SF Giants hitting prospects week in review (8/28-9/10)

Make sure to revisit our weekly SF Giants prospect rundowns to keep up with each of their minor-league affiliates. If you are interested in the best that the Giants farm system has to offer, check fellow contributor Marc Delucchi’s updated top 31 prospect rankings. You can also check out my own updated top 30 rankings over on my Patreon if you want to compare our rankings.

Since I took a week off, I will cover the past two weeks of action in this week’s rundown.

SF Giants Prospects Weekly Rundown: Triple-A

Notable Performers

Will Toffey: 5 G, 13 AB, .538 AVG, 1.416 OPS, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K
Heliot Ramos: 11 G, 47 AB, .191 AVG, .522 OPS, 2 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 13 K, 1 SB
Joey Bart: 8 G, 31 AB, .129 AVG, .281 OPS, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 12 K
Wyatt Mathisen: 9 G, 31 AB, .290 AVG, .986 OPS, 3 2B, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 4 BB, 9 K

Will Toffey has a modest six-game hitting streak with eight hits in his past 21 plate appearances with four walks, four strikeouts, and a home run. Toffey has received little attention ever since he was acquired from the Mets in July but when Toffey gets to play on the field, typically every two days, he performs. In his 23 games as a River Cat, Toffey has a .339 batting average with a .936 OPS, a double, and two home runs. His numbers are bound to regress because of his .607 BABIP, but if ever the Giants decide to keep Toffey for next season, there is a chance that Toffey could be in the infield mix as a platoon option due to his lefty bat and ability to play both second and third base.

It felt like we have seen both the good and the bad with Heliot Ramos with his play in Sacramento this season. Ramos had a 13-game stretch from the middle of August to early September where he hit .328 with a .902 OPS, two doubles, a triple, three home runs, and four stolen bases. However, Heliot also has struggled over his last six games, with three hits in his last 25 plate appearances with nine strikeouts. Ramos has always been a streaky hitter this season with his big ebbs and flows when he was in Richmond and also in Sacramento, albeit in shorter spans. I expect Heliot to be more consistent once he repeats this level next season as a 22-year old.

Joey Bart has struggled to get the bat going once again after he missed a good chunk of August because of a quad strain. Bart has only posted six hits in his last 37 plate appearances with no extra-base hits and 13 strikeouts. It might be a good time to shut Bart down because he’s had a banged-up season that was riddled with injuries but I can also see the Giants pushing Bart to play in the Arizona Fall League to make up for the lost time. Bart has played just 59 games for the River Cats this season and was solid with a .294 average and has hit double-digit doubles and home runs.

Wyatt Mathisen has had an adventurous 2021. He was a Diamondback entering the 2021 season and played 23 games for the big league squad. However, he was designated for assignment after a month and was traded to the Rays for cash. After playing a month for the Rays Triple-A team, he was traded to the Mariners once again for cash. After struggling mightily in the Mariners’ Triple-A team for two months, the Mariners cut Mathisen and he was signed by the Giants three days after and was assigned to Sacramento looking for a fresh start. After hitting a combined .177 batting average with .613 OPS for the three teams that he played for, he is faring much better as a River Cat. He provides positional versatility having played second base, third base, and right field in his professional career.

SF Giants Prospects Weekly Rundown: Double-A

Notable Performers

David Villar: 6 G, 22 AB, .364 AVG, 1.234 OPS, 3 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 3 BB, 7 K, 1 SB
Will Wilson: 6 G, 21 AB, .333 AVG, 1.131 OPS, 2 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 3 BB, 7 K, 1 SB
Diego Rincones: 6 G, 19 AB, .368 AVG, .979 OPS, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 SB
Jacob Heyward: 3 G, 7 AB, .571 AVG, 2.321 OPS, 1 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 5 BB, 2 K

There have been a lot of breakout prospects in the Giants farm system this season. David Villar is the first prospect that you might have never heard of. With 19 home runs this season, Villar has broken the single-season record in Flying Squirrels history. What was amazing is that as the season rolls on, Villar’s batting average and strikeout rate kept getting better. Villar’s August was the best in his professional career with a .341 batting average, 1.151 OPS, nine doubles, seven homers, and a 17:13 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 97 plate appearances. The 2018 11th round pick has big-league potential with his ability to hit for power and solid defense at third base.

Even though the Flying Squirrels did not play for a week due to COVID issues, Will Wilson has kept his hot streak slightly going, batting .267 with two doubles in his last four games. Over the past 14 games, Wilson has a .347 batting average with a 1.051 OPS, four doubles, three home runs, and just a 22.8% strikeout rate. The strikeouts crept back up over his last four games with seven in his last 18 plate appearances, but it looks like Wilson is back. Hopefully, the start of September was not an indication that Wilson is reverting back to his strikeout-happy ways earlier.

The week off did not stop Diego Rincones‘ bat as he has a base hit in his last four games back with a hit in seven out of his last 18 plate appearances with a double and a home run. Rincones has been incredible since the start of August with a .352 batting average, .983 OPS, seven doubles, six home runs, and just a 13.4% strikeout rate. I have recently seen his ability to take a high fastball out of the park, a pitch I thought that he would struggle with at the next level. Even though he might be limited to being a DH, he has a shot to play in the big leagues once the DH is implemented in the National League.

Jacob Heyward has a definite shot to pass former Giants prospect Ricky Oropesa for the most career walks in Flying Squirrels franchise history after Heyward worked his 113th base on balls in last night’s game. Heyward has a slim chance of making the Majors being a 26-year old who struggled to perform in his second stint in Richmond with a .196 batting average and a 30% strikeout rate though he has hit 11 home runs this season. However, we have seen plenty of players reaching the big leagues in their late-20s and there’s still a shot that he makes the show.

SF Giants Prospects Weekly Rundown: High-A

Notable Performers

Ismael Munguia: 11 G, 47 AB, .447 AVG, 1.109 OPS, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 0 BB, 5 K, 1 SB
Jairo Pomares: 11 G, 44 AB, .250 AVG, .858 OPS, 3 2B, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 1 BB, 14 K, 1 SB
Sean Roby: 12 G, 45 AB, .268 AVG, .772 OPS, 1 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 14 K, 1 SB
Marco Luciano: 11 G, 38 AB, .158 AVG, .443 OPS, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 15 K, 1 SB

There have been a lot of breakout prospects in the Giants farm system this season. Ismael Munguia is the second prospect that you might have never heard of. Among those who follow Giants’ prospects closely, however, he is highly beloved for his energy, humor, and overall love for the game. Munguia is currently in a seven-game multi-hit streak and is batting .500 since the start of August. Among qualified hitters, Munguia’s .334 batting average leads the High-A West and his .862 OPS is second. After only posting three home runs in his first three years of pro baseball, Munguia has hit nine this year showing more pop than ever. He also has the lowest strikeout rate out of all qualified hitters in the minors at 7.3%. Oh, he also has 15 steals that is third in the team. He might have a utility-type future but his performance this year warranted a top 30 spot in both Marc and my top 30 rankings.

Jairo Pomares continued his power barrage in Eugene with four home runs this week. He has proven to be able to hit a ball out wherever a pitch is located as proven by his two-homer game on August 31st where he hit one up and in and also golfing one on a low and away pitch. His strikeout rate ballooned to over 30% in Eugene, something that he must work on in the off-season, but he has reminded me of former Giant Pablo Sandoval in terms of having the ability to make hard contact on pitches that are on the edge of the strike zone.

With two home runs in the past two weeks, Sean Roby is now tied for the High-A West lead in home runs with 19 for the season. What was incredible is that 10 of those 19 home runs came from the start of August. Since August 1st, Roby has had a .624 slugging percentage and a .316 batting average. The strikeouts are there to stay with a 29.7% rate over the stretch which is consistent with his 32.1% rate this season but there is big-league potential because he is able to tap to his raw power consistently in games.

On the other side of the spectrum, Marco Luciano went back to a slump. What was fascinating was that ever since hitting his first home run in his second game as an Emerald, he has not yet hit another home run in the 30 games since with only a double and two triples to show for. It is growing pains that Luciano was learning in High-A and I expect the just turned 20-year old to attack the level with a better game plan next season.

SF Giants Prospects Weekly Rundown: Low-A

Notable Performers

Patrick Bailey: 11 G, 44 AB, .432 AVG, 1.260 OPS, 5 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 7 BB, 7 K
Yorlis Rodriguez: 9 G, 34 AB, .294 AVG, .973 OPS, 1 2B, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K
Ghordy Santos: 11 G, 47 AB, .298 AVG, .769 OPS, 3 2B, 1 3B, 8 RBI, 4 BB, 2 K, 1 SB
Luis Matos: 10 G, 41 AB, .171 AVG, .521 OPS, 3 2B, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K, 2 SB

This is the Patrick Bailey that Giants fans have been waiting for. Bailey started popping off on August 12 and over the 20-game stretch up to Friday night’s game, Bailey is batting .427 with a 1.300 OPS, 10 doubles, six home runs, and just a 16.3% strikeout rate. Bailey’s recent performance is a far cry from what we have seen earlier this season where he only batted .224 with a .664 OPS and a 30.4% strikeout rate in his first 21 games in San Jose, and a .185 batting average with a .587 OPS and a 27.7% strikeout rate in Eugene. Bailey has that explosion in his bat that was lacking earlier this season and has looked to be much better physically. I compared Bailey’s wake-up call to 2021 NBA MVP Nikola Jokic where he improves his conditioning during the regular season. If Bailey stays on top of his conditioning in the off-season, it’s easy to see Bailey back inside the top 10 of any Giants prospect rankings.

Yorlis Rodriguez has hit three home runs in his last four games and has brought his season total to four as a San Jose Giant. The 22-year old would have played in Low-A last season had the pandemic not happened but he is making up for the lost time, batting .271 with an OPS of .835. Having taken over third base duties after Casey Schmitt‘s 2021 season looking to be done after getting hit in the hand by a pitch, the Cuban has looked solid at the hot corner while also providing solid pop with the aforementioned four home runs along with seven doubles while also having solid bat control with a 12.8% strikeout rate.

Like Rodriguez, Ghordy Santos would have played in Low-A last season under normal conditions. He is surely making up for the lost time after getting called up to San Jose in the middle of August. The 22-year old shortstop is batting .293 with a .752 OPS, seven extra-base hits, and three stolen bases. There are concerning issues to his game, most notably his 26% strikeout rate, but Santos has solid tools aside from his power. There is a possibility that Santos could enter the top 30 rankings in the middle of next season if he will post a strong start to his 2022 season.

After reaching as high as .330 in his batting average, Luis Matos has seen his batting average dip to exactly .300 after last night’s game because he has experienced the first true slump of his professional career. In his last 17 games, Matos has only batted .167 with a .445 OPS and only three doubles in 73 plate appearances. He still has strong contact skills with only eight strikeouts over the stretch but his BABIP has been closely tied to his batting average all season long. This is the only concern against Matos: because he has average-at-best raw power, he does not produce offensively if he does not hit.