Power-hitting SF Giants prospect takes home the 2026 Barney Nugent Award

Victor Bericoto opened a lot of eyes in camp, and he will leave spring training with some nice recognition. According to a team announcement, the SF Giants power-hitting prospect received the 2026 Barney Nugent Award.

Power-hitting SF Giants prospect takes home the 2026 Barney Nugent Award

The award is voted on by all Giants personnel and is awarded to a player whose dedication, spirit, and performance in his first spring training reflect that of former trainer Barney Nugent.

Some recent recipients have gone on to help out the Giants in the same season they took home the award. Joel Peguero was the recipient last season and pitched to a 2.42 ERA in 22.1 innings to finish the year. The hard-throwing reliever likely would have competed with Ryan Walker for the closer role, but has been sidelined with a hamstring strain. He is expected to begin the season on the injured list.

Casey Schmitt took home the award in 2023. He did not make the club out of camp, but was promoted to the major league roster by May of that year.

There is usually an obvious candidate for this award each spring, and Victor Bericoto was that in 2026. He slashed .429/.432/.714 with three home runs and 14 RBI in 44 plate appearances. He led the club in RBI and was tied with Matt Chapman for the team lead in home runs.

Bericoto is one of the more tenured players in the organization. He signed with the Giants during the 2018 - 2019 international signing period. He earned a $25,000 signing bonus out of Venezuela. Bericoto re-signed with the organization in the offseason.

Marco Luciano, Luis Matos, and Jairo Pomares headlined that class. The Giants hoped that this would eventually become a foundational signing period for the organization, but that has not exactly been the case. Luciano and Pomares are no longer with the organization, and Matos is competing for one of the final roster spots.

Bericoto has put up a .276/.350/.442 line with a 10.1 percent walk rate, 22.5 percent strikeout rate, and a .166 ISO across six minor league seasons. He has played primarily in Double-A over the past couple of seasons, but does have 11 games at Triple-A under his belt as well. The 24-year-old outfielder will likely see more time with the Sacramento River Cats this season after a promising spring.