San Francisco Giants Minor League Major Performers: Players of the Week
As the San Francisco Giants continue to hang around, and their prospects continue to make noise as their respective seasons enter the final full month.
Minor League Major Performers will now be a weekly list, with the top San Francisco Giants at each level being recognized. Here’s the first week.
AAA Sacramento – Shaun Anderson
In his third start since being promoted to AAA for the first time in his career, righty Shaun Anderson had his best outing at the level. He pitched seven innings for the first time in Sacramento, and the second time on the season, and scattered five hits and three walks that led to two runs. He struck out four, and the River Cats backed him up to give Anderson his first AAA win.
In 20 appearances (19 starts) across two levels this season, Anderson has pitched to a 3.70 ERA and 1.259 WHIP while striking out 105 batters in 112 innings. After being acquired from the Red Sox last season, Anderson has quickly become one of the Giants’ top pitching prospects.
AA Richmond – Jonah Arenado
Much like Giants’ pitchers, Eastern League pitchers had a really tough time getting an Arenado out this week. In six games, Richmond’s corner infielder reached base 14 times. He picked up 10 hits (two doubles), walked twice, and was hit by two pitches. His week started on Tuesday when he collected four hits for the fourth time in his minor league career, then followed up with three-hit games on both Thursday and Friday. Overall, he hit .500/.560/.600 on the week, and drove in a team-leading five runs.
High-A San Jose – Wander Franco
Wander Javier Franco, the eldest of the three Wander Franco brothers in Minor League Baseball, was the big run producer in San Jose last week. In five games, Franco led the team with eight hits and drove in seven runs, also a total that tied for the most in the system. He collected a season-high four RBI on Wednesday, his fourth career game with at least that many runs driven in, then added another RBI on Thursday. He came through again on Sunday, roping a two-run double to finish off his week.
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In his first season in the Giants’ organization, Franco has had a strong year with San Jose. He leads the club with 118 hits and 32 doubles (tied for second in the Cal League), and is third on the team with 53 RBI. He was named a Cal League All-Star earlier in the season.
Single-A Augusta – John Russell
Pitching out of the bullpen, right-hander John Russell was dominant across three appearances during the week. The 2017 16th-round pick threw 5.2 shutout innings, holding opponents hitless while allowing one walk and striking out seven. He picked up a two-inning save on Thursday, striking out three in a pair of perfect innings, then stranded an inherited runner on Sunday with four strikeouts in 1.2 innings.
In 30 appearances this season, Russell owns a 2.06 ERA and 0.955 WHIP. Opponents have managed a .190/.285/.276 slash-line against Russell, and he’s struck out 59 batters in 52.1 innings.
Short-A Salem-Keizer – Aaron Bond
It was a strong week for the Volcanoes’ offense, but Aaron Bond supplied a lot of the power. The outfielder had five extra-base hits, tied for most in the system in the week, among his seven hits, and drove in seven runs while scoring five times. Starting on Thursday, he had four straight games with at least one extra-base hit. He hit a home run on Thursday, followed up with a double and triple on Friday, then added another home run on Saturday before finishing with a double on Sunday.
AZL Giants Black – Alexander Canario
A young player with plenty of tools had a big week for the AZL Black team. 18-year-old Alexander Canario matched Bond’s five extra-base hits, and was one of the four players in the system to drive in seven runs. He started the week with a home run on Monday, then finished with four RBI on Sunday, including a bases-clearing triple in the second inning.
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Since the beginning of July, Canario has been a major threat in the lineup. He’s slashing .329/.441/.577 in 21 games, with five doubles, two triples, and four home runs, and has shown off the speed with six stolen bases.
AZL Giants Orange – Seth Corry
Corry made his last start in the AZL on Tuesday, and it was a good one. Across five innings, Corry scattered five hits that led to one earned run, striking out six along the way. The 19-year-old southpaw pitched to a 2.61 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 38 innings in the AZL.
After that outing, Corry was promoted to Salem-Keizer, where he started on Sunday. He made a great first impression. He threw five shutout innings and took a no-hitter into the fourth before allowing a leadoff single. That would be the only hit he allowed to go with two walks, and he struck out five.
DSL – Robinson Batista
In the Dominican, it was 19-year-old outfielder Robinson Batista that had the biggest week for the DSL Giants. Batista, a switch-hitter, collected seven hits across his five games played, including four for extra-bases. On Tuesday, he bashed his first home run of the season, a two-run shot as a right-handed hitter, then followed up with another longball on Wednesday as a lefty. He added a triple in that game, then capped off his week with his third home run on Saturday, also from the right side. For the week, he led the team in hits, home runs, and RBI, while also tying for the top spot in runs scored and stolen bases.
Next. Black Already Big Part of Bullpen. dark
Others of Note:
Chris Shaw (SAC): 7-20 (.350), 3B, HR
Dylan Davis (RICH): 7-22 (.316), 3 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 4 R
Chase Johnson (RICH): 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Manuel Geraldo (AUG): 10-23 (.435), 2B, RBI
Norwith Gudino (AUG): 6.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Ricardo Genoves (SK): 9-17 (.529), 3 2B, HR, 3 RBI
David Villar (SK): 9-26 (.346), 3 HR, 7 RBI
Jake Wong (SK): 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Zander Clarke (AZL B): 6-17 (.353), 3 2B, 2 RBI
Jacob Lopez (AZL O): 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Ghordy Santos (DSL): 5-12 (.417), 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 SB, 5 BB