Minor League roundup, April 9: Jesús Rodríguez can hit

A very nice pitching performance for Richmond, with began with a 2nd nice start for LHP Greg Farone. A 7th-round pick out of Alabama in 2024, Farone is fronting a fairly uninspiring Richmond rotation despite mediocre results in High-A Eugene last year.

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So far he looks right at home. Farone wasn’t quite as dynamic as on Opening Day, when he struck out 8 batters in 4.2 innings, but he was damn good. He tossed 4.1 frames, gave up just 3 hits (all singles) and 2 walks, struck out 5, and allowed just 1 run.

The strikeout stuff is definitely worth keeping an eye on for Farone, who turns 24 next month. He got a lot of Ks in the 1st half of last year, with 13 strikeouts per 9 innings with Low-A San Jose. But that number dropped to just 7.9 following his midseason promotion. Last year was his debut season, so the hope is always that he simply faded as he wore down following a big workload (he pitched 105.2 innings); but the fear, of course, is that his stuff just doesn’t play at higher levels.

We need a larger sample before making any grand proclamations, but so far in the Eastern League he has 13 strikeouts in 9 innings, and that’s fantastic.

Following Farone was a great story: RHP Mitch White. No, White is not the same Mitch White as previously played in the Giants system … this Mitch White is a 26-year old who was signed over the winter out of indy league ball, and is playing affiliated baseball for the 1st time in his life. I love those stories, and the Giants have a fair amount of them (including his Richmond teammate on the other side of the ball, Dayson Croes).

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White made his pro debut in the season opener, and this was his 3rd game. It was also his best, as he threw 2.2 innings with 3 hits, 0 walks, and 1 run allowed, while striking out 4. Hopefully that’s the start of him finding his rhythm, and showing what he’s capable of in AA.

Rounding out the strong pitching day was RHP Cameron Pferrer, who was dynamic, pitching 2 no-hit innings with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. Pferrer, a 27-year old who was an undrafted free agent in 2024, has yet to allow a hit through a pair of appearances this year.

The hitting was more mild-mannered, with no huge games. Right fielder Turner Hill had the best game, hitting 1-3 with a double, a walk, and a strikeout. It’s been a great start to the year for Hill, who turned 27 a few days ago. The 2023 undrafted free agent isn’t known for his bat, but he’s up to an .870 OPS and a 123 wRC+ on the year. Hill has a profile very similar to Jared Oliva: strong defense across the outfield, some burners for the basepaths, and just enough hitting to survive. And speaking of those types of players, center fielder Jonah Cox stole his 6th base of the year in as many games. Gotta love that!

Eugene Emeralds lost to the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 14-5
Box score

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Well, they can’t all be winners. While Sacramento and Richmond were achieving 5-game winning strikes, Eugene saw theirs come to an end. It was bound to happen eventually … it never seemed likely that they’d go undefeated this year, after all.

The star — if losses are allowed to have stars (I think so, especially in the Minors) — was someone who has spent the entirety of his brief Minor League career making the Giants look very smart: right fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL).

San Francisco drafted Cohen in the 3rd round in July, and it raised a few eyebrows because he wasn’t on many people’s radars. Most notably, despite being picked 85th overall, he wasn’t on the top 500 draft prospect lists at Baseball America or Fangraphs.

But listening to people who specialized in Cohen’s region (he played collegiately at Rutgers), it became clear that he was being overlooked, and fairly dramatically. His post-draft performance at Low-A San Jose supported that, as he posted an .840 OPS and a 139 wRC+ in 28 games, with just an 11.5% strikeout rate.

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San Francisco rewarded him with an opening assignment in High-A, and after a slow start, he’s starting to turn things on in a big way. Thursday was one of his best days as a pro, as he hit 3-5 with all 3 of his hits being doubles. The 22-year old lefty also drew a walk, though he had a strikeout and an error as well.

With that, Cohen is up to a .767 OPS and a 110 wRC+, while still sporting a remarkably low strikeout rate of just 13.3% (he also has 4 stolen bases). I don’t think anyone can question that draft pick anymore!

A nice day for first baseman Robert Hipwell, who was in dire need of one. Hipwell hit 2-3 with a double, 2 walks, and a strikeout, which came after starting the season 0-10 with 6 strikeouts.

Strikeouts are the big thing for the left-handed Hipwell to work on. After a glimpse of Low-A in 2024 following his 6th-round draft selection, the recently-turned 23-year old spent all of 2025 at that level, where he had nice numbers (.824 OPS, 125 wRC+), but struck out a ton (31.2%). That will be the biggest thing to watch in High-A, as he’ll need to cut back on the Ks in order to advance to the upper Minors.

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Also a good day for second baseman Zane Zielinski, who hit 2-4 with a double and a hit by pitch. The 2024 9th-round pick is repeating the level after skipping Low-A and spending his entire debut season with Eugene. His numbers weren’t great (hence the repeat), but he’s been hot to start this year.

The pitching was an absolute mess. It started at the top, as RHP Niko Mazza got rocked for the 2nd straight game, ceding 4 hits and 4 walks in just 3 innings, which tagged him for 3 runs (he did have 5 strikeouts, though). Mazza, an 8th-round pick in 2024, really just could not find the strike zone, as he threw just 31 of his 66 pitches for strikes. Mazza’s debut season in Low-A last year was a success, as he had a 2.22 ERA in 21 starts. But there were some worrying signs, as he had just a 4.36 FIP, thanks in large part to walking 5 batters per 9 innings. So far this year that has remained an issue, as he has 7 walks in just 5.1 innings (and also 7 hits and 7 earned runs).

Unfortunately, the pitcher who followed him was even worse, as RHP Cole Hillier gave up 3 hits, 3 walks, and a hit batter in just 1.1 innings, while allowing 3 runs.

But unfortunately, neither Mazza nor Hillier could compete with the disaster that took place on the mound for RHP Liam Simon. Here’s how his game went:

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Single
Walk
Hit batter
Walk
Double
Single
Fielder’s choice with his own error

In all, Simon recorded no outs, and had 5 earned runs tagged to his name. Unfortunately the issues that plagued him in his return from injury a year ago — an inability to find the strike zone — are still there for the 2022 5th-round pick. After walking 38 batters in 26.2 innings in High-A a year ago, the 25-year old has issued 5 walks in just 1 inning in 2026.

If you like pain, I’ll keep going. Simon was replaced by RHP Austin Strickland, who gave up more baserunners (5) than outs recorded (4). In all, Strickland hit a better, walked 3, and ceded a double, while getting hit with 3 earned runs. Ouch.

But hey, it’s not all bad! RHP Ryan Vanderhei gave up just 1 hit in 1.2 scoreless innings, with 4 strikeouts! A great game for the 2023 10th-rounder, who has 7 strikeouts (and no walks!) in just 3.2 shutout frames this year.

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San Jose Giants lost to the Visalia Rawhide (D-Backs) 9-7
Box score

If you had any question as to whether shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL) was going to slow down, I have a very happy answer for you: no. No he is not going to, it seems.

Thursday was yet another dynamic game for Level, who seems intent on transcending from breakout prospect into star. It was just another day at the office for Level against Visalia, as he hit 2-4 with a double, a walk, and a strikeout. Over the last 4 games, Level is hitting an unthinkable 11-19 with 7 extra-base hits, 2 walks, and just 2 strikeouts. Yes, I think a 1.493 OPS and a 258 wRC+ will play, personally. And yes, I think he should keep hitting like that. That would be a very nice thing.

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One other note on Level: while there is a question as to whether he’ll be able to stay at shortstop or move to second base down the road, he’s getting all the reps in San Jose, while the defensively-excellent Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL) is mostly playing second base. Level split time in the middle infield last year during his short stint of being teammates with Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL), but has not played second base this year (though he has 1 start at designated hitter, at which point Meola did get to slide over to short).

First baseman Jeremiah Jenkins had a fantastic day, hitting 2-5 and smashing his 1st home run of the year, while also striking out. A 22-year old lefty taken in the 14th round of the 2024 draft, Jenkins has only played 3 times this season, but has made the most of his opportunities, hitting 5-12 with 2 extra-base hits and 2 walks. That’s a nice sight, after he struggled with the level last year.