SF Giants prospects rundown 6/3: Carson Ragsdale K’s 10

SF Giants pitching prospect Carson Ragsdale struck out 10, Joe McCarthy continued hitting for power, and more.

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 prospects 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 6/3: Triple-A

Sacramento River Cats 7 at Reno Aces 10
Performance of the Game: Joe McCarthy (2-3, 2B, HR, BB, K, R, 3 RBI)

The River Cats jumped out to a two-run lead in the top of the first, but starting pitcher Anthony Banda struggled mightily over his 3.2 innings of work, surrendering seven runs on eight hits, four walks, and a home run. Sacramento’s offense failed to cross the plate again until the fifth inning. While the game concluded within three runs, the game never felt close after the first couple of innings.

Thairo Estrada continued his exceptional start to the season, finishing 4-for-5 with a double. Arismendy Alcantara made his first appearance of the season for Sacramento and had a great debut, bashing a home run. However, Joe McCarthy might have been the most well-rounded offensive player of the day for the River Cats. He recorded a pair of extra-base hits, including his sixth home run of the season. McCarthy has long had the reputation as a player with above-average power potential and a great plate approach, but it’s failed to play throughout his career as a pro and helped him clear waives after he was designated for assignment for the Giants. Some teams are probably regretting the decision to let him pass through waivers now.

On the season, McCarthy is hitting .299/.353/.584, easily the best slugging percentage of his career. His 20-to-6 strikeout-to-walk rate may not match some of the elite walk rates he has flashed in the past, but the Giants will happily accept that sacrifice in exchange for the greater power output.

SF Giants Prospects Rundown 6/3: Double-A

Altoona Curve 4 at Richmond Flying Squirrels 2
Performance of the Game: Ryan Howard (2-4, HR, R, RBI)

Caleb Kilian got off to a rocky start in his second Double-A start. Kilian recorded two outs after allowing a leadoff single in the first inning, but three straight groundballs resulted in singles and two runs scored. To Kilian’s credit, he quickly rebounded and surrendered just one hit and one walk over the next four innings. After two starts since his promotion, Kilian looks well suited for his new level. While his fastball remains a strong offering, he’ll need to refine a secondary pitch to succeed against higher-level competition.

Ronnie Williams and Joey Marciano both allowed a run, Marciano’s first of the year, over two innings, but kept the Flying Squirrels’ offense within striking distance. Ryan Howard blasted a solo home run in the second inning, and Shane Matheny drove in another in the third, but Richmond was otherwise quelled.

SF Giants Prospects Rundown 6/3: High-A

Eugene Emeralds 5 at Vancouver Canadians 7
Performance of the Game: Tyler Schimpf (1.2 IP, 5 BF, 5 K)

No team is exhibiting one trait consistently targetted by Farhan Zaidi more than Eugene. The Emeralds have worked long plate appearances and walks at a fantastic rate all season. On Thursday, they worked seven walks. While they managed just five hits on the day, the propensity of walks enabled them to take advantage of some well-timed contact and errors by the Canadians defense.

Eugene’s pitching staff needed more help than they got. Starting pitcher Nick Avila and reliever Solomon Bates each allowed three runs in the first four innings of the game. While the matchup was ultimately already out of reach, Tyler Schimpf was unhittable, striking out all five batters he faced.

SF Giants Prospects Rundown 6/3: Low-A

Modesto Nuts 1 at San Jose Giants 9
Performance of the Game: Carson Ragsdale (5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K)

The lone affiliate victory came in a dominating fashion at San Jose. The Giants Low-A affiliate dominated every facet of the game from the start. Carson Ragsdale struck out 10 hitters over five shutout innings. In his first professional season, Ragsdale is dominating with a strong two-pitch mix. Assuming a promotion is coming his way soon, it will be interesting to see how his repertoire plays against better competition.

San Jose’s 3-4-5 hitters, Armani Smith, Ricardo Genoves, and Marco Luciano, were the offensive stars of the night.  The middle of the order combined to go 9-for-14 with three doubles and a triple. Smith had been out for the last couple of weeks with an injury but picked up exactly where he left off in his first game back. On top of a 4-for-5 night, Smith stole his first base of the season for good measure.

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