SF Giants Player Review 2026: Jonah Cox raced into the picture

I mentioned in Drew Cavanaugh's player review that eight Giants players last season had begun their year at the Double-A level or lower before eventually reaching the major leagues. But how many of those guys made the jump without stopping in Triple-A? Answer: just two, Yunior Marte and Jonah Cox. Today, we'll be looking back on the latter's campaign. We'll take a look at Marte's in a few weeks, too.

First off, as an interesting detail, the Giants didn't draft Cox; they received him in a deal: the Ross Stripling trade with the Oakland Athletics a couple of years ago, in which the Giants received cash and a player with fewer than 50 games at the professional level under his belt. Fast-forward two years, and Cox has earned legitimate consideration for a bench role next season, and nobody saw it coming.

A red-hot start in Richmond caught the eye of the big-league club

Though Cox wasn't a big-league camp invitee, he still appeared in six Cactus League games, mostly off the bench as a pinch-runner. He took just two at-bats, went hitless, but stole two bases and scored three runs, giving the Giants a first taste of his blazing speed.

Still, Cox started his season in Richmond, where the nobody-could-have-predicted-it development first took place. Over his first 44 games with the Flying Squirrels, he batted a minor-league-high .400, posted a 1.097 OPS — the second-highest mark — and swiped 27 bags. With the team struggling badly — the Giants were 14 games under .500 and had lost five straight games before Cox's call-up — the front office decided to roll the dice on the young speedster.

On May 31, Cox became the first player to earn a major-league promotion straight from Double-A since Miguel Gomez in 2017. On the same day, Cox made his MLB debut at Coors Field, near his hometown in Colorado, after spending nine hours overnight in a Chicago airport waiting for his delayed flight. With his family in the stands, Cox came in as a pinch-runner, scored a run, and doubled in his first plate appearance. The Giants blew out the Rockies 14-6, snapping a 10-day losing streak against National League West opponents.

A few days later at Wrigley Field against the Cubs, Cox collected three hits in as many at-bats and recorded his first MLB home run, though it came against Cubs catcher Carson Kelly. For about a month following that performance, Cox appeared in 24 games but received just 29 plate appearances before being placed on the injured list on July 8 with a left oblique strain.

About three weeks later, Cox started his rehab assignment in Sacramento before the Giants activated and optioned him on August 4. Cox would appear in just 11 games with the River Cats before heading back to the big leagues. In his first stint at the Triple-A level, Cox batted .468, stole seven bases, and posted a 1.179 OPS in his time in Triple-A. Back in MLB, Cox hit well during the month of August, going 11-for-37 (.297) with three homers and four stolen bases, but also 16 strikeouts.

Most of Cox's opportunities came in September — he took 100 of his 169 MLB plate appearances in the last month of the season. He also started a few games at second base where he looked impressive, but faded offensively after a hot August, hitting just .227 with a .545 OPS and no homers, while going down on strikes 34 times. Still, his activity on the bases made his presence impossible to miss.

He finished the year with 16 stolen bases — the most on the team despite appearing in just 62 games — on 20 attempts, and his sprint speed at 30.0 feet per second ranked in the 99th percentile. In center field, he posted +3 Outs Above Average in 260 2/3 innings. His upside is clear: a good defender with elite speed who wreaks havoc on the bases every time he reaches. But so are his downside: a poor plate discipline. Cox struck out 65 times in 169 plate appearances — a 38.5% rate — and drew just 10 walks — a 5.9% rate.

Despite those concerns — which often come with being a rookie — Cox brings something the Giants have desperately lacked. He could return to Sacramento without having to clear waivers, but his blistering speed, solid defense in center field, and few outings at second base give him a clear path to a bench role. He's the type of player that can come in as a defensive replacement, is a base-stealing threat, and can both leg out an infield hit and send a ball over the fence. Which team wouldn't want that kind of player to sit on its bench?

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