SF Giants hitting prospects week in review (7/10-7/23)

SF Giants Prospects Weekly Rundown: Double-A

Notable Performers

Simon Whiteman: 12 G, 42 AB, .286 AVG, .910 OPS, 5 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 10 BB, 14 K, 4 SB
Diego Rincones: 10 G, 32 AB, .281 AVG, .963 OPS, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 5 BB, 8 K
Will Wilson: 12 G, 51 AB, .235 AVG, .669 OPS, 3 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB, 17 K

One of the more pleasant surprises in the month of July for the Flying Squirrels has been the play of Simon Whiteman. The speedy second baseman is batting .279 in July with a .888 OPS, eight doubles, two home runs, and four stolen bases (he’s swiped 28 bags on the season). He is an excellent base stealer and based on this month, getting on base at a much better clip greatly increases the chance of him finding a long-term role. Kevin Cunningham drafted him with the final selection in our Giants Farm System Draft and if you want to know all the selections, give it a listen!

It always seems like a matter of when not if Diego Rincones‘ bat will heat up and he’s really turning it on over the past seven days with a .353 batting average and a 1.361 OPS with three home runs, three walks, and only three strikeouts. The Venezuelan has unique swing mechanics but an excellent feel for the barrel and has shown plenty of power as well. He might be a trade chip heading to the trade deadline but there is a good chance he will stay a Giants prospect when the calendar turns to August.

While Rincones has found his footing at the Double-A level, his former Eugene teammate Will Wilson has really struggled to get the bat going after three weeks of action. The biggest issue with Wilson as a Flying Squirrel has been the strikeouts, as he’s struck out in just under 32% of his trips to the plate through 16 games. The worse part of it is that his BABIP is at a healthy .317, signaling that there could even be a small amount of regression coming. The jump to Double-A is always particularly difficult for hitters, and there’s still plenty of time for him to adjust.