SF Giants prospects rundown 5/9: Eugene scores 15 in blowout

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 5/9: Triple-A

Sacramento River Cats 3 at Las Vegas Aviators 6
Performance of the Game: Bryce Johnson (3-5, 2 2B, K, R)

Bryce Johnson had an impressive offensive performance for the second consecutive day, adding a pair of doubles to an impressive early-season line. The historically light-hitting centerfielder has performed like an entirely different player at the plate in 2021. Johnson’s two home runs were already an aberration from his previous performances, but he’s never really hit other extra-base hits either. Just four games into this season, he already has five extra-base hits, an impressive feat for anyone, but especially a player who has never generated more than 35 extra-base hits in a season.

While Johnson’s bat was the most potent in Sacramento’s lineup on Sunday, it was a two-run single by Joey Bart followed by a Joe McCarthy RBI single responsible for the River Cats’ three-run third inning. Bart finished the game 2-4, raising his early-season batting average to .308.

Scott Kazmir made his first start of the season and was reasonably effective. The 37-year-old was far from dominant but struck out three without surrendering a walk in three innings of work. The lone run he allowed came on a sacrifice fly after a pair of singles to start the game.

Shun Yamaguchi took over with a 3-1 lead in the fourth and quickly allowed a solo home run, cutting Sacramento’s lead in half. Then, in a difficult sixth inning, Yamaguchi allowed four runs on three hits, a walk, and an error (two of the runs were unearned), which brought the game to its final 6-3 score. Yamaguchi was otherwise effective at limiting groundballs but struggled to generate much swing-and-miss, striking out just three over five innings of work with four hits and two walks.

SF Giants Prospects Rundown 5/9: Double-A

Richmond Flying Squirrels 4 at Hartford Yard Goats 2
Performance of the Game: Frankie Tostado (2-3, 3B, BB, K, R, 2 RBI)

Heliot Ramos continued his strong start at Double-A, dropping another 1-3 performance alongside a double, walk, and a strikeout. The lone well-established hitting prospect on the Flying Squirrels roster, Ramos remains the only obvious follow for prospect fans at the start of the season at Double-A. With that said, this roster could very easily have some future big-league contributors in bench or platoon roles.

Andres Angulo, a 23-year-old catcher who has moved through the Giants system because of an advanced feel behind the plate, raised his batting average to .421 with a 2-4 day that included a double. David Villar might not have a good enough bat to justify a starting MLB job at third base, given his inconsistent defense. Still, he could tap into his power consistently enough to be a bench corner bat. He showed off his power on Sunday, homering for the second time on the season.

Not to be taken lightly either, Frankie Tostado blasted 18 home runs in his first taste of full-season ball with Augusta in 2019. A 19th round selection in the 2017 draft out of Oxnard College, Tostado will have to hit his way to the bigs without elite athleticism. Still, the junior college selection has adjusted well after skipping High-A. While he’s yet to hit any homers on the season, he’s struck out a reasonable six times in 22 plate appearances and has hit the ball hard frequently.

On the mound, Tristan Beck made his second start of the year. He did a much better job limiting the Yard Goats overall offense than on Opening Day, allowing just two runs in five innings of work. However, Beck managed just two strikeouts against two walks and five hits. With minor-league teams playing week-long series to limit travel, it will be interesting to see if starters struggle to rack up strikeouts the second games they throw against a team in the same week.

SF Giants Prospects Rundown 5/9: High-A

Eugene Emeralds 15 at Spokane 1
Performance of the Game: Will Wilson (4-6, 2B, 3B, K, 2 R, RBI)

It had not happened yet this season, but if you follow the minors long enough, you know the blowouts are always right around the corner (for better or worse). This time, the Eugene Emeralds were on the right side of the final score.

The Emeralds have easily been the most dominant Giants affiliate in the first week of the season, flashing a strong pitching staff but consistently generating offense throughout their lineup. On Sunday, every player in the lineup scored a run, and while Eugene racked up 15 runs by the end of the contest, they never scored more than four in an inning. Instead, a steady barrage of offense from the third through seventh inning took care of business.

Spokane’s pitchers struggled to find the strike zone all night, and Emeralds hitters took advantage, working 11 walks. In fact, they only managed six extra-base hits over the course of the game. Franklin Labour became the latest prospect to homer on back-to-back days, launching a three-run homer off Trysten Barlow in the seventh inning. Sean Roby doubled on his only hit. Speedster Simon Whiteman swiped his third bag of the year on a 2-3 day with a walk and a triple. Diego Rincones became the first Giants minor leaguer to hit three homers in 2021, adding a solo shot in the ninth to top off a 2-5 day. After an impressive performance at the Venezuelan Winter League this offseason, Rincones has carried that play into the regular season, hitting .455/.520/1.000.

Through all of the runs, only one player emerged with more than two hits in the game: Will Wilson. Wilson finished the game a home run short of the cycle and, perhaps more than anyone else at High-A, has the strongest case for a quick promotion to Double-A. The Angels first-round pick in 2019, Wilson was considered a safer prospect that could move quickly through the minor leagues. Over the past year, he has gained experience at the alternate site, instructs, and major-league spring training. Not only is he putting up the closest triple-slash to Rincones, who admittedly could find himself at Double-A some point this year as well, but Wilson has struck out just four times in 27 plate appearances in contrast to five walks.

On the mound, Caleb Kilian built off his dominant Opening Day start with another impressive outing. After striking out nine batters in four innings to start the season, Kilian recorded five strikeouts across five innings of work and allowed just one run on two hits. Through two starts, Kilian has allowed just one run through nine innings with 14 strikeouts and zero walks. Out of the pen, John Russell and Ryan Walker kept their ERA at 0.00, throwing two shutout innings.