Giants Organizational Depth Charts: Shortstop

We can pretty much take what we said about Matt Chapman and third base and transpose it to Willy Adames and shortstop for the next 6 years.  Barring a catastrophic injury, there just isn't much need for depth at the position.  

MLB:

Willy Adames:  After a horrendous start to the season, Adames ended up about where we would expect.  Hopefully the first half of the season was the oft-seen stress of feeling like he had to live up to the contract.

Christian Koss:  Christian Koss's ace-in-the-hole is his ability to play shortstop at a higher level than other utility infielders.  He may not be needed much with Adames holding down the position but it's nice to have someone who can step in and not be a defensive disaster at the position.

AAA:  

None.  Osleivis Basabe is listed on the AAA roster but I am pretty sure he's a minor league free agent who may or may not re-sign.

AA:

Aeverson Arteaga:  Had a rough season at the plate after missing most of 2024.  AA a tough assignment coming off a lost season like that.

A+:

Maui Ahuna:  Has been held back by injuries but seems to have the defensive chops to play SS at higher levels.  Needs to hit.

Zane Zielinski:  Was the primary shortstop for A+ Eugene most of the season.  He didn't show much power but stole 32 bases to go with a .338 OBP.

A:  

Jhonny Level:  Giants are excited about this sparkplug type player.  Full season ball will be a bigger test of his tools.

Lorenzo Meola:  Fourth round draft pick out of Stetson.  Considered more of a true shortstop than Gavin Kilen who will likely end up at 2B.  Hit 3 HR in 70 PA's in his pro debut.

ACL:

None.  Jhonny Level was the primary shortstop for the ACL season but is now on the A San Jose roster due to promotion after the ACL season ended.

DSL:

Josuar Gonzalez:  Current shiniest new toy.  Considered a true shortstop with speed comped to Jose Reyes which is pretty heady stuff.  Can he live up to the hype at higher levels?

Anthony Marquez:  Decent line of .276/.423/.362 with 13 SB's in his second pro season at age 18.  Not much of an improvement on his 2024 line so where does he go from here?

Comment:  Most of this list is probably academic until you get to Jhonny Level and Josuar Gonzalez. They are both several years away which is probably a good think since Willy Adames has their position locked down for the next several years.

Giants Organizational Depth Charts: Third Base

The only reason we need to talk about a depth chart for third base is in case of injury to Matt Chapman, otherwise he's the third baseman for the next 5 years and he's going to be out there every day.  

MLB:

Matt Chapman:  The only question mark with Chapman is whether his hand will be fully healed by spring.  He seemed more comfortable down the stretch so reason to be optimistic.  

Casey Schmitt:  One big point for rolling with Schmitt and Koss again at 2B is their versatility.  Koss can cover SS and Schmitt can cover 3B in situations where coverage is needed but likely to be seldom used.

AAA:  

None:

AA:  

Sabin Ceballos:  Had a great spring training and and abysmal AA season.  He finally go hot in the final month.  Did he finally figure out AA pitching or was that a sample size blip?

Justin Wishkoski:  The Eastern League Curse bites him too.  Weak line of .223/.316/.325 got worse as season progressed.

A+:  

Zander Darby:  12'th round draft pick out of UCSB in 2024.  Batted .291/.403/.459 for A San Jose, .123/.261/.228 in a small sample after a late promotion to A+.

A:  

Walker Martin:  Had a burst of home runs midseason but overall another disappointing season at the plate with a high K rate.  Assigned to Arizona Fall League but I have not seen his name in the boxscores there.

Dario Reynoso:  Started out as a shortstop in the DSL.  Played 2B and 3B last season about equally last season.  20 years old with 3 seasons of pro experience.  Batted .298/.442/.556 for the ACL Giants.  Struggled to a .128 BA in a small sample after promotion to A San Jose after the ACL season ended. 

ACL: 

None:  Most third basemen start out as shortstops who outgrow the position.

DSL:

None 

Comment:  Giants may be in the market for a 3B with MLB experience on a minor league deal but that's about it for 2026.

Giants Organizational Depth Charts: Second Base

 For the second consecutive season, second base was a problematic position for the Giants as the player expected to stabilize the position, Tyler Fitzgerald struggled to make contact and finished the season in AAA purgatory.  Casey Schmitt showed some improvement in plate discipline and power potential but faded in the second half while Christian Koss showed steady improvement in his role as a utility infielder as the season progressed.  Buster Posey and Zach Minasian have a big decision to make:  Do they put their trust in Schmitt and Koss to continue the upward trajectory of their careers or do they go outside the organization to upgrade the position?

MLB:

Casey Schmitt:  Schmitt's first half line was .254/.343/.398, 4 HR in 135 PA's.  His second half line was .227/.282/.402, 8 HR in 213 PA's.  Although his K rate remained about the same as previous years at between 23-24%, his walk rate improved to around 8% but regressed in the second half.  While the power potential is intriguing, there just is not a lot here to create confidence going forward.  

Christian Koss:  Christian Koss's overall numbers were not much different than Casey Schmitt's but he had two really good months and one of them was in September when he hit .310.  The other was in June when he broke out with a .353 BA after struggling the first two months.  In between, he spent July on the IL with a hamstring strain and took awhile to get going after he came back with a .234 BA in August.  Still, the general impression was that he improved his game as the season went along and seemed to thrive with more playing time.  He will almost certainly stick around as a utility infielder but can he progress to a starting gig at 2B?  

Tyler Fitzgerald:  To say 2025 was a disappointing season for Tyler Fitzgerald is an understatement.  He entered the season as the starting second baseman but K rates approaching 30% took their toll and he found himself optioned out to Sacramento.  He returned several times to fill in for injuries but did not appear in any MLB games after 8/22.  At this point he appears to be a lot closer to a DFA than to reclaiming a MLB role.  

AAA:  

Dayson Croes:  Signed out of indy ball at age 26 after a collegiate career at Quincy University in Illinois.  Where?  He's raked everywhere he's played and proceeded to hit .300 across 4 levels in his first season of affiliated ball.  He's now listed on AAA Sacramento roster.  He's a lefty bat.  If he continues to hit there is a great chance we see him in The Show sometime in 2026.

AA: 

Nate Furman:  Acquired from the Guardians for Alex Cobb in late August of 2024.  Got a late start on 2025 but batted .369 across 4 levels.  Showed a little pop with 7 HR in 227 PA.   Rule 5 Draft eligible in November.

Diego Velasquez:  International bonus baby in 2021 signed as a shortstop.  Good contact hitter but power failed to develop.  Played exclusively 2B in 2025 which really puts a dent in his value.  Rule 5 eligible in November.

A+:

Jean Carlos Sio:  Batted .304/.395/.422, 8 HR, 18 SB across two levels in 2025.  11% walk rate with 13.4% K rate.  Not Rule 5 eligible until Dec 2027.  Sleeper in the system.

Quinn McDaniel:  Nice power and speed combo but K rates near 30% continue to drag down his overall value.

A:  

Gavin Kilen:  First round draft pick from 2025.  Drafted as a SS but future is likely at 2B.  Appeared in just 10 pro games for A San Jose and batted just .205 before an injury ended his season.  Maybe just a blip in his pro career but that's not what you want to see from your top draft pick in their pro debut.

ACL:  

None

DSL:  

Yosneiker Rivas:  Batted .315/.412/.462 in his third DSL season at age 19.  

Yulian Barreto:  .322/.449/.394 9 SB, 15.9 BB%, 14.5 K% in his first pro season at age 17. 

Comment:  Second Base is a potential position for upgrade this offseason.  Some potential free agent names include Jorge Polanco, Luis Rengifo and Gleyber Torres.  Polanco and Torres will be pricey.  Rengifo is coming off a down season and would likely accept a 1 year contract but Oracle Park would likely be a deterrent.  Isiaiah Kiner-Falefa is a multi-positional player the Giants reportedly had interest in at the trade deadline.  A lot depends on how much Buster has to spend on upgrading the pitching which is a much higher priority.

Organizational Depth Charts: First Base

The Giants clearly hope Rafael Devers and Bryce Eldridge lock down first base and designated hitter for the next 6-8 years.  The only question is when Eldridge takes his place in the tandem and of course there is no such thing as a can't miss prospect and Eldridge is still a prospect.   If everything goes as planned, organizational depth at first base is essentially a moot issue. 

MLB:

Rafael Devers:  Like it or not, for better or worse, Rafael Devers and the Giants fortunes are now tied to each other for the next eight seasons.  On the plus side, Devers is one of the best hitters in the game and comes at a reasonable price by today's standards.  On the other hand, eight years is a long, long time.  At this point it seems clear that playing first base is going to be part of Devers job description which creates an inneresting situation because that's the position top prospect, Bryce Eldridge, plays.  For now, the stated plan is for them to divide first base and DH.  From an aesthetic standpoint it seems less than ideal for both your 1B/DH and top two power hitters bat from the same side but it might just work since the next 3 best hitters, Adames, Chapman and Ramos all bat righthanded.  

One of the more interesting subplots to the 2025 season was watching a bewildered Devers come in looking like he didn't know what hit him and playing baseball was the last place on Earth he wanted to be then progressing to look like he was actually having fun out there.  He seemed to be nursing some sort of muscular injury when he first arrived and when he first started playing first base I held my breath on every play wondering if he was going to collapse in a heap and be done for the season.  Instead, he seemed to pick up the basics of the position quite quickly and by the end of the season was making some athletic plays that made me remember he was a third baseman not that long ago.  With an offseason and spring training to polish his defensive game I can visualize him becoming a plus fielder at the position.

Bryce Eldridge:  In 2024, Eldridge emerged as the top prospect in the organization and did nothing to diminish that designation in 2025.  Personally I would not have added him to the 40-man roster logjam even at the end of the season, but here we are.  Eldridge got his cup of coffee and maybe it will pay off with accelerating his development.  While the numbers were not impressive, he did not look nearly as wide-eyed as Brandon Belt in 2011.  He appears to already have feel for the strike zone and didn't swing at a lot of bad pitches, yet was also not afraid to swing with authority at good pitches.  It appears to be just a matter of time until some of the near-misses turn into splash hits.  He also seemed surprisingly nimble around first base.  While his future success as a major league power hitter is far from assured it seems the only remaining question is when, not if, he takes his place as the co-1B/DH with Devers.  

Jerar Encarnacion:  The Giants had high hopes for Jerar going into last season only to have it lost to a series of injuries.  He's out of options and will need to stay healthy and have an impressive spring to win a roster spot.  He can play a passable RF but is also a right handed option at first base if Eldridge isn't quite ready.

AAA:  

None:  Drew Ellis is listed on the Sacramento River Cats roster and he played a little first base but he batted just .208 and I think he's a minor league free agent.

AA:  

None:  Sabin Ceballos played a little first base but is mostly 3B and struggled at the plate most of the season.

A+:

Parks Harber:  Intriguing player who came over from the Yankees in the Doval trade.  Listed as 3B but also played first.  Big kid at 6' 3", 225 lbs.  Bats right.  scored an assignment to the Arizona Fall League. Raked every place he's played.

Charlie Szykowny:  We've talked a lot about Szykowny.  He had a power breakout in 2025.  The challenge of AA awaits.

A:  

Robert Hipwell:  Drafted as a 3B but now mostly plays 1B.  3-true outcome stat pattern with low BA, high OBP and a 30% K rate.  Appears to need work on defense.

Jeremiah Jenkins:  Tall lefty first baseman.  Got a late start on the season apparently due to injury.  Has shown flashes of power in limited playing time.

ACL:

Angel Guzman: Small for a first baseman with a disappointing batting line in the ACL after two DSL seasons.  2025 was his age 19 season.

Jesus Alexander:  Listed as a catcher but now plays almost exclusively first base.  Hits for average but so far little power.

DSL:

Evan Estevez:  Completed two pro seasons before his 18'th birthday.  Has shown early ability to hit for both average and power.

Fernando Pena: Another catcher who moved to a lower defensive position.  Decent batting line in age 18 season.  

Franco Willias:  Old for the DSL at age 20 but only 2 pro seasons so still has time to develop.  Shows some power and speed.

Comment:  The big question facing Buster Posey and Zach Minasian this offseason is whether they are ready to put their faith in Bryce Eldridge from Opening Day.  If so, they need a righthanded bat off the bench who can play the Wilmer Flores role, maybe even re-sign Wilmer?  If they feel Eldridge needs more seasoning they need to a credible DH/1B to split the two roles with Devers.  If that is the case it seems like their best bet is to re-sign Dom Smith who played a stabilizing role after joining the 2025 team.

Giants Organizational Depth Charts: Catcher

Now that we have our season reviews of all organizational levels out of the way, let's get started on our organizational depth charts.  First off, a disclaimer:  I have no knowledge of how Buster Posey and Giants management rank their players outside of what I read in easily accessible news sources.  These are my rankings.  I base this on roster lists for various organizational levels and I exclude players who I understand will be free agents once the postseason games are over.  We'll start off with the catcher position.  

MLB: 

1.  Patrick Bailey:  Bailey is the best defensive catcher in MLB by a large margin which is where almost all of his value lies because he is also one of the worst hitting catchers in league.  There are some reasons to think he might be able to improve, if only modestly, which would give him elite WAR value.  He's still young at age 26 and has not quite 3 years of MLB experience so may still be figuring out how to adjust and readjust to MLB pitching.  He was much better in the second half last season after one of the worst half-seasons at the plate of any Giants hitter in my memory and I lived through Johnnie LeMaster.  He was an early adopter of the "torpedo" bats early last season which have a mixed track record and seemed to not serve Bailey well.  His bats looked more orthodox in the second half when his numbers improved a lot.  MLBTR says Bailey is arbitration eligible and projected to make $2.2 M next season, but not so fast.  NBC Sports Bay Area says he must be a "super two" player to be eligible and will likely "just miss."  In either case, Bailey is still a bargain even if he remains completely dependent on his defense for value.

2.  Andrew Knizner:  It seems like a lot of analysts are writing off Knizner for next season and penciling in Jesus Rodriguez, acquired in the Camilo Doval trade with the Yankees, as the back up catcher.  I say not so fast.  We'll talk about Rodriquez in more detail next but are the Giants really going to turn the back up catcher role over to someone who has never played a MLB game?  Reserve catcher role is notoriously hard and Knizner provided just above league average defense and batted over .300 in the second half which is extremely tough to do in such a small sample size of PA's.  Knizner is arbitration eligible with a MLBTR projected salary of $1.3 M.  I don't think the Giants will go all the way to an arbitration hearing with him but they should do everything they reasonably can to get him re-signed for another season.  

3.  Jesus Rodriguez:  Rodriguez has hit for average at every level in the minor leagues but with limited power.  According to scouting reports in mlb.com and Fangraphs his superior contact skill is countered by a hyper-aggressive approach at the plate which causes him to swing at a lot of pitches outside the zone leading to weaker contact, although double digit BB% seems to indicate an improvement in plate discipline.  He has a plus arm behind the plate but the rest of his defensive profile is iffy.  Buster Posey is said to be looking for contact hitters who will keep the line moving so he may roll the dice on his trade deadline acquisition but it seems like Rodriguez might be better served polishing both his plate discipline and receiving skills in AAA Sacramento while he waits for an opportunity.  He's already on the 40-man roster but Fangraphs says he has two options.

AAA:  

None:  I assume Sam Huff, Logan Porter and Max Stassi are all minor league free agents and the only other player listed as a catcher on the AAA Sacramento River Cats roster is Thomas Gavello who played zero games at catcher last season.  I would not be surprised if the Giants bring back at least one of the vets for catching depth.

AA:  

Drew Cavanaugh:  Cavanaugh was the Giants 17'th round draft pick in 2023 and made impressive progress this season batting over .290 with some power at A San Jose and A+ Eugene.  He filled in for 14 games in AAA where he hit .184 and finished the season with a cup of coffee in AA Richmond where he hit .186.  I saw him play for San Jose early in the season where he looked like the best hitter on the team.  He will probably start 2026 in AA where he will try to overcome the Eastern League Curse.

Zach Morgan and Adrian Sugastey are also listed on the AA Richmond Flying Squirrels roster.  They have both struggled to hit with consistency.

A+:

Jack Payton, Onil Perez and Luke Shliger are all listed on the A+ Eugene Emeralds roster but are fringe prospects who have yet to find traction in professional baseball.

A:  

Daniel Rogers was an undrafted free agent who batted .278 in 54 AB's at the end of the season.  He bats left.  The other intriguing name on the roster is Diego Cartaya who was once one of the top prospects in all of baseball in the Dodgers organization.  BTW, the Dodgers have produced some fine major league ballplayers but their prospects and farm system are sometimes wildly overrated because....Dodgers.  I am not sure what Cartaya's status is for next season.  He was signed late so he may be on one of those year+ contracts which carries over to the next season.  Fernando Gonzalez, Ty Hanchey and Juan Perez are also listed on the SJ roster but appear to be more organizational players.

ACL:  

Santiago Camacho is a switch-hitting 18-year old in his second pro season who had a respectable line of .234/.295/.426 with 5 HR in 156 PA.  He can start 2026 back in the ACL and still not be old for his level

DSL:  

Yohendry Sanchez was the Giants highest bonus baby from 2024 just above Jhonny Level.  He played very little in his age 17 season but batted .275/.359/.394 in 170 PA's in his age 18 season in 2025.  I expect to see him in ACL Giants boxscores next season.  Miguel Caraballo is an intriguing prospect who played all of 2025 season at age 16.  He is a switch-hitter and put up an impressive line of .264/.432/.442 with 5 HR's.  

2025 Season Reviews: DSL Giants Orange

Giants Orange's record in the DSL was 35-19, good for first place in the Southwest division.  Like Giants Black, they were eliminated from the postseason during the pool play phase.  

Team Stats:  

Batting Average- .246(27)

OBP- .390(14)

SLG%:  .346(23)

OPS:  .736(25)

Hits:  391(29)

Doubles:  62(46)

Triples:  14(35)

Home Runs:  23(20)

Stolen Bases:  75(44)

Runs:  .323(20)

ERA:  4.17(9)

K/9:  7.58(47)

BB/9:  5.57(17)

Saves:  14(8)

GO/AO:  1.14(7)

Individual Stats:

Batting Leaders:

Plate Appearances:  1.  Yulian Barreto(17 yo)-  227.  2.  Anthony Marquez(18 yo)- 221.  3.  Djean Macares(17 yo)- 200.

Batting Average:  1.  Barreto- .322.  2.  Carlos Concepcion(18 yo)- .282.  3.  Marquez- .276.

OBP:  1.  Barreto- .449.  2.  Miguel Caraballo(16 yo)- .432.  Marquez- .423.

SLG%:  1.  Concepcion- .497.  2. Caraballo- .442.  3.  Barreto- .394.

OPS:  1. l Caraballo- .874.  2.  Concepcion- .869.  3.  Barreto- .843.

Hits:  1.  Barreto- 58.  2.  Marquez- 48.  3.  Concepcion- 46.

Doubles:  1.  Marquez- 12.  2.  Concepcion- 9.  3.  Barreto- 6.

Triples:  1.  Concepcion, Macares- 4.  3.  Barreto, Caraballo- 2

Home Runs:  1.  Concepcion- 6.  2.  Caraballo- 5.  3.  Rainer Espinoza(17 yo), Franco Willias(20 yo)- 3.

BB%:  1.  Marquez- 18.6.  2.  Caraballo- 16.6.  3.  Barreto- .159.

K%:  1.  Macares- 13.0.  2.  Marquez- 14.0.  3.  Barreto- 14.5.

Pitching:  

Innings:  1.  Jose D. Gonzalez(19 yo)- 41.1.  2.  Iverson Paulino(18 yo)- 41.  3.  Elkyns Villareal(18 yo)- 38.

ERA(Min 20 IP):  1.  Jose D. Gonzalez- 2.40.  2.  Omar Calcurian(20 yo)- 2.73.  3.  Randry DeLeon(19 yo)- 3.66.

K/9(Min 20 IP):  1.  DeLeon- 12.94.  2.  Villareal- 9.24.  3.  Luis Hernandez(19 yo)- 8.75.

BB/9(Min 20 IP):  Brayan Cabello(21 yo)- 2.54.  2.  Jose Trevizo(17 yo)- 3.16.  3.  Jose D. Gonzalez- 3.27.

GO/AO(Min 20 IP):  Cabello- 2.00.  2.  Villareal- 1.80.  3.  Calcurian- 1.43.

Comments:  Djean Macares is a CF prospect who got a sizable bonus.  Miguel Caraballo is intriguing as he is a switch-hitting catcher who played the full season at age 16.  Yulian Barreto put up impressive batting numbers but is more limited defensively to 2B.  

2025 Season Reviews: DSL Giants Black

The Dominican Summer League consists of 51 teams divided into 8 divisions.  A total of 16 teams make the postseason which consists of several rounds of "pool play" then a semifinal series and championship series.  Most MLB organizations field two teams in the league including the Giants who play as Giants Orange and Giants Black.  Giants Black finished the season with a record of 33-23 which was good for third place in the DSL South 1 game behind Arizona Red and the Angels.  They were a wild card team but were eliminated from the postseason in pool play.

Team Stats:

Batting Average:  .246(27)

OBP:  .359(10)

SLG%:  .352(28)

OPS:  .711(35)

Runs:  300(29)

Hits:  416(18)

Doubles:  81(15)

Triples:  21(8)

Home Runs:  19(22)

Stolen Bases:  105(30)

ERA:  4.13(8)

K/9:  8.14

BB/9:  4.78(5)

K/BB:  1.70(43)

GO/AO:  0.97(32)

Individual Stats:

Batting Leaders:

Plate Appearances:  1.  Josuar Gonzalez(17 yo)- 228.  2.  Evan Estevez(17 yo)- 215.  3.  Luis Frias(20 yo)- 178.

Batting Average:  1.  Yosneiker Rivas(19 yo)- .315.  2.  Gonzalez, Frias- .288.  4. Yohendry Sanchez(18 yo)- .275.

OBP:  1.  Rivas- .412.  2.  Gonzalez- .404.  3.  Estevez- .381.

SLG%:  1.  Rivas- .462.  2.  Gonzalez- .455.  3.  Estevez- .436.

OPS:  1.  Rivas- .874.  2.  Gonzalez- .859.  3.  Estevez- .817.

Hits:  1.  Gonzalez- 55.  2.  Estevez- 47.  3. Frias- 46.

Doubles:  1.  Estevez- 13.  2.  Gonzalez, Sanchez- 10.  3.  Rivas- 9.

Triples:  1.  Gonzalez- 5.  2.  Estevez, Frias, Dennys Riera(20)- 3.  

Home Runs:  1.  Gonzalez, Estevez, Albert Jimenez(18 yo)- 4

Stolen Bases:  1.  Gonzalez- 33.  2.  Yoxander Benitez(18 yo)- 15).  3.  Frias- 13.

Pitching Leaders: 

Innings:  1.  Brayan Narvaez(20 yo)- 47.  2.  Dilan Fernandez(20 yo)- 41.2.  3.  Leandro Rodriguez(19 yo- 41.

ERA(Min 20 IP):  1.  Alberto LaRoche(19 yo)- 2.11.  2.  Carlos Toro(18 yo)- 2.15.  3. Rodriguez- 2.41.

K/9:  1. Alfonso Perez(19 yo)- 10.65.  2.  Rodriguez- 10.10.  3.  Lender Bracho(20 yo)- 9.79.

BB/9:  1.  LaRoche- 1.41.  2.  Narvaez- 2.30.  3.  Jose De La Rosa(17 yo)- 2.42.

GO/AO:  1. LaRoche- 2.35.  2.  Mario Gonzalez(18 yo)- 2.15.  3.  Bracho- 1.78.

Comments:  Josuar Gonzalez is already considered an elite prospect and some rankings have him as high as the Giants #2 prospect behind Bryce Eldridge.  His best tool is speed but he also has power and projectable power and is considered a true shortstop.  He's been comped to Jose Reyes.  Evan Estevez is an intriguing prospect as he was just 17 years old but in his second pro season.  Don't sleep on Yohendry Sanchez, a catcher, who got the Giants highest international bonus from the 2024 cycle.  Most of the pitchers are older players who may not be true prospects although age is not as critical for pitchers as for hitters at this level.  Keep an eye on Carlos Toro and Jose De La Rosa(not to be confused with Carlos De La Rosa who came over from the Yankees in the Camilo Doval trade) as they were more age-appropriate for the league.