SF Giants minor league notes: Kaeden Kent returns, Cam Maldonado's power surge

On Saturday, Jeff Kent returned to Oracle Park for his number retirement ceremony. In that same week, his son, Kaeden Kent, also returned after being activated from the injured list and he made immediate impact.

SF Giants minor league notes: Kaeden Kent returns, Cam Maldonado's power surge

1. Kaeden Kent returns and makes an immediate impact

What a cool year it has been for the Kent family. Last summer, Kaeden Kent was drafted by the New York Yankees in the third round of the draft. Jeff Kent was elected to the Hall of Fame a few months later, followed by the younger Kent being traded to the Giants.

The Giants acquired Kent, along with Henry LaLane, in a deal that sent Heliot Ramos to the Yankees. At the time of the deal, Kent was on the injured list. He had put together a strong season for the Hudson Valley Renegades, posting a .792 OPS with six home runs and 43 RBI in 354 plate appearances.

The Eugene Emeralds activated Kent from the injured list in the middle of last week. In just his second game back, he collected four hits, including a double and two home runs, with three RBI in a 12-10 defeat to the Everett AquaSox.

Similar to his father, the younger Kent is an infielder with experience all around the diamond. His profile leans more hit-over-power, and he has enough speed to steal some bases. Since joining the Giants organization, Kent has split time at second base and shortstop.

2. Cam Maldonado displays power potential

Speaking of the 2025 draft, the Giants selected Cam Maldonado in the seventh round out of Northeastern University. He was one of three players to be drafted by the organization from that school.

The Giants leaned on contact in last year's draft, but the Maldonado selection went against the grain in that regard. He offered the best combination of power and speed in the Giants' draft class, even if it came with some swing-and-miss concerns.

That power has played out in a big way in 2026. The right-handed bat began the year with the San Jose Giants, but received a promotion to the Emeralds earlier this month. In 16 games with Eugene, he has already hit seven home runs with 21 RBI in 66 plate appearances. This includes a three-homer night against the AquaSox. Oddly enough, that came in the same game that Kaeden Kent also hit two home runs.

On the year, the right-handed bat has 21 home runs, which is third among Giants minor leaguers. Lisbel Diaz and Bo Davidson lead the way with 25 home runs. There is a good chance that Maldonado would be the leader in that category if he did not miss a month of this season.

There have been a few pleasant surprises in the Giants' farm system this year, but Maldonado's power has opened some eyes.

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