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.

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

Position Players

Trenton Brooks

Brooks was acquired a year ago in a rare trade with the Athletics for Sean Newcomb. Originally drafted in the 17th round of the 2016 draft by the Cleveland Guardians out of the University of Nevada - Reno, he has been a solid if not spectacular bat with a track record of having a good knowledge of the strike zone boosted a bit by the ABS. He is limited to the corners but will likely be a first baseman in the long term.

Yusniel Diaz

Diaz was once considered a top-100 prospect in baseball with the Dodgers before being packaged in the deal to acquire Manny Machado at the 2018 trade deadline. Diaz still has good raw tools such as raw power, arm strength, and speed, but he's struggled to crack the big leagues once again. His contact ability has been fringy at best and he is limited in the corner outfield.

Marco Luciano (#4 prospect)

Luciano is still an exhilarating prospect with the ability to hit 30 homers a season while playing shortstop. His ability to make contact is questionable but his raw strength allows him to hit the ball very hard when he connects. He also improved his fundamentals defensively last year and there is now a coin-flip chance that he will stick at the position long-term. The Giants' everyday shortstop position is his for the taking later in 2024 barring any big-league addition. He still projects as a 30-homer hitter with now teammate Jorge Soler as his likely outcome.

Luis Matos

It is tough to put a lid on what Matos would likely become after undergoing a massive transformation to his physique this offseason. He added strength to his frame which allowed him to hit for more home runs this spring and potentially in the hitter-friendly PCL. He's always displayed a penchant for contact but drawing more walks would benefit his cause also. His buffed-up frame will also likely result in him losing a step, hurting his chances at playing in center field consistently.

Wade Meckler (#14 prospect)

Meckler looked overmatched when he reached the Majors late in the season but he blasted through the Minors in his first full pro season. His ability to make contact and plate discipline is the best in the organization. His swing is simple and direct to the ball but he's been beaten by big league breaking balls so there's an adjustment to be made. His raw speed is plus-plus but has yet to fully realize his potential. It gives him great range in the outfield but has to improve on his reads and routes. He is also not a volume-base stealer who needs to improve on his technique.

Ismael Munguia

This year's Barney Nugent Award winner deserved it after posting a spectacular spring. He is a ball of pure energy and his best tool might be his sparkplug character in the dugout and on the bases. He has an exceptional feel for the barrel and has surprising pull-side pop too. It is hard to expect him to hit more than double-digit home runs in a season but he will likely end up with plenty of extra-base hits. He is not the fastest runner but he can threaten the bases by hustling for the extra base. His defense needs more work as his routes and reads are fringy at best alongside a below-average arm.

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

Hitters (continued)

Chase Pinder

Pinder is the younger brother of Chad Pinder, who is a seven-year MLB veteran who played for the Oakland Athletics. Pinder had been a productive player throughout his career but lacked a standout and seemed to profile as a potential fourth outfielder at the next level capable of playing all three outfield positions. He has displayed a clear preference to hit against lefty pitchers so a path for him could be as a platoon bat.

Heliot Ramos (#19 prospect)

Ramos has been a prospect for far too long it seems. His power Is still a plus but his propensity to chase caps out his offensive potential. He's done a better job of getting the ball in the air last season and looks to improve his contact ability further. He's slowed down quite a bit over the years and is now only a fit in the corners defensively. He still has a strong arm, though, which should help him have value in the right field.

Jakson Reetz

Reetz to a minor-league contract last June and has spent his entire year in Triple-A. His bat will be fringy at the very best but he is a reliable backstop with good rapport towards the pitching staff. He's dabbled with playing in the corner outfield ever since being acquired by the Giants and was a surprisingly solid defender at the position. He is in a bit of a roster crunch though.

Blake Sabol

Last year's post-Rule 5 acquisition gets demoted after spending the 2023 season in the big leagues. Sabol held his own for a prospect who barely played above Double-A but needed more development. He displayed a solid feel for the zone, contact ability, and some power. His ultimate power ceiling might be more on fringy to average, however. His defense behind the dish still needs plenty of work to be passable as he needs to improve every facet of it. He looked solid in left field, though, so that is a decent fallback option.

Casey Schmitt

It was an interesting year for Schmitt as he started his rookie season hot but cooled down when pitchers finally figured out his tendencies. The big league competition exploited his over-aggressiveness at the plate, frequently chasing pitches out of the zone that limited his contact quality. He still flashed solid pop but his streakiness hampered his production. He's played all over the infield instead of focusing on his best position which is third base. He's still flashed Gold Glove potential but there were also the occasional unusual errors that he would commit.

David Villar

Villar struggled mightily in the big leagues last season where he was relegated to the Minors twice and his role getting smaller as time passed. He was still posting solid offensive numbers last season with Sacramento but far from the offensive boom that he had a couple of seasons ago. He patrolled both corner infield positions last year but now projects to play at first with Casey Schmitt manning the hot corner.

Donovan Walton

At least at the big-league level, Walton's tenure in San Francisco has been mired by injuries and poor performances. As a minor leaguer, he has been decent with a solid offensive line but with minimal pop to his swing. He can play a variety of positions but mainly focused in the middle infield last season. He might not be an everyday big leaguer but he should be a solid organizational piece.

Brett Wisely

Wisely bounced around a couple of times between Sacramento and San Francisco but spent the final two months of the season in the state capital. He's had a solid 2023 offensively where his understanding of the strike zone stands out. He has a sound swing from the left side and is a solid defender at second base. The only issue that he has is that he lacks the power to become a standout player but is a reliable utility guy.