Minor League round up, 7/17: Movement for Luciano, Ramos
Only two games for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates on Monday, as the A-ball teams had the day off, while the DSL teams got postponed in the third innings of their games.
Let’s jump into the action.
Link to the 2023 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)
All listed positions are the positions played in that game.
News
The big story is that one of the organization’s top prospects, shortstop Marco Luciano (No. 2 CPL) has been promoted to AAA Sacramento. This is a sign of both how well Luciano (.889 OPS, 115 wRC+) has been playing, and how aggressive the team has been this year, as Luciano missed the first month of the season due to injury.
Luciano has been arguably the best power bat on the farm this year, as he’s third in the system (minimum: 200 plate appearances) in ISO, trailing only Victor Bericoto (who has spent the bulk of the year in High-A) and Vaun Brown. His 14.9% walk rate is his highest since rookie ball in 2019, and his defense has taken a big step forwards. His back-handing ability has been much better and more fluid this year, with Fangraphs — which has always pegged him for a corner outfield spot — now saying that third base is his floor. The only thing he’s struggled with is strikeouts, but even that doesn’t look concerning when put into context.
His process at Richmond has been really good, even though all the numbers don't reflect that. But there's been real growth. — Roger Munter (@rog61) July 18, 2023
You can read Bryan’s article on the promotion here.
The other big story is the next step for outfielder Heliot Ramos (No. 12 CPL). Many thought that when Ramos finished his 60-day IL stint that he might find himself on the outside of the Giants plans, but a blistering hot rehab assignment has changed things. His maximum 20-day rehab stint ended today, so the Giants needed to make a move. They did, reinstating him from the IL and optioning him to AAA Sacramento. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, AAA RHP Cole Waites (No. 15 CPL) has been placed on the 60-day IL, which quite likely will end his season. Bummer of a year for someone who gained a lot of momentum last year.
ACL Orange (12-18)
ACL Giants Orange beat the ACL Angels 8-2
Box score
A few standout days to highlight. An absolutely absurd day from second baseman Ramon Peralta (19 years, 2021 IFA) who caught fire. He hit 2-3 on the day, with both of his hits clearing the fence. In addition to the homers, he also drew a walk, was hit by a pitch, and stole a base. Get you someone who can do everything, or whatever the youths say.
Peralta is doing exactly what you want a prospect to do, which is to say improving rapidly. He spent 2 years in the DSL before this, his debut ACL season, and in those 3 years his batting average has gone from .216 to .241 to .284, his on-base percentage from .345 to .388 to .417, and his slugging percentage from .347 to .362 to .466. His strikeouts have ticked up slightly, but only slightly ... and that’s to be expected with such an increase in power. On the whole, he’s up to an .883 OPS and a 123 wRC+, and that’s after posting just a .656 OPS in June. In July he’s hitting an absurd 11-31 with 3 homers, 4 doubles, and 6 walks to 11 strikeouts, while playing even more at shortstop than second (and moonlighting occasionally at third). The Giants sure have some intriguing middle infield prospects at every level, don’t they?
Another delightful day from third baseman Javier Francisco (20 years, 2020 IFA), who hit 1-3 with a home run and 2 walks. Francisco is developing a Marco Luciano-esque theme of starting slow at new levels and figuring things out. He really struggled in the DSL in 2021, but beat the brakes off it to start 2022, earning him the rare international midseason promotion. He was fairly awful in the ACL last year, but is destroying the baseball this year, with a .933 OPS and a 125 wRC+. All that despite a very poor .255 BABIP that ranks dead last among the 70 ACL batters with at least 90 plate appearances. Who needs a high BABIP when you have 8 extra-base hits in 90 plate appearances and a stunning 18 walks to just 15 strikeouts?
Also nice days for shortstop Jean Carlos Sio (19 years, 2022 IFA) and catcher Juan Perez (18 years, 2022 IFA), who both doubled, singled, and walked. Sio, who added a stolen base, has a .793 OPS and a 103 wRC+ while limiting strikeouts in his first year at the level, while Perez has just a .624 OPS and a 61 wRC+. Your reminder that Perez is only 18, is a catcher, and received the team’s second-largest bonus in their pool last year for a reason. Don’t overthink 18 games.
An exciting appearance! Designated hitter Luis González made his season debut, and hit 1-3 with a double. González was a breakout performer on the MLB team last year, but has been on the 60-day Injured List all season. Great to see him playing again.
Also rehabbing was RHP Luke Jackson, who pitched a scoreless inning with a walk and 2 strikeouts. This was Jackson’s 2nd rehab appearance since hitting the IL in late June, and he’s struck out 5 of the 7 batters he’s faced. It will be great having him back in the Giants bullpen.
RHP Miguel Mora (21 years, 2019 IFA) had a nice game, which was good to see. He struck out 3 batters in 3 no-hit innings, allowing just a walk. He’s had a tough year in both Low-A and the ACL, with a double-digit ERA at both levels. But 2 of his last 3 appearances have been really good.
ACL Black (17-13)
ACL Giants Black beat the ACL Brewers 12-1
Box score
Home run central for the Giants Black team, as they knocked 4 balls out of the park.
The star of the game didn’t even start, as catcher Cesar Gonzalez (22 years, 2017 IFA) came off the bunch to hit a pair of home runs in the 8th and 9th innings. It’s Gonzalez’s 4th year at the level, so he’s probably feeling some pressure to perform, especially after the Giants drafted a trio of catchers last week that will need to find space. But it’s also Gonzalez’s best year, as his strong game gave him an .880 OPS and a 111 wRC+.
Gonzalez replaced catcher Nomar Diaz (19 years, 2022 14th-round), who left the game after just 1 at-bat. Hopefully he’s OK.
Second baseman Lazaro Morales (19 years, 2021 IFA) also homered, hitting 2-4 on the day, bringing his OPS to .509 and his wRC+ to 31. It’s just his second year in the pros and first year stateside, so I wouldn’t worry too much about the struggles. And rounding out the homers was third baseman Elian Rayo (20 years, 2019 IFA), who is having a so-so second-year in the ACL, with an .817 OPS and a 97 wRC+. The power (.233 ISO) and walks (12.4% rate) are there, but the average (.233) and strikeouts (35.2% are struggling).
Center fielder Cesar Quintas (20 years, 2019 IFA) got on base, because that’s all he does. He only hit 0-2, but drew 2 walks and was hit by a pitch. In just 102 plate appearances on the year, Quintas has drawn 16 walks and been hit 12 times. It’s not every day that you see a player with 1 home run sporting an 1.131 OPS and a 192 wRC+, but that — plus a comical .547 BABIP — is the way to do it.
Speaking of getting hit by pitches, the Giants Black team got plunked 3 times, all by the same pitcher who only pitched 1 inning. Yikes.
A really nice outing from RHP Ubert Mejias (22 years, 2023 IFA). Mejias is a very unique player in that he’s a 22-year old international signee, and also an international signee who skipped the DSL. Usually older IFAs are organizational filler, but Mejias got a $200,000 signing bonus, and only signed at this “old” age because that was when he defected from Cuba.
So far he looks like a home run signing, if you’ll allow me to mix my positional metaphors. He gave up just 3 hits and an unearned run in 5 innings on Monday, striking out 3 batters. His FIP is an ugly 5.08 because he’s not striking out many batters ... he has just 30 punchouts in 35.1 innings. But he’s limiting hard contact, with just 1 home run all year, has a walk rate of 3.6 per 9 innings (not great, but pretty solid for a debut), and is sporting a 3.06 ERA. His MiLB stat page also claims he’s averaging just 7.5 pitches per inning, which I’m assuming is just a tracking error, but...
Home runs
ACL Javier Francisco (5)
ACL Elian Rayo (5)
ACL Ramon Peralta, 2 (3)
ACL Cesar Gonzalez, 2 (3)
ACL Lazaro Morales (1)
Injured List
Here’s a list of all the Giants prospects currently on the Injured List, so you can keep track of who is hurt since it often flies under the radar.
40-man prospects (60-day IL)
LHP Thomas Szapucki
RHP Cole Waites (No. 15 CPL)
AAA Sacramento
RHP R.J. Dabovich (No. 17 CPL) — Full Season
C Brett Cumberland — 60-Day
LHP/1B Ronald Guzmán — 60-Day
RHP Ljay Newsome — 60-Day
LHP Darien Núñez — 60-Day (on rehab assignment)
RHP Joe Ross — 60-Day
LHP Kyle Harrison (No. 1 CPL) — 7-Day
RHP Kade McClure — 7-Day
RHP Logan Shore — 7-Day
AA Richmond
OF Hunter Bishop (No. 29 CPL) — 60-Day
RHP Michael Stryffeler — 60-Day
RHP Matt Frisbee — 7-Day
OF Ismael Munguia — 7-Day (on rehab assignment)
RHP Landen Roupp (No. 20 CPL) — 7-Day
INF Brady Whalen — 7-Day (on rehab assignment)
High-A Eugene
RHP Will Bednar (No. 25 CPL) — 7-Day
INF Damon Dues — 7-Day (on rehab assignment)
RHP Trevor McDonald (No. 23 CPL) — 7-Day (on rehab assignment)
OF Jairo Pomares (No. 14 CPL) — 7-Day (on rehab assignment)
RHP Carson Ragsdale — 7-Day
INF Michael Wielansky — 7-Day
Low-A San Jose
RHP Sam Bower — Full Season
INF/1B Connor Cannon — Full Season
RHP Davis Hare — Full Season
RHP Ian Villers — Full Season
LHP Rohan Handa — 60-Day
INF Abdiel Layer — 60-Day
RHP Spencer Miles — 60-Day
OF Mauricio Pierre — 60-Day
RHP Liam Simon — 60-Day
RHP Mikell Manzano — 7-Day
ACL
C Braden Frankfort — Restricted List
RHP Kanoa Pagan — Restricted List
INF Irvin Murr III — 7-Day
DSL
LHP Luis De La Torre — Restricted List
LHP Ricardo Estrada — Restricted List
RHP Alexander Fuentes — Restricted List
RHP Jhon Leon — Restricted List
RHP Ruben Ortiz — Restricted List
RHP Anderson Azor — 60-Day
LHP Luis Custodio — 60-Day
C Alessandro Duran — 60-Day
RHP Fernando Estrella — 60-Day
LHP Antonio Millan — 60-Day
RHP Jose T Perez — 60-Day
RHP Christopher Torres — 60-Day
RHP Fernando Vasquez — 60-Day
OF Fabio Villadiego — 60-Day
INF Franco Willias — 60-Day
RHP Luis Yepez — 60-Day
Source: McCovey Chronicles
