ACL Giants 2026 Season Review

 The ACL Giants finished with a record of 34-26 good for 2'nd place in the ACL East and tied for 5'th overall in the league.  That did not get them into the ACL postseason.  The ACL roster started out with mostly DSL graduates.  A few players drafted in 2026 were worked in as the season wound down.  Most of the drafted players did not accumulate enough appearances to qualify as stat leaders.  

Teams Stats:  

Batting:

BA:  .266(6)

OBP:  .369(11)

SLG%:  .418(6)

Hits:  485(5)

Doubles: 97(7)

Triples:  19(10)

HR:  47(9)

Runs:  346(9)

Walks:  257(12)

Strikeouts: 532(5)

SB:  78(9)

My Take:  Again we see the pattern of high contact, low walks and low-middling power which comes up a bit short on runs.  

Pitching: 

ERA: 4.90(2)

HR(41(3)

Walks:  236(2)

Strikeouts:  564(8)

WHIP:  1.47(2)

GO/AO:  1.21(5)

Saves:  17(2)

Overall a good pitching performance in a pretty extreme hitter's league.

Individual Stats:

Batting(100+ AB for rate stats):

BA:  Luis Hernandez- .298, Anthony Marquez- 243, Yulian Barreto- .242.

OBP:  Luis Hernandez- .382, Luis Frias- .362, Anthony Marquez- .352.

SLG%:  Luis Hernandez- .535, Evan Estevez- .410, Carlos Concepcion- .364.

Hits:  Luis Hernandez- 59, Evan Estevez- 45, Anthony Marquez- 41.

Doubles:  Luis Hernandez- 19, Oliver Tejada- 9, Carlos Concepcion/Josuar Gonzalez/Anthony Marquez- 7.

Triples:  Luis Hernandez- 5, Evan Estevez- 3, Anthony Marquez- 3

HR: Evan Estevez- 7, Luis Hernandez- 6, Rayner Arias/Carlos Concepcion- 4

Runs:  Evan Estevez- 36, Luis Hernandez- 35, Luis Frias- 33

RBI:  Luis Hernandez- 45, Evan Estevez- 27, Luis Frias- 26

SB: Luis Frias- 16, Anthony Marquez- 11, Josuar Gonzalez- 8.

My Take:  Josuar Gonzalez came in just short of 100 AB at 99 but had a dominant slash line of .343/.451/.515.  Top Prospect in the system with the graduation of Bryce Eldridge.  Luis Hernandez was the rare 17 yo interrnational prospect to make his pro debut in the ACLand also dominated.

Pitching(20+ IP for rate stats):

Wins:  Jose G. Gonzalez- 6, Carlos De La Rosa- 4, Brayan Narvaez- 4

ERA:  Samir Chires- 2.08, Jose T. Perez- 4.09, Leandro Rodriguez- 4.18

Innings:  Leandro Rodriguez- 47.1, Carlos De La Rosa- 44, Luke Mensik- 40.1

Strikeouts:  Leandro Rodriquez- 58, Melvin Pineda- 54, Carlos De La Rosa/Marlon Franco- 47.

WHIP:  Leandro Rodriguez- 1.06, Brayan Narvaez- 1.19, Samir Chires- 1.19

GO/AO:  Jose G. Gonzalez- 2.07, Carlos De La Rosa- 1.68, Marlon Franco- 1.67, Luke Mensik- 1.66.

Hard to make too much of any of this. I saw Leandro Rodriguez pitch in the Cal League Championship Series.  He's a big lefty with a sidearm delivery, max velocity I saw was 92 MPH.  I think can be a lefty reliever at the MLB level.

A San Jose Giants 2026 Season Review

 The San Jose Giants finished in first place in the California League North Division in both the first and second halves of the season.  They defeated the Stockton Ports in the division series but then lost to the Lake Elsinore Storm in the championship series.  

Team Stats:

Batting:  

BA:  .276(2)

OBP:  .367(3)

SLG%:  .456(2)

Hits:  1269(2)

Doubles:  .279(1)

Triples:  48(2)

HR:  151(2)

Runs(897(1)

Walks:  587(5)

Strikeouts:  1225(3)

SB:  191(4)

My Take:  Strong batting stats across the board but again their lowest ranking was in walks.

Pitching:

ERA:  4.79(1)

Hits:  1087(1)

HR:  130(4)

Walks:  534(2)

Strikeouts:  1273(5)

GO/AO:  0.93(8)

My Take:  I thought the SJ Giants had a terrible year for pitching so was surprised to find they had the lowest ERA in the Cal League and the only one under 5.00.  Hard to make too much out of the rest of the stats.  

Individual Stats:

Batting(200+ AB for rate stats):

BA:  Isaiah Barkett- .331, Hayden Jatczak- .295, Damian Bravo- .291.

OBP:  Isaiah Barkett- .411, Hayden Jatczak- .395, Dario Reynoso- .392

SLG%:  Damian Bravo- .509, Hayden Jatczak- .500, Cam Maldonado- .484.

Hits:  Lorenzo Meola- 128, Andy Polanco- 105, Dario Reynoso- 105

Doubles:  Lorenzo Meola- 40, Dario Reynoso- 27, Junior Barajas/Jeremiah Jenkins- 24.

Triples:  Andy Polanco- 9, Josuar Gonzalez- 6, Lorenzo Meola- 5

Home Runs:  Jeremiah Jenkins- 17, Lorenzo Meola- 15, Dario Reynoso- 15

Runs:  Lorenzo Meola- 93, Dario Reynoso- 81, Jeremiah Jenkins- 63.

RBI:  Lorenzo Meola- 78, Dario Reynoso- 69, Jeremiah Jenkins- 62.

Steals:  Andy Polanco- 38, Dario Reynoso- 21, Isaiah Barkett- 18.

My Take:  The biggest stories of the SJ season were from players who did not accumulate enough AB's to be stat leaders, Jhonny Level who batted .325 in 191 AB and performed about as well after moving up to A+.  Josuar Gonzalez batted .357 after moving up from the ACL and 17 yo Luis Hernandez had some moments but ended up batting .231 in 91 AB.  I could see Jhonny Level moving up to AA next season with Gonzalez in A+ and Hernandez, still a young 18 yo, back in San Jose.  Lorenzo Meola started the season very slow but batted .324 in July and .343 in August.  17'th round draft pick Tanner Mally batted .383 in in 81 AB in his pro debut.  Other draftees to see playing time were Luke Nixon and Peyton Bonds.

Pitching(50+ IP for rate stats):

Wins:  Jordan Gottesman- 7, Evan Gray- 7, Dylan Carter/Bradyon Risley- 6

Innings:  Jordan Gottesman- 102.1, Keyner Martinez- 93.2, Ricardo Estrada- 91.2

ERA:  Jordan Gottesman- 3.96, Ricardo Estrada- 4.12, Keyner Martinez- 4.61.

Strikeouts:  Keyner Martinez- 134, Jordan Gottesman- 111, Ricardo Estrada- 85.

Walks:  Ricardo Estrada- 52, Fernando Vasquez- 49, Keyner Martinez- 47.

My Take:  I saw Keyner Martinez pitch 3 times.  In all 3 games he looked great until he had to pitch out of the stretch then things fell apart quickly.  Jordan Gottesman has some room to fill out and could gain velocity with maturity.  Argenis Cayama had a terrific start in the championship series on his 20'th birthday 5 no-hit innings with 7 K's.  He is probably the best pitching prospect for this year's SJ Giants team.

A+ Eugene Emeralds 2026 Season Review

The Ems dominated the NWL regular season winning both halves although they squeaked past Vancouver Canadians by just 0.5 games in the second half.  They then lost the Championship series 2 games to 0.  

Team Stats:

Batting:

BA:  .270(1)

OBP:  .351(3)

SLG%:  .449(2)

Hits:  1199(1)

Doubles:  272(1)

Triples:  16(6)

HR:  164(2)

BB:  517(6)

Strikeouts:  1220(3)

SB:  45(4)

Runs:  771(2)

RBI:  716(2)

My Take:  Another organizational team finished dead last in walks.  In this case it did not seem to harm their run production as they finished 2'nd in Runs.  

Pitching:

ERA:  4.53(1)

Strikeouts:  1248(2)

Walks:  602(4)

WHIP:  1.42(2)

GO/AO:  1.11(4)

Saves:  35(1)

My Take:  Again a little high on the walks but otherwise good numbers in a hitter-friendly environment.

Individual Stats:

Batting(200+ AB for Rate Stats):

BA:  Jhonny Level- .302, Trevor Cohen- .297, Dakota Jordan- .290.

OBP:  Trevor Cohen- .387, Carlos Gutierrez- .385, Jhonny Level- .363.

SLG%:  Dakota Jordan CF- .533, Lisbel Diaz- .531, Zander Darby- .486.

Hits:  Zander Darby- 108, Trevor Cohen- 97, Lisbel Diaz- 97.

Doubles:  Gavin Kilen- 27, Trevor Cohen- 26, Zander Darby/Jhonny Level- 25.

Triples:  Carlos Gutierrez- 3, Trevor Cohen/Lisbel Diaz/Jancel Villaroel- 2

HR:  Lisbel Diaz- 21, Zander Darby/Dakota Jordan/Walker Martin- 18.

Walks:  Carlos Gutierrez- 54, Trevor Cohen/Walker Martin- 48.

SB:  Trevor Cohen- 26, Carlos Gutierrez- 26, Walker Martin- 20.

My Take:  Good season for Ems hitters both as a team and as individuals.  Jhonny Level more than holding his own after a midseason promotion at age 19 is huge.  Gavin Kilen was a doubles machine and had sneaky solid numbers before a promotion and he continued to put up similar numbers in AA.  Dakota Jordan's combination of batting for both average and power is encouraging.  A late season injury kept him from testing himself at AA.  Lisbel Diaz showed impressive power and did not turn 21 until 7/19.  He seems like an underrated prospect.  

Pitching(50+ IP for Rate Stats):

Wins:  Jacob Bresnahan- 7, Cade Vernon- 7, Yunior Marte/Niko Mazza/Esmerlin Vinicio- 6

Innings:  Hunter Dryden- 106.2, Luis De La Torre- 100.2, Jacob Bresnahan- 98.2

ERA- Jacob Bresnahan- 2.92, Esmerlin Vinicio- 3.14, Niko Mazza- 4.15.

Strikeouts:  Luis De La Torre- 126, Jacob Bresnahan- 118, Hunter Dryden- 114.

Walks:  Luis De La Torre- 82, Niko Mazza- 55, Hunter Dryden- 51

WHIP:  Jacob Bresnahan- 1.04, Tyler Switalski- 1.26, Esmerlin Vinicio- 1.28.

GO/AO:  Cade Vernon- 1.98, Esmerlin Vinicio- 1.88, Niko Mazza- 1.16

Saves:  Ryan Slater- 8, Liam Simon- 7, Esmerlin Vinicio- 5

My Take:  Bresnahan is probably the top prospect although Yunior Marte made it all the way to the majors.  Bresnahan struggled some after a promotion to AA.  Too many walks continue to be a problem for too many pitching prospects.

AA Richmond Flying Squirrels 2026 Season Review

 The AA Richmond Flying Squirrels won the Eastern League Southwest Division first half and quite handily with the best record on the EL, 43-25.  They then stumbled to 31-36 and 5'th place in the second half probably due to promotions up to AAA and up from A+.  The Squirrels had a total of 61 players appear in games over the season. They then lost the EL Division Series 2 games to 0.  

Team Stats: 

Batting:

BA:  .264(1)

OBP:  .345(11)

SLG%:  .411(7)

Hits:  1189(3)

Doubles:  .235(5)

Triples:  30(3)

HR:  122(12)

Walks:  503(10)

Strikeouts:  1079(1-fewest)

SB:  204(4)

Runs:  707(6)

My Take:  We again see the Buster Effect:  High contact, low walks, low power.  Mid-pack in run production.  

Pitching:  

ERA:  5.10(10)

Shut Outs:  11(1)

Home Runs:  160(9)

Walks(12- Most)

Strikeouts:  1250(6)

GO/AO:  0.89(11)

My Take:  The 5.10 ERA was well deserved as the pitching gave up the most walks in the league, did not keep the ball on the ground and gave up a lot of home runs.

Individual Stats:

Batting(200+ AB for Rate Stats):

BA:  Trevor Cohen- .300, Diego Velasquez- .295, Parks Harber- .284.

OBP:  Diego Velasquez- .384, Parks Harber- .369, Sabin Ceballos- .356.

SLG%:  Bo Davidson- .521, Parks Harber- .510, Charlie Szykowny- .417.

Hits:  Charlie Szykowny 1B- 109, Sabin Ceballos- 94, Maui Ahuna- 89.

Doubles:  Charlie Szykowny- 21, Parks Harber- 20, Diego Velasquez 2B- 19.

Triples:  Jonah Cox RF- 5, Charlie Szykowny- 4, Maui Ahuna/Dayson Croes/Gavin Kilen- 3

Home Runs:  Bo Davidson 19, Sabin Ceballos- 18, Charlie Szykowny- 14.

Runs:  Sabin Ceballos- 69, Maui Ahuna- 63, Charlie Szykowny- 61.

RBI:  Sabin Ceballos- 57, Bo Davidson- 53, Charlie Szykowny- 53.

Steals:  Maui Ahuna- 31, Jonah Cox- 27, Diego Velasquez- 21.

My Take:  Despite counting stats near the top of several categories, Maui Ahuna and Sabin Ceballos had BA's in the .220's.  Ceballos is a true 3-true outcomes guy but does that play at higher levels?  Bo Davidson is the top prospect here.  Gavin Kilen had a sneaky good season with a slash line of .297/.343/.469 in 128 AB after putting up a similar line in A+ ball.

Pitching(50+ IP for Rate Stats):

Wins:  Tyler Vogel- 9, Jack Choate- 6, 4 pitchers- 5

ERA- Joe Whitman- 3.22, Tyler Vogel- 3.25, Yunior Marte- 3.92.

Saves:  Tyler Vogel- 16, Cristian Alvarado- 5, Mitch White- 5.

Strikeouts:  Greg Farone- 107, Trystan Vrieling- 98, Cesar Perdomo- 89.

WHIP:  Joe Whitman- .97, Cesar Perdomo- 1.11, Shane Rademacher- 1.11.

GO/AO:  Manuel Mercedes- 1.34, Tyler Vogel- 1.31, Joe Whitman- 1.19.

My Take:  Not a super-inspiring group.  Yunior Marte and Cesar Perdomo made it to the Giants and did not embarrass themselves.  Joe Whitman should be added to the 40-man roster over the winter and get a shot next season.  Tyler Vogel is on the Closer Track.  That is often not a successful path to the major leagues.

AAA Sacramento River Cats 2026 Season Review

 The mission of most team's AAA teams is generally 2-fold:  "Finishing school" for prospects and an extended bench for the MLB team.  The Sacramento River Cats fulfilled both parts and did it well as 51 players played for both teams and several of them look to have long term roles for the Giants.  The River Cats started off strong finishing second in the PCL West in the first half with a 42-30 record.  After numerous promotions to the Giants and from AA, they slipped to third place in the second half at 37-38.  Over the full season they had the second best record in the PCL West and the third best overall.  Let's break down the team stats and individual stat leaders for the season. 

Team Stats(league ranking in parentheses):

Batting:

BA:  .278(4)

OBP:  .361(5)

SLG%:  .427(8)

Runs:  822(6)

Hits:  1400(5)

Doubles:  282(5)

Triples:  25(8)

Home Runs:  138(9)

RBI:  773(6)

Walks:  591(10)

Strikeouts:  992(1-fewest). The next fewest K's was 1157 so quite a large gap.

HBP:  91(3)

Sac:  33(3)

Sac Fly:  63(1)

My Take:  We see an even more extreme stat pattern reflecting Buster's image, best in league in K's and worst in walks with lower power numbers.  

Pitching:

ERA:  4.67(3)

HR:  133(2-fewest)

Walks:  643(6)

Strikeouts:  1222(5)

Saves:  34(3)

Save Ops:  51(8).

GO/AO:  1.03(6)  

My Take:  Nothing To See Here.  Kind of middling for all stats probably reflecting the use of 24 pitchers over the season. 

Individual Stats:

Batting:  200+ AB for rate stats.

BA:  Turner Hill- .353, Scott Bandura- .318, Bo Davidson- .309.

OBP:  Turner Hill- .420, Scott Bandura- .398, Bo Davidson- .389.

SLG%:  Bo Davidson- .534, Turner Hill- .529, Scott Bandura- .492.

Hits:  Scott Bandura- 117, Nate Furman- 117, Will Brennan- 114, Turner Hill- 114.

Doubles:  Scott Bandura- 28, Nate Furman- 25, Will Brennan- 24.

Triples:  Turner Hill- 4, Scott Bandura- 3, Will Brennan- 3.

HR:  Will Brennan- 11, Scott Bandura- 10, Bo Davidson- 10

Runs:  Scott Bandura- 71, Turner Hill- 65, Nate Furman- 63

RBI:  Will Brennan- 63, Scott Bandura- 62, Turner Hill- 60.

SB:  Scott Bandura- 24, Turner Hill- 23, Nate Furman- 19.

My Take:  Mostly similar names mostly due to number of AB's.  Of the guys who logged the most AB's, Turner Hill showed the most at the MLB level.  Bo Davidson is the top prospect.  Others who were not on the team as long but impressed at the MLB level include Drew Cavanaugh, Jonah Cox and of course Bryce Eldridge.  

Pitching:  30 IP for rate stats.

Wins:  Cesar Perdomo- 7, Wilkin Ramos- 6, Carson Whisenhunt- 6.

ERA(relievers):  Ryan Walker- 2.52, Michael Fulmer- 2.98, Trent Harris- 3.12.

ERA(Starters):    Joe Whitman- 3.74, Carson Whisenhunt- 4.15, Blade Tidwell- 4.38

Saves:  Michael Fulmer- 10, Eric Cerantola- 6, Carson Seymour- 4.

K/9(relievers):  Trent Harris- 11.60, Michael Fulmer- 11.06

K/9(starters):  Carson Whisenhunt- 9.84, Blade Tidwell- 9.75, Joe Whitman- 7.36, Cesar Perdomo- 6.80.

My Take:  Again, not much in the way of takeaways.  A bit curious why Michael Fulmer never got his shot at The Churn.  Maybe the reason Joe Whitman never got a call was his low K/9 but Cesar Perdomo's was worse.  Beyond that, the cupboard was pretty much emptied out at AAA level.  There are some promising pitching prospects at lower levels, bolstered by the 2026 draft but overall organizational pitching is thinner than hitting.

Giants 2026 Season Review: By the Numbers(Part II)

We'll continue our numbers review with a look at team leaders:

Hitting(300+ AB for rate stats):

 BA:  Luis Arraez- .324, Jung Hoo Lee- .276, Casey Schmitt- .271.

OBP:  Bryce Eldridge- .364, Luis Arraez- .360, Rafael Devers- .340.

SLG%:  Rafael Devers- .525, Casey Schmitt- .483, Bryce Eldridge- .461.

Hits:  Jung Hoo Lee- 149, Rafael Devers- 144, Luis Arraez- 136.

Doubles:  Rafael Devers- 36, Jung Hoo Lee- 31, Willy Adames- 25.

Triples:  Luis Arraez- 7, Jung Hoo Lee- 4, Drew Gilbert/Heliot Ramos- 3.

HR:  Rafael Devers- 37, Willy Adames- 21, Casey Schmitt- 21.

Runs:  Rafael Devers- 88, Jung Hoo Lee- 65, Willy Adames- 62.

RBI:  Rafael Devers- 98, Bryce Eldridge- 57, Jung Hoo Lee- 57.

My Take(s):  Can we bring Luis Arraez back?  The Giants desperately need Casey Schmitt's righthanded bat in the lineup. They just need to figure out where he's going to play.  Jung Hoo Lee was pretty good until a late season collapse.  Would he benefit from being a platoon player or more of a utility OF?  Willy Adames had an outside shot at another 30 HR season before his elbow injury took him out but severe contact issues and terrible defense, possibly due to a chronic back condition, more than negated his power.  Looking ahead, there is too much uncertainty from too many players making too much money who may be blocking younger, cheaper and better options.

Pitching)50+IP for rate stats): 

Wins:  Robbie Ray- 10, Landen Roupp- 9, Logan Webb- 8.

ERA:  Robbie Ray- 3.08, J. T. Brubaker- 3.60, Landen Roupp- 4.01.

Quality Starts:  Logan Webb- 17, Landen Roupp- 11, Robbie Ray- 9

Saves:  Caleb Kilian- 8, Erik Miller- 4, Dylan Smith- 4.

My Take:  Beyond the obvious need for a proven Closer, the Rotation is a shambles and there are not enough young pitchers to stand in the gap.  With Ray gone and the miles starting to take their toll on Logan Webb, Roupp might be the staff ace and yikes!  I'm seeing a need for at least 2 above average SP's as possibly more of an offseason need than a Closer.  I mean, a Closer is not going to do much good if the rest of the staff can't give him a lead in the 9'th inning.

Giants 2026 Season Review: By the Numbers(Part I)

Despite hiring a college field manager with no professional experience on any level and a curious lack of upgrades to the bullpen, the Giants came into the 2026 season with an expectation of being no worse than the 2025 team and possibly enough wins more to sneak into a postseason berth.  POBO Buster Posey's stated goal for the offseason was improving team defense and he went after that by hiring defensive coaching wizard, Ron Washington and by signing CF Harrison Bader.  Those moves combined with a full season of Rafael Devers and the expected graduation of Bryce Eldridge plus the contact hitting of Luis Arraez gave hope of both run scoring and run prevention upgrades to the roster.  

Then came Opening Day and the opening series against the Yankees and a near total obliteration in every phase of the game.  The Giants scored just 1 run in 27 innings on 13 hits only 4 of which came in the first two games which were shutouts.  It was the Yankees but the shock and awe of it all left a lot of people, including me, with a deep sense of foreboding about the rest of the season.  The Giants traveled south and took 2 of 3 from the Padres then win the first game of a4-game weekend series agains the Mets and we all breathed a sigh of relief.  Maybe the faceplant in the Yankee series was just a small sample fluke against a tough opponent.  Then they lost the next 3 to the Mets and the first game of the next series against the Phillies. They were now 3-8 and the season went downhill from there.  

The 2026 Giants never won more than 3 games in a row.  There was a sweep in Philadelphia at the end of April including double walk-off losses in a doubleheader followed by a sweep to the Rays in Tampa Bay a dropped series to the Padres at home.  That was a 1-8 stretch and the season was all but over.  Another low point in May came after a double sweep to the D'Backs in successive weeks.  I could go on.....and on and on.  

By the end of the season, the Giants had tied a record for most players used in a season at 71, more than in any of the FZ years and The Churn.  If I am not mistaken, Christian Koss was the only player from the Opening Day active roster who was also on the season finale active roster and even he missed some time with an injury.  At least Buster Posey got a nice prospect haul from a full on sell at the trade deadline.  

Let's break it down and look at some numbers starting with some Team Stats then individual team leaders(League Rankings in parentheses):

Batting:

BA:  .245(15)

OBP:  .306(29)

SLG%:  .400(13)

OPS:  .706(23)

Runs:  669(26)

Hits:  1341(13)

Doubles:  262(9)

Triples:  26(6)

Home Runs:  178(20)

Walks:  449(30)

Strikeouts:  1342(14)

SB:  88(22)

My Take:  Giants batters tested Buster Posey's theory about swinging for contact but paid a brutal price with a cratered walk rate which proved to be the run production killer analytic models say it is.

Pitching:  

ERA:  4.33(23)

HR:  160(4)

Walks:  596(25)

Strikeouts:  1204(27)

WHIP:  1.36(24)

BA:  .248(13)

Saves:  30(29)

Save Ops:  57(27T)

Blown Saves:  27(10)- ranked most to least

My Take:  We see a mirror image of the batting stats with the pitchers doing a decent job limiting hits and home runs but getting killed by too many walks.  And I have mentioned this several times and nobody seems to pay any attention:  Yes, the bullpen was #29 in Saves but they were also tied for #27 in Save Ops so while the bullpen was indeed terrible at saving games, the Giants were also terrible at giving them Save opportunities which I think tells us that the Giants won't be fixed by simply adding a reliable Closer.  The problem is much bigger than that.