Jonah Cox went from an afterthought in a trade to one of the more intriguing names in the Giants’ picture for next season, and he did it in a hurry.
The Giants didn’t draft Cox. They got him in the Ross Stripling deal with the Oakland Athletics a couple of years ago, a swap that brought back cash and a player who had fewer than 50 professional games on his résumé. Two years later, Cox is suddenly in the conversation for a bench job, and that didn’t feel especially likely when the year began.
He didn’t arrive in big-league camp as an invitee, but he still got into six Cactus League games, mostly as a pinch-runner. He didn’t put a ball in play in his two at-bats, yet he still managed two stolen bases and three runs scored. That was the first glimpse of the speed that would keep showing up all year.
The real breakout started in Richmond. Through his first 44 games with the Flying Squirrels, Cox hit .400, posted a 1.097 OPS, and stole 27 bases. The Giants were stumbling badly at the time - 14 games under .500 and in the middle of a five-game losing streak - and that opened the door for a move nobody really saw coming.
On May 31, Cox became the first player to go directly from Double-A to the majors since Miguel Gomez in 2017. His debut came at Coors Field, close to his hometown in Colorado, after he spent nine hours overnight in a Chicago airport waiting on a delayed flight.
His family was in the stands, and Cox made the most of the moment: he scored after entering as a pinch-runner and doubled in his first plate appearance. The Giants rolled past the Rockies 14-6 and snapped a 10-day losing streak against National League West teams.
He kept the momentum rolling a few days later at Wrigley Field. Against the Cubs, Cox went 3-for-3 and hit his first major-league home run, though that one came against Cubs catcher Carson Kelly.
After that burst, his role shrank. Over the next month, he appeared in 24 games but totaled only 29 plate appearances before landing on the injured list July 8 with a left oblique strain.
Cox began a rehab assignment in Sacramento about three weeks later, then the Giants activated him and optioned him on August 4. His first run with Triple-A was brief - just 11 games for the River Cats - but productive. He hit .468, stole seven bases, and put up a 1.179 OPS there.
When he returned to the majors, August was his best stretch at the plate. He hit .297, went 11-for-37, added three home runs and four stolen bases, and struck out 16 times.
September was a different story. Cox saw most of his action late in the season, taking 100 of his 169 MLB plate appearances in the final month.
He also drew a few starts at second base and handled himself well there, but the bat cooled off hard. He hit .227 with a .545 OPS, didn’t homer, and struck out 34 times.
Even with the swing-and-miss issues, Cox’s speed never left the conversation. He finished with 16 stolen bases in 20 tries, the most on the team despite appearing in only 62 games. His sprint speed of 30.0 feet per second ranked in the 99th percentile, and in center field he logged +3 Outs Above Average in 260 2/3 innings.
The profile is pretty clear. Cox brings elite speed, real defensive value, and enough versatility to move around the diamond.
The other side is clear, too: the plate discipline needs work. He struck out 65 times in 169 plate appearances, a 38.5% rate, and walked only 10 times, a 5.9% clip.
Still, the Giants have something here. Cox can be sent back to Sacramento without needing to clear waivers, but the tools he flashed give him a real shot to stick as a bench piece.
He can defend, run, replace a starter late, and maybe even change a game with one burst. That’s a useful player, and it’s why Cox suddenly looks like someone the Giants can actually count on next season.
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