Victor Bericoto got good and bad news from the San Francisco Giants Friday. He learned he’d been reassigned to the team’s Minor League camp. But he left as the 2026 winner of the Barney Nugent Award.
The annual Barney Nugent Award goes to the Giants player making his spring training debut“whose performance and dedication in spring training best exemplify the San Francisco Giants’ spirit, much like Nugent did in his time with San Francisco.”
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Barney Nugent was the Giants’ longtime athletic trainer, who passed away in 2014. The award named in his honor is voted on by all Giants spring personnel — players, coaches, clubhouse staff, and of course, the training staff. Bericoto played 19 games and hit 18-for-38, with three home runs and three doubles, and generally pounding the hell out of the ball.
However, the 24-year-old Venezuelan outfielder has only played 11 games at the AAA level. As unexciting as the Giants’ other outfield options might look, Bericoto probably needs at least a few months against better pitching before he’s ready to help the big league club, though his 12 homers and 15 doubles at Double-A Richmond last season (in 93 games) are highly encouraging.
Bericoto isn’t on the 40-man roster, so the team may wait to call him up, hoping that the excitable Drew Gilbert or the disappointing Luis Matos can hold the fort as an extra outfielder for a while.
Former winners of the “Nooge” (no one calls it this) include favorites like Tim Lincecum, Brandon Belt, and Matt Duffy. Last year, reliever Joel Peguero won the award, and went on to appear in 17 games, going 3-1 with a 2.42 ERA. He’s out with a hamstring tear now, but is in the mix for a late-inning relief role when he returns. Heliot Ramos and Casey Schmitt also won the Barney in recent years, while 2024 winner Ismael Munguia, now with the Toronto Blue Jays, hit .429 in the World Baseball Classic for Nicaragua.
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Here are all the winners since 2007:
2007: Tim Lincecum
2008: Brian Bocock
2009: Joe Martinez
2010: Darren Ford
2011: Brandon Belt
2012: Dan Otero
2013: Brock Bond
2014: Mark Minicozzi
2015: Matt Duffy
2016: Trevor Brown
2017: Jae-Gyun Hwang
2018: Chris Shaw
2019: Joey Bart
2021: Heliot Ramos
2022: Brett Auerbach
2023: Casey Schmitt
2024: Ismael Munguia
2025: Joel Peguero
2026: Victor Bericoto
Bericoto had a fantastic spring and could very well be playing in Oracle Park by the summer. Somewhere, Barney Nugent is looking on with pride and a roll of athletic tape.
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