Welp, that did not go well for Randy Rodriguez. He wasn’t able to get anyone out as he walked three of the four batters he faced…but it wasn’t a simple complete loss of control, as I went into some detail about his performance. But in addition, Dakota Jordan did have a good game as Scottsdale lost in extra innings. And everyone’s games were shorter than normal as this Saturday tripleheader was played at Camelback Ranch at Glendale.
Sorry everyone, I should have given a warning that Friday the 23rd was an off-day…but hey, that’s why there was no post for Friday! And for what it’s worth, it’ll be a normal Sunday off, so no post coming for that day.
Non-Giant Prospect to Highlight of the Day: Peyton Olejnik (#29 LAA) (Baseball America Ranking)
Let’s take a look at a prospect who might remind you of a former Giant. Peyton Olejnik isn’t on the MLB Pipeline rankings for the Angels, but he does rank #29 for the team from Baseball America. And he stands out when he stands up, as a 6’11” pitcher on the mound. If he makes the Majors, he will tie former Giant Sean Hjelle (and former Expos/Nationals pitcher Jon Rauch) as the tallest players in MLB history. But he’s got to get there first. The 6th round pick in 2024 had a strong start to his pro career, as he led the California League in strikeouts with 130 in 128.2 innings in 2025, while posting a 4.20 ERA. He has a mid-90’s fastball and has an effective sweeper. But Olejnik really needs to refine his changeup, which has a lot of potential, in order to neutralize left-handed batters if he is going to have a chance to stick as a starter going forward. But he could see a similar path as what Hjelle had to the majors, where his size is its own type of changeup for hitters in relief, with the ability to spot-start when needed.
Scottsdale: Glendale Desert Dogs 5, Scottsdale Scorpions 4 (8 Innings)
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Giants Prospects to Spotlight:
- SP Randy Rodriguez: 0.0 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 1 HR - Okay, this was a big hiccup for Rodriguez in his comeback. Let’s break this down. The home run came to the first batter he faced, off of a high fastball. Most of the control issues came from the slider. He threw eight of them, only two were strikes, both on fouls. By comparison, he threw 19 fastballs, 13 for strikes. He got to 3-2 against the other three hitters he faced. The third batter he faced had a 12-pitch at-bat, as there were obviously a lot of fouls. So what looks like a bad control night was not truly an absolute loss of all control. However, Rodriguez got just one whiff out of his 27 pitches, on the second pitch he threw (a fastball). Rodriguez was lifted as he was nearly at his pitch count, there was no sign of injury from him. He left the bases loaded, and two runners came in against the reliever who came in. So…a very rough pitching line, but hopefully that adds some context. Oh, and Giants coach Luis Pino, who serves as the pitching coach for Scottsdale, was ejected in the 5th inning, long after that opening inning disaster, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some frustration from that first inning was a part of whatever Pino said that got him tossed.
- LF Dakota Jordan (SF #7): 2-3, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB (3) - Dakota Jordan got his first 2-hit performance in a little while as he got on base three times at all. He has rehabilitated his numbers pretty well, as he’s still hitting .235 with a .694 OPS.
Other Scottsdale Prospect Lines:
- C Nathan Flewelling (MLB #62; TB #3): 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K, 0-1 ABS
- RF Zyhir Hope (MLB #26; DET #1): 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K
- 1B Eric Bitoni (MIL #26): 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K, 1 2B (3), 1 SB (4)
Glendale Notable Prospect Lines:
- 2B Charles Davalan (MLB #84; LAD #6): 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 HR (2), 1 E (1)
- LF Caleb Bonemer (MLB #27; CWS #2): 0-2, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 1-1 ABS
- SS Tate Southisene (MLB #57; ATL #3): 2-2, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 2B (2), 1 SB (3), 1-1 ABS
- 1B Chase Harlan (LAD #9): 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
- CF Dillon Lewis (MIA #11): 1-3, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 2B (5), 1 E (2)
- 3B Jhonny Severino (PIT #28): 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 K
- C Easton Carmichael (PIT #8): 0-3
- RF Isaiah Drake (ATL #29): 0-2, 1 BB, 0-1 ABS
Other Games
Mesa Solar Sox 7, Peoria Javelinas 3 (7 Innings)
Peoria Notable Prospect Lines:
- CF Tai Peete (STL #17): 0-2, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 2 SB (9)
- 1B Ike Irish (MLB #97; BAL #5): 0-2, 2 BB, 0-1 ABS
- LF Carter Graham (CIN #22): 0-2, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SF
- 3B Carlos Sanchez (CIN #14): 0-3, 1 BB
- C Boston Smith (SEA #13): 0-4, 1 K, 1 E (1), 1-1 ABS
- SP Kannon Kemp (SD #13): 2.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Mesa Notable Prospect Lines:
- RF Jake Cook (TOR #22): 3-4, 3 R, 1 SB (9)
- 2H Arjun Nimmala (MLB #35; LAA #1): 0-1, 1 R, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 1 K
- 3B Jake Munroe (LAA #20): 0-1, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SF
- C Davis Diaz (SAC #19): 0-3, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 SB (2), 0-1 ABS
- SS Mason White (BOS #26): 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K, 0-1 ABS
- CF Jake Casey (TOR #25): 1-2, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 2B (2)
Surprise Saguaros 5, Salt River Rafters 3 (7 Innings)
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Surprise Notable Prospect Lines:
- LF Zion Rose (KC #6): 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K, 0-1 ABS
- SS Welbyn Francisca (CLE #20): 1-4, 2 K, 1 CS (3)
- DH Sebastian Walcott (MLB #9; TEX #1): 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 SB (7)
- 3B Aidan Miller (MLB #58; PHI #2): 1-1, 2 R, 3 BB, 1 2B (3), 1 SB (3), 1-1 ABS
- CF Paxton Kling (TEX #20): 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB (8)
- 2B Bruin Agbayani (NYM #28): 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB (2)
- RF Dante Nori (PHI #7): 0-2, 1 BB, 1 K
Salt River Notable Prospect Lines:
- SS Dax Kilby (MLB #83; NYY #1): 2-4, 1 R, 1 K, 1 SB (5), 1 E (2)
- 2B Demetrio Crisantes (MLB #72, AZ #1): 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 E (3)
- CF Jared Thomas (COL #10): 0-2, 1 HBP
- LF Yasser Mercedes (MIN #17): 1-3, 1 RBI
2026
Glendale Ranked Prospects
Pitchers
Brooks Auger (LAD #29)
Mathias LaCombe (CWS #17)
Pierce George (CWS #18)
Briggs McKenzie (ATL #8)
Marlon Nieves (LAD #29)
Hitters
Owen Carey (ATL #21)
Anthony DePino (CWS #21)
Eduardo Quintero (MLB #18; LAD #3)
Wyatt Sanford (PIT #5)
Colby Shelton (CWS #23)