Minor League roundup, 4/1: Rosters!

Yesterday’s action on the farm.

There’s still just one San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliate in action, but that will change soon. The season starts on Friday for AA Richmond, High-A Eugene, and Low-A San Jose, with San Jose also playing an exhibition tonight against the Oakland Ballers.

Tuesday wasn’t the best day on the farm, but let’s get into it.

Link to the 2025 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions in the roundup are the positions played in that particular game.

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News

The exciting action on Tuesday was the arrival of the Opening Day rosters for Richmond, Eugene, and San Jose.

Obviously the rosters will change over the coming days, weeks, and months, but still fun to see where players got assigned to enter the season. There are, of course, some key names still missing, notably first baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL) who is staying in Arizona to start the year due to the sore wrist that cost him a fair amount of time in camp.

In extremely minor news, outfielder/first baseman Victor Bericoto (No. 24 CPL) was returned to AA Richmond. He had been called up to AAA Sacramento after outfielder Wade Meckler (No. 13 CPL) was placed on the 7-Day IL, but with David Villar clearing waivers and being outrighted, Bericoto is heading back to the Flying Squirrels without appearing in a AAA game.

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AAA Sacramento (2-2)

Sacramento River Cats lost to the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) 14-2
Box score

Ouch! After a fantastic opening weekend, things came crashing down for the River Cats on Tuesday. Their offense couldn’t muster anything, with just 5 hits and 2 walks all day, while they struck out 12 times. Veteran first baseman Jake Lamb was the only River Cat to reach base twice, hitting 2-4 (but striking out twice). Right fielder Hunter Bishop (No. 34 CPL) was the only player on the team to record an extra-base hit, going 1-4 with a double (on a dropped lazy pop fly) and 2 strikeouts.

Quiet days for the team’s top hitting prospects, with center fielder Grant McCray hitting 0-3 with a walk and 2 strikeouts, and left fielder Marco Luciano going 1-4.

But while the hitting was mild, the pitching was a flat-out disaster. The River Cats have about as good of a rotation as you’ll ever find in Minor League Baseball, but after strong starts on Friday by RHP Carson Seymour (No. 21 CPL), on Saturday by LHP Kyle Harrison, and on Sunday by LHP Carson Whisenhunt (No. 2 CPL), things took a tumble on Tuesday with the No. 4 starter (and No. 3 Carson), RHP Carson Ragsdale (No. 19 CPL).

Ragsdale was cruising until he very much wasn’t, and then he couldn’t find the strike zone. He retired the first 5 batters he faced … and then didn’t record another out, giving up 3 consecutive walks (with a wild pitch and a stolen base in there), followed by a pair of singles. At that point he’d thrown 36 pitches in the inning and allowed 3 runs, and it was time to take him out. He notched just 1 strikeout on the day.

Removing Ragsdale did nothing to slow down the Aviators’ bats. RHP Tristan Beck took over and couldn’t replicate his opening-weekend success, issuing 2 walks and 3 hits (2 of which were doubles) while recording just 4 outs, and getting tagged for 2 runs, though he struck out 2. RHP Juan Mercedes took the mound to start the 4th and, while the Giants were likely hoping to stretch him out as a piggy-backing starter, he couldn’t make it through 2 innings either: in 1.2 frames he gave up 4 hits — 2 of which left the yard — plus 3 walks, which resulted in 4 earned runs, though he did strike out 3 batters.

LHP Antonio Jimenez didn’t have the answers, either, as he gave up 3 hits, 3 walks, and 4 runs while recording just 2 outs. He left a sticky situation for RHP Kai-Wei Teng, who, despite a very strong camp and weekend outing, was all over the place: Teng allowed 3 hits, walked 2, and hit a batter in 1.2 innings, though he did strike out 3. Teng’s ERA stayed decent as he only allowed 1 earned run, though that underscores what happened: he took over with the bases loaded and one out, and allowed all three inherited runners to score without even making anyone put the ball in play.

Finally and mercifully, LHP Helcris Olivárez entered for the 8th and had the only clean outing for the River Cats, giving up just a walk in a scoreless inning of work, with a strikeout. Thank you, Helcris.

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Wednesday schedule

Sacramento: @ Las Vegas, 6:35 p.m. PT
Richmond: Season starts Friday
Eugene: Season starts Friday
San Jose: Season starts Friday