SF Giants hitting prospects week in review (6/5-6/11)

SF Giants Prospects Weekly Rundown: Double-A

Notable Performers
Sandro Fabian: 5 G, 14 AB, .500 AVG, 1.214 OPS, 3 2B, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K
Heliot Ramos: 6 G, 24 AB, .208 AVG, .854 OPS, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K
Vince Fernandez: 5 G, 13 AB, .231 AVG, .978 OPS, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K

There is one Richmond hitter in a league of his own this week. His name is Sandro Fabian. Even though he is not playing every day (he is pinch-hitting half of the time), there is no stopping his scorching hot bat ever since the calendar flipped to June where he is batting .478 with an OPS of 1.261. It has the telltale signs of unsustainability and he is definitely bound to regress soon, but it’s definitely a very pleasant sight to watch the 23-year old make consistent hard contact.

Heliot Ramos had a mixed week, but really heated up over the last couple of days, blasting home runs in back-to-back days on Thursday and Friday. In a pitching-friendly environment, the Puerto Rican is holding his own and has already hit five home runs this season. A mid-season call-up to Triple-A could definitely be on the horizon.

Even though Vince Fernandez is not hitting for a high average, as he is hitting only .197, the 2016 10th rounder originally by the Rockies is now tied for the team lead in home runs alongside Ramos and David Villar with five. He is not really considered a top prospect but he can hit for power on the left side.

SF Giants Prospects Weekly Rundown: High-A

Notable Performers

Ismael Munguia: 3 G, 11 AB, .361 AVG, .748 OPS, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB
Tyler Fitzgerald: 6 G, 23 AB, .348 AVG, .836 OPS, 1 2B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 4 BB, 10 K
Logan Wyatt: 6 G, 19 AB, .263 AVG, .745 OPS, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 8 BB, 6 K
Patrick Bailey: 5 G, 19 AB, .053 AVG, .333 OPS, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K

After participating in the Olympic qualifiers a week ago, Ismael Munguia is now back in the Emeralds lineup and has continued his hitting ways. The speedy Nicaraguan keeps on making contact at such a high rate that cuts through his walk and strikeout rates and if the 2019 season is an indication, he will continue to make noise offensively in the summer.

Tyler Fitzgerald was the most consistent hitter over the past week for the Emeralds. He is often overlooked as a sum-of-the-parts prospect with just fringy tools across the board, but I feel there’s still some intrigue as a power-first middle infielder that comes with some strikeouts.

On the other hand, Logan Wyatt has finally hit his first home run of the season a couple of weeks ago, and his OPS has largely been fueled by his walk rate. In my stock report, it is not really the lack of power that I am worried about, it’s more about his very high groundball rate that limits his offensive profile. Let’s see if Wyatt’s turned on a corner offensively that would raise his stock back up.

Last year’s first-round Patrick Bailey is in an offensive slump. After an abysmal offensive performance this week, the Emeralds backstop is now batting .156 in the month of June. Even though Bailey’s impressed with his defense this season, his offensive profile leaves more to be desired with his track record of hitting when he was in college.

SF Giants Prospects Weekly Rundown: Low-A

Notable Performers

Alexander Canario: 6 G, 22 AB, .364 AVG, .969 OPS, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K, 3 SB
Casey Schmitt: 4 G, 16 AB, .375 AVG, 1.349 OPS, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K
Luis Toribio: 3 G, 13 AB, .385 AVG, 1.198 OPS, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K
Marco Luciano: 6 G, 22 AB, .318 AVG, 1.150 OPS, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K
Armani Smith: 4 G, 17 AB, .176 AVG, .752 OPS, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K

There are a trio of hitters who struggled last month that have since found their footing in June. Outfielder Alexander Canario posted a .167 batting average and an OPS of .610 in May, now he is swinging a hot bat with a modest four-game hitting streak last week. The most important thing for Canario is cutting down his strikeouts, with only an 11.4% strikeout rate in June compared to 33.7% in May.

After an abysmal May where he posted a triple slash of .121/.192/.273, Casey Schmitt is starting to heat up in June, hitting three home runs over the past week, and is now batting .183 in the young season tied for second on the San Jose roster with six home runs. I have noted in my May prospects stock report that I was worried about Schmitt’s high flyball rate that was a result of a swing tweak but has not translated into production. However, his recent form is an indication that he’s finally settled in pro ball and is ready to turn the tides offensively.

The last of the trio is Luis Toribio, who after this week is hitting to the tune of .273/.393/.545 in June. He’s also hit his first home run of the season last week. The more important aspect for Toribio to work on is his defense in the dirt, and I am pleased with him completing the routine plays.

Armani Smith‘s bat cooled off after a four-hit game in his return from injury. However, two of his hits last week left the yard. In other news, Marco Luciano is still awesome and is continuing to be a special prospect. It’s hard to talk about someone who does exceptional things so routinely.

We’ll have our rundown of SF Giants pitching prospects over the past week tomorrow and another rundown next week.