Minor League roundup, April 28: Carson Whisenhunt shows off the changeup

There were just three games for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates on Tuesday, as those teams kicked off their next six-game series. High-A Eugene, as happens from time to time (including next week) had a scheduling conflict at their University of Oregon stadium, and have a doubleheader on Saturday to make up for not starting their series against Spokane until today.

Let’s dive into those three games!

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

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

AAA Sacramento (15-11)

Sacramento River Cats beat the Salt Lake Bees (Angels) 5-2
Box score

It took awhile, but we finally got a star showing from LHP Carson Whisenhunt (No. 8 CPL). Whisenhunt has struggled a bit to start to the year, but you certainly wouldn’t know it based on Tuesday’s performance, when he positively dominated the Bees. That’s doubly impressive when glance at Salt Lake’s roster and realize just how many former Major Leaguers are populating it …. guys like Chris Taylor, Jeimer Candelario, Jose Siri, Nick Madrigal, Trey Mancini, and Yolmer Sánchez.

Those batters wanted nothing to do with Whisenhunt on Tuesday, though, as he cruised through 6 innings while allowing just 3 hits and 1 run, with 8 strikeouts. Whisenhunt wasn’t particularly dominating the strike zone, as he threw 48 of 78 pitches for strikes, but, critically, he didn’t issue a single walk all game (he did hit a batter, though).

It was Whisenhunt’s best pitch — his famed changeup — that did the damage against the Bees. All 8 of his strikeouts were swinging strikes, and a staggering 7 of them came when whiffing through his changeup. Talk about an elite pitch! There really doesn’t seem to be much of a question as to whether or not Whisenhunt’s changeup can play at the highest level … the question, rather, is whether his fastball can play well enough to set up the changeup. And on this day it most certainly did.

Rehabbing RHP Joel Peguero (No. 27 CPL) was a strike-throwing machine, as he tossed 12 pitches in a scoreless 7th inning, and all 12 of them were strikes. Impressive, and not usually what he’s known for! He did give up 2 hits, but struck out a batter and kept runs off the board, lowering his ERA to 6.14 and his FIP to 4.59. He’s made 8 rehab appearances, and it’s unclear if he’ll head to San Francisco when he’s done rehabbing, or if he’ll stay in Sacramento (he still has all 3 option years remaining). I’d guess the latter.

The big hit on offense came from designated hitter Jake Holton, who bopped the 1st home run of his AAA career to give the River Cats some insurance runs.

Holton, who hit 1-4 with a strikeout, spent 3 years putting up really nice numbers in AA while in the Tigers system before joining the Giants on a Minor League deal this year. It’s been an adjustment to the new level: he has just a .216 batting average, a 27.7% strikeout rate, a .668 OPS, and an 89 wRC+. But he’s still getting his feet wet.

Nice days for 2 of the best defensive players on the team, as center fielder Grant McCray and shortstop Osleivis Basabe both hit 2-4 with a double and a strikeout. McCray, who has a .667 OPS and a 91 wRC+, has been showing signs of life lately after a brutal start to the year. Basabe, who is critical depth given that there are no rostered infielders on the River Cats, has a .717 OPS and a 91 wRC+.

Not very good days for the team’s top hitting prospects, as first baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL) went 1-4 with 3 strikeouts, catcher Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL) hit 1-4 with 1 strikeout, left fielder Victor Bericoto (No. 35 CPL) went 0-4, and second baseman Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) hit 1-4 with a walk and a stolen base.

AA Richmond (17-4)

Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Altoona Curve (Pirates) 10-9
Box score

It was almost an incredibly arrogant game for the Squirrels. Earlier this month, they swept Altoona in a 6-game series, and almost flexed on their opponent with a ruthless comeback. Richmond trailed 9-1 entering the 6th inning, and 10-6 entering the 8th. They almost pulled it off!

Unlike their older brothers in Sacramento, the Squirrels emphatically did not have a good pitching day, so we won’t linger on it long. The starter, LHP Greg Farone, had a brutal game, throwing just 36 of 70 pitches for strikes while allowing 5 hits (including a home run), 5 walks, and 4 runs in just 2.1 innings, though he struck out 4 batters. Farone, a 7th-round pick in 2024, started his debut AA season nicely: in his 1st 2 starts, he pitched 9 innings and allowed just 6 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs, with 13 strikeouts. But in 3 starts since, he’s made it through just 8.1 innings, while giving up 13 hits, 9 walks, and 11 runs, with 11 strikeouts.

Then it was RHP Shane Rademacher, who has played something in between a long relief role and a piggybacking starter role this year. He didn’t have the command issues — he didn’t issue any walks — but gave up 3 home runs in just 2.1 innings. In total, the UDFA allowed 6 hits, 5 earned runs, and struck out 3, while seeing his ERA rise to 6.17 and his FIP to 7.62.

RHP Will Bednar (No. 24 CPL) had a decent showing, though, as he tossed 2 shutout innings with 3 strikeouts, though he did allow 3 baserunners (2 singles and a walk).

On offense, it was the usual suspects up to their early season tricks. Namely, it was first baseman Sabin Ceballos (No. 43 CPL) who continues to make it his life’s mission to put the 2025 season behind him. The 2023 3rd-rounder out of Oregon (drafted by Atlanta) had another brilliant day, hitting 3-5 with a 2-run home run, 2 doubles, and a strikeout.

Ceballos, who will turn 24 in August, is now at 5 home runs on the season …. after hitting just 6 bombs last year (at the same level) in 108 games. That power increase is the leading reason for why his year-over-year OPS has leaped from .670 to .990, and his OPS from 102 to 154. But it’s not just an injection of power, as his average has jumped from .232 to .306.

With Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) finally healthy, Ceballos — who plays a pretty mean third base — will probably mostly be spending time at first base for Richmond. Given that third base isn’t blocked in AAA, an earlyish promotion wouldn’t be too surprising if Ceballos keeps up this level of performance.

The other usual suspect was right fielder Jonah Cox, who continues to hit like someone we shouldn’t describe as a glove-and-cleat first player. Also a 2023 draft pick by a different team (a 6th-rounder by the A’s), Cox hasn’t stopped hitting this year, and on Tuesday went 1-3 with a triple, a hit by pitch, and a stolen base.

A year after having just a .731 OPS and a 103 wRC+ in High-A, Cox is at a blistering 1.183 OPS and 209 wRC+ through 19 games playing up a level … and also has 13 stolen bases in 15 attempts. I don’t think anyone else in the organization (save for perhaps Rafael Devers at the Major League level) has had a more surprising start to the year.

Nice games for catcher Drew Cavanaugh (No. 19 CPL) and second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 31 CPL), who both hit 1-2 with 2 walks and a strikeout. Cavanaugh has built on his breakout 2025 by casually posting a 1.147 OPS and a 202 wRC+, while having an elite blend of contact, power, and walks (among the 108 Eastern League hitters with at least 50 plate appearances, Cavanaugh is 6th in average, 6th in walk rate, and 16th in isolated slugging). Velasquez, who doubled for his hit, quietly has a .788 OPS and a 120 wRC+ despite posting an uncharacteristically-low .244 average. He’s nearing the 200-game mark in AA, but is also still just 22.

Harber and center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) are both still trying to find their groove during seasons that have been interrupted (Harber by a fairly serious hamstring injury, and Davidson by a less-serious arm injury plus parental leave). Harber went 1-5 with a double and 3 strikeouts, and now has a .737 OPS and a 93 wRC+; Davidson hit 0-3 but drew 2 walks, moving his OPS to .676 and his wRC+ to 70. He did have an awesome catch, too.

Low-A San Jose (15-7)

San Jose Giants beat the Visalia Rawhide (Diamondbacks) 8-5
Box score

Fresh off Pitcher of the Week honors, RHP Keyner Martinez (No. 10 CPL) flashed some good and some bad in his Tuesday start. The strikeout stuff was emphatically on display for the 21-year old, who K’d 8 batters in just 4 innings. But it was definitely a case of being effectively wild, as Martinez also walked 5 batters, while giving up 4 hits and 2 runs.

Missing the plate has been the biggest issue for Martinez as he looks to build on his sensational 2025. He’s already walked 10 batters in just 15.2 innings, while hitting another 2. But when he gets hitters to swing? Well, things are going his way … he’s already recorded 24 strikeouts, and has only given up 11 hits. The overall numbers aren’t there yet — he has a 5.17 ERA and a 4.80 FIP — but it’s certainly a very exciting package.

RHP Sam Bower followed and was awesome, giving up just a hit and a walk in 2.1 shutout innings, with 3 strikeouts. Bower was the team’s 11th-round pick back in 2022, but didn’t make his professional debut until this season, due to injuries. The St. Mary’s alum is starting to find his groove, though he’s issuing too many walks. He’s down to a 3.95 ERA on the year, though he has a 5.11 FIP.

In the batter’s box, it was yet another great game for first baseman Hayden Jatczak, who has started his career by doing nothing but hitting, hitting, and hitting some more. The UDFA went 2-5 in this game, with both a home run and a double, raising his OPS to 1.056 and his wRC+ to 168.

Jatczak’s numbers are propped up in part by an absurd 22.3% walk rate, but he’s also just beating up on much younger players (he turns 25 in August). It’s been a fun debut to watch, and I’m curious how much longer the Giants let him lay waste to the lowest level of A-ball.

Center fielder Andy Polanco had a nice game, hitting 2-4 with a double and stealing a pair of bases. The 11th-round pick from 2024, who is celebrating his 21st birthday today, is holding his own on offense, with an .805 OPS and a 110 wRC+. There are some warning signs — he has a sky-high .478 BABIP and a very high 28.2% strikeout rate — but it’s still nice to see given his 85 wRC+ in the Complex League last year.

Polanco is a burner, and has played strong defense for San Jose this year, while stealing 8 bases in as many attempts. Hopefully the offense can keep making strides.

Also stealing a base was shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL), who hit 2-5 with a strikeout and his 7th swiped bag in 9 tries. Level has cooled off from his absurd start to the year, though he still has a 1.050 OPS and a 160 wRC+. It’s been nothing short of a fantastic season for the 19-year old switch-hitter, who I think has a good chance to be a consensus top-50 prospect by the end of the year.

And finally, right fielder Jose Astudillo made his season debut. And he made it quite nicely, I might add, hitting 2-4 with a walk. Astudillo, a recently-turned 22 year old from Venezuela, really opened eyes last year, when he started the season in the Dominican Summer League and ended it in Low-A. The right-hander is lacking power, but is a bat control artist: in 200 plate appearances across 3 levels last year, he hit just 1 home run, but posted a .367 batting average and struck out just 19 times.

Home run tracker

5 — Sabin Ceballos — [AA]
3 — Hayden Jatczak — [Low-A]
1 — Jake Holton — [AAA]

Wednesday schedule

Sacramento: 5:35 p.m. PT at Salt Lake (SP: Carson Seymour)
Richmond: 3:00 p.m. PT at Altoona (SP: Joe Whitman)
Eugene: 11:05 a.m. PT vs. Spokane (SP: Charlie McDaniel)
San Jose: 3:35 p.m. PT at Visalia (SP: TBD)

Read the full article here