SF Giants prospects: 2023 Arizona Complex League season in review

With the Arizona Complex League season wrapped up, Wrenzie Regodon highlights the standout moments and SF Giants prospects.

After more than two months of action, the 2023 Arizona Complex League season is over. The SF Giants had two affiliates (Giants Orange and Giants Black) playing at their facility in Papago. Unfortunately, both the Orange and Black affiliates missed the postseason. That did not mean they had no success, though, both teams had a winning record of over .600 but finished third and fourth in their division. 

SF Giants 2023 DSL season in review
SF Giants 2023 Single-A season in review
Latest SF Giants prospect rankings

SF Giants ACL season in review:
International performers

There were a number of Latino hitters who played throughout most of the ACL season that stood above their peers. The best performer is possibly Javier Francisco, as he showed a combination of hitting ability, power, and sound approach in the batter's box. His .984 OPS finished fourth-best among qualified hitters, his seven home runs are tied for fourth-most, and he has more walks than strikeouts. All while showcasing the ability to play all over the infield. He spent time at all infield positions except shortstop.

Javier Francisco was 2 for 3 with two doubles in Thursday’s victory over the ACL Mariners.

In July (52 PA), Francisco is hitting .324/.481/.676 (1.157 OPS) with 19.2% BB/17.3% K pic.twitter.com/Afz5OJPY7I

— SFGProspects (@SFGProspects) July 29, 2023

Another hitter who is inside the top 10 in OPS is Cesar Quintas. While he's not a power hitter, he was a great contact hitter with a league-leading .372 batting average while also hitting ten doubles, a home run, and three stolen bases. While he's just outside the top 10 in OPS, Guillermo Williamson's nine home runs are good for third-most in the entire ACL. Williamson added 15 doubles with a .285 batting average. The second-best hitter in terms of batting average among the Giants rookie affiliates is Estanlin Cassiani. He continued to show a great ability to hit for contact after hitting .375 in the DSL last season.

There are a couple of Latino hitters who have a similar profile to each other. Elian Rayo tied Francisco with seven home runs, while Ramon Peralta hit five of his own. Both have shown the ability to hit for power and draw walks but have big strikeout concerns.

Onto the pitching side, there is not much fanfare in both Giants teams, but there were a couple of interesting Latino pitchers in the backfields this season. Alix Hernandez popped up in the early going, with his fastball touching the mid-90s alongside flashing a slider and a changeup. The 19-year-old finished the season with 67 strikeouts in just 51.1 innings of work. He understandably lost a tick or two of velocity as the season wore on, but there is definitely a path for him to be a multi-inning threat as soon as next season.

Christian Avendano was an interesting prospect, having converted from the outfield to the mound, and he was nasty with 44 strikeouts in just 30 innings pitched. They often used him in two-inning bursts, and it will be interesting if he can continue with this path moving forward. Lisander de la Cruz struggled with control in his third season in the ACL but was racking up the strikeouts with 41 in just 26 innings pitched.

SF Giants OF/P Bryce Eldridge pitches during his high school career at Chase Field. (2022) / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

SF Giants ACL season in review highlights:
The 2023 draft class balling out

It was a drag watching both ACL teams at times, until the 2023 draft class started showing up. First-rounder Bryce Eldridge wasted no time in terms of showing out his near-prodigal raw power, blasting five homers in 16 games before a promotion to Single-A. He's also looked more hitter-ish in the box, which bodes well for his progression above the minor league ladder. Third-rounder Cole Foster was even more electric with three home runs and two doubles in just seven games and was clearly way too good for the level.

Fifth-rounder Quinn McDaniel needed a bit more time to get the ball rolling, but a two-homer game and 20 walks in just 16 games resulted in a quick promotion to San Jose. Seventh-rounder Scott Bandura was also fantastic. He only needed five games at the level, where he recorded ten hits, including a double and a home run. Ninth-rounder Charlie Szykowny flashed his power potential with three doubles, a triple, and two home runs.

11th-rounder Jack Payton showed why he deserved to be picked at least five rounds earlier than his selection as he hit .400 with two doubles in nine games at the level. Sixteenth-rounder Justin Wishkoski might be a potential steal, with him hitting six doubles, a home run, and an impressive 6:1 walk-strikeout ratio in 16 games. Even their final pick, Nadir Lewis, had a great moment when he hit for the cycle in just his second pro game.

On the pitching side, compensatory pick Joe Whitman showed why he is worth the high draft pick, flashing his plus slider and striking out four batters in as many innings. The biggest pitching performer might be eighth-rounder Josh Bostick, flashing a fastball up to 99 mph alongside a nasty slider which gives him back-end relief potential with a non-zero chance to be stretched out as a starter. Even though they drafted a number of arms on the third day of the draft, it was actually their NDFA signees who piqued my attention. Trent Harris struck out a mind-boggling 21 batters and walked only one in just 12 innings of work, with three saves for good measure. Cody Tucker was near-perfect with four shutout innings of two-hit ball with six strikeouts and nothing in between.