They Might Be SF Giants: Davidson's Triple-A Tear, Whitman Blanks Sacramento
By Taylor Anderson ·
They Might Be SF Giants covers the last 7 days of action for the Giants farm system.
Davidson's September at Sacramento Has Been Something Else
Nine hits in 20 plate appearances this week, including a double, a triple, and two home runs. Bo Davidson (AAA, OF, Rank: 7) was on track for another standout performance before a foul ball caught his right ankle during his second at-bat on September 9, forcing him out of that game. The injury is worth monitoring, but the week's production is real: five RBI, two walks, and a contact quality that has been consistent all month. What Davidson has done over the last 30 days at Sacramento is not subtle. Across 114 plate appearances since mid-August, he is slashing .390/.456/.780 with nine home runs, ten doubles, and 27 RBI, with his strikeout rate dropping to 15.8 percent against a 77.1 percent contact rate. That last number stands out because the contact rate is actually running above his season mark, suggesting the swing decisions have genuinely sharpened at this level.
The full 2026 line across Double-A and Triple-A reads .286/.356/.524 with 28 home runs, 90 RBI, and 19 steals in 528 plate appearances. Last year he hit .281/.376/.468 across two levels with 18 home runs, so the power has taken a real step forward in 2026, not just a hot month inflating the numbers. He is a 50 hit tool with a 55 power grade, and the power is absolutely running to grade and then some. The 55 speed is still showing up on the bases with 19 steals, and the arm is strong enough to cover all three outfield spots. The honest concern remains the contact quality against major-league-caliber breaking balls, and the 72.6 percent season contact rate keeps that question alive. But a 24-year-old outfielder with 28 home runs and a .524 slugging at Double-A and Triple-A has done more than enough to put his name on the short list for a September or spring call-up conversation. The ankle situation will determine how much more he gets to say about it this year.
Whitman Runs His Hot Streak Through Sacramento
Seven innings, five hits, zero runs, one walk, and three strikeouts this week. Joe Whitman (AAA, LHP, Rank: 18) got 7 swinging misses in the process and continued what has become one of the better starting-pitcher stretches in the system this month. The walk total stands out against the larger sample, but the rest of the line shows what a 50 command grade with a 55 slider looks like when everything is working. Over his last 30 days at Sacramento, he has logged 30.1 innings across five outings with a 1.78 ERA, a 3.2 percent walk rate, and a 19.4 percent strikeout rate. The walk number over that stretch is particularly meaningful: his season BB% sits at 6.6 percent across both levels, so the recent command improvement is not just a one-start blip.
The combined 2026 line is 123.1 innings with a 3.58 ERA, 128 strikeouts, and a 25 percent K rate. At Double-A his ERA was 3.22 with a 33.2 percent strikeout rate, and while the Triple-A numbers (3.82 ERA) are less flashy, the last month has shown the run prevention trending in the right direction. Last year at Double-A he posted a 5.29 ERA across 117.1 innings, so 2026 represents a genuine step forward rather than a level repeat. The slider is the carrying pitch, sitting at 85 mph with enough bite and consistency to serve as his primary put-away option. The changeup gives him something to throw against right-handed hitters, though it remains more average than weapon. A 93-94 mph four-seamer that he can work up in the zone helps set everything else up. The back-end starter projection is intact, and this September run gives him momentum heading into the offseason that could push him to the front of the 40-man conversation.
Quick Hits
Josuar Gonzalez (A, SS, Rank: 1) · drove in three on five hits, including a home run, across 18 plate appearances this week. The 18-year-old switch-hitter is slashing .370/.443/.565 over his last 21 games at San Jose, with five doubles, five triples, and a 12.3 percent walk rate during that stretch. The combined 2026 line across the complex and Low-A sits at .351/.447/.544 with 21 steals, 41 walks, and 59 RBI in 275 plate appearances. A 55 hit tool and 60 speed at 18 years old doing significant damage at Low-A makes the current second-division regular projection look like a floor, not a ceiling.
Isaiah Barkett (A+, 2B, Rank: 29) · returned from the injured list September 6 after missing time with facial fractures suffered when he was hit by a pitch in late July. He went 3-for-10 in three games since returning, drawing three walks against just one strikeout across 14 plate appearances this week. The patience at the plate was there immediately. Before the injury he was hitting .331/.411/.474 with 18 steals at Low-A across 341 plate appearances, so the contact-first profile the 50 hit grade and 87.4 percent season contact rate describe is very much still the expectation heading into his A+ stint.
Lorenzo Meola (A, SS, Rank: 37) · went deep twice in 19 plate appearances this week, adding four walks for good measure. The 22-year-old is hitting .303/.414/.539 over his last 23 games at Low-A, with four home runs, five doubles, and a 12.6 percent walk rate. The full season line of .269/.353/.468 with 15 home runs in 547 PA shows the power is above the 45 grade, even if the 24.3 percent strikeout rate is the real question against more advanced pitching. A 60 field grade and 55 arm keep the shortstop profile honest regardless of where the bat settles.
Scott Bandura (AAA, OF, Rank: 49) · had eight hits in 29 plate appearances this week, two of them home runs, with four walks and just three strikeouts. Over his last 26 games at Sacramento he is slashing .376/.448/.633 with a 10.4 percent walk rate and a contact rate of 87.4 percent, both of which reflect a player genuinely in a groove. The full 2026 line of .320/.407/.490 with 13 home runs and 34 steals in 599 plate appearances across Double-A and Triple-A is a significant jump from last year's .271/.367/.400. The 45 power grade is running well ahead of its label; the 55 hit tool and elite contact rate are performing as projected.
Keyner Martinez (A, RHP, Rank: 23) · threw five clean innings this week, holding opponents scoreless on four hits with five strikeouts and 8 swinging misses. His last 30 days at Low-A show a 1.47 ERA across 18.1 innings with a 33.8 percent strikeout rate. A 60-grade fastball sitting 95-98 mph and a 60-grade slider give him the ceiling of a mid-rotation arm; the 2026 walk rate (11.8 percent season-long) and the below-average changeup are the two things standing between the stuff and the projection.
Jackson Flora (A, RHP, Rank: 3) · worked 2.2 innings in his Low-A start, allowing just one hit and striking out six batters, though he issued three walks across 12 batters faced. Flora is still ramping up with very limited professional track record, and the walk rate across his brief sample is something to watch. The stuff is not in question: a 65-grade fastball sitting 97-99 mph with a slider, sweeper, and changeup all grading 55 gives him a legitimate frontline ceiling. The 5 swinging misses in 2.2 innings illustrate why the all-star projection is not a reach even if the command work is ongoing.
Jhonny Level (A+, SS, Rank: 4) · had a rough week: 5-for-26 with no extra-base hits, no RBI, one walk, and eight strikeouts. Over his last 22 games at Eugene his strikeout rate has climbed to 23.4 percent with a swing rate of 57.8 percent, a combination that is going to create more swings-and-misses against quality breaking balls. Level is still hitting .311/.374/.513 with 18 home runs and 26 steals for the season across both levels, so the profile is far from broken. The 55 hit grade and 60 arm are still there, and the everyday shortstop ceiling has not changed based on one difficult stretch. At 19, the swing aggressiveness is probably a timing issue more than a structural one.
Jesus Rodriguez (MLB, C, Rank: 24) · was placed on the 60-day injured list September 4 with right elbow neuritis, ending what had been a solid big-league debut. He hit .235/.316/.412 with two home runs in 58 plate appearances at the major-league level this year while also posting a .268/.347/.397 line across 225 plate appearances at Triple-A Sacramento. The elbow condition is worth tracking over the offseason as he heads into what should be a critical developmental year behind the plate.