Yesterday’s action on the farm.
Today is a beautiful day. It’s the home opener for the San Francisco Giants … and also the start of the season for AA Richmond, High-A Eugene, and Low-A San Jose. Which means that today’s Minor League roundup is the last one for a very long time that will only feature one Giants’ Minor League Baseball affiliate.
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.
News
Good news for both the Giants and the farm, as outfielder Wade Meckler (No. 13 CPL) has been activated from the 7-Day IL. Meckler was injured in Sacramento’s second game of the season, and it wasn’t known how severe the injury was. Apparently not very, as Meckler has been activated just 4 days after being placed on the 7-Day IL. Don’t ask me about that math — the Minor Leagues care not for accurate bookkeeping, god bless them.
And in celebratory news, utility player Brett Auerbach has been named the Pacific Coast League Player of the Week after a blistering start to the year that featured a pair of home runs and a pair of doubles. Congrats, Brett!
Brett Auerbach’s putting the league on NOTICE First PCL Player of the Week, and he’s only warming up pic.twitter.com/3o6Vsp23YV
— Sacramento River Cats (@RiverCats) April 3, 2025
AAA Sacramento (3-3)
Sacramento River Cats beat the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) 4-2 (10 innings)
Box score
The River Cats are back in the win column following a 3-game skid. And with it being the team’s sixth game, it was the start of the second turn through the rotation, which started the same way the first turn did: with a dominant start from RHP Carson Seymour (No. 21 CPL).
Seymour, who was added to the 40-man roster as a Rule 5 protection over the offseason, and who gained popularity in Spring Training after beat writer Maria Guardado revealed that he subsists on a nearly all-beef diet, is off to a truly spectacular season in his second pass through Sacramento.
He pitched 5 shutout innings in this game, giving up just 2 singles and a walk, while striking out 5. His day was a parade of soft contact, whiffs, and painting the corners. It was phenomenal stuff. And it came after a season debut in which he struck out 8 batters in 4 scoreless innings.
We’ll almost surely see Seymour in the Majors at some point this season … and if he keeps this up, it will be sooner rather than later.
It was also a great pitching performance for RHP Joel Peguero, who continues to impress, and looks like he may get to finally taste the Majors this year after a long Minor League career. Peguero, breezing into the 100s with alarming casualness, struck out 3 batters in 1.2 scoreless innings, though he did allow an inherited runner to score after taking over a mess created by LHP Joey Lucchesi. RHP Justin Garza, who had a rough spring, appears to be putting that behind him: he gave up just a walk while pitching the 8th and 9th innings, and has now tossed 3 scoreless and hitless frames to start the season.
The offense struggled for much of the game, striking out 16 times, but it was a fantastic day for someone who really needed it: second baseman Brett Wisely. It had been a tough start to the year for Wisely, who didn’t make the Opening Day roster despite appearing to be in pole position, and then hit fairly poorly in the first few games. But Thursday was an excellent game for the young left-handed hitter, who went 2-3 with a double, a walk, and a pair of stolen bases. With the Giants currently carrying a pair of right-handed hitting infielders to backup their right-handed hitting infield, you’ve got to think there’s an opportunity for Wisely to grab a spot on the roster if he can get hot.
wisely starting us off strong tonight with the first rbi of the game pic.twitter.com/0Yhgsl0DGn
— Sacramento River Cats (@RiverCats) April 4, 2025
No one else did much of note on offense. Left fielder Marco Luciano, first baseman David Villar, and right fielder Hunter Bishop (No. 34 CPL) all reached base twice, each with a single and a walk, though Luciano and Villar each had a strikeout hat trick as well. Luciano’s hit was very clutch, though, as it gave the River Cats a vital extra-innings insurance run.
MARCO MAKING MOVES
after a sacrifice bunt from wisely, luciano singles and brings mccray home and brings the cats back in the lead 4-2 at the top of the 10th! pic.twitter.com/7aQYRS8sQS
— Sacramento River Cats (@RiverCats) April 4, 2025
Center fielder Grant McCray continued his early season struggles, hitting 1-5 with 2 strikeouts, with his only hit being a bunt single.
Hopefully some of these bats start heating up soon, but until then, it sure looks like we’ll be treated to some tremendous pitching from the River Cats.
Friday schedule:
Sacramento: @ Las Vegas, 7:05 p.m. PT (SP: Kyle Harrison)
Richmond: vs. Akron, 3:35 p.m. PT (SP: John Michael Bertrand)
Eugene: @ Hillsboro, 6:35 p.m. PT (SP: Josh Bostick)
San Jose: @ Modesto, 6:40 p.m. PT (SP: Gerelmi Maldonado)