SF Giants hitting prospects rundown (5/1 - 5/7)

SF Giants hitting prospects rundown (5/1 - 5/7)

Flying Squirrels Hitting Prospects

Diego Rincones: 3 G, 12 PA, .083 AVG, .166 OPS, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 3 K
Franklin Labour: 6 G, 24 PA, .158 AVG, .965 OPS, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 11 K
Rob Emery: 4 G, 14 PA, .385, 1.126 OPS, 2 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K

It has not been all good for the Flying Squirrels bats over the past week so we will talk about the hitters who did well over the past week. Let's start however by having a discussion with Diego Rincones. Rincones has definitely not looked like his 2021 self in terms of production. His ISO (or isolated power which explains extra-base output) is a paltry .033, a far cry from his .221 ISO from last season. The way he swings the bat is not as vigorous as before (his physique might be the reason for this) but he's still making plenty of contact (10.4% strikeout rate) which is a testament to his bat-to-ball skills. His worse physique is also evident on defense when running routes. Here's to hoping that Rincones could find his power stroke once again during the season.

Franklin Labour is such an interesting prospect to follow. His batting average is below the Mendoza line but his OPS is actually just below .700 which pretty much does not make sense for a typical hitter. Labour is not your typical hitter though as more than half of his hits went for extra bases (two doubles, a triple, and four homers) but like every all-or-nothing hitter, Labour strikes out at an astronomic rate of 43.4% which does not make sense and make you think to not consider him as a viable prospect. His tools, however, should not be denied because he can pretty much flip the outcome of the game with his tools amidst all his strikeouts.

Capping off this week's recap is Rob Emery. There are actually three prospects who play catcher for the Flying Squirrels this season and they are Brett Auerbach, Brandon Martorano, and Emery. Martorano and Emery has played the most games behind the dish as Auerbach is often deployed up the middle but has missed some time due to injury. Emery's hot week resulted to his OPS to creep up almost 200 points from .459 to .655.

SF Giants hitting prospects rundown (5/1 - 5/7)

Emeralds Hitting Prospects

Casey Schmitt: 5 G, 16 PA, .286 AVG, 1.099 OPS, 1 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K
Jairo Pomares: 6 G, 21 PA, .250 AVG, .886 OPS, 1 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 7 K
Carter Aldrete: 6 G, 17 PA, .154 AVG, .738 OPS, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 1 K

The entire Emeralds hitting corps has not swung the bat well this week so this portion might be a little short. It's just hard to generate or sustain any momentum when the weather changes constantly resulting to delays and at worst, rainouts. Casey Schmitt's strikeout rate has increased considerably from late-April onwards with a 30.4% rate resulting to a 24.7% strikeout rate this season. Nonetheless, Schmitt is the undisputed best hitter for the Emeralds this season with a .931 OPS and five homers alongside his clean defense at third base even though it's been treacherous at times with the rain making bounces off the turf field more difficult than usual.

It has not exactly been unicorns and rainbows for Jairo Pomares this season after destroying much of Low-A last season. The bad habits that Pomares was known for (free swinging tendencies, lack of penchant for drawing walks) has caught up to him early this season with his OPS looking to go below .700. The power that he was very well known for was not there for Eugene with just three homers but his slugging is in respectable .441 rate. The thing that kept dragging down his OBP is his 4.61% walk rate which is well below-average. There's an argument that Pomares could still be effective if he stuck with his free-swinging ways but we are seeing the downsides of having that kind of approach which will not sit well with the Giants hitting philosophy of working the count and drawing walks. It's safe early on to say that Pomares is in the trading block but his stock is not as high as it is due to his performance.

Even though Carter Aldrete has only hit .154, he's kept his OPS to a low but still decent .549 because half of his hits went for extra bases (two homers, two doubles). He's had a more consistent playing time since the end of April and his OPS over the past nine games since getting that playing time is a decent .796 even though his batting average is a paltry .211 over that stretch. He might be the second Sun Devil to be drafted by the Giants in the 2019 draft but he's performed better than Hunter Bishop so far this season.

SF Giants hitting prospects rundown (5/1 - 5/7)

SJ Giants Hitting Prospects

Grant McCray: 6 G, 31 PA, .500 AVG, 1.477 OPS, 3 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, 3 SB
Vaun Brown: 5 G, 23 PA, .400 AVG, 1.328 OPS, 3 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K, 2 SB
Alexander Suarez: 4 G, 17 PA, .333 AVG, 1.086 OPS, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K
Najee Gaskins: 5 G, 15 PA, .300 AVG, .933 OPS, 1 2B, 0 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K

It was an electric week for Grant McCray as his bat finally woke up big time against Stockton, raising his batting average from .163 to .269 in the process. McCray's stroke is not the prettiest in the world (it's very top-hand) but it works for him and he added lean muscle to impart more power on his lefty stroke. There will likely be strikeouts in his game which would cap his offensive ceiling but his athleticism alongside four other tools (power, speed, arm, defense) should make him a staple of the top 30 prospects if he can keep hitting to the coming weeks.

Another one who's finally found his stride when the calendar flipped to May is the 2021 tenth-round pick, Vaun Brown. In his last 13 games, the jacked-up outfielder has a 1.115 OPS, four doubles, four homers, and five stolen bases saw his batting average balloon from .200 to close to .300. Brown could very well be considered a late bloomer as he has the raw tools (power, speed, arm strength) but did not fully tap on those tools until his redshirt senior season for Florida Southern. He will be 24 years old next month but he could very well progress through the system quickly as someone with the tools that he has does have the potential to make it to the big leagues. Oh, and he wears a mask like a bandit.

Like McCray and Brown, Alexander Suarez is another one of the outfielders blessed with the raw tools and athleticism. However, he was off to a much colder start compared to the two discussed above but he's flashed his power this week. The Venezuelan's swing mechanics has come a long way ever since he put himself on the radar down in the Dominican backfields. The swing is much cleaner, the bat stays through the zone for longer, and he can crush baseballs when he catches it at the sweet spot. The problem is that the approach is still very raw as he is still pretty much a free swinger.

Capping off the San Jose hitters recap is old friend Najee Gaskins. Gaskins has been a reliable presence on both sides of the ball for San Jose, providing spark in the bottom or top of the order and playing strong outfield defense as he's played on all three outfield positions this season. Gaskins is posting a solid .767 OPS along with five doubles though he's often getting beat by offspeed offerings. The 20th round pick from Saint Cloud State projects to be a reliable Minor League outfielder for years to come.