SF Giants minor league notes: Josuar Gonzalez, Jhonny Level, and Vaun Brown

The San Jose Giants secured a playoff spot after clinching the first-half title in the California League. They have arguably been the SF Giants' best affiliate, with Dakota Jordan and Jakob Christian leading the way.

SF Giants minor league notes: Josuar Gonzalez, Jhonny Level, and Vaun Brown

Josuar Gonzalez's strong start

The Giants made a sizable investment in middle infield prospect Josuar Gonzalez in January. He earned a signing bonus of just under $3 million. Gonzalez's pro career began with the Dominican Summer League (DSL) Giants Orange earlier this month. Both DSL affiliates have been among the best in the league, but the DSL Giants Black are slightly better with a 12-3 record. The DSL Giants Orange have a 10-4 record.

Gonzalez is off to a nice start, slashing .320/.424/.400 (129 wRC+) with four doubles, four RBI, and 16 runs in 59 plate appearances. This includes a 15.3 percent walk rate, 18.6 percent strikeout rate, and .080 ISO. He has also swiped 10 bases in 11 opportunities.

Jhonny Levels multi-homer game

Johnny Level had one of his best games as a pro earlier this week. The switch-hitter blasted two home runs with two RBI in four at-bats in an 11-9 loss to the Arizona Complex League (ACL) Reds. A clip of both home runs can be seen here. It was his second career multi-homer game.

The 2025 season has been a solid year for Level. He has registered a .295/.385/.527 line (129 wRC+) with seven home runs, 23 RBI, and 28 runs in 156 plate appearances. His seven home runs are tied for the league lead in that category.

Level offers a good combination of power and speed. He has a knack for barreling up the ball from both sides of the plate. It does come with some swing-and-miss, especially on offspeed pitches, but that should improve as he sees more pitching. Level has the athleticism and range to stick at shortstop, even if the consistency is not quite there yet.

Vaun Brown returns from the injured list

The Richmond Flying Squirrels activated Vaun Brown from the injured list this weekend according to the team's transaction log. Brown has spent considerable time on the injured list in recent seasons, including a one-month stint this year. As is often the case, no reason was provided for the injury.

Brown put together an impressive 2022 season, when he tallied a 1.059 OPS with 23 home runs and 75 RBI in 458 plate appearances across three levels. He also stole 44 bases in 50 opportunities. The right-handed bat was on the older side in the lower minors for much of that season, but he demonstrated an intriguing power-speed combination. Since then, Brown has struggled in Double-A. The good news is he is back on the field.