundown 5/8: Double-A

Richmond Flying Squirrels 2 at Hartford Yard Goats 0 (7 innings)
Performance of the Game: Matt Frisbee (5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K)

Richmond Flying Squirrels 9 at Hartford Yard Goats 5 (7 innings)
Performance of the Game: Sandro Fabian (2-4, HR, K, 2 R, 3 RBI)

After a rainout on Friday, the Flying Squirrels returned to the field and took a pair of seven-inning games from the Yards Goats in vastly different ways. On the morning side of the doubleheader, Matt Frisbee needed just 55 pitches (44 strikes) to get through a dominant five shutout innings. Aside from a pair of hits by Matt McLaughlin, Frisbee mixed and matched his way to a blemishless outing before handing the ball to Pat Ruotolo, who walked one and struck out two in two shutout innings to close things out.

Hartford starter Matt Dennis took the hard-luck loss, surrendering doubles to Heliot Ramos and David Villar in the first inning that would ultimately be enough to take the L in an otherwise strong five-innings. Villar scored an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth after doubling again and finding his way around the bases after a throwing error by Casey Golden. Ramos also worked a walk, but no one else reached base more than once in the Richmond lineup.

The second game of the day got off to a similar start, with Ramos working a leadoff walk, Andy Sugilio singling, and Ramos scoring on a throwing error by the catcher when he attempted to steal third. Hartford quickly answered with a run of their own after an error by Villar allowed a runner to reach base, but Flying Squirrels starter Gerson Garabito, a 25-year old signed as a minor-league free agent this offseason with Double-A experience, held his own over four innings.

Then, in the bottom of the fourth, Richmond burst the game open with an explosive eight-run inning. Yard Goats pitchers struggled to find the strike zone, and the few times they did, the Flying Squirrels found the outfield grass, scoring five runs on five singles and a walk. With two outs and runners on first and second, Sandro Fabian (who had already come around to score after a leadoff single earlier in the inning) blasted a pitch off the right-field foul pole for a three-run homer.

SF Giants Prospects Rundown 5/8: High-A

Eugene Emeralds 6 at Spokane 10
Performance of the Game: Carter Aldrete (2-4, 2 R, K)

Giants fans should probably familiarize themselves with Conner Nurse. An above-slot 34th round pick in the 2017 draft out of Ridge Community High School (Davenport, Florida), Nurse was quietly solid in his pro debut at the Arizona Rookie League in 2018 (12 G, 3.23 ERA, 53 IP, 48 H, 26 BB, 56 K) and had some flashes at Salem-Keizer in 2019. Even after losing the 2020 season, Nurse is still just 21 and is clearly someone the organization’s player development staff is high on if they were willing to start him at High-A.

Nurse was drafted as a projectile 6’6” righty, and he still has some room to fill out. Historically he’s been a low-90s arm that relied on mixing in his breaking ball alongside solid control to be effective. That seems to still be the case. He struck out just one batter in four innings but walked three and allowed two runs on four hits. Nurse is unlikely ever to have the upside of most of the other well-known arms in the Giants system, but his continued progression at such a young age should make sure no one sleeps on his potential.

Replaced by Taylor Rashi, things very quickly got out of hand. Rashi took 38 pitches to get through the fifth inning, and before he recorded three outs, Spokane had added six more runs and was leading 8-0.

The Emeralds offense would not be held down for long, recording six runs and eight hits by the end of the game, but they never got within six runs. Still, Franklin Labour hammered his first home run of the season. Carter Aldrete, who entered the day 1-10 on the season, scored a pair of runs and two hits. Jacob Gonzalez also had a multi-hit game and scored once.