The AA Richmond Flying Squirrels had an overall record of 56-79, the worst in the Southwest Division and third worst in the league, barely, behind the Reading Fightin' Phils and the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. The overall record was dragged down by a disastrous first half of 21-46. They improved to 35-33 in the second half good for third place in their division.
As always, the Eastern League was a tough place for hitters to find success. The Flying Squirrels team batting average of .228 was only the 5'th lowest in the league and their team OPS of .652 was 4'th lowest. The only team in the league with fewer than their 88 home runs was the Harrisburg Senators with 86. The Squirrels might not have hit but they didn't pitch well either as their 4.21 team ERA was the third highest in the league.
Hitting Leaders:
At Bats: 1. Diego Velasquez- 473. 2. Aeverson Arteaga- 435. 3. Carter Howell- 385.
Batting Average(Min 150 AB): 1. Victor Bericoto- .267. 2. Velasquez- .256. 3. Turner Hill- .256.
OBP(Min 150 AB): 1. Velasquez- .362. 2. Hill- .356. 3. Bericoto- .351.
SLG%: 1. Bericoto- .433. 2. Bo Davidson- .401. 3. Hill- .357.
Hits: 1. Velasquez- 121. 2. Bericoto- 92. 3. Howell- 85.
Doubles: 1. Sabin Ceballos, Velasquez- 20. 3. Howell- 17.
Triples: 1. Hill- 5. 2. Bericoto, Howell- 3.
Home Runs: 1. Bericoto- 12. 2. Jairo Pomares- 9. 3. Davidson, Adrian Sugastey- 8.
Stolen Bases: 1. Velasquez- 19. 2. Hill- 18. Justin Wishkoski- 16.
Pitching Leaders:
Innings: 1. John Bertrand- 131.2. 2. Joe Whitman- 117.1. 3. Jack Choate- 102.2.
ERA(Min 50 IP): 1. Bertrand- 2.87. 2. Evan Gates- 3.23. 3. Nick Sinacola- 3.30.
K/9(Min 50 IP): 1. Will Bednar- 14.92. 2. Choate- 10.78. 3. Gates- 10.33.
K/BB(Min 50 IP): 1. Whitman- 2.64. 2. Gates- 2.58. 3. Choate- 2.41.
GO/AO(Min 50 IP): 1. Bertrand- 1.50. 2. Seth Lonsway- 1.49. 3. Manuel Mercedes- 1.38.
Saves: 1. Tyler Myrick- 10. 2. Tyler Vogel- 6. 3. Evan Gates- 5.
Comment: I am not sure there were any future major leaguers on this team except Bryce Eldridge who put up an impressive .280/.350/.512 line in 125 AB. I am cautiously optimistic about Bo Davidson who got a late promotion from A+ and went .234/.312/.401 with 8 HR in 167 AB. The Flying Squirrels get a brand new stadium next season. We'll see if Giants hitting prospects fare any better playing there.
Am I wrong to still hold out hope for Will Bednar based on his incredible random streaks of pitching.
ReplyDeleteSeems like Bednar might be eligible for minor league free agency by now. I would not be totally shocked if he landed a MLB gig in 2026 as a relief arm.
DeleteI kinda would be. He had a WHIP of 1.7. 39 walks in 52 innings. In the minors. Not sure how that possibly plays at the MLB level.
DeleteHis K/BB was 34/22 in 20.2 IP in the first half of the season and 50/17 in 31.2 IP in the second half. Still more walks than ideal but not terrible for a reliever. Go back and look up Erik Miller's walk rates in the minors.
DeleteYes sir, true, 2nd half plays, for sure. Miller not a bad comp. Just, it feels too inconsistent to me, but sincerely hope Bednar figures it out. Whether for us or wherever he finds himself.
DeleteVery off but of Giant interest: Nick Hundley has now been interviewed by the Giants, reports Susan Slusser
ReplyDeleteIf it ends up being Hundley, I suspect Buster decided that a long time ago.
DeleteWhen will I learn?! I looked at the core coming out of Sac, of Harrison, Roupp, Whisenhunt, Birdsong, Black and thought, here is a full complement of a rotation. We are awesome! Then reality set in.-es
ReplyDeleteYes, shades of Ainsworth, Foppert and Williams(AFW). Maybe all is not lost. Roupp seems to have established himself as a soft-tossing wizard who can be a solid #4 SP. I still see some hope for Whiz and even Birdsong. McDonald sure impressed in two late-season starts and Seymour showed some promise in longer relief roles.
DeleteThe end of 2025 shows how fast "pitching depth" can evaporate!
DeleteWould Verlander consider coming back – he had a strong finish with just one bad start in his last 7 – and would Posey want him and is he"worth" $15M?
I am sure Buster would be thrilled to bring Verlander back at 1 yr/$15 M but I feel like if that was going to happen it would have been announced already.
DeleteBertrand got squeezed out of Sacramento in 2025 until the end of the year because the Giants had a lot of pitchers closer to getting called up to the majors.
ReplyDeleteIf he survives the Rule 5 Draft, he most likely will get a AAA berth to see how his low 90's repertoire plays in hitter friendly environments.
OTOH, if he does get snatched, will he last all year in MLB?
Bertrand has a Ty Blach feel to me.
DeleteForever Giant Ty Blach carved out a multi team 7-year career, starting 24 games for the pathetic (64-98) 2017 SF team.
DeleteHave to go back to the '80s to find a worse team.
Is a "Ty Blach feel" negative?
DeleteOr is having someone like him in a MLB rotation a sign of weakness?
Of the 12 pitchers that started 2 or more games last year, Verlander (29), Hicks (9), and Harrison (4) are not signed with the Giants next year, Gage (2) was just a "starter," and Teng (7) was problematic.
Do you think Buster will sign 1or 2 SPs to go along with Webb and Ray and figure one (Roupp) of many returnees will lock down a spot?
The Ty Blach feel was meant as a compliment to Bertrand since a 7 year MLB career, no matter how fringy is a way higher ceiling than most minor league pitchers ever attain.
DeleteOh, and I think at the bare minimum, Buster needs to acquire a #3 or better veteran SP plus at least one veteran who can compete for a #4 or 5 SP and/or swingman role. And that doesn't count the bullpen which needs at least a veteran with Closer experience.
DeleteThose 3 highly warranted wants will take the Giants near the Luxury Tax threshold given that good pitching is so very expensive.
DeleteUnfortunately, it's possible to get burned with a Manaea venture, which helped the Mets lose a playoff spot with their unlimited budget.
A miscalculation could end up with yet another .500 season, but, nothing ventured, noting gained.
Signing three good pitchers may well preclude an outfielder addition. Maybe good, there will be opportunities to fill the hole, and someone may distance himself from the others. Matos? Gilbert? McCray? Encarnación? Luciano? Meckler? Johnson? Hill? Bishop? Davidson?