Minor League round up, August 1

No A-ball baseball for the san Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates on Monday, but there was still news on that front, as well as games in the ACL and DSL. Let’s get into it.

Link to the 2022 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions are the positions played in that game.

ACL Orange (10-29)

ACL Giants Orange lost to the ACL D-backs Black 6-5 (7 innings)
Box score

Home runs aren’t the easiest think to find in rookie ball, but the Giants Orange team bopped a pair of them in a 7-inning game.

The first was a leadoff homer courtesy of center fielder Kwan Adkins (25, 2018 30th-round), who hit 1-2, raising his OPS to .807 and his wRC+ to 115. Fine numbers before you remember that he’s a 25-year old in rookie ball.

The next came from left fielder Donovan McIntyre (19, 2021 11th-round), who hit 1-4. It hasn’t been a great first full season from McIntyre, who has a .612 OPS and a 76 wRC+, but home runs help.

An awesome day for shortstop Diego Velasquez (18, 2020 J2), who hit 1-1 with 2 walks, a hit by pitch, and 2 stolen bases. After having just a .459 OPS in June, Velasquez had an .864 OPS in July, and picked up where he left off with August’s first game.

Mediocre pitching. Starting RHP Gerelmi Maldonado (18, 2020 J2) gave up 5 hits and 2 runs in 3 innings, but struck out 4 batters. He has a 3.29 ERA but a 4.83 FIP, with 35 strikeouts to 13 walks in 27.1 innings.

ACL Black (25-13)

ACL Giants Black lost to the ACL Angels 4-3 (7 innings)
Box score

Not great work from RHP Rolfi Jimenez (19, 2019 J2), who gave up 4 runs in as many innings, but another strong relief appearance by RHP Kanoa Pagan (23, 2019 19th-round), who gave up 2 hits in 2 scoreless innings, while striking out 2. It lowered his ERA to 1.40 and his FIP to 1.89, and gave him 31 strikeouts to 4 walks in 19.1 innings. That’s the good. The bad is that he turns 24 next month.

On offense there were a few OK days, but the closest thing to a standout performer was third baseman Elian Rayo (19, 2019 J2), who hit 1-3 with a double and a walk. The hitters on the team have mostly been bad, so Rayo, with his .825 OPS and 128 wRC+ stands out a little bit.

DSL

DSL Giants Orange (17-24) beat the DSL Giants Black (15-28) 3-2 (7 innings)
Box score

Very different offensive approaches in this game. The Giants Orange team relied on some extra-base hits, and drew just 2 walks. The Giants Black team had only 1 hit — a single — but drew 7 walks.

The big offensive days came from 2 Giants Orange players: shortstop Jose Ramos (19, 2019 J2) hit 1-3 with a home run, bumping his OPS up to .793 and his wRC+ to 117, while center fielder Estanlin Cassiani (19, 2019 J2) hit 2-3 with a double, raising his OPS to .833 and his wRC+ to 129. Really good years from those 2.

The Giants Orange starter, RHP Samir Chires (18, 2020 J2) had a bit of a funny game, hurling 3 no-hit innings with 5 strikeouts ... but walking 3 and allowing a run. It’s been a good season for him though, as he sports a 2.37 ERA, a 3.31 FIP, and 29 strikeouts to 11 walks in 30.1 innings.

On the other side was RHP Fernando Estrella (19, 2021 J2), who had a decent start, which is great relative to how his season has been going. He gave up 6 baserunners, 3 runs, and 2 earned runs in 5.2 innings, while striking out 7 batters. Given that he has an 11.28 ERA and is 0-7 in 9 games this year, I’d say that counts as progress.

Home runs

ACL Kwan Adkins (5)
ACL Donovan McIntyre (2)

News

The notable news from the organization is that the Giants designated RHP Kervin Castro for assignment on Monday. Castro was the organization’s No. 26 prospect in our CPL, and was brilliant in his MLB debut last year. He struggled mightily in AAA this year, especially with command, but is only 23 years old.

Tuesday schedule

Sacramento: vs. Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners), 6:35 p.m. PT
Richmond: @ New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Blue Jays), 4:05 p.m. PT
Eugene: @ Spokane (Rockies), 6:35 p.m. PT
San Jose: @ Fresno Grizzlies (Rockies), 6:50 p.m. PT
ACL Orange: vs. ACL Angels
ACL Black: vs. ACL D-backs Red
DSL Orange: vs. DSL Colorado
DSL Black: vs. DSL Nationals