Everything SF Giants fans need to know about the Low-A San Jose Giants

We have covered three of the four SF Giants minor league affiliates this week. This includes the Sacramento River Cats, Richmond Flying Squirrels, and Eugene Emeralds. Last up on the list is the San Jose Giants.

Everything SF Giants fans need to know about the Low-A San Jose Giants

Players in the IL

Sam Bower
Wilkelma Castillo
Mauricio Estrella
Marques Johnson
Gerelmi Maldonado
Mikell Manzano
Spencer Miles
Kanoa Pagan
Liam Simon
Ian Villers

Pitchers

Joshua Bostick (#41 prospect)

Bostick has the potential to break out in 2024 and see a similar success that Hayden Birdsong enjoyed health-permitting. His fastball tops out in the high-90s, sitting in the mid-90s with good life up in the zone. He's already cleaned up his delivery once he turned pro where he could enjoy improved control. His slider flashes above average with late tilt and good depth that should be used more often as he heavily relied on his fastball. There is a changeup but it's a clear third pitch. If he can't be a starter, Bostick clearly has the stuff to become an impact reliever.

Dylan Carmouche

In terms of pure funk, Carmouche probably has the funkiest funk among all pitchers on San Jose's pitching staff. He has an odd tempo on the mound with a short arm action that allows him to hide the ball until the very end of his release. That helps his middling fastball which sits in the high-80s to look a tick harder and he pairs it up with a changeup that flashes above-average to plus, helping the heater look even quicker. He also has a curveball that looks average at best.

Junior Flores

Flores spent all of his pro career in the backfields as he continues to improve his stuff and gain weight. He looks much heavier than his 170-pound listed weight would suggest. He has a deliberate tempo on the mound and falls to the first base side quite intensely as he tries to get the maximum downhill plane to his fastball. The heater can touch the mid-90s and his best secondary pitch is a slider that has good depth and some sweeping action.

Trent Harris

Harris was signed by the Giants last July and showed out with an impressive stretch with San Jose toward the end of last season. His operation is centered around a fastball-curveball operation where the heater can reach up to 95 mph with good carry above the zone. Not a lot of tailing movement coming into righties but more than enough to succeed. The curveball is an above-average pitch with a big shape that he can drop for strikes or get hitters to chase. He also throws strikes at a good rate.

Everything SF Giants fans need to know about the Low-A San Jose Giants

Position Players

Maui Ahuna (#20 prospect)

It seems pretty crazy to think that not a lot of people are thinking highly of Ahuna when he has a similar skill set as Arteaga, just a year older, but is left-handed. Skills-wise, he is a sure-handed defender at shortstop with an easy plus arm, above-average range, sure hands, and with good instincts at shortstop. His speed does not necessarily translate to impact the game as a base stealer, though. In the box, he has an easy-looking swing that can get long often. If his good athleticism and body control turn into good balance in the box with a tweak to his swing mechanics, there is a path for him to succeed next season.

Estanlin Cassiani

Cassiani tore up the DSL a couple of seasons ago and has made steady progress throughout the complex leagues and into San Jose for this season. His standout tool is his pure hitting ability with a smooth lefty swing that can cover a lot of the strike zone. His strike zone is smaller than usual due to the crouch in his batting stance but he has solid plate discipline to show for. He does not hit for power though so expect extra bases than round-trippers.

Drew Cavanaugh

Cavanaugh was drafted on the third day of the 2023 draft from the same university that Vaun Brown called home. Cavanaugh's best tool is his defense as his catch and throw skills are on par with the best in the farm system. He's been voted as the best defensive catcher in the conference in his junior year so he is more than just a thrower. He lacks impact with the bat but he's shown solid knowledge at the batter's box.

Jonah Cox (#39 prospect)

Cox is recently acquired from the Athletics via the Ross Stripling trade. His best tool is his speed which gives him plenty of range at center field. Whether he stays at center is the true question. He has the range and fundamentals to do it but arm strength could be an issue and still yet to get a good feel for his route running. His swing is a bit funky with a downward path but he made it work in college. The big issue when he set foot in pro ball is the high strikeout rate in his cup of coffee. If that is just an outlier and the hitter that we saw in college is the one he trots out this year, he will shoot up the list.

Bo Davidson

Davidson is quite intriguing as an NDFA signee after the draft because of his pure athleticism and relative rawness coming from a football background. He's been a great performer in junior college but that will be tested in the pros. He is a nicely built athlete possessing good speed and power. He also has a simple batting stance in the box with a simple lefty stroke. There are plenty of kinks to iron out but this could be a prospect that could turn to relevancy in the next couple of years.

Bryce Eldridge (#3 prospect)

Eldridge has one of the, if not the, highest ceilings out of all the prospects in the organization in the Farhan Zaidi era. Even though he can pitch, he will be trotted out as a first baseman this year. On offense, he already has plus raw power that can potentially grow to plus-plus or more at peak. He's also shown better approach and contact ability than expected though he has to improve his breaking ball recognition. He does have great athleticism but badly needs to improve his lower half strength to improve his balance both in the batter's box. There is a world where Eldridge is better than both Luciano and Lee.

Everything SF Giants fans need to know about the Low-A San Jose Giants

Position players (continued)

Cole Foster

Foster was one of the many middle infielders that the Giants drafted last year that comes with great potential. He is a smooth defender at both shortstop and second base with good footwork and solid arm strength though he can look a bit rough at the more premium position. He has power potential on both sides of the box as a switch hitter with more loft in his swing as a lefty. He has improved his patience in his junior college but was back to his free-swinging ways when he turned pro so that is the most important thing to monitor throughout the year.

Javier Francisco

Francisco stood out the most among his peers because of his all-around ability to hit for contact, power, and plate discipline in both the Papago backfields and in San Jose last season. He’s shown good under-the-hood data in Papago though some, particularly his power production, did not carry over in San Jose. If he can improve as well as show his versatility on defense, he can certainly make a name for himself in the upcoming season.

Ty Hanchey

Hanchey was brought onto the Giants as an NDFA and was interestingly slotted as a two-way player. Hanchey has a great arm behind the plate so the intrigue of him as a pitcher is there even if he has yet to pitch in pro ball. He has shown good patience at the batter's box though it might be hovering towards being passivity. He is a bit lanky for a catcher so the power potential is not great but he could be a reliable extra base hitter at peak.

Nadir Lewis

Lewis has suffered many injuries throughout his college career and the Giants scooped him up with their final pick in last year's draft. He has good intrigue though as he is a well-built athlete with good raw power and speed potential as he's shown when he hit for the cycle in his second career pro game. He's had good numbers against inferior competition in college but was a bit overwhelmed by pro pitching.

Cesar Quintas

Quintas exploded last season in the Complex League where he's showed a combination of contact ability and plate discipline. There are times when he struggled with breaking balls but his right-handed swing is aesthetically pleasing to watch. Do not also expect much power from him though as he has yet to hit above two home runs in a season, and is also only an average runner with a fringy base-stealing acumen.

Elian Rayo

Rayo has posted nearly identical numbers in the Complex League for the past two seasons and he's getting his shot at full-season ball this year. He is a stocky athlete who already looks fully baked since the time he was a teenager. It does give him raw power but his right-handed swing is more conducive to gap-to-gap contact than over-the-fence ability. He's a good contact hitter that tends to chase, limiting his on-base potential. His speed is below average or worse which limits where he could play. He has been a third baseman but expect him to move to first base or as a DH as he gets older.

Luke Shliger (#34 prospect)

Shliger will receive plenty of playing time as a lefty backstop option in the organization. He displayed his good approach at the box last season with good patience and bat-to-ball ability. He can also choose to be aggressive if he gets the pitch that he wants early in the count. There is not much power where he fits more as a doubles hitter. He is a solid defender behind the plate with an average but accurate arm.

Jean Carlos Sio

Sio was solid last season in the Arizona backfields where he posted great peripherals. He looks like a guy who has an idea of what he's going to do in the batter's box. His lefty swing is smooth with a pretty big leg kick. Do not expect much power from him though as he will likely top out at a handful of homers in a full season. He's played shortstop in the Complex League but that will change given the middle infield talent the team has.

Guillermo Williamson

Williamson was one of the more notable standouts in the ACL last season, nearly hitting double-digit home runs as well as solid overall offensive numbers. His lefty swing packs quite a punch as he takes vicious hacks in the batter's box. It can lead to strikeouts but also lead to average or better power numbers. He has shown enough patience in the box to draw out walks to make it a quite rounded profile. He plays in the outfield and his ability extends from fringy to solid but he could fare well as a DH down the line.