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

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

Pitchers (continued)

Justin Garza

The Giants have signed former Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Guardians pitcher to a minor league deal. An eighth-round pick by the Guardians in the 2015 draft out of California State University - Fullerton, has a mid-90s four-seamer with good life up in the zone due to his drop and drive delivery giving him a lower release height than average. He pairs it with a low-80s sweeper with good depth and a mid-80s changeup to get lefties off-balanced.

Spencer Howard

In parts of four seasons in the majors, Howard has struggled to the tune of a 7.20 ERA in 38 appearances. But that does not mean that he should not be given one more shot at the big leagues. He has four pitches, a 92-96 mph fastball with good life, and an 84-87 mph slider that elicits swing and misses against both lefties and righties. He sparingly throws a low-80s changeup and a big high-70s curveball to keep hitters in check.

Daulton Jefferies

Jefferies is a Northern California native as he grew up in Merced County and played collegiately at Cal before being drafted in the first round of the 2016 draft by the A's. He's struggled with his health over the years, with him missing most of 2022 and the entire 2023 season following Tommy John and thoracic outlet surgeries.

He looked the Jefferies of old when he returned with a fastball that sits in the low-90s with good tailing movement that he can use to front-door lefties. His changeup is still a weapon with good fading action paired with convincing arm speed. His slider is still a solid third pitch for him, primarily used against righties.

Randy Rodriguez (#44 prospect)

No matter what you think about his control, Rodriguez still has some of the best pure stuff in the organization. His fastball wildly fluctuates in velocity but at best can hit the high-90s regularly but at times will top out at 95 mph. It still benefits from the low release point giving it more rise as well as plenty of run from his low 3/4 slot. The breaking ball is still plenty nasty with tons of sweep and good depth at a low to mid-80s range. The problem that has plagued Randy is the control which fluctates wildly. If the Giants can coach him up to remove some of his control and let the stuff play, he will be a big leaguer.

Tommy Romero

Romero had short big-league stints with the Tampa Bay Rays and Washington Nationals during the 2022 season but has otherwise been a career minor leaguer. He primarily has a north-south operation on the mound, with a fastball that sits around 89-91 mph but has good life and at times achieves a rare "cut rise" movement. He pairs up his heater with a low-80s slider that can dip to the high-70s at times if he wants to generate more depth. There is also a low-80 splitter that has a little less depth compared to his slider but has some tail.

Juan Sanchez

Sanchez is one of the most promising under-the-radar prospects in the Giants farm system. He has a deceptive delivery where he incorporates rotation and drop and drive elements a la Josh Hader with less explosion on the mound. He has plus secondaries in his mid-80s slider with bullet-like spin and a mid-80s changeup with great depth and tail that he uses the most out of his repertoire. His fastball has some sink but sits in the 93-97 mph range and has plenty of tailing movement.

Carson Seymour (#16 prospect)

Seymour has quite a lively arm. His fastball can touch up to 98 mph where he can sink and throw it with good life up in the zone. The velocity was a couple of ticks down earlier last season but was back to normalcy once he regained his strength. His best secondary pitch is an 84-89 mph slider that has varying depth where it can be mistaken for a cutter at times. There is still a low-80s curveball and a high-80s changeup in the bag but they are more of a get-me-over pitches now. Once he was back to normal, Seymour could easily fill the zone with his power fastball-slider combo.

Cody Stashak

Stashak was originally a 13th-round pick by the Twins in the 2015 draft out of St. John's University. St. John's University is the same school former Giant Joe Panik attended. His best pitch is a standout low-80s slider with good depth and not a lot of frisbee action. He pairs it with a low 90's four-seam fastball and an occasional changeup. Opposing hitters have struggled against the slider, posting just a .181 batting average against it.

Carson Whisenhunt (#5 prospect)

Whisenhunt showed significant improvements and could have reached the big leagues last season had he stayed healthy. His signature changeup is still the go-to pitch, a low-to-mid 80s offering with the ideal combination of fade, drop, velocity separation, and deception out of his hand. His fastball ticked up and has reached 97 mph, sitting 92-95 with solid movement while retaining his good feel of the zone for both pitches. His curveball has power thrown in the 78-81 mph range but needs more confidence in throwing it. The fastball-changeup combo gives him a strong floor as a back-end starter but a true third pitch, perhaps developing a cutter, could take his game to the next level.