SF Giants prospects: 2023 San Jose Giants season in review

With the SF Giants Single-A affiliate's season wrapped up, Wrenzie Regodon breaks down the notable prospects and moments from the San Jose Giants season.

It was yet another memorable season for the San Jose Giants as they closed down the doors to their 2023 season after failing to get past the Divisional Round against the Modesto Nuts. Nonetheless, it was a successful season as the SF Giants Single-A affiliate was able to punch their ticket to the California League playoffs. 

Even though the team was not filled with star-studded names like in years past, first-year manager Jeremiah Knackstedt's squad displayed a great approach at the batter's box alongside strong pitching brought by the 2022 draft class. They also showed great resilience in the first half of the season by pulling off several come-from-behind victories. As a result, the team was the best in the entire league, with a 40-26 record. 

The team struggled in the second half as several prospects received well-deserved promotions. Reinforcements eventually arrived through the way of the 2023 draft class the team still posted a below-.500 record in the second half. One of the lowlights was the team suffering their first six-game sweep since minor league realignment three years ago. The hitting side received a major boost, but the pitching side did not receive much help as they struggled to hold the Modesto Nuts hitters silent in the Divisional Round. 

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San Jose's most outstanding hitter: Diego Velasquez

There were a lot of prospects that came and went from the San Jose Giants, but one prospect was a consistent fixture in the lineup, infielder Diego Velasquez. The soon-to-be 20-year-old middle infielder blossomed into one of the more impressive contact hitters not just in the Giants squad but in the entire California League. Velasquez's .298 average led the entire Cal League, and he also led the league in total hits and doubles. He cooled down in his final month of action, but his batting average was still north of .320 in his first three-and-a-half months of the season. 

Perhaps the biggest improvement in Velasquez's game is his approach. I was impressed early on by the plate discipline that he displayed when watching his at-bats where he would lay off close pitches that he would otherwise put the bat to the ball because of his great contact skills. That trend continued throughout the season as he drew an impressive 11% walk rate while only striking out just 15.7% of the time. 

While he led the league in doubles with 32, his eight home runs and lack of consistent eye-popping exit velocities were more indicative of the rather modest power that Velasquez possesses, even though there was a noticeable improvement in his physique throughout the season. Velasquez is not the most explosive athlete on the roster, he showed the ability to play shortstop at a solid level with some spectacular plays while also being a threat on the basepaths with 23 steals in 29 attempts. 

The consistency that Velasquez showed on both sides of the ball earned him my vote for MVP. It was a pretty easy call and the team itself voted for him as well. Velasquez should be in Eugene at the start of the 2024 season and is clearly one of the better prospects in the organization.

What rhymes with Diego? Fuego. Currently leading the league in batting average and hits, he has been on 🔥 all season long.

Congratulations to the 2023 San Jose Giants MVP, Diego Velasquez! pic.twitter.com/gjdvOthxJU

— San Jose Giants (@SJGiants) September 9, 2023

Other notable hitters

As mentioned above, the team was not loaded with power bats as only two hitters managed to hit double-digit home runs (both Thomas Gavello and P.J. Hilson hit 10). Gavello served as the team's utility man playing third base, second base, and behind the dish. Hilson finally managed to get his bat going in the final five weeks as he hit six of his 10 home runs in his first nine games last August. The toolsy outfielder also stole 12 bases and flashed great defense in the outfield, although route running in the corners was an issue.

Two outfielders served as San Jose's backbone for much of the first half. First is Carter Howell as he fueled the top of the Giants lineup with his impressive contact-speed combo with a .337 average, nine doubles, four triples, and eight stolen bases while serving as the team's center fielder. Matt Higgins hit .309 with 18 doubles and nine home runs, the second most for the season. When Howell was promoted to Eugene, the Giants signed Turner Hill, who was a strong replacement as the speedy outfielder stole 27 bases and hit 19 doubles with a .287 batting average.

Tanner O'Tremba was also a solid contributor in the Giants lineup with 21 doubles, eight home runs, a .271 average, and 17 stolen bases in 19 attempts. Andrew Kachel provided the lineup with a stable left-handed presence with his .289 average, 20 doubles, two triples, and six home runs. 

Perhaps the biggest storyline in the San Jose hitting squad, aside from the excellence of Velasquez was the timeshare between catchers Zach Morgan and Onil Perez. The two split time evenly behind the plate, and while Perez performed better with a .300 average, 12 doubles, four triples, a couple of home runs, and 21 stolen bases, Morgan was not too shabby either with 13 doubles, four home runs, and a .254 average of his own. That storyline carried over when the two received promotions late in the season. A premonition to the soon-to-be-released Eugene Emeralds review, perhaps?

Alexander Suarez and Jose Ramos played their defensive potential in the outfield and at shortstop, respectively, but struggled to get the ball rolling on offense for much of the year. Suarez did steal 22 bases and was hitting the ball hard when he connected with 11 doubles, five triples, and six home runs, but having a team-high 110 strikeouts really held him back. Ramos did not fare much better either with the bat as the season rolled along and finished with only a .211 batting average, though, he did steal a team-high 29 bases. 

The 2023 draft class did make an impact late in the season as well as late-season call up Javier Francisco. First-round pick Bryce Eldridge impressed as he adjusted to pro ball with a .293 average and 11 walks, the aforementioned Francisco drove in 11 batters in just seven games, Cole Foster hit four homers but struggled with strikeouts, Luke Shliger looked good with a .298 average and 8 walks to just 10 strikeouts, Quinn McDaniel hit three home runs of his own, and Scott Bandura hit five doubles, a couple of home runs, and stole three bases. 

San Jose's most outstanding pitcher: Hayden Birdsong

There were a lot of notable pitchers who pitched with San Jose this year, especially from the loaded 2022 pitching class. However, only one can take the crown as the best pitcher for the team, and my choice is Hayden Birdsong. 

Even though he only stayed with the team for the first two months of the season, Birdsong left an indelible mark on the Giants pitching staff as their ace. In his 12 outings for the season, including the first ten as the starter (served as the piggyback for Reggie Crawford in his final two outings), he struck out a mind-boggling 70 batters in just 41.2 innings pitched, or at a 38% rate. He struggled to limit his walks with a 12% rate, but his 2.16 ERA when he was still with the Giants is one of the, if not the, lowest in the entire Cal League while only allowing batters to hit a putrid .218 off him.

Birdsong is a rare example of a reliever converted into a starter as a professional and the Giants reaped the rewards. Birdsong did not lose a tick in his 94-97 mph fastball as a starter with great running life at the top of the zone. Single-A hitters struggled to catch up to the sheer velocity, but the movement made it even harder to square up. His high-70s curveball was his best secondary pitch that he threw to get hitters off balance and its sharp break and good shape drew plenty of whiffs as hitters are geared to hit his mid-90s heater. Even though his high-80s changeup was only thrown almost exclusively against lefties, it showed great promise with plenty of fade but struggled to find consistency and confidence to throw it at any count, unlike his other two feature pitches. There was also a mid-80s slider thrown sparingly but its usage increased only when he got promoted. 

San Jose clearly struggled to replace the quality innings that Birdsong gave the team once he got promoted. That is the reason that Birdsong was my choice as the best pitcher of the San Jose Giants this season. 

The best bits of 2022 sixth-rounder Hayden Birdsong's best outing so far, going 3.2 scoreless innings with just three hits, two walks, and six strikeouts.

The fastball sat in the mid-90s along with a plus curveball and a changeup. He's struck out 37% of the batters he's faced. pic.twitter.com/epbTorJdQT

— Giant Prospective (@giantprospectiv) April 21, 2023

Other notable pitchers

There were a number of pitchers who made my vote as San Jose's best pitcher a difficult one. Carson Whisenhunt only made four starts but with a 3.29 ERA and 20 strikeouts in just 13.2 innings pitched. However, he only was with the team for the first month as he got promoted to Eugene where he truly displayed his full potential. Another premonition to the soon-to-be-released Eugene Emeralds review, perhaps?

One of the strongest contenders as the pitcher of the year at least early on in the season, was Liam Simon. The fire-balling righty actually looked better than Birdsong even though the former posted a 3.86 ERA in his six starts with 32 strikeouts to just nine walks in 21 innings pitched. A season-ending elbow injury put a halt to Simon's 2023 season, though. He was on a fast track had he stayed healthy all season.

Perhaps the only San Jose pitcher who could really challenge my Birdsong vote is Jack Choate. Choate entered the season without much fanfare but much like Birdsong, left an indelible mark on the squad. The tall, deceptive sidewinder struck out 67 batters in only walked 19 batters in 42 innings pitched while also posting a 2.30 ERA and an eye-popping .173 opponent batting average. Choate initially was Birdsong's piggyback pitcher before earning a starting gig in the middle of May and has never looked back since. 

Gerelmi Maldonado only pitched until the end of July but we have seen the potential that the right-hander has whenever he was on the mound. His mid-to-high 90s fastball and big-bending slider allowed him to strike out 81 batters in just 65 innings though his control got the best of him at times as he walked 40 batters and posted a 4.71 ERA.

Tyler Vogel struck out the most batters as a San Jose Giant this season with 89 in just 65.1 innings pitched while also registering five saves. Vogel had some occasional flare-ups this season, but he pitched better than what his 4.27 ERA would suggest as he only allowed one run or less in 31 of his 39 outings this season. Vogel might not be closer material, but there is big-league stuff in his right arm with a fastball that can reach 97 mph, a hard curveball, and a decent changeup.

Manuel Mercedes logged the most innings in the Giants pitched staff this season with 106.1 solid innings where he posted a 3.64 ERA. Mercedes honed in his control this season where he only walked 42 batters and only hit just three batters. He dedicated himself to becoming a full-time sinkerballer where his 92-96 mph pitch managed to generate a 63% groundball rate but with the expense of his ability to generate whiffs with only 72 strikeouts, good for only a 15.4% rate. 

Dylan Cumming pitched in a variety of roles for the Giants this season and was a reliable option whenever he got the call with seven wins, six saves, and a 2.93 ERA. The low-80s frisbee was Cumming's best pitch that he used to strike out 86 batters in 92 innings while also having decent control of his low-90s sinker from a sidearm slot as he only walked 36 batters.

There were other pitchers that deserved a mention like tall lefty Hayden Wynja who struck out 68 batters and walked just 18 in 54.1 innings where his slider served as his best pitch, Daniel Blair who posted seven wins and an impressive 2.03 ERA as one of the more reliable bulk inning arms, recently-acquired Marques Johnson only allowed two unearned runs in 18.1 innings pitched with 20 strikeouts, and Cameron Cotter also looked impressive with a 31:3 K/BB ratio and a 2.30 ERA in 31.1 innings of work as a mid-season addition.