Champions?

Champions.

Quite a day in the Giants organization.  Two Single-A teams, and two championships for leagues that have names that will be asterisked before we go back to historical names like the California League and Midwest League, both filled with some of the team’s top prospects.  As the big league team is doing…well, they’re okay…the future is working hard.

(That is the reigning Triple-A champion Sacramento River Cats to you, rest of minor league baseball.)

(Richmond…your turn is coming.  I hope.)

AAA: Sacramento 8, Salt Lake 5

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Sacramento Notes:

  • It’s less than a week for the Triple-A season to end, and yet, we have a newly signed River Cat.  John Nogowski made his Giants organization debut, going 1-for-4 with a home run.  Nogowski has played for St. Louis and their Triple-A affiliate in Memphis, and Pittsburgh and their Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis.  He was released by the Pirates on September 20th.  Overall this season, he’s hit .215/.335/.328 in Triple-A and .233/.301/.310 in the Majors.
  • Heliot Ramos picked up his second triple in Triple-A in a 2-hit day.  In 47 games since his promotion to Sacramento, Ramos has three home runs, two triples, and ten doubles, with a .265/.317/.389 batting line.
  • Ricardo Genovés made his Triple-A debut with a pair of hits, and a double.  Genovés started the season hitting .338/.441/.551 for just over a month in San Jose, then spent most of 2021 in Eugene, where he hit .217/.294/.364. 
  • Matt Shoemaker took the start, allowing four runs, two earned, on eight hits and a walk.  Shoemaker has allowed 49 hits in 42.1 innings this season, with 43 strikeouts and seven walks.

AA: Season Completed

High-A: Eugene 5, Spokane 0 (Eugene wins Championship Series, 3 games to 1)

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Eugene Notes:

  • Ismael Munguia continued to dominate the final part of the season with two more hits, and his second home run of the playoffs.  Munguia was 21-for-47 (.447) in September in the regular season, and then was 12-for-19 (.632) with two home runs and a double in four games in the playoffs.
  • Marco Luciano got his first postseason home run, a 2-run shot.  The Giants’ top prospect had been struggling a bit after getting promoted to Eugene, with a .217/.283/.295 with three doubles, two triples, and one home run in 36 regular season games.
  • Brett Auerbach, one of Eugene’s top hitters in the regular season, got his first postseason home run.  He had 17 home runs in the regular season, 15 of which came in 53 games in Eugene.
  • Ryan Murphy continued his huge 2021 season with his postseason debut, five shutout innings.  Murphy struck out seven with two hits and two walks.  Murphy’s debut season was a combined 2.52 ERA, with a 1.44 ERA in six games at High-A.  Murphy overall struck out 164 with 26 walks in 107.1 IP.
  • Austin Reich worked a scoreless inning in support of Eugene’s shutout.  Between both Single-A levels, Reich had a 1.63 ERA with 98 strikeouts in 60.2 IP and just 14 walks.
  • Hey, get Genovés a ring.  He got promoted mid-championship series, he deserves one.  Or…maybe two?

Low-A: San Jose 7, Fresno 2 (San Jose wins Championship Series, 3 games to 0)

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San Jose Notes:

  • Luis Matos hit his first home run of the postseason, as the San Jose MVP helped lead the team to the Championship.  In the regular season, Matos hit .313/.358/.494 with 35 doubles, one triple, and 15 home runs.
  • Grant McCray contributed his first extra base hits of the playoffs, with a double and a home run.  McCray played 24 games at San Jose in the regular season, batting .250/.299/.400, with two doubles, two triples, and two home runs.
  • Yorlis Rodriguez also had a 2-hit game, adding a double.  Rodriguez played 27 games in San Jose in the regular season, batting .250/.311/.420 with seven doubles and four home runs after he was promoted from the ACL.
  • Nick Swiney made his postseason debut, going four innings, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks.  Swiney’s season was mostly lost to injury, but he allowed just two earned runs in 24.1 innings total in San Jose, in 16 hits and 12 walks, with 42 strikeouts.
  • Tristan Beck earned the win in relief, with 2.1 shutout innings, allowing just three hits, striking out two. Beck also missed much of the season due to injury, but had a 6.27 ERA in a season that started in Richmond, came back to rehab in the ACL, and then ended with two regular season games in San Jose.
  • Cole Waites closed out the San Jose Championship with two strikeouts in an inning.  Waites only got into 13 games this season, 10 in San Jose, where he had a 0.87 ERA in 10.1 innings.

ACL: Season Completed

DSL: DSL Giants Black 2, DSL Cardinals Red 1

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DSL Giants Black Notes:

  • Gustavo Cardozo picked up his 8th double, the Giants Black only extra-base hit of the night.  Cardozo is batting .293/.374/.379 with eight doubles and a triple.  He’s also collected 14 walks to 13 strikeouts.
  • Gerelmi Maldonado had one of his best starts of the season, giving up just one hit in three shutout innings, though also allowing four walks.  This season, in 25.1 innings, he’s struck out 26 to 16 walks.

DSL: DSL Yankees2 9, DSL Giants Orange 8

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DSL Giants Orange Notes:

  • Wueslly Lespe hit just his second home run of the summer in a 2-hit game.  Lespe has put up a batting line of .275/391/.435 in 27 games this summer in the DSL.
  • Derwin Laya hit a double as he continued a strong week of hitting.  Laya is 8-for-23 (.348) with two doubles over his last five games.
  • Mikell Manzano had his best start of the season, allowing just one hit and two walks across five scoreless innings, and coming one shy of his season high in strikeouts.  His two walks are a season high as well, and in 42.1 innings, he’s allowed just five walks against 60 strikeouts.