The 2025 baseball season ended quite a while ago for the San Francisco Giants. Not just for their Major League team, but for their seven Minor League Baseball affiliates as well. With the exception of the seven prospects currently getting a little extra seasoning in the Arizona Fall League, it’s onto the offseason for everyone employed by the Giants.

While the season was disappointing mediocrity exemplified in San Francisco, it was an unequivocal success down on the farm. The overall talent level of the Giants’ farm system is still lacking relative to many organizations, and there was a shocking scarcity of youngsters graduating and blossoming on the largest stage, but even so, it was one of the best developmental years in recent memory for the team.

I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to pen a retrospective of the season, and arrived at this: taking a look at the stock for the players we all deemed to be the top prospects this time last year. For a more detailed breakdown of every prospect and every team in the system, I highly encourage everyone interested in prospectdom to read our good friend Roger Munter, who just finished wrapped up in-depth breakdowns of all seven affiliates. But for here, we’ll settle on looking back at the 44 players we ranked on the 2025 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List, and see how they performed this year relative to expectations.

This is far from comprehensive. Sticking to the CPL means we won’t be discussing youngsters who are prospects in spirit but not in law, such as Marco Luciano, Luis Matos, Hayden Birdsong, and Grant McCray. It means there won’t be any words on the influx of talent brought into the system in July, like Gavin Kilen, Trevor Cohen, Drew Gilbert, Blade Tidwell, and Jesús Rodríguez. And it means we’ll miss some of the best seasons in the system, which belong to players overlooked when the year began, and absent on the CPL; names like Luis De La Torre, Keyner Martinez, Drew Cavanaugh, and the lone player in the system who began the year as a prospect and ended it as a bonafide Major Leaguer, Christian Koss.

But we have to draw the line somewhere, and what better way to measure how someone’s stock has changed than by plucking the sample that already had some stock assigned to them?

For the purposes of this exercise, I’m going to be judging players against their rankings in last year’s CPL, regardless of my own thoughts. The community ranked some players higher than I would have, and some players lower, but the only fair way is to judge based on exactly that: how the community ranked them, and how they then performed.

So let’s begin. And hopefully we’ll see a whole lot of stock rising.

1. Bryce Eldridge — 1B

Stock: Up

AA: 34 games, 140 PA, .280/.350/.512, 7 home runs, 9.3% BB rate, 27.9% K rate, 0 SB, 148 wRC+
AAA: 66 games, 286 PA, .249/.322/.514, 18 home runs, 9.8% BB rate, 30.8% K rate, 1 SB, 106 wRC+
MiLB: 102 games, 433 PA, .260/.333/.510, 25 home runs, 9.7% BB rate, 29.3% K rate, 1 SB, 120 wRC+
MLB: 10 games, 37 PA, .107/.297/.179, 0 home runs, 18.9% BB rate, 35.1% K rate, 0 SB, 54 wRC+, -0.2 fWAR

How you view the season of Eldridge — who turns 21 today — says a lot about your approach to prospects. Given that he ended 2024 looking like he could possibly be the Opening Day first baseman in 2025, you could view the tall slugger not getting a cup of coffee until mid-September as a disappointment. Or, you could see him thoroughly dominate the Eastern League — where he was three-and-a-half years younger than his average peer — and see the season as a raucous success.

To me, the latter clearly occupies more space in reality than the former does, but everything is tempered by the (in)famous “top prospect” tag. Eldridge made developmental strides in the Minors, further refined his hitting approach, took a leap forward on defense, and looked immensely comfortable in the Major League batter’s box. He’s a better prospect now than he was this time last year, and that’s the definition of rising stock. My initial reaction was to give his stock something greater than “up,” but when you’re the unanimous top prospect in your organization, there are some diminishing returns when it comes to rising stock.

2. Carson Whisenhunt — LHP

Stock: Quite a bit down

AAA: 21 games (21 starts), 107.2 innings, 4.43 ERA, 4.77 FIP, 7.94 K/9, 2.93 BB/9
MLB: 5 games (5 starts), 23.1 innings, 5.01 ERA, 6.91 FIP, 6.17 K/9, 4.63 BB/9, -0.4 fWAR

This is the first time I’ve noticed that the Giants top two prospects share a birthday … albeit four years apart, as Whisenhunt is celebrating his 25th today. From a personal achievement standpoint, it was a highly memorable year for Whisenhunt: he was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year, and he made his MLB debut. And along the way, he showed some brilliant things: he was exceptional in his second career start, on the road, against a (not yet broken) New York Mets team full of sluggers. And in a league known for free passes, he was one of the PCL’s greatest arms at walk suppression.

But from a development standpoint, things took a sharp turn down. The “one to measure, one to rake” approach in AAA didn’t quite work with Whisenhunt, who spent the bulk of the year in Sacramento after spending all of 2024 there. No top prospect is hoping to throw 100+ innings at the same Minor League level in multiple seasons, but Whisenhunt did exactly that … and it’s no guarantee he won’t do it for a third year in 2026.

His strikeout rate plummeted, from 11.61 per nine innings in 2024 to just 7.94 this season. That was on display in the Majors, where it felt like he simply didn’t have an out pitch … and indeed, all three of his pitches graded out as below average at the Major League level.

He’s still a very strong prospect. But he’ll need a very strong spring just to break camp in the bullpen, and that’s not where anyone expected him to be this time last year.

3. James Tibbs III — OF

Stock: confusing (and gone)

High-A (SF): 57 games, 256 PA, .246/.379/.478, 12 home runs, 16.4% BB rate, 17.6% K rate, 3 SB, 135 wRC+
AA (BOS): 30 games, 138 PA, .207/.319/.267, 1 home run, 13.8% BB rate, 28.3% K rate, 2 SB, 77 wRC+
AA (LAD): 36 games, 168 PA, .269/.407/.493, 7 home runs, 17.3% BB rate, 21.4% K rate, 5 SB, 155 wRC+
MiLB: 123 games, 562 PA, .243/.373/.429, 20 home runs, 16.0% BB rate, 21.4% K rate, 10 SB, 127 wRC+

It was an odd year for the team’s 2024 first-round pick. If you want to give him a lot of credit, you can say he helped the Giants land Rafael Devers, though I think they really have Kyle Harrison and ownership’s willingness to eat the entirety of the contract to thank for that. And if you want to give him a lot of blame, you can get upset that he appeared to be an entirely different prospect upon landing in the Dodgers’ system than he was with the Giants or Red Sox. But until he repeats that performance at higher levels, I don’t think the Giants are losing any sleep about moving on from him.

4. Rayner Arias — OF

Stock: So very, very far down

ACL: 47 games, 178 PA, .242/.333/.366, 3 home runs, 8.4% BB rate, 25.8% K rate, 4 SB, 84 wRC+
Low-A: 7 games, 30 PA, .040/.133/.040, 0 home runs, 6.7% BB rate, 30.0% K rate, 1 SB, -41 wRC+
MiLB: 54 games, 208 PA, .213/.304/.320, 3 home runs, 8.2% BB rate, 26.4% K rate, 5 SB, 66 wRC+

Gone — for now, at least — is the player who thoroughly dominated the Dominican Summer League in 2023. Arias did it all that year: he hit for average, he hit for power, he barely struck out, he drew a billion walks, and he played strong center field defense. That year ended with a wrist injury, and he was a shell of himself in 2024 in his stateside debut … which featured a second wrist injury. I gave him the benefit of the doubt that he just needed to shake the post-injury rust off, but this year was another leap backwards. No hitting for average, no hitting for power, no suppressing strikeouts, no drawing walks, and mediocre defense that’s already been moved to a corner.

Arias is still a teenager, and a superb athlete, so his story is far from finished. But after landing in the top five in consecutive CPLs, he’s now facing an uphill battle to make the list at all.

5. Josuar González — SS

Stock: As up as up can possibly be

DSL: 52 games, 228 PA, .288/.404/.455, 4 home runs, 16.2% BB rate, 15.8% K rate, 33 SB, 129 wRC+

As Arias is a painful reminder of, there’s only so much we can learn from DSL stats, though González certainly filled them up across the board. Notes from scouts and prospect specialists are what matter most at any level, but especially the lowest ones, and it’s safe to say that González absolutely burst on the scene. He had highly professional at-bats, put up the type of exit velocities and bat swing speeds that get every team’s attention, was a menace on the basepaths, and looked like a weapon at shortstop. He began the year with outlandish Francisco Lindor comparisons; he ended it with less outlandish Francisco Lindor Comparisons.

6. Jhonny Level — SS

Stock: Way, way up

ACL: 58 games, 261 PA, .288/.375/.493, 9 home runs, 12.6% BB rate, 15.3% K rate, 17 SB, 119 wRC+
Low-A: 31 games, 147 PA, .236/.333/.339, 3 home runs, 11.6% BB rate, 20.4% K rate, 4 SB, 91 wRC+
MiLB: 89 games, 408 PA, .269/.360/.436, 12 home runs, 12.3% BB rate, 17.2% K rate, 21 SB, 109 wRC+

The numbers don’t jump off the page for Level, but then you remember that he didn’t turn 18 until two days after the Giants season began. And you remember that he’s a shortstop. And you remember that he’s a switch-hitter. Level was more than one-and-a-half years younger than his peers in Arizona, and more than three years younger in the Cal League. If it weren’t for González’s existence, he’d be getting a lot of attention as Willy Adames’ heir apparent; as is, he’ll likely be on most top 100 lists when spring rolls around, and is near the very top of the list of Giants prospects to follow.

7. Mason Black — RHP

Stock: Concerningly down

AAA: 30 games (24 starts), 119.1 innings, 5.81 ERA, 5.64 FIP, 8.60 K/9, 4.68 BB/9
MLB: 1 game, 4.0 innings, 6.75 ERA, 7.14 FIP, 11.25 K/9, 0.00 BB/9, -0.1 fWAR

Black had a quality 2024 — one that featured an MLB debut — but couldn’t build on it this year. His year-over-year stats took a tumble, as he posted a higher ERA, FIP, and walk rate in AAA than a year prior, while his strikeout rate dipped. But the biggest red flag was the team’s complete lack of faith in him: when the Giants were short on arms they turned to virtually anyone and everyone else, including numerous journeymen who weren’t on the 40-man roster. Black spent just three days on the active roster, and appeared in one game. Towards the end of the year, the Giants moved him from the AAA rotation into a one-inning relief role, but it’s hard to envision him having much success there given his lack of velocity.

8. Dakota Jordan — OF

Stock: Up, up, up!

Low-A: 88 games, 416 PA, .311/.377/.497, 14 home runs, 8.9% BB rate, 22.8% K rate, 27 SB, 137 wRC+

I listed Jordan as my “must watch” prospect going into 2025, and no, I’m not going to take a victory lap. I didn’t think Jordan was must watch because I expected this out of him; I thought he was a must watch because the tools where there such that you could dream this would happen to him, even though you knew it probably wouldn’t. Most good MLB players are developmental success stories of players who beat all the odds and became the best-case scenario of their prospect selves: and for Jordan, the best-case scenario is utterly intoxicating.

He opened the year as a player with elite power and speed, but a massive contact issue. He ended the year as a player with elite power and speed matched with a modest strikeout rate and the best batting average in the Cal League. He dropped his strikeout rate from 29.0% in college in 2024, to 22.8% in A-ball in 2025, and I cannot put to words how impressive that is. He also stole 27 bases after having just seven, total, in his two collegiate seasons.

9. Joe Whitman — LHP

Stock: Down. I think. It’s confusing. No, definitely down.

AA: 26 games (26 starts), 117.1 innings, 5.29 ERA, 3.61 FIP, 9.51 K/9, 3.61 BB/9

You want a player who is statistically confusing? There were 101 pitchers in the Eastern League who threw at least 50 innings in 2025. Whitman ranked 91st in ERA … but 41st in FIP. In total, his year seemed to be one defined by a loss of sharpness to his tools. He doesn’t look all that electric and doesn’t throw all that hard, and outside of being a southpaw with draft pedigree, I’m not entirely sure what one would look at to be excited. But then again, he repeatedly showed flashes, such as an early May start in which he tossed six perfect innings with 10 strikeouts.

10. Reggie Crawford — LHP

Stock: It’s sad and I don’t want to talk about it.

Crawford underwent surgery in 2024 to repair the labrum in his shoulder, and while “Tommy John” might be the scariest pair of words in pitching, one could make a very, very strong case that shoulder surgery is even more concerning. Crawford was back to throwing off a mound at the end of 2025, and ramping up for a possible Arizona Fall League appearance, but suffered a setback and had to undergo another surgery.

When he’s healthy, there’s no one like him: a tall uber-athlete southpaw with a 70/70 fastball/slider combo who can hit triple digits and just seems to have the It Factor. But he’s been a pro for four seasons and has thrown 37.1 innings … total. After throwing all of 7.2 in college. There are pitchers who have thrown more innings in the 2025 postseason than Crawford has thrown since graduating high school in 2019.

11. Bo Davidson — CF

Stock: To the moon!

High-A: 72 games, 335 PA, .309/.412/.507, 10 home runs, 14.6% BB rate, 22.1% K rate, 12 SB, 152 wRC+
AA: 42 games, 187 PA, .234/.312/.401, 8 home runs, 10.2% BB rate, 24.1% K rate, 7 SB, 110 wRC+
MiLB: 114 games, 522 PA, .281/.376/.468, 18 home runs, 13.0% BB rate, 22.8% K rate, 19 SB, 137 wRC+

The only negative you can find in Davidson’s 2025 was that he had a slight injury setback late in the year, which cost him the (admittedly very slim) chance of opening 2026 in AAA. Instead, he’ll be back in Richmond, but he’ll have a chance to make it to Sacramento early in the year, and assuming San Francisco’s outfield situation is as grim next year as it was this year, you can’t even rule out the chance of him debuting next year.

Any concerns of Davidson’s breakout 2024 being a flash in the pan for the undrafted lefty quickly disappeared. He’s a true five-tool player, one of the best athletes in the system, and someone whose tools look just as loud — if not louder — the higher he climbs. And it’s earned him a spot on some top 100 lists … a remarkable achievement for someone who went overlooked in the draft a mere two years ago.

12. Aeverson Arteaga — SS

Stock: Tumbling way, way down

AA: 134 games, 474 PA, .189/.239/.269, 6 home runs, 6.1% BB rate, 26.2% K rate, 5 SB, 50 wRC+

Arteaga had the double whammy of prospect pain: he had a brutal season, while the other players in the system that play his position shined. Once Luis Hernandez (presumably) signs in January, you could make a case that shortstops occupy three of the top four spots on the Giants prospect list … and that doesn’t even include the player they used a first-round pick on a few months ago.

The good news is that Arteaga is still a defensive wizard who doesn’t need to be an offensive stud to make his impact at the Major League level. The bad news is, even the best defensive players need some semblance of offensive success, and you will have to spend a very long time searching before you find a position player who posted a full season below the Mendoza Line in the Minors and went on to be a steady Major Leaguer.

13. Wade Meckler — OF

Stock: Down

AAA: 87 games, 401 PA, .287/.390/.370, 1 home run, 14.2% BB rate, 18.0% K rate, 11 SB, 109 wRC+

It wasn’t an all together bad season for Meckler, but it was the type of season that leaves you wondering what path — if any — he has to the Majors. His defense in center field is well behind Grant McCray and Drew Gilbert’s, and I’d argue even a bit behind Luis Matos and Jung Hoo Lee’s. It’s nothing of note at the corners, either, where his bat almost certainly doesn’t play. In the Coors Field conditions of the Pacific Coast League (plus a trio of rehab games in Arizona), Meckler stepped up to the plate 411 times … and hit the ball over the fence once. He made a lot of contact, but not as much as he did earlier in his career, and certainly not enough to make up for the fact that he doesn’t provide value in any other facet of the game.

14. Walker Martin — 3B

Stock: Down

Low-A: 108 games, 482 PA, .234/.353/.384, 12 home runs, 14.3% BB rate, 28.4% K rate, 13 SB, 107 wRC+

There’s an easy way to view Martin’s season as a success: compare it to the prior season. In his debut campaign, the lefty posted a 37.6% strikeout rate in the Complex League and a 46.3% rate in the Cal League; he slashed that number to 28.4% this year. Unfortunately, that’s still an exceptionally high number for a 21-year old repeating the level. And it’s not as if he were a boom-or-bust swinger, either: his 12 home runs were tied for sixth in the league, but he was 10th in plate appearances. Along the way, the 2023 second-round pick, drafted in large part for his athleticism, was moved from shortstop to third base, but his defense struggled there, too.

15. Trevor McDonald — RHP

Stock: Up, and saved by the bell

AAA: 29 games (24 starts), 142.1 innings, 5.31 ERA, 5.53 FIP, 9.11 K/9, 3.92 BB/9
MLB: 3 games (2 starts), 15.0 innings, 1.80 ERA, 2.54 FIP, 8.40 K/9, 1.20 BB/9, 0.4 fWAR

Had the Giants had a better season, McDonald’s stock would be way down. Instead, they had a disappointing season, and his stock went up. It was a poor season for McDonald in AAA, and it wasn’t until the Giants season was effectively over — and they had been dealt injury upon injury — that they threw their hands up and let McDonald have a turn a the wheel. And my, oh my, did he run with it. McDonald put up sensational stats in his MLB run, and entirely looked the part. Maybe it isn’t sustainable, but for a four-pitch arm who generates a lot of groundballs, you can certainly make the case that having the best defensive catcher in baseball call your game and a quality MLB infield behind you can unlock some things.

16. Diego Velasquez — 2B

Stock: Holding

AA: 128 games, 566 plate appearances, .256/.362/.315, 2 home runs, 12.4% BB rate, 14.3% K rate, 19 SB, 107 wRC+

At this point we can probably give up on the idea of Velasquez ever being an everyday player in the Majors. But then again, if you’re expecting the No. 16 prospect in a poor farm system to be an everyday player in the Majors, that’s a you problem. Velasquez, like Meckler, has a power problem. He posted just two home runs, a year after hitting only four. His isolated slugging mark of .059 was 127th out of 134 Eastern League hitters with at least 200 plate appearances. But Velasquez is young — he just turned 22, and was two-and-a-half years younger than the average player in the league. And he’s a switch-hitter. And he plays a solid second base with a passable shortstop, runs the bases well, and rarely ever strikes out. There’s a Major Leaguer in that profile; he might not ever challenge Adames for his job, but he might challenge Koss for his.

17. Lisbel Diaz — OF

Stock: Slightly up

Low-A: 122 games, 561 plate appearances, .269/.320/.405, 10 home runs, 5.9% BB rate, 18.7% K rate, 26 SB, 97 wRC+

It feels weird to say that Diaz’s stock rose when his offensive line took a step backwards. Last year he posted a 135 wRC+ in the ACL and then a 102 mark during 55 games with San Jose, but, upon repeating the level, he fell below league average this year. But sometimes your stock can rise simply by emphasizing your tools. He posted a nearly identical strikeout rate, making it clear that controlling the zone is a huge strength of his. He continues to make good contact. He also jumped on the bases, stealing 26 bags after nine the year prior, and his defense took another step forward. Does he look a lot better than last year? No. But does his success look more encouraging? Yes.

18. Sabin Ceballos — 3B

Stock: Down

AA: 108 games, 420 plate appearances, .232/.332/.338, 6 home runs, 11.2% BB rate, 17.4% K rate, 102 wRC+

This is maybe an unfair ranking for Ceballos given the marks I gave Velasquez and Diaz for similarly pedestrian seasons. But it’s hard not to bake in Ceballos’ momentum. He posted a 151 wRC+ with seven home runs in 32 games for High-A Eugene after coming over in the trade deadline last year, and then followed it up by going 9-20 with a home run and two doubles in an electric Spring Training. He was a hot commodity when the year began.

And then he couldn’t hit a lick. He salvaged his season by ending it on a very high note, but even so, his slash line was saved primarily by the walks … a .232 average and a .106 ISO won’t cut it for a corner bat. He’s still worth being excited about, though, and his defense at the hot corner is the real deal.

19. Carson Ragsdale — RHP

Stock: Down and outta here

AAA (SF): 18 games (14 starts), 65.1 innings, 5.37 ERA, 7.21 FIP, 7.99 K/9, 5.23 BB/9
AAA (BAL): 7 games (5 starts), 23.1 innings, 3.47 ERA, 4.22 FIP, 6.94 K/9, 3.09 BB/9
MiLB: 26 games (19 starts), 89.2 innings, 5.22 ERA, 6.58 FIP, 7.73 K/9, 4.82 BB/9
MLB (BAL): 2 games, 5.0 innings, 14.40 ERA, 4.74 FIP, 7.20 K/9, 1.80 BB/9, 0.0 fWAR

It’s never a particularly good sign when a player is added to the 40-man roster as a Rule 5 protection and then Designated For Assignment before they debuted. In all, Ragsdale bounced around: the Giants DFA’d him; the Orioles claimed him, brought him up for his debut, and DFA’d him; the Braves claimed him and then DFA’d him; and then the Orioles claimed him again. Along the way, the electricity that defined his earlier career — he struck out 13.66 batters in 2023 in High-A, and 12.09 in 2024 in AA — never returned.

20. Trent Harris — RHP

Stock: A little down

AA: 13 games, 16.0 innings, 1.69 ERA, 1.73 FIP, 14.06 K/9, 2.25 BB/9
AAA: 30 games, 41.1 innings, 5.44 ERA, 4.69 FIP, 8.71 K/9, 3.27 BB/9
MiLB: 43 games, 57.1 innings, 4.40 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 10.20 K/9, 2.98 BB/9

Harris had a breakout 2024 and looked poised to be a part of San Francisco’s bullpen, perhaps as early as 2025. And his performance at the start of the year in Richmond only fanned those flames. But, like most pitchers, he struggled mightily when he first made it to the Pacific Coast League … and, despite 30 games at the level, was still struggling there when the season ended.

21. Carson Seymour — RHP

Stock: Umm … down? Stagnant? Who’s asking?

AAA: 16 games (15 starts), 77.0 innings, 3.86 ERA, 4.64 FIP, 10.52 K/9, 4.56 BB/9
MLB: 16 games (3 starts), 36.0 innings, 4.75 ERA, 6.11 FIP, 6.50 K/9, 3.25 BB/9, -0.6 fWAR

Seymour had a strong campaign in AAA, putting up a quality ERA and strikeout/nine innings rate (14th and ninth, respectively, out of 92 Pacific Coast League pitchers with at least 50 innings thrown). And it earned him a role in the Majors for the first time in his career. All of that is great and suggests his stock is going up. But on the other hand, he pitched 36 innings in the Majors and struck out just 26 batters, while allowing nine home runs. He enters the offseason as someone the team will desperately try to make sure isn’t one of their 13 best pitchers.

22. Jose Ortiz — OF

Stock: Down, but only due to health

ACL: 8 games, 28 PA, .231/.250/.269, 0 home runs, 0.0% BB rate, 39.3% K rate, 2 SB, 33 wRC+
Low-A: 15 games, 66 PA, .308/.438/.365, 0 home runs, 10.6% BB rate, 18.2% K rate, 2 SB, 136 wRC+
MiLB: 23 games, 94 PA, .282/.380/.333, 7.4% BB rate, 24.5% K rate, 4 SB, 105 wRC+

Ortiz started the year brilliantly, but was quickly injured. His first rehab stint was quickly shut down, and he was sidelined for a few months. He returned in July for a short stint, and then was done for the year. Ignore the rehab numbers in the ACL. The excellent numbers in San Jose are what matter, but it’s still too small of a sample to put much stock into and, most importantly, it was another year mostly spent on the sidelines. In his two full seasons, Ortiz has played in just 51 games, and is officially in the territory where his poor health is part of his profile.

I had intended to do the full 44-player CPL in one post, but my goodness did I get to talking. We’ll do the back half of the CPL on Tuesday, and then kick off a brand new CPL on Wednesday.