Minor League roundup, Sept. 4: James Tibbs III hits his 1st home run

Yesterday’s action on the farm.

A busy day for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates on Wednesday. Let’s jump into all the action!

Link to the 2024 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

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

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AAA Sacramento (72-62)

Sacramento River Cats lost to the Salt Lake Bees (Angels) 7-6 (10 innings)
Box score

The Giants may be workshopping a future middle infield duo of Marco Luciano and Tyler Fitzgerald, but in AAA, shortstop Christian Koss wants to make sure that you don’t forget about him.

Koss has been something of a revelation since the Giants acquired him in a tiny Spring Training trade from the Red Sox, and he dominated AA. He’s been a little slower to find his rhythm in AAA, but is sure showing a lot of signs, given that he appears to be a very strong defensive shortstop (who can also play second and third).

Wednesday was perhaps his finest day as a River Cat, as all 4 of his plate appearances were productive. He technically only had 2 at-bats, as he registered both a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly … and in those 2 at-bats? A home run and a double.

That’s a damn fine day.

Center fielder Wade Meckler (No. 11 CPL) also had a very nice day, hitting 2-4 with a double and a walk. I’ll be curious to see if the Giants try and get him another cup of coffee this year, or if they let him end the season with some (hopeful) rhythm in Sacramento.

Left fielder Hunter Bishop continues to put his cold season behind him. He only went 1-4 with a walk, but now has an 11-game hit streak in games where he’s started (he has a hitless game as a pinch-hitter in the middle of that streak). In that 12-game span, Bishop has gone 17-46 with 1 home run, 4 doubles, 2 walks, and 11 strikeouts. Not exactly eye-popping numbers given the environment, but still high-quality stuff. Here’s hoping he keeps this up through the end of the year, and can enter the 2025 season with a chance to try and take his career to the next level.

Not a very notable day on the mound. LHP Carson Whisenhunt (No. 4 CPL) got the start, making his 3rd appearance since returning from the Injured List. It didn’t go particularly well, as he gave up 7 hits (though just 1 extra-base hit), 1 walk, 5 runs, and 4 earned runs in 5.1 innings of work. Despite the lone walk, Whisenhunt wasn’t exactly living in the strike zone, as he threw 54 of 84 pitches for strikes and only had 3 punchouts. A good reminder that he’s still only 2 years removed from being drafted … if nothing else, this year has served to get him up to speed, so he can hit the ground running in 2025 and likely make his MLB debut.

AA Richmond (59-69)

Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Akron RubberDucks (Guardians) 4-3 (10 innings)
Box score

A very mild-mannered offensive game for both squads until the 10th inning … things were tied 1-1 after 9 innings, before the teams combined for 5 runs in the final frame.

And in that frame we got to see first baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 3 CPL) get a batting average! In his 2nd AA game, Eldridge, who finished 1-5 with 2 strikeouts, blooped a single the other way to tie the game, and set up walk off run for the Squirrels. Whatever works!

The best day on offense belonged to third baseman Luis Toribio, who went 2-3 with a double and a walk, though he did commit 2 errors at the hot corner.

Left fielder Ismael Munguia (No. 35 CPL) had a bittersweet game. He hit 2-3 and had an outfield assist, but left the game after appearing to tweak his hamstring rounding 1st on a single. Hopefully he’s OK, but we’re at the point in the season where we might have seen him play his final game.

Strong pitching, primarily from a pair of bullpen arms who are trying to end so-so seasons on a high note, as LHP Nick Swiney and RHP Mat Olsen both pitched 2 scoreless frames each. Swiney gave up neither a hit nor a walk in his innings, while striking out 3, and Olsen allowed just a walk with 2 strikeouts. Swiney only has a 5.45 ERA, but has a 4.74 FIP and has been much better in the 2nd half of the season. Olsen, similarly, has a 4.40 ERA but a delightful 3.60 FIP.

LHP Jack Choate (No. 31 CPL) got the start, and is still struggling with the transition to AA following a recent promotion. Which is understandable! He did help his ERA, as he only allowed 1 run in 4 innings, and he struck out 6 batters! However, he allowed 5 hits and 3 walks, needed 84 pitches to get through those 4 innings, and only threw 51 strikes.

A 9th-round pick in 2022, Choate has had phenomenal command this year, but between the rise in level and potentially hitting a bit of a wall, that command has wavered lately. In his 1st 18 games, he walked just 15 batters in 74.1 innings. In his 7 starts since then (1 with High-A Eugene, and his 6 debut appearances with Richmond), he’s issued 21 walks in just 28 innings.

High-A Eugene (58-69)

Eugene Emeralds beat the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 10-7
Box score

An electric game for the Emeralds’ offense, which scored their many runs in a very different way than Vancouver did. Eugene only had 9 hits, but 4 of those hits cleared the fence, and they supplemented them with 11 walks. Vancouver, on the other hand, had a staggering 17 hits, but only 1 was a home run, and they added just 2 walks along the way.

The most notable home run for Eugene came from their recent 1st-round draft pick James Tibbs III, who went 1-4 with a walk, 2 strikeouts, and a 2-run blast, which was his 1st career home run.

The first of many, I’m sure!

Speaking of players who are new to the system, third baseman Sabin Ceballos continues to look like a completely different player since the Giants acquired him in the Jorge Soler trade. Ceballos had an electric day in the box, hitting 2-4 with a 2-run home run, a walk, and a strikeout.

When Ceballos, Atlanta’s 3rd-round pick last year, joined the Giants, he had hit just 4 career home runs in 427 plate appearances. He already has topped that mark in San Francisco’s system, with 5 home runs in just 122 plate appearances. Extending Matt Chapman sure looks like a mistake with Ceballos in the wings, doesn’t it?

I kid, I kid…

The best offensive day, however, belonged to center fielder Quinn McDaniel, who was an absolute menace. McDaniel drew 4 walks in 5 plate appearance and, once on base, swiped 3 bags without being caught. Oh, and in the plate appearance where he didn’t draw a walk? He homered!

Hard to have a better day than that for last year’s 5th-round pick, who now has a .751 OPS, a 114 wRC+, and 40 stolen bases (how delightful is that to see?). McDaniel’s strikeout rate of 32.0% is still a bit of a red flag, but it is his 1st full season. And the speed-and-power combo sure is exciting, especially for an up-the-middle player: he’s 2nd in the system in stolen bases, and his 13 homers are tied for 4th in the system, behind only the top prospect in the system (Bryce Eldridge), and a pair of players in the PCL (David Villar and Luis Matos).

Homering immediately after McDaniel was left fielder Scott Bandura, who went 1-3 with a solo jack, 2 walks, and a stolen base.

Bandura’s debut full season has gone a little under the radar, but the 2023 7th-round pick has really played nicely. He really struggled out of the gates with Eugene, was sent to Low-A San Jose where he shined, and then returned to Eugene where he’s been an entirely different player. Just look at the splits!

First stint in High-A: 16-89, 3 home runs, 2 triples, 1 double, 15 walks, 31 strikeouts
Second stint in High-A: 30-107, 3 home runs, 7 doubles, 16 walks, 33 strikeouts

A quite nice year for the lefty, who now has a .733 OPS and a 109 wRC+ in Eugene, and has swiped 24 bases across the 2 levels.

Not a lot to highlight on the mound. RHP Manuel Mercedes (No. 37 CPL) really struggled in the start, as he has a handful of times this year, giving up 11 baserunners and 4 runs in 4.2 innings, with just 2 strikeouts.

But RHP Mikell Manzano struck out 2 batters in 1.1 shutout innings in just his 2nd career High-A game, while RHP Matt Frisbee struck out 2 in 1.2 scoreless innings in his 3rd rehab assignment with Eugene. Frisbee, who had been playing in AA Richmond this year, had missed about 3 months with an injury. LHP Matt Mikulski, who has really struggled this year, pitched a scoreless inning, and now has 6 scoreless outings in his last 8 appearances.

Low-A San Jose (72-55)

San Jose Giants beat the Fresno Grizzlies (Rockies) 10-5
Box score

A pretty fun offensive day for the Baby Giants, with a pair of recent draftees bopping big flies.

Second baseman Zander Darby, their 12th-round pick, went 2-4 with a 2-run shot and a walk, while first baseman Jeremiah Jenkins, their 14th-round pick, went 2-5 with a 2-run blast and 2 strikeouts.

Darby in particular has been fantastic since getting drafted, as the left-handed hitting Palo Alto alum is 9-34 with 3 home runs, 7 walks, and 8 strikeouts. What a way to start a career!

A brilliant stretch of baseball continued for right fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 42 CPL), who is settling into San Jose in a big way. The exciting right-hander, who figures to fly up prospect lists this winter, hit 4-5 with a triple and a stolen base.

After playing fantastically in the DSL last year, Diaz began the 2024 season in the ACL, where he only played for 22 games before getting promoted. He then experienced some to-be-expected bumps and bruises, but has now seemingly figured it out. Look at these splits!

First 31 games in Low-A: 25-124, 2 home runs, 7 doubles, 10 walks, 30 strikeouts
Next 21 games in Low-A: 36-94, 4 home runs, 3 triples, 4 doubles, 4 walks, 16 strikeouts

It wouldn’t be at all surprising if Diaz starts the 2025 season — which would be his first full season in the pros — in High-A … as a 19-year old. What a player he’s shaping up to be!

Shortstop Walker Martin (No. 7 CPL) has had a very different path but, like Diaz, is starting to find some good rhythm. He hit 3-5 with a triple on Wednesday, while striking out twice. Here are his splits since getting promoted to San Jose when the ACL season concluded:

First 13 games in Low-A: 7-54, 1 triple, 1 double, 5 walks, 37 strikeouts
Next 9 games in Low-A: 11-33, 1 triple, 2 doubles, 12 walks, 13 strikeouts

Still some work to do, but clearly moving in the right direction!

RHP Josh Bostick won’t be repeating his Cal League Pitcher of the Week honors after a tough start, giving up 9 baserunners and 4 runs in 4 innings, with 4 strikeouts, while getting tagged for 2 home runs. Still quite a successful year for the 2023 8th-round pick, whose numbers (4.78 ERA, 4.71 FIP) don’t quite do his electric stuff justice.

RHP Ian Villers pitched 2 shutout innings and RHP Cole Hillier pitched a scoreless frame, but both relievers walked a pair of batters.

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Home run tracker

AAA Christian Koss (8 total, 4 in AAA)
High-A Quinn McDaniel (13)
High-A Sabin Ceballos (8)
High-A Scott Bandura (6)
High-A James Tibbs III (1)
Low-A Zander Darby (3)
Low-A Jeremiah Jenkins (2)

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Thursday schedule

Sacramento: at Salt Lake, 5:35 p.m. PT
Richmond: vs. Akron, 3:35 p.m. PT
Eugene: at Vancouver, 7:05 p.m. PT
San Jose: at Fresno, 6:50 p.m. PT

Reminder that Minor League games can be watched on MLB TV.