Minor League round up, July 1

Fun stuff on the San Francisco Giants farm on Thursday, as their affiliates went a perfect 5-0. The AA Richmond Flying Squirrels game got postponed due to weather, and will be made up with a doubleheader today.

Let’s get into the action.

Link to the 2021 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

AAA Sacramento (21-27)

Sacramento River Cats beat the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) 10-2
Box score

It was a good day all around for the River Cats, who not only outscored the Aviators 10-2, but outhit them 10-2 as well.

The star of the day was the player the Giants hope is the star of every Sacramento game: catcher Joey Bart (No. 2 CPL), who went 3-4 with a walk and an opposite field home run.

Bart’s been hitting balls very hard all year, and sports a lovely .994 OPS, but the Giants would love to see more days like Thursday, as the walk he drew was just his 9th of the season (compared to 41 strikeouts) in 140 plate appearances.

Second baseman Arismendy Alcántara continues to look like a strong depth pickup, as he popped a double and a triple to raise his OPS to .986. Alcántara is not on the 40-man roster, so it will be a lot harder for him to earn the MLB promotion that Thairo Estrada recently received, but it sure is a nice change of pace knowing that there are quality bats waiting in Sacramento if the Giants ever need them.

Shortstop Maurico Dubón, who was optioned on Thursday to make room for Estrada, appeared in his first Minor League game since 2019 and went 2-5 with a pair of runs batted in.

It was also a good day on the mound. Logan Webb made his first rehab assignment and pitched an inning, giving up 1 hit, 1 walk, and 1 run, while striking out a batter. The final 5 innings were pitched by Kervin Castro (No. 25 CPL), Sam Selman, and Trevor Gott, who allowed 0 baserunners and struck out 7. Gott struck out all 3 batters he faced, while throwing strikes on 10 of his 11 pitches.

High-A Eugene (33-17)

Eugene Emeralds beat the Hillsboro Hops (Diamondbacks) 3-1
Box score

Lately it’s been a three-man show in Eugene, with Will Wilson (No. 10 CPL), Ricardo Genovés (No. 29 CPL), and Armani Smith (No. 44) doing the damage. It was more of the same on Thursday.

Genovés, playing at catcher, had a hit and a walk, raising his OPS to .833; Wilson, playing at shortstop, had an RBI double, moving his OPS to .864; and Smith, the DH, had the big hit of the game: a two-run home run that pushed his OPS to 1.009.

On the mound, right-hander Aaron Phillips — a 2017 9th-round pick — got a chance to stretch it out, which you don’t see all that often at the low levels. Phillips pitched 7 quality innings, allowing 7 hits, 3 walks, and 1 earned run, though he struck out just 4 batters. His ERA is now 4.91.

Earning the save was Chris Wright, who struck out 2 to continue his ridiculous season: in 20.1 innings across Low-A and High-A, Wright now has 43 strikeouts.

Low-A San Jose (35-16)

San Jose Giants beat the Stockton Ports (A’s) 6-2
Box score

On paper, San Jose didn’t have the best offensive day. They had 9 hits, and 7 of them were singles. They struck out 10 times and drew just 2 walks.

But while the MLB Giants are mired in an 0-23 slump with runners in scoring position, the Baby Giants went 5-11 on Thursday with RISP, and that bought them more than enough support for the pitching staff, led by starter Prelander Berroa (part of the Sam Dyson trade), who allowed 7 baserunners and 2 earned runs in 5 innings, while striking out 5 to lower his ERA to 3.38.

It was a good day for people named Luis, as center fielder Luis Matos (No. 5 CPL) and designated hitter Luis Toribio (No. 12 CPL) both went 2-3 with a walk. Matos also stole a base, his 15th of the year.

But the big hit came from left fielder Carter Williams — a 2020 undrafted signee — whose two-run blast gave him an OPS of .944 in 8 games this season.

ACL Orange (2-1)

ACL Giants Orange beat the Athletics 9-7
Box score

The outcome of Minor League and Complex League games is not even in the same galaxy of importance as the play from prospects, but if you’re looking for drama the ACL Giants Orange team provided it.

Giants Orange trailed 7-2 entering the bottom of the 8th inning, but rattled off 7 runs in the inning, which included a run score on a wild pitch, and third baseman Aeverson Arteaga (No. 29 CPL) — an 18 year old 2019 J2 signing from Venezuela — working a bases loaded walk.

Catcher Adrian Sugastey — a 19 year old 2019 J2 signing from Venezuela — who finished one vote shy of sneaking into the final CPL spot, had a 3-hit day, and George Bell — a 23 year old 2018 13th-round pick — went 2-4 with a walk to raise his OPS to 1.238. Fun with 3-game season stats!

Luis Moreno — a 22 year old 2016 J2 signing from Colombia — struck out 12 batters in 7 innings while allowing 4 earned runs.

ACL Black (2-1)

ACL Giants Black beat the Diamondbacks 5-1
Box score

A win with not much to note in the Complex League. The Giants won with their pitching, led by 19 year old Jorge Garcia — a 2018 J2 signing from Panama — who allowed 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 earned run in 6 innings, while striking out 5. The bullpen of Yoniel Ramirez and Abel Adames combined for 3 hitless innings.

19 year old Catcher Ronaldo Flores — a 2018 J2 signing from Venezuela — had the only multi-hit day for the Giants, and it included a double.

Home runs

Thursday’s home runs:

AAA Joey Bart (8)
AAA Jason Vosler (6)
High-A Armani Smith (4)
Low-A Carter Williams (2)

News

The Giants made a pair of catcher promotions on Thursday. 2020 undrafted signee Brett Auerbach, who is sporting a .970 OPS while stealing 12 bases and playing all over the diamond, got promoted from Low-A San Jose to High-A Eugene. Eugene catcher Brandon Martorano, who had a 1.023 OPS with the Emeralds, in turn got promoted to AA Richmond.

Friday schedule

Sacramento: @ Las Vegas Aviators, 7:05 p.m. PT
Richmond: Doubleheader vs. Binghamton Rumble Ponies, 1:35 p.m PT
Eugene: @ Hillsboro Hops, 7:05 p.m. PT
San Jose: @ Stockton Ports, 7:05 p.m. PT
ACL Orange: vs. Diamondbacks, 6:00 p.m. PT
ACL Black: vs. Cubs, 6:00 p.m. Pt