San Francisco Giants Minor League Major Performers: 2018 Hitters of the Year
First Base: Beicker Mendoza
It wasn’t a spectacular year for first baseman in the system, but in the Arizona League, 20-year-old Beicker Mendoza had a mighty strong showing for the Giants Orange team. The right-handed-hitting Venezuelan hit .301/.330/.462 and paced the team with 52 hits, 16 doubles, and 35 RBI. His four home runs were second on the team.
More from Golden Gate Sports
- Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
- 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
- Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
- 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
- 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve
Mendoza finished tied for second in the AZL with doubles, tied for fourth in RBI, tied for ninth in hits, and 10th in slugging percentage. 2018 was his third season in the AZL, and by far his best. He should be moved out of Arizona next season.
Honorable Mentions:
Jerry Sands was having a great season in the system before moving on to play in Korea in late July. In 100 games between AA Richmond and AAA Sacramento, Sands hit .269/.361/.508 with 28 doubles and 16 home runs. After an extremely slow start, Sands slashed .320/.400/.584 with 25 of his doubles and 11 of his home runs in his final 67 games as a Giants’ farmhand.
After Sands departed, the Giants brought in Brock Stassi. Though Stassi only played a little over a month, he was excellent for the River Cats. In 21 games, he hit .391/.536/.547 with 10 doubles and 11 RBI, and walked (19) more than he struck out (14). He safely reached base in every game he played.
San Jose first baseman Gio Brusa left a lot to be desired in batting average (.238) and on-base percentage (.298), but was still one of the best power hitters in the system. His 19 home runs were second in the system to Chris Shaw’s 24 and tied for fifth in the Cal League, and no Giant topped his 70 RBI. He was dragged down by a high strikeout rate (33%) and low walk rate (7.8%), but his .221 ISO was eighth-best in the system.