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

Make sure to revisit our weekly 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 Weekly Rundown: Triple-A

Notable Performers
Joe McCarthy: 6 G, 22 AB, .409 AVG, 1.045 OPS, 3 2B, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 2 K
Braden Bishop: 5 G, 22 AB, .500 AVG, 1.314 OPS, 2 2B, 2 3B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
Joey Bart: 5 G, 24 AB, .375 AVG, 1.067 OPS, 1 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K
Bryce Johnson: 6 G, 29 AB, .172 AVG, .526 OPS, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 11 K

There were a trio of hitters on fire over the past week for the River Cats, and Joe McCarthy is definitely one of them. He’s now hit seven home runs this season and he is on pace to beat his career-high mark of eight home runs in a single minor league season. Even though his hitting streak ended at 11 games, he’s started another with a modest three-game hitting streak. The 27-year old might’ve been overwhelmed by big-league pitching in his cup of coffee last season, but he’s potentially poised to perform better if given the opportunity to play once again for the Orange and Black.

Speaking of hot River Cats hitters, there might not be a hitter hotter than Braden Bishop. The older brother of the Giants 2019 first-round pick Hunter Bishop has been on fire ever since he was added to the Giants organization, sporting a wRC+ of 230.

Joey Bart came back from a groin issue that kept him out for a week rather slow. However, he’s back to his hitting ways with a strong week. There was always a good chance that Bart would be called up at some point this season and he’s doing everything he can to force the Giants to do just that.

Bryce Johnson has cooled off massively after a scorching start. His BABIP in May was clearly unsustainable so a decline in his performance of this magnitude is to be expected. It would be interesting if whether he or Bishop is viewed higher on the depth chart by the organization. Both are fantastic defensively and hitting well, but Johnson is younger while Bishop has big-league experience.

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.