SF Giants promote power-hitting prospect to Triple-A after hot start with Richmond

The new SF Giants front office will likely be more patient with prospect promotions, but they did make an exception on Sunday. Power-hitting prospect Victor Bericoto was promoted to the Sacramento River Cats after a hot start with the Richmond Flying Squirrels, per a team announcement.

SF Giants promote power-hitting prospect to Triple-A after hot start with Richmond

Bericoto returned for his third season with Richmond in 2025. After 13 games, the Giants decided he had graduated from that level. The right-handed bat did not waste any time introducing himself to the Pacific Coast League, as he tallied two hits in four at-bats in a 5-2 loss to the Salt Lake Bees.

The Giants originally signed Bericoto as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2018 for $25,000. His signing class included Marco Luciano, Luis Matos, and Jairo Pomares.

Interestingly, Bericoto worked out as a catcher as an amateur player, but the Giants saw him as an outfielder, as told by Giants beat report Maria Guardado of MLB.Com. Since then, the 23-year-old prospect has seen an uptick in his playing time at first base to go along with regular reps in the corners.

Bericoto's first pro season came in 2019. He posted a .956 OPS with five home runs and 41 RBI in 284 plate appearances in the Dominican Summer League before earning a rare midseason promotion from that league to the Arizona League. That type of player movement puts you on the map, even if he played in a handful of games in Arizona before that season concluded.

His best season came in 2023. He recorded a .886 OPS with 16 home runs and 55 RBI in 309 plate appearances with the Eugene Emeralds before earning a promotion to Richmond. He added 11 more home runs with the Flying Squirrels, giving him 27 for the year and leading Giants minor leaguers in that category.

The righty bat spent parts of the next two seasons with Richmond while putting up respectable numbers in a league that tends to be tough on young hitters. He went on a tear to start this season, slashing .319/.439/.596 with three home runs and eight RBI in 57 plate appearances.

Bericoto flashes above-average power. The hit tool has improved as he has progressed through the minors, giving him a more balanced offensive profile. He is an aggressive hitter, but has mixed in stretches of good plate discipline, including working 10 walks in 57 plate appearances with Richmond to start this season.