The Giants’ farm system has been busy reshuffling after the trade deadline, and one of the more notable moves is a familiar one: Will Bednar is back in Triple-A.
Bednar was one of several pitchers promoted after the Giants made a string of trades that added talent to the Eugene Emeralds and forced other moves throughout the organization. He joined Cristian Alvarado in moving up, with Alvarado having signed a minor league deal with the Giants earlier in the year.
For Bednar, this marks his third run with the Sacramento River Cats. He finished last season there, opened this season with two appearances for Sacramento, and then went back to Double-A. The former top pick had his best stretch yet at that level, putting up a 3.67 ERA with 53 strikeouts and 27 walks over 41.2 innings.
Since returning to Sacramento, Bednar has given up seven earned runs while striking out five and walking two across six innings. He works from a high, three-quarters arm slot and leans on a mid 90's cutter along with a mid 80's slider.
The slider has been especially effective, producing a 27.6 percent whiff rate. The swing-and-miss stuff is there, but the control remains a work in progress.
Another recent farm note: 17th-round pick Tanner Mally has been assigned to the San Jose Giants, becoming the first player from the Giants’ 2024 draft class to make his official pro debut this summer. Most of the other draftees are in the Bridge League in Arizona, which serves more as a developmental setting, but Mally has already landed with a young San Jose group that includes Josuar Gonzalez and Luis Hernández near the top of the order.
He’s made a quick impression. In 34 plate appearances with San Jose, Mally has a 1.042 OPS with one double, two triples and seven RBI.
At Western Michigan University this season, the right-handed hitter posted a .446/.554/.528 line with a 5.3 percent strikeout rate in 243 plate appearances. His game is built around contact and using the whole field, with very little power, though he does enough to keep the ball moving and has the speed to turn singles into doubles.
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