Everything SF Giants fans need to know about the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats

The Sacramento River Cats embarks on another season in the Pacific Coast League in 2024. This year's roster, however, might be the most important for the SF Giants in recent memory due to the high number of talented young players that are in the roster that are knocking on the big league door. They are looking to make themselves potential cornerstone players for the Giants not just this season but most importantly, beyond.

Everything SF Giants fans need to know about the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats

Development should still be at the forefront and they will be led by the River Cats manager Dave Brundage with hitting coach Damon Minor and fundamentals coach Jolbert Rivera also returning. There are also new faces on the coaching staff with Alan Quijano joining the staff after serving as the Eugene Emeralds' pitching coach for the past three seasons and assistant hitting coach Robert Riggins who previously served as the hitting coach for the DSL Giants Black for the past two seasons. Alongside a plethora of strength and conditioning and video staff, the River Cats should have a better season this year compared to last year.

Players in the IL

Dariel Lopez (#33 prospect)
Thomas Szapucki
Cole Waites
Chris Wright

Pitchers

Tanner Andrews

Andrews returns to Sacramento after a slightly disappointing 2023 season where he pitched to the tune of 5.74 ERA and a strikeout rate that is the lowest since the Minor League reshuffle. He still throws hard with a fastball that can reach up to 98 mph but has struggled to maintain a consistent shape with it. His feature pitch, however, is an 83-87 mph splitter that induces plenty of swings and misses at its best. He also has an 82-86 mph slider but can tend to cross the line of generating some screwball action instead of breaking away from a righty hitter.

Nick Avila

The Giants deployed Avila all over last season, appearing across all nine innings where he went 14-0 as an opener, a middle reliever, or the closer. He started the year with the River Cats but has since been called up to the Giants. His fastball has good life where it sits in the 92-96 mph range and he pairs it with an 86-90 mph cutter/slider that he can take a bit off the velocity to generate more depth.

Spencer Bivens

The right-handed hurler performed well in a high-usage bullpen role last year, posting a 3.68 ERA in 33 outings, including a 3.69 ERA in 78 innings with the Richmond Flying Squirrels. He is not a high-strikeout guy, instead relying on a low-90s bowling ball sinker that is hard to get under, especially when thrown down in the zone. He pairs it with a low-80s slider with good depth and an occasional changeup.

Mason Black (#10 prospect)

Black has a two-pitch combo that he relies on whether his ultimate role will be either in the rotation or in the bullpen. His 92-96 mph fastball has plenty of run and his low 3/4 arm slot gives the pitch a flat vertical plane. It could tick up once he throws in shorter stints. He experimented with his slider but still preferred the low-80s variety with big sweeping action though has a mid-80s variety with a tighter break. He's trotted out a new changeup this season with a splitter grip but it is still far from the third pitch that he needed. He is a strike-thrower with good stuff; two essential elements of a MLB pitcher.

R.J. Dabovich

Dabovich is returning from a hip surgery that he underwent last June. At his best, his fastball can hit up to 97 mph with great life up in the zone due to his over-the-top release point allowing him to backspin the ball very well. It's a vertical-oriented operation as he pairs the rising fastball with a mid-80s knuckle curveball with a sharp break and a 12-6 shape. Regaining his peak control is the key for Dabovich to earn a big-league gig.

Blayne Enlow

Across six minor league seasons, Enlow has posted a 4.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, and a 2.62 SO/W ratio. This includes a 7.94 ERA in 45.1 frames in Triple-A this past season. Once a former top prospect in the Twins system, he had his fair share of injuries that affected his career. He has two pitches in his arsenal: a fastball where he mainly employs a low-90s cutter while he can sometimes throw a sinker to get hitters thinking. His best pitch though is a low-80s slider that he can vary its depth by adding and subtracting velocity, reaching as high as 85 mph.