The Giants’ farm system had a busy stretch, with Gavin Kilen and Dakota Jordan getting Futures Game run over the weekend and a couple more names making noise on the minor league side.
Cesar Perdomo is the one worth watching most closely after earning a move to Triple-A Sacramento last week. Tyler Switalski slid onto the Richmond Flying Squirrels’ roster in his place after a strong run with Eugene, where he put up a 4.22 ERA with 94 strikeouts and 29 walks over 74.2 innings.
Perdomo has been one of the quieter success stories in the system this year, and the organization has clearly taken notice. Giants general manager Zack Minasian recently mentioned Perdomo and Trent Harris as possible bullpen options in the minors during an appearance on the Murph and Markus Show on KNBR.
The left-hander’s numbers with Richmond backed up the promotion. He posted a 3.98 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 4.05 SO/W rate across 72.1 innings. The strikeout rate has jumped in 2026, too, after he had averaged 9.3 K/9 across his first five minor league seasons.
Perdomo has already gotten his first taste of Triple-A, allowing one earned run in five innings for Sacramento. He works from a high, three-quarters arm slot and attacks hitters with a pitch mix that stays around the zone.
His four-seamer comes in low 90s and he throws it about half the time, using the pitch’s late carry to get swings and misses up in the zone. He also mixes in a changeup and slider, both sitting in the mid 80s.
The fastball and changeup don’t offer much separation in velocity, but the Giants have gotten enough out of the way he tunnels them. Even though he leans more on the slider, the changeup has been the more effective pitch. With the big league bullpen still a place the Giants may need to address beyond this season, Perdomo has put himself on the radar.
Another bright spot has been Carlos Gutierrez, who has quietly become the most efficient base stealer in the system. He’s 19-for-20 on stolen bases, a 95% success rate that tops all Giants minor leaguers. Turner Hill has been successful on 90 percent of his attempts, and Dakota Jordan sits at 88 percent, but Gutierrez leads the way.
That kind of efficiency stands out even more because speed isn’t really the headliner in his profile. He’s simply using what he has better than most, which is the whole point once he gets on base.
There’s more than just the running game here, though. The left-handed hitter has shown more pop than he has in the past, batting .259/.365/.435 with a 117 wRC+, nine home runs, 38 RBI, and 50 runs in 299 plate appearances. He’s also carrying a 13.7 percent walk rate, a 20.4 percent strikeout rate, and a .179 ISO.
The nine homers already top his previous pro career high of two. Gutierrez has a swing built for contact and line drives, but he’s getting the ball in the air more often this season, and that’s paying off. Like Perdomo, he’s turned 2026 into a meaningful step forward.
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Luis Arraez Just Sent Giants Fans A Clear Message About His Future
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The timing matters now, with only a couple of weeks after the All-Star break before early August forces the front office to make a call. For a Giants team trying to balance the present and the future, Arraez has become the kind of player contenders monitor closely, because his value could help shape the next phase of the roster if San Francisco decides to listen. [Read more 🡒]