SF Giants prospects rundown 5/14: Will Wilson’s hot bat

SF Giants Prospects Rundown 5/14: Double-A

Richmond Flying Squirrels 3 at Harrisburg Senators 4
Performance of the Game: David Villar (2-3, BB, K, R, RBI)

Coming off a historic Thursday night, when the Flying Squirrels completed the first nine-inning no-hitter and eight-game win streak in franchise history, Richmond dropped their first game in more than a week. Starting pitcher Gerson Garabito allowed three runs to score on three hits and a walk in the first inning but kept the game close by righting the ship from there. Garabito allowed just three more baserunners and no runs over the next four innings.

Garabito helped get the offense rolling, working a 3-2 count before singling through the left side of the infield to lead off the top of the third. A few batters later, David Villar drove Garabito in on a single that put the Flying Squirrels on the board. Villar finished the day with two of Richmond’s six hits and worked the team’s only walk following an Andy Sugilio single in the sixth to put two runners on with nobody out for Vince Fernandez. Fernandez singled in Sugilio, putting runners on the corners for Frankie Tostado, who tied the game with a sacrifice fly.

Mac Marshall entered out of the bullpen in the 3-3 game and had his best feel for the strike zone of the season. However, Harrisburg’s hitters seemed to have Marshall’s pitches well-timed, lining a pair of one-out singles to spark a small rally. Soft-hitting shortstop Osvaldo Duarte laid down a bunt hit that should have loaded the bases, but a throwing error by Marshall allowed the deciding run to score. While Marshall ultimately took the loss, his outing was a clear step forward for the southpaw. He struck out the side in his second (and final) inning of work and did not walk a batter in an appearance for the first time on the season.

Frank Rubio recorded a strikeout in a 1-2-3 eighth inning, but the Flying Squirrels offense was smothered by the Senators’ bullpen, failing to reach base in the seventh, eighth, or ninth inning.

SF Giants Prospects Rundown 5/14: High-A

Hillsboro Hops 1 at Eugene Emeralds 3
Performance of the Game: Nick Morreale (5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K)

Before getting into the game, Giants fans did get some bad prospect news from Eugene to start their Saturday.

On the field Friday, it was another 2019 first-round pick, Will Wilson (15th-ranked prospect), who continued an impressive stretch of play on the field. Wilson finished the day 3-4 with a pair of doubles to continue his eight-game hitting streak to start the season. In 40 plate appearances on the season, Wilson is hitting a robust .424/.525/.818 with five doubles, a triple, and two home runs. After a relatively disappointing professional debut in 2019, Wilson is answering any questions about his ability to adjust to pro ball.

Otherwise, Sean Roby (24th-ranked prospect) was the only other Emerald hitter to record multiple hits, mashing his third home run of the season. Roby has always had plus power potential but struggled to have it play in games without seeing his strikeouts spike. Thus far in 2021, though, he’s showing the ability to hit for power without tanking the rest of his offensive production.

On the mound, Nick Morreale, the Giants 14th-round pick in the 2019 MLB draft out of Georgetown, had an impressive start, surrendering just two hits over five innings with nine strikeouts and zero walks. Morreale has a powerful 6’5”-220 lbs frame working primarily off a low-90s fastball that has reached the mid-90s on occasion. Like Caleb Kilian, many saw Morreale moving to the bullpen as a professional, but so far in 2021, they both are showing far more potential. While it may not play at higher levels, it remains a great sign.

Out of the pen, Taylor Rashi, Ryan Walker, and Jose Marte combined to allow just one unearned run in four innings of work (Rashi went two), each striking out two while surrendering a pair of hits. Marte has been a different pitcher since his move to the bullpen this season. In three appearances, he’s struck out nine over 4.1 shutout innings without yielding a walk. At 24, the Giants player development team could put him on the fast track to the upper minors.

SF Giants Prospects Rundown 5/14: Low-A

San Jose Giants 14 at Stockton Ports 3
Performance of the Game: Abdiel Layer (4-5, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI)

The Giants continued thriving in Stockton’s hitter-friendly environment and put up the kind of offensive performance fans expected when they first looked at the roster before Opening Day. San Jose worked five walks, added 17 hits, blasted four homers, and struck out just four times en route to a 14-3 blowout victory.

Yet while the Giants were pouring it on, their pitching staff tied the Ports up all day, striking out 18 batters in 31 total at-bats. Stockton was consistently on the bases due to erratic control from San Jose’s staff, issuing ten walks, but was unable to convert on those opportunities.

Back-to-back singles by Jimmy Glowenke and Luis Matos (second-ranked prospect) to start the game helped the Giants jump out to a 1-0 lead, and young Kyle Harrison (fifth-ranked prospect) answered with a contactless bottom of the first (walking three and striking out three).

In the top of the second, Abdiel Layer, who started at shortstop in place of Marco Luciano (top-ranked prospect), who received a day off, blasted a long solo home run to double the team’s lead and start a fantastic day for the Puerto Rican infielder. In place of one of the biggest prospects in the Giants’ system, Layer took advantage of his opportunity, adding another towering solo homer in the fourth inning to set off an impressive four-hit day.

Layer was the Giants 40th-round pick in the 2018 draft and received a $125,000 signing bonus out Miami Dade Junior College. The Brewers had selected him in the 13th round the year prior but could not reach an agreement with him. While the Giants have been very slow to promote him through their minor-league ranks, he is still only 22 with solid speed and some intriguing power potential.

Several other hitters had noteworthy days as well. Ricardo Genoves (20th-ranked prospect) matched Layer’s four hits, albeit with singles. Harrison Freed drove in four on a pair of hits, including his first homer of the season. Matos had another multi-hit day as well, adding his second homer of the season in the ninth to cap off a 3-5 day with a walk. Matos has been on fire recently, going 13-26 with four doubles and two home runs on a six-game hitting streak.

Harrison’s erratic control forced him out of the game in the third. He threw 70 pitches in 2.1 innings but recorded all of his outs via the strikeout, but a well-timed double drove in one of the runners that reached base on his five walks. Still, the 19-year-old is showing an impressive ability to miss professional bats early in his career.

We’ll be back with looks at the SF Giants farm system throughout the minor-league season with daily rundowns on the entire organization’s minor-league affiliates.