Minor League roundup, August 6: Henry Lalane and Marty Gair dazzle in debuts

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TAMPA BAY, - MARCH 16: Henry LaLane #58 of the New York Yankees pitches during the 2024 Spring Breakout Game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Saturday, March 16, 2024 in Tampa Bay, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Six games for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates on Thursday. Not all six teams played, though, as AA Richmond had a doubleheader, while the Dominican Summer League Black squad had the day off.

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Link to the 2026 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

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

News

We officially have a draftee assignment! Outfielder Tanner Mally, the team’s 17th-round pick in last month’s draft, has been assigned to Low-A San Jose. That move bumped outfielder Cam Maldonado (No. 34 CPL) up from San Jose to High-A Eugene, and outfielder Jose Astudillo from Eugene to AA Richmond. That’s extremely exciting for Astudillo, who only just got to Eugene … but fit in sensationally.

Also in exciting news, Richmond RHPs Will Bednar (No. 24 CPL) and Christian Alvarado have been promoted to AAA Sacramento!

AAA Sacramento (62-46)

Sacramento River Cats lost to the Round Rock Express (Rangers) 5-2
Box score

Not the most interesting game for the River Kitties, but some nice performances. Center fielder Jonah Cox continues to fit in just fine at the level he initially skipped, as he hit 3-5 with a double, though he was caught stealing twice. Cox is 7 games into his AAA tenure and he’s been a certified hit machine, going 15-32 with just 6 strikeouts. I’ll be curious to see how long he’s in AAA before the Giants bring him back to the Major; he was obviously promoted way ahead of schedule and his struggles showed that, but if he keeps hitting like this … presumably San Francisco will want to see how he handles some of the pitches he struggled with in the Majors (and even in his blistering AA stint) before making that decision. But seeing him collect hits is a great sign.

Speaking of collecting hits, left fielder Turner Hill only went 1-5 with a strikeout and an outfield assist, but that “1” was enough to push his hitting streak to 22 games. Phenomenal work!

Second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 31 CPL) had a strong AAA debut on Wednesday, and he was even better on Thursday, hitting 2-3 with a double and a walk. It’s so great seeing the switch-hitter finally get a chance in AAA, and making the most of it … it’s easy to think of Velasquez as an older prospect because of how long he was in AA, so here’s your reminder that he was nearly 2 years younger than the average player when he was in AA this year. He’s still only 22!

Third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) hit 1-3 with a double and a walk, boosting his OPS to .949 and his wRC+ to 145 through 18 AAA games. He’s slowed down a little since his blistering start, but my goodness has he taken beautifully to the highest level of the Minors. If you’re clamoring for a debut, I’d push back on it a little bit … not only will the Giants potentially want to keep him off the 40-man roster so he can play Minor League games in the event of a lockout, but Harber, for all his great numbers, is showing a lot to work on in AAA. He’s posting decent exit velocities, but not at the level of what we expect of him, and he’s having a hard time pulling the trigger and swinging as he adjusts to better pitchers: he’s just 5th percentile in in-zone swing rate. He’s perhaps patient to a fault at the moment.

Designated hitter Victor Bericoto (No. 35 CPL) made his 2nd rehab appearance and went 0-4 with a walk and 3 strikeouts.

Just 2 pitchers were used, and neither was particularly sharp. LHP Seth Lonsway had a nice game from an ERA standpoint, as he gave up just 1 earned run (plus 1 unearned run) in 6 innings … yet, despite that great run suppression, allowed 5 hits (including a home run) and walked 5 batters, while throwing just 48 of his 92 pitches for strikes.

Lonsway, a 6th-round pick in 2021 who turns 28 in October, has struggled in AAA this year, with a 6.07 ERA and a 6.27 FIP. He did have 6 strikeouts in this game, though, which was nice to see, as he normally doesn’t get many strikeouts.

Then it was RHP Will Bednar (No. 24 CPL), who made his AAA return. Bednar, who was an NRI this year (as well as a 1st-round pick in 2021), started the year with Sacramento but only pitched twice (and well, at that) before being returned to AA, had a re-introduction to AAA. Normally his issue is with walks, yet he didn’t issue a single free pass in 3 innings, and threw 35 of 47 pitches for strikes. Great to see! But living in the zone had its repercussions, as he gave up 6 hits and 3 earned runs, while only striking out 2. Unfortunately, the high-90s velo that Bednar found last year has really abandoned him this season. He sat 94-95 early in this outing, though he found more gas as the appearance went on … but only peaked at 97.

AA Richmond (61-42)

Game 1: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Reading Fightin Phils (Phillies) 6-4 (7 innings)
Game 2: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Reading Fightin Phils 8-3 (7 innings)
Game 1 box score
Game 2 box score

Not the most exciting doubleheader for the Squirrels, who were playing a makeup of Tuesday’s lost series opener. Across the 14 innings, they only had 1 extra-base hit … but it was an exciting one, as shortstop/DH Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) went yard for the 1st time since getting promoted.

Kilen, who hit 2-7 with 3 strikeouts over the pair of games, has cooled down a little bit following a red-hot start to his AA tenure. He set the world on fire when he first got to Richmond, but in his last 7 games is 7-27 with 2 extra-base hits, 1 walk, and 8 strikeouts. On the flip side, if that’s a slump, then you know things are going wonderfully, and things are, indeed, going wonderfully for last year’s 1st-rounder, who has an .860 OPS and a 121 wRC+ through 17 games at the level.

His fellow recent promotee, and last year’s 3rd-round pick, center fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL), has been hotter than hot lately, but cooled off in this pair of games, as he went 0-8.

Left fielder Jack Payton had a nice pair of games, hitting 2-4 with 2 walks, while third baseman/right fielder Jean Carlos Sió (No. 44 CPL) had a painful outing, both literally and figuratively, hitting 1-4 with a strikeout, 2 hit by pitches, and 4 errors. Sió, a 22-year old who has a .732 OPS and an 87 wRC+ since getting promoted, had 0 errors in 45 AA games before this pair of contests and quartet of goofs. So it goes.

RHP Trystan Vrieling had a good start in Game 1, giving up just 4 singles and 2 walks in 5 innings, while striking out 8. Vrieling didn’t give up any earned runs, though Sió‘s rough defensive day resulted in 3 unearned runs.

Vrieling, a 3rd-round pick by the Yankees in 2022, has struggled with strikeouts this year (he has just 8.1 per 9 innings), so this was nice to see. He’s still walking too many batters (5.6 per 9), but a nice summer has brought his ERA all the way down to 3.99 (it was in the 6s after his 1st 3 starts, and at 5.00 after his 1st June start). His FIP still sits at 5.29, though. I’m curious to see how long the Giants keep the soon-to-turn 26-year old both in AA and in a starting role.

RHP Yunior Marte (No. 25 CPL) wasn’t so sharp, ceding 6 hits (including 2 home runs) and 4 walks in 5 innings, while getting tagged for 3 runs and striking out 4. The AA numbers aren’t great for Marte in 11 starts since getting promoted, as he has a 4.56 ERA and a 4.47 FIP. But there’s a lot for the Giants to be thrilled about, notably the 58 strikeouts to 20 walks in 53.1 innings and, quite simply, the sheer electricity and excitement of his pitches. He’ll be a very fascinating Rule 5 decision.

RHP Marques Johnson, recently demoted from AAA, had a great showing, throwing 1.1 no-hit innings with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts. A less successful day for RHP Manuel Mercedes, who got rocked to the tune of 6 hits and 4 runs in an inning of work.

High-A Eugene (64-41)

Eugene Emeralds beat Spokane (Rockies) 15-10 (10 innings)
Box score

A very exciting game for the Emeralds, who used a 5-run 10th inning to win. Eugene did it the old fashioned way: they had no home runs en route to 15 runs, settling instead for a parade of bases: 15 singles, 10 walks, and 3 doubles.

But the excitement began on the mound, where a pair of players acquired at the deadline made their organizational debuts. That began in the first inning, when LHP Henry LaLane got the start.

LaLane, a 6’7 southpaw who recently turned 22, was the headlining return piece from the New York Yankees in the Heliot Ramos trade. LaLane, who has been having a stellar season, had pretty good results, but it was firmly a case of the process looking way better than the results, even though the results were fine. LaLane finished the day with 4.2 innings pitched, and having allowed 5 hits, 3 runs, and just 1 earned run, with 5 strikeouts against 1 walk. He wasn’t efficient, as he needed 87 pitches, but he was heavy on the strikes, as 59 of those pitches were strikes.

That underscores it, though: our highly-esteemed community member HeyDay72 pointed out a whopping 10 called balls that were in the strike zone.

This was only LaLane’s 4th start in High-A, after he posted a 2.74 ERA and a 2.60 FIP in 13 Low-A games to start the year, before getting promoted. So far in High-A he has allowed just 17 his in 20.1 innings, with 22 strikeouts against 5 walks. The numbers are really good, but it’s the feel you get from watching him that should make you really excited about this acquisition. It’s extremely early days, but it’s hard not to feel like the Giants nailed the trade deadline, as much as I miss Heliot Ramos.

The pitching performance concluded with a dominant performance from another deadline pickup, RHP Marty Gair. The super-power righty faced 4 batters and retired all of them, 3 by way of strikes. Gair, who was acquired in the Luis Arráez deal, has some of the filthiest stuff in the entire organization. The just-turned 23-year old now has a staggering 69 strikeouts in 37.1 innings this year, his 2nd in the pros. He fairly easily hits triple digits, and hasn’t been slowed by his recent promotion to High-A, where he has 11 strikeouts in 4.1 innings. If he can cut back on the walks — he has 22 on the year — he could be a dominant and fast-moving relief option.

In between the new guys was RHP Niko Mazza, who served as the piggybacking starter and got lit up, allowing 14 baserunners and 7 earned runs in 4 innings. Sometimes it’s just not your day…

But it emphatically was the day for plenty of players on offense, namely a pair of exciting youngsters: shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL) and center fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL). Both players had sensational days, with Level hitting 4-5 with 2 walks, and Diaz going 5-6 with a double and a walk. Days to remember!!

Level hit a mini slump for a while, but has had a dominant 3-game stretch, hitting 8-11 with a homer, a triple, 6 walks, and 0 strikeouts. My goodness! With that, Level is already up to an .844 OPS and a 122 wRC+ since getting promoted to High-A, and it’s looking more and more likely that he opens the 2027 season in AA … right as he’s celebrating his 20th birthday. Be excited, friends. Be very excited.

As for Diaz, his numbers are really starting to round into focus. For much of the year the, the just-turned 21-year old had below-average numbers, despite being one of the most prolific home run hitters in the system. Now he’s above water, with an .811 OPS and a 106 wRC+. The wRC+ underscores his talent a bit, since it’s primarily the result of the fact that he never draws walks … he’ll have to be more selective as he climbs the ranks, but I’d hardly call that a concern now, especially since it comes with a very low strikeout rate.

Finally, first baseman Hayden Jatczak hit 3-6 with a double and a strikeout. The undrafted free agent, who is in his debut season but is about to turn 25, has an .807 OPS and a 115 wRC+ in 11 games since getting promoted.

Low-A San Jose (58-47)

San Jose Giants lost to the Stockton Ports (A’s) 19-6
Box score

This was a bad day for the Baby Giants, but it featured a very good moment: a grand slam of the bat of shortstop Josuar González (No. 2 CPL). Sit back and marvel at the top prospect in the organization, and perhaps soon the top prospect in all of baseball. He is special, folks!!

Injuries are the only thing that have kept González from having a nearly perfect 1st season in the states. He hit 3-5 in this game (albeit with a strikeout and an error), which has brought him up to a .310 batting average in 8 games with San Jose, with a .934 OPS and a 132 wRC+. He’s playing awesome defense, he’s striking out less than 20% of the time, he’s running the bases very well, and, oh yeah … he doesn’t turn 19 until October. González hasn’t just lived up to expectations this year … he’s lived up to dreams.

Things have been a little bit slower for third baseman Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL), which is understandable, given that Hernández is more than a year younger, and is not just in his debut stateside season, but his debut season period. He hit 2-5 in this game with an error, and has just a .190 OPS in San Jose, with a .667 OPS and a 63 wRC+ through 10 games. I gotta say, it’s one of the most exciting and encouraging 63 wRC+ tallies I’ve ever seen!

The other great offensive day belonged to catcher Junior Barajas, who hit 3-5 with a solo home run and a strikeout. After an ice cold stretch, last year’s 11th-round selection has hit 6 home runs in the last 7 games. And in his last 8 games he’s hit 14-33 with 6 dingers, 2 doubles, and 2 walks. That’s brought him up to a .794 OPS and a 96 wRC+ in his debut season.

A brutal day on the mound, especially for LHP Ricardo Estrada and RHP Evan Gray, the 1st 2 pitchers to appear for San Jose. Each was only able to record 3 outs, with Estrada ceding 9 baserunners and 9 earned runs, and Gray 8 baserunners, 6 runs, and 5 earned runs. But RHP Chen-Hsun Lee continues to perform well since getting promoted, as he allowed 2 hits and 1 walk in 2 shutout innings, with 2 strikeouts. He’s yet to allow an earned run in 10 innings since joining the Baby Giants, though he has just a 4.11 FIP.

Dominican Summer League Orange (26-21)

DSL Giants Orange beat the DSL Pirates Gold 7-4 (7 innings)
Box score

Really nice pitching performances from RHPs Abraham Utrera and Jhon Leon. Utrera, a 21-year old from Venezuela, struck out 5 batters in 2.2 shutout innings, with just 1 hit and 1 walk. Leon, a 22-year old from Venezuela, struck out 2 in a perfect inning. Utrera has a 4.75 ERA and a 3.58 FIP in his 2nd season, while Leon has a 4.50 ERA and a 4.20 FIP in his 3rd season.

Nice games in the batter’s box for left fielder Ricardo Crespo, a 19-year old from Venezuela, and catcher Deivis Colmenarez, a 17-year from Venezuela. Crespo hit 1-2 with a double, 2 walks, and a stolen base, giving him an .878 OPS and a 140 wRC+ in his 3rd season. Colmenarez went 1-1 with a double, a walk, a hit by pitch, a stolen base, and a caught stealing, and now has a .622 OPS and an 85 wRC+ in his debut season.

Home run tracker

12 — Junior Barajas — [Low-A]
10 — Gavin Kilen — [1 in AA; 9 in High-A]
4 — Josuar González — [2 in Low-A; 2 in ACL]

Friday schedule

Sacramento: 6:45 p.m. PT vs. Round Rock (SP: Anthony Molina)
Richmond: 4:05 p.m. PT vs. Reading (SP: Charlie McDaniel)
Eugene: 6:35 p.m. PT at Spokane (SP: Cade Vernon)
San Jose: 7:00 p.m. PT vs. Stockton (SP: TBD)

Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV.

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