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

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.

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.