The San Francisco Giants farm system, at least at the top, is in a better position than it has been in at least a few years entering the 2025 campaign. It’s a team that hopes to contend on an annual basis and having the impact reinforcements necessary to navigate the dog days of summer is essential.
There are quite a few interesting arms to look forward to seeing in the Bay in 2025. And one big bat at the doorstep of soaking baseballs in McCovey Cove.
But is the farm system deep enough to swing trades this winter and next summer to get the organization over the top? That remains to be seen.
DEVELOPMENTS
What 1B Bryce Eldridge was able to accomplish in 2024 is nothing short of spectacular. There are no other words for it. The 2023 first-rounder blasted through Single-A, High-A, and Double-A, and arrived at Triple-A in September.
As if crossing four levels of professional baseball as a teenager isn’t impressive enough, he then took his stick to the Arizona Fall League where he boasted a .293/.348/.512 slash with two homers in 10 games. One might think he’d be exhausted from his endless summer travels. It would appear not.
Eldridge had a remarkable 2024 with the bat. He slashed .292/.374/.516 over 116 games across four levels smashing 23 homers along the way. An eager, anxious hitter, Eldridge was never overmatched. Instead, it was quite the contrary. His strikeout rate essentially fell at every level until he reached Triple-A. A 25.4 percent punch-out rate this year for a slugging teenager points toward a 2025 debut with the big league ball club.
Eldridge has abandoned the outfield and reviews of his play at first base suggest he could someday become a decorated defender on the dirt. He’s one of the top prospects in baseball. There’s no ifs, and, or buts about it.
Left-handed starter Carson Whisenhunt made strides in 2024, though his ceiling still appears limited from an impact perspective. He’s still brushing the mid-90s and showcasing one of the better changeups in the minor leagues, but Whisenhunt has struggled with walks and it’s limited his effectiveness. He does have over 100 innings at Triple-A under his belt and should be an Opening Day option in 2025.
Giants’ brass are bullish on what Trevor McDonald could eventually build into. An 11th-round pick in 2019, McDonald is a five-pitch guy who keeps hitters off-balance and has the ability to work deep into ballgames thanks to exceptional control and command of the strike zone. For the time being it’s mostly a smattering of fringe-to-average weapons with a curveball being the lone exception; consistently an above-average pitch flashing ‘plus’. McDonald lives in the low 90s but has been higher than that in the past. If he’s to lock down a full-time role in the Giants rotation in 2025 he’ll need to rediscover a more impactful fastball.
It’s a similar story for 2023 second-rounder Joe Whitman. The fastball and breaking ball are big-league quality enough, and he’ll show a changeup that at times has teeth. But too often his stuff will waver and outings get away from him. Still, it’s the potential for three solid-average pitches from a left-hander up into the mid-90s. He’s got a shot at becoming a backend rotation option in 2025 if his stuff takes a step like it did at times in 2024.
Keep an eye on outfielder Bo Davidson in 2025. He hit .327 this year up into Class-A ball after signing as an undrafted free agent last year. He can really run and go get it in the outfield. Most foresee a future in left field as he works his way up the ladder. There’s legitimate bat speed here and some projection in his upper half to dream on.
QUESTIONS
The Giants have pitching depth in the minors, including Whitman and McDonald, but it’s unclear if any of them are frontline arms — 2025 will go a long way to help determine that.
Where the club may have to acquire veterans is on the infield, particularly up the middle. Walker Martin is a few years away, as is Maui Ahuna, and the question on Aeverson Arteaga is the bat — he may see the majors soon enough, but currently projects as a utility type because he’s struggled to produce offensively since he slashed .270/.345/.431 in Single-A in 2022. He’s just 22 in March, but the odds are stacked against him.
The club has a stack of outfield options looking ahead, led by 2024 first-round pick James Tibbs III, so it’ll be interesting to see how they sift through the talent and trade from their position of strength.
Tibbs, however, figures to move through the minors rather quickly, and could become part of the club’s plans in 2026.
| LEVEL | TEAM | W-L | TOP PROSPECT |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | Sacramento | 80-70 | Bryce Eldridge, 1B |
| AA | Richmond | 64-74 | Diego Velasquez, SS |
| A+ | Eugene | 59-72 | James Tibbs III, OF |
| A | San Jose | 74-57 | Dakota Jordan, OF |
| R | Giants | 33-27 | Rayner Arias, OF |
| DSL | Black | 40-13 | Jhonny Level, SS |
| DSL | Orange | 29-27 | Jesus Alexander, C |
ADDITIONS & SUBTRACTIONS
The club added some depth by adding SS Christian Koss in March and picked up RHP Austin Strickland in the Joey Bart trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Giants then swapped RHP Daulton Jefferies for OF Rodolfo Nolasco, and acquired catching depth in a deal with the Kansas City Royals that landed Logan Porter in the Bay Area.
San Francisco gave up RHP Eric Silva to land 1B/DH Mark Canha, on the same day as maybe their best trade of the year.
In exchange for RHP Alex Cobb, the Giants received LHP Jacob Bresnahan from the Cleveland Guardians. Bresnahan profiles as a mid-rotation southpaw with a three-pitch mix, but there’s projection left in his 6-foot-4 frame and he’s already added some velocity since the 2023 Draft. Heckuva haul for a few months of Cobb, who was getting shelled in Single-A on rehab assignment just a few weeks prior.
In the draft, the Giants followed up their selection of Tibbs in Round 1 with power-hitting outfielder Dakota Jordan in Round 4. Fifth-round pick Jakob Christian offers size and projection, and sixth-rounder Robert Hipwell is a left-handed hitting third baseman with a chance at 20 homers.
GRADUATIONS
Tyler Fitzgerald, SS
Kyle Harrison, LHP
Landen Roupp, RHP
Randy Rodriguez, RHP
Erik Miller, LHP
Hayden Birdsong, RHP
Mason Black, RHP
Spencer Bivens, RHP
It was a tremendous class of graduated rookies for the Giants, led by Fitzgerald and Harrison, who project as key pieces to the 2025 roster.
Miller was a big piece to the bullpen, hanging tough versus right-handed batters and dominating lefties (.163/.287/.217).
Rodriguez and Roupp were quality middle relievers, and Birdsong teased what could be with big strikeout numbers (28%).
BIG-LEAGUE RADAR
Eldridge, 1B
Whisenhunt, LHP
Reggie Crawford, LHP
Diego Velasquez, 2B
Trent Harris, RHP
Jack Choate, LHP
SCOUT SAYS
“It’s starting to look like the start of something in that system. Reminds me of 2008 or 2009, when it was easy to see what was on its way, and where the big guns were coming from. You can see that here at the top at least…”
“We’re not talking enough about how (Heliot) Ramos flipped the switch. He hit well in the minor leagues and it seems like he got to a comfortable place last year and his natural ability to hit is shining. That’s a key piece for them for 2025 and 2026 as they decide which route to take under the new regime. Big development win here.”
CHURCHILL: SCOUTING WHISENHUNT, MADDEN
