2023 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List No. 41

Mar 24, 2023 - 5:56 PM

All signs point to Note: Today is the final day of nominations! Head to the comment section to nominate the final group of prospects for Monday.

We have 40 names in the book in the 2023 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List. Which means we just need to add four more names to the list and we’ll have completed our ranking of the top 44 prospects in the San Francisco Giants organization.

Rounding out the top 40 is right-handed pitcher Gerelmi Maldonado, who makes his CPL debut.

Maldonado, an international free agent from Venezuela, spent 2022 — his second year of pro ball — playing rookie ball in the Arizona Complex League. Primarily used as a starter, he appeared in 14 games and made eight starts. His run prevention was great, as he sported a 2.27 ERA, though his 3.86 FIP was less optimistic. It was the strikeouts that were most exciting for Maldonado, as he had 59 of them in just 39.2 innings. His walks — he issued 19 — were not as great, but not particularly concerning, either.

All signs point to Maldonado beginning the year in the Low-A San Jose rotation, where he’ll be one of the youngest players in the league — he only turned 19 in late December. If his strikeouts and ERA hold at the next level, then keep your eye on this kid.

Right-handed pitchers continue to be one of the funnier positions in the Giants prospect system, as Maldonado’s placement gives us a whopping 16 righties in the top 40 ... despite not having one in the top 10.

Now on we march. And as a reminder, it’s nomination day, so head to the comments to not just vote for No. 41, but also nominate players for Monday’s CPL.

The list so far

1. Kyle Harrison — LHP
2. Marco Luciano — SS
3. Casey Schmitt — 3B
4. Luis Matos — CF
5. Vaun Brown — OF
6. Grant McCray — CF
7. Aeverson Arteaga — SS
8. Carson Whisenhunt — LHP
9. Reggie Crawford — LHP/DH
10. Patrick Bailey — C
11. Mason Black — RHP
12. Heliot Ramos — OF
13. Eric Silva — RHP
14. Jairo Pomares — OF
15. Cole Waites — RHP
16. Keaton Winn — RHP
17. R.J. Dabovich — RHP
18. Tyler Fitzgerald — INF
19. Ryan Murphy — RHP
20. Landen Roupp — RHP
21. Will Wilson — INF
22. Adrian Sugastey — C
23. Trevor McDonald — RHP
24. Tristan Beck — RHP
25. Will Bednar — RHP
26. Nick Swiney — LHP
27. Rayner Arias — OF
28. Carson Seymour — RHP
29. Hunter Bishop — OF
30. Sean Hjelle — RHP
31. Ryan Reckley — SS
32. Randy Rodriguez — RHP
33. Brett Wisely — INF
34. Blake Sabol — C
35. Jose Cruz — RHP
36. Hayden Birdsong — RHP
37. P.J. Hilson — OF
38. Brett Auerbach — UTIL
39. Nick Zwack — LHP
40. Gerelmi Maldonado — RHP

Note: Clicking on the above names will link to the CPL where they were voted onto the list.

On to No. 41!

No. 41 prospect nominees

Ricardo Genovés — 23.10-year old C, 70 wRC+ in AAA (147 PA), 81 wRC+ in AA (203 PA)
Manuel Mercedes — 20.5-year old RHP, 6.26 FIP in Low-A (80.2 IP)
Onil Perez — 20.6-year old C, 102 wRC+ in ACL (171 PA)
Diego Velasquez — 19.5-year old SS, 6 wRC+ in Low-A (47 PA), 106 wRC+ in ACL (190 PA)

Note: Each player’s first name links to their Baseball-Reference page, and their last name links to their Fangraphs page.

Reminder: voting (and nominating!) is now in the comments!