SF Giants hitting prospects week in review (7/24-7/30)

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

Heliot Ramos: 7 G, 22 AB, .273 AVG, .838 OPS, 3 2B, 3 RBI, 6 BB, 7 K, 2 SB
Will Toffey: 5 G, 12 AB, .333 AVG, 1.050 OPS, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K
Bryce Johnson: 7 G, 15 AB, .400 AVG, 1.140 OPS, 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K

After getting called up to the River Cats on July 21, Heliot Ramos has shown that he’s up to the task. The Puerto Rican is currently rocking a four-game hitting streak where he’s 6-17 with three doubles to his credit. It is a bounce-back month for the 21-year old after struggling very hard in June, and the front office rewarded his effort with this promotion. For someone who is almost six years younger than the average competition, Heliot looks like he belongs.

With several Giants veterans doing their rehab stints in Sacramento this week, it limited the playing time of Will Toffey. When Toffey played though, he looked pretty good on the field, displaying an ability to defend multiple positions and did not look bad at the plate. There’s little chance that he gets called up to the big league club this season as the Giants have their sights set on winning the division, but he is showing positive development.

After struggling for the past month and a half, Bryce Johnson put up what was arguably his best game this season on July 24th, where he went 4-5 with a walk, a double, a home run, and 4 RBI. It was the bulk of his production this week but it was a very memorable one. Like Toffey, it’s unlikely to see him in the big leagues this year but it’s nice to see him continue to get good playing time.

SF Giants Prospects Weekly Rundown: Double-A

Notable Performers

Simon Whiteman: 5 G, 22 AB, .409 AVG, .913 OPS, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K, 2 SB
Diego Rincones: 5 G, 18 AB, .167 AVG, .786 OPS, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K
Will Wilson: 5 G, 21 AB, .095 AVG, .589 OPS, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 11 K

What a week and a half for speedster Simon Whiteman to finish off his July as he’s currently on an eight-game hitting streak where he’s hitting .424 with a 1.015 OPS, three doubles, and two stolen bases. This week is also the first time in 39 games that he’s been caught stealing. The middle infielder has a .311 batting average this month and I’ve timed one of his hustle infield singles at 3.75-3.80 seconds. That’s 80-grade speed.

On the flip side, both Diego Rincones and Will Wilson only combined to go 5-39 this week, but all of those hits went for extra bases. I am not really worried about Rincones as he had a solid week last week. However, I am very worried about Wilson. With 11 more strikeouts, it brings his total strikeouts for Richmond to 34. Looking at his recent at-bats, Wilson’s giving the vibes that he’s selling out for power. That approach has clearly been not effective with his 35% strikeout rate. It is a worrying time for the shortstop. Granted, it does make for some fun highlights.

SF Giants Prospects Weekly Rundown: High-A

Notable Performers

Franklin Labour: 7 G, 22 AB, .364 AVG, 1.245 OPS, 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 7 BB, 9 K, 1 SB
Carter Aldrete: 7 G, 25 AB, .360 AVG, 1.048 OPS, 3 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K
Brett Auerbach: 6 G, 21 AB, .286 AVG, .994 OPS, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K, 3 SB

Franklin Labour is a streaky hitter. When he’s cold, he can still do a bit in terms of getting on base via a walk. When he’s hot, however, he’s as hot as it gets. Labour is in a five-game hitting streak where he’s 8-16 with two doubles, two home runs, five walks, and just four strikeouts. Labour is showing hard three-true-outcomes traits with an 18% walk rate, 28% strikeout rate, and a .237 ISO but the tools are top 30 worthy if he shows consistent hitting throughout a season.

Carter Aldrete got his season back on track with a strong July performance. The 2019 15th round draft choice has a batting average of .296 with a .929 OPS this month with three doubles, six home runs, 10 walks, and 28 strikeouts in 91 plate appearances this month. He’s shown defensive versatility this season playing five positions (1B, 2B, 3B, LF, RF) and only committing two errors all season long. If he can finish the season strong, his power and versatility are highly intriguing.

Speaking of defensive versatility, Brett Auerbach capped off a very solid July with another steady week offensively while continuing to play all over the diamond. There’s an indication this month that Auerbach’s putting more charge to the ball with the expense of more strikeouts, as evidenced by his team-leading eight home runs and a .591 SLG this month but with a 25.5% strikeout rate. There’s little need for Auerbach to flex his muscles and strive to hit for more power as his skillset is already top 30 worthy, but if the power surge will get more people to notice him, it’s a positive for his chances to be a big leaguer.

SF Giants Prospects Weekly Rundown: Rookie

Notable Performers

Adrian Sugastey: 4 G, 17 AB, .412 AVG, 1.000 OPS, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 3 K
Kwan Adkins: 4 G, 12 AB, .500 AVG, 1.455 OPS, 1 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 SB
Elian Rayo: 3 G, 5 AB, .400 AVG, 1.100 OPS, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 5 BB, 1 K

Two of the biggest performers in the Giants backfields this week were in the loaded ACL Orange lineup. Adrian Sugastey hit his first professional home run on Tuesday alongside fellow prospect Aeverson Arteaga. The Panamanian catcher is now batting .348 with a .827 and has kept his strikeout rate below 20% all season long. His bat is his calling card and he flashed a good-looking swing with a direct swing path with good contact ability. He has firmly placed himself inside the top 30 prospects.

Another one who had a strong week is Kwan Adkins. The outfielder was off to a slow start in the backfields but is now batting .269 with a .948 OPS and has four home runs in the short season. With Canario getting dealt, there’s a vacant spot in the San Jose outfield. While Harrison Freed and Carter Williams can hold the spot, the 2018 30th rounder is definitely in consideration of a Low-A call-up.

Over in the Dominican Summer League, Elian Rayo has found a way to get on base via base on balls. The Nicaraguan now has 15 walks and just 3 strikeouts in 40 plate appearances. Over the last week, however, most of the Latino teenagers down in the Dominican struggled offensively this week before a Giants Black game was canceled due to a potential COVID outbreak inside the team. The Orange and Black teams are in separate facilities so hopefully the situation has been contained.

Stay tuned to Around the Foghorn for the latest news and updates on SF Giants prospects.