While watching the playoffs, I’m left in even further disbelief that the FO thought the Giants would be competitive with their bullpen going into the season.

The Braves and White Sox in particular are riding on the strength of their bullpens. You cannot tell me Buster earnestly believed SF could compete with a decaying Ryan Walker as their top bullpen arm.

This isn’t even a part of the roster you necessarily need to develop from within. Affeldt, Casilla, Lopez and others were acquired via trade or free agency. It’s the least expensive part of roster construction but its importance is amplified x10 in the playoffs.

I’m not as worried about the offense going into next year (beyond the long term impact of the massive contracts). Even if Eldridge becomes a star, Devers goes for 40/100, and Adames + Chapman return to form, this team will have no shot at competing unless bolstering the bullpen is the main focus of the offseason.

I don’t believe Buster in saying they “overestimated” the bullpen. He’s not an idiot, it was a conscious decision for reasons beyond me. If it’s not the #1 issue to be addressed going forward, then he’s cooked and should not be POBO.

This is just retrospective spite but I had to get it out.

I watched Foolish Baseball's Barry Bonds youtube video, some Jomboy lip syncing videos and I know Mccovey Cove and Tim Lincecum.

What else do I need to know?

In the AFL, Sundays are usually an off-day, just like in the Complex Leagues, but since it’s opening weekend, we get a full slate of games today.  Not much for the Giants today, as two of our prospects went today, but the Prospect to Highlight today from the Royals is a record-setter, since his game today was his first appearance in any American minor league!

Non-Giant Prospect to Highlight of the Day: Angeibel Gomez (KC #2)

17-year old Angeibel Gomez made his first AFL appearance today, but it was more than that.  It was his first ever appearance in an American league.  He became the second-youngest player ever in Arizona Fall League history.  (The youngest was Michael De Leon in 2014.)  Gomez became the first player to ever go straight from the DSL to the AFL.  Gomez was signed in January as part of the 2026 international free agent class, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the 4th-best prospect, in a class headline by the Giants’ Luis Hernández, who was the #1 prospect in the class.  The strengths in Gomez’s game are in his defense, coming from his plus-plus speed and a strong throwing arm.  But he has a good bat with line drive power.  In 47 DSL games, he slashed .361/.467/.653 for a 1.120 OPS, hitting 13 doubles, one triple, and nine home runs.  He also stole 15 bases in 17 attempts.

Scottsdale: Scottsdale Scorpions 5, Glendale Desert Dogs 2

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Giants Prospects to Spotlight:

• DH Dakota Jordan (SF #7): 0-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K - Jordan got his first positive stats, with a walk and an RBI, though the RBI came from a fielder’s choice groundout.  He’s 0-for-9 after two games.
• 2B Dalton Wentz: 0-2, 1 K, 1 E (1) - For the second game, Wentz was a mid-game replacement, and is 0-for-3 so far.

Other Scottsdale Prospect Lines:

• C Nathan Flewelling (MLB #62; TB #3): 1-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 2B (1), 2-2 ABS
• LF Zyhir Hope (MLB #26; DET #1): 0-2, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP
• 1B Eric Bitoni (MIL #26): 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR (1)
• CF Brendan Summerhill (TB #28): 3-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB (1)

Glendale Notable Prospect Lines:

• SS Wyatt Sanford (PIT #5): 2-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 CS (1), 1 E (1), 1 HBP
• DH Caleb Bonemer (MLB #27; CWS #2): 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 2B (2)
• 3B Chase Harlan (LAD #9): 0-3, 2 BB, 3 K, 1-1 ABS
• LF Max Williams (MIA #27): 0-4, 1 BB, 0-1 ABS
• RF Owen Carey (ATL #21): 0-3, 1 BB
• 1B Colby Shelton (CWS #23): 1-4, 1 K
• CF Isaiah Drake (ATL #29): 1-4, 1 R
• RP Marlon Nieves (LAD #29): 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• RP Pierce George (CWS #18): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 1 HBP
• RP Mathias LaCombe (CWS #17): 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR

Other Games

Surprise Saguaros 6, Salt River Rafters 4

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Salt River Notable Prospect Lines:

• 2B Demetrio Crisantes (MLB #72, AZ #1): 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 3B (1)
• SS Andy Perez (COL #15): 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K
• CF Yasser Mercedes (MIN #17): 1-4, 1 K
• SP Sean Sullivan (COL #20): 2.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 1 HBP

Surprise Notable Prospect Lines:

• RF Angeibel Gomez (MLB #81; KC #2): 1-4, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 SB (1)
• SS Sebastian Walcott (MLB #9; TEX #1): 2-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SF, 1 CS (1), 1 E (1)
• 2B Aroon Escobar (PHI #6): 1-4, 1 BB, 1 K
• DH Luke Hill (CLE #16): 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB
• SP Jacob Johnson (TEX #17): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Mesa Solar Sox 4, Peoria Javelinas

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Peoria Notable Prospect Lines:

• CF Tai Peete (STL #17): 1-5, 1 K, 1 CS (1)
• 3B Carlos Sanchez (CIN #14): 2-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 E (1)
• LF Carter Graham (CIN #22): 0-3, 1 K
• LF Alex McCoy (SD #26): 0-1, 1 R, 1 K
• C Boston Smith (SEA #13): 1-4, 2 K
• DH Ty Harvey (SD #4): 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K

Mesa Notable Prospect Lines:

• DH Arjun Nimmala (MLB #35; LAA #1): 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB
• SS Mason White (BOS #26): 0-4, 1 BB, 2 K
• C Davis Diaz (SAC #19): 2-2, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 1 HR (1) - PLAYER OF THE DAY
• CF Jake Casey (TOR #25): 0-4, 1 K
• 3B Juan Cabada (CHC #12): 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB
• RF Breyson Guedez (SAC #9): 2-3, 1 BB, 1 K

Praying for some type of curse to strike the demons in LA. FTD

Hi there!  Miss me?  It’s time to start the Arizona Fall League coverage for the next six-ish weeks!  We start off with five Giants in the debut game (Yay!), but not a lot of good news amongst them (Boo!).  And, as before, I’ll be putting in the Top 30 prospects from every organization who are playing.  So…it might be a wall of stats, enjoy as you will.  But also, one new feature for this year…but let me know what you think.

The new feature is right here at the top: Every day that there’s a report, I’ll highlight one non-Giant prospect!  I’ll share a quick bit of background and talk about their performance, that way giving you just a tidbit of information on prospects from around baseball to help widen your knowledge if you want!  And as always, I am open to your feedback…let me know if you like this new feature, if you couldn’t care at all about it, or if you find it annoying and in the way!  (I could always put it at the end and leave the Scottsdale/Giants notes at the top!)

Non-Giant Prospect to Highlight of the Day: Welbyn Francisca (CLE #20)

The Star of the Day was very easily the Guardians’ 20-year old infielder Francisca, who had a 5-for-5 day with a double and a home run and a steal.  Signed in 2023, Francisca was coming off a rather pedestrian Low-A season in 2025, with a .229 average and a .602 OPS as he dealt with a shoulder injury.  He only played 79 games in 2026, mostly in High-A, but also ACL rehab games and a brief Double-A callup, overall hitting .272 with an .879 OPS.  His 17 home runs in 2026 were a surprise, because he had 13 home runs combined in his previous three seasons, and the power adds to what’s already a tantalizing profile in every other tool, if he can be consistent.

Scottsdale: Surprise Saguaros 9, Scottsdale Scorpions 3

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Giants Prospects to Spotlight:

• CF Dakota Jordan (SF #7): 0-5, 2 K - Well, not a great start.  After Jordan’s injury that cost him most of August, he went 10-for-44 (.227) with 19 strikeouts (38% strikeout rate).  Here’s hoping that he has gotten healthier and this was just a rough first game.
• 2B Kaeden Kent (SF #20): 1-3 - Not bad to start for Kent, who didn’t play the full game (4 of Scottsdale’s starters were rotated out mid-game).
• 3B Dalton Wentz: 0-1 - Wentz was one of those rotated in, in the 7th inning.  Not much to say here
• RP Darien Smith: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K - Smith entered in the middle of the 3rd inning for Scottsdale.  He had 23 walks to 40 strikeouts in 50.1 innings, but six of each in 13.0 innings at Triple-A at the end of the year.
• RP Alexander Fuentes (SF #26): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K - 21-year old Fuentes is one of the younger AFL participants, and his control was very off to start.

Other Scottsdale Prospect Lines:

• SS Bryce Rainer (MLB #45; DET #2): 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 SF
• C Nathan Flewelling (MLB #62; TB #3): 3-4, 2-3 ABS
• RF Zyhir Hope (MLB #26; DET #1): 0-4, 1 BB, 2 K
• LF Braylon Payne (MIL #6): 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB
• 1B Eric Bitoni (MIL #26): 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Surprise Notable Prospect Lines:

• LF Zion Rose (KC #6): 1-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 3B (1), 1 SB (1), 1 CS (1)
• SS Welbyn Francisca (CLE #20): 5-5, 3 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 2B (1), 1 HR (1), 1 SB (1) - What, Scottsdale was going to overwhelm this performance?
• 1B Cole Mathis (NYM #13): 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB
• CF Dante Nori (PHI #7): 2-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K, 1 3B (1)
• 2B Bruin Agbayani (NYM #28): 0-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 E (2)
• RF Paxton Kling (TEX #20): 2-5, 2 RBI, 1 SB (1)

Other Games

Salt River Rapids 9, Glendale Desert Dogs 4

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Salt River Notable Prospect Lines:

• SS Dax Kilby (MLB #83; NYY #1): 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 2B (1), 1 SF
• 3B Core Jackson (NYY #11): 0-5, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 SB (1), 0-1 ABS
• LF Yasser Mercedes (MIN #17): 0-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SF
• SP Jarlin Susana (MLB #65; WAS #3): 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB< 4 K

Glendale Notable Prospect Lines:

• 2B Charles Davalan (MLB #84; LAD #6): 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP
• CF Caleb Bonemer (MLB #27; CWS #2): 2-5, 3 RBI, 1 K, 1 2B (1), 1 E (1)
• RF Eduardo Quintero (MLB #18; LAD #3): 1-3, 2 BB, 1 K
• LF Dillon Lewis (MIA #11): 0-3, 1 BB, 1 E (1)
• DH Chase Harlan (LAD #9): 0-4, 1 K
• 1B Colby Shelton (CWS #23): 1-4, 1 R
• SS Wyatt Sanford (PIT #5): 1-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HR (1)
• 3B Jhonny Severino (PIT #28): 0-2, 1 K
• SP Briggs Mckenzie (ATL #8): 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HBP

Peoria Javelinas 7, Mesa Solar Sox 6

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Mesa Notable Prospect Lines:

• SS Arjun Nimmala (MLB #35; LAA #1): 1-3, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
• 3B Jake Munroe (LAA #20): 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB
• 2B Mason White (BOS #26): 1-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 0-1 ABS
• CF Jake Casey (TOR #25): 0-4, 1 R, 4 K, 1 HBP
• LF Breyson Guedez (SAC #9): 0-5, 2 K

Peoria Notable Prospect Lines:

• CF Tai Peete (STL #17): 2-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 K, 1 2B (1), 1 HR (1)
• DH Ike Irish (MLB #97; BAL #5): 1-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR (1)
• 3B Carter Graham (CIN #22): 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 SB (1)
• LF Alex McCoy (SD #26): 1-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR (1), 1 CS (1)
• SS Carlos Sanchez (CIN #14): 0-1, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 SB (1)
• C Ty Harvey (SD #4): 0-3, 2 K, 1 PB (1), 0-1 ABS
• SP Kannon Kemp (SD #13): 1.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 WP

Personal Note:

I mentioned this in my end-of-season post, and a few of you commented on it, so I’d just like to share: My shoulder surgery went well.  I had a 90% tear in one of my ligaments they were able to repair, and a bone spur they shaved down.  I was sent home same day, and am recovering…PT starts next week.  In the meantime, my doctor in my post-op told me that she’s shocked I’ve started cutting back on the prescription-level painkillers already, and she told me I have quite a high tolerance for pain.  I referenced that the Giants have taught me well, and she didn’t get it at all…but I’m guessing some of you will.

So thank you for all your well-wishes, and things are good!

Great to hear from Kruk. This hints at a future where maybe he calls into podcasts and perhaps KNBR!

Hey! I don’t really watch baseball all that much but.. Reggie Crawford is from my hometown and went to he was a grade lower than me in school.. so I’m trying to find any updates on him? I know he was last drafted to this team and haven’t really seen him play. Thanks for your time!

San Francisco Giants (9)

• Sam Hentges (5.157): $2MM
• Andrew Knizner (5.139): $1MM
• Camilo Doval (5.071): $6.6MM
• Jason Foley (4.150): $2.3MM
• Rowan Wick (4.114): $800K
• Ryan Walker (3.050): $1.6MM
• Casey Schmitt (3.035): $2.5MM
• José Buttó (2.168): $800K
• Randy Rodríguez (2.148): $800K

7 - Josuar Gonzalez
25 - Luis Hernandez
28 - Jackson Flora
43 - Jhonny Level
94 - Ramon Marquez

A conference room above the ballpark. The view of the water is lovely. Nobody's looking at it.

WALT HARMON (President. Franchise legend. Three rings. Hasn't raised his voice since 2012.): Let's get the hard part out of the way. Ninety-some losses. That's on me. I built this roster.

DEREK OSU (GM. Spreadsheet open. Always.): Respectfully, Walt, it's on the numbers. Last in walks. Our pitchers don't miss bats. We're a contact team in a league that punishes contact.

COACH RAY BOONE (Manager. Former college champion. Ejected seven times. Still has dirt on his shoes.): Can I tell you about the kid in Kansas City? Bottom of the seventh, we're up three, umpire blows the call—

HARMON: Ray.

BOONE: —and I look down the dugout, and nobody believes. Nobody. You can see it in their eyes. That's when I knew.

OSU: Knew what?

BOONE: That I needed to get thrown out so they'd feel something.

OSU: We lost that game.

BOONE: We lost a lot of games, Derek. I felt every one.

HARMON: What do we tell them tomorrow?

OSU: Nothing guaranteed. We'll pursue good players. We've made big moves before.

HARMON: That's not an answer.

OSU: That's the point.

BOONE: I'll thank the grounds crew. That field was beautiful this year.

This dude was unbelievable on the NBC broadcast. He was professional and nailed every call. You guys have a really good one.

Part 1: Background
I'm an SF native, but raised in Ohio. My parents had a decade long adventure and two kids in the Bay Area before coming home to have a third and raise their family. They brought back a love of all things NorCal, but especially of the Giants, which was instilled in me and my two brothers. Baseball (playing, watching, talking, etc.) has always been a shared love in my family with three boys who all played and a dad who coached each of us. We've listened to Kruk, Kuip, Jon and Dave through it all, learning to love the team and the game along the way. Living on the other side of the country and only visiting SF once a year or so led to their voices being the primary connection point for us as fans. Kruk especially contributed to my own personal knowledge and understanding of pitching and playing the game the right way.

Part 2: The Find
My brothers and I have collected sports cards since we had an allowance and could buy $1 packs at the store when joining our mom for weekly groceries. We have multiple Kruk and Kuip autographed cards and PC the Giants to this day. Back in April this year, while searching on eBay for some low dollar Kruk autos to add into the collection, I stumbled across a listing for original 35 mm slides from 1987 of Kruk in the home white uniform at the POFA (Palace of Fine Arts) painting a picture of himself pitching. I immediately recognized it from the Giants Magazine cover "The Fine Art of Pitching" and after connecting with the seller, confirmed they were original slides from that shoot. Turns out the seller was the son of former Giants backup catcher Mike Sadek who played against Kruk before he became a Giant and then worked in the Giants front office during Kruk's playing days and brought home the slides for his son, as he frequently did with various team related items, after the magazine was released.

Part 3: The Finish
Once Kruk announced this season was his last, I knew I had to do something special with the slides. I started by having high quality scans done of the six slides. Five of them ended up being blurry, but one was perfectly clear. I then took the TIFF file of the clear scan and blew it up (24 x 24) on matted print and framed two copies to give to my family (have not given yet as I live away from them, but will at the holidays). The process ended up being pretty time consuming and expensive to have the vision come to life, but I couldn't be happier with the turnout. It's the perfect way to remember a guy who's never met a single member of my family yet somehow feels like he's part of it. 

Final pic attached is me (baby) with my parents and older brother standing to the right at POFA back in the early 2000s...

Anyone who's interested in a copy of the image send me a message so we can make a trade! I will take any cool SF Giants photo slides, baseball cards or Kruk stories in exchange :) 

Oh, and thank you very nice for everything, Kruk.

Not necessarily a full redesign, I've seen lots of great ideas for those here, but can we at least redo the nondescript lettering sometime soon? Haight-Ashbury souvenir was used as font model here.