Richmond Flying Squirrels Opening Day roster includes six top San Francisco prospects

The San Francisco Giants announced on Tuesday the Opening Day roster for Double-A affiliate Richmond, which will get six of the Giants’ Top 30 prospects to start the season on Friday.

The six: RHP Hayden Birdsong (#6 MLB.com, #7 Baseball America), OF Grant McCray (#14 MLB.com, #10 Baseball America), OF Vaun Brown (#16 MLB.com, #11 Baseball America), 1B/OF Victor Bericoto (#21 MLB.com), RHP Eric Silva (#22 Baseball America) and C Adrian Sugastey (#25 MLB.com, #25 Baseball America).

Birdsong, a sixth-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, was 0-3 with a 5.48 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in eight starts for the Squirrels in 2023, with 33 K/13 BB in 23.0 IP.

McCray, a third-round pick in 2019, has not played above the High-A level. At High-A Eugene in 2023, he slashed .255/.360/.417 for a .777 OPS, with 14 homers and 66 RBIs.

McCray led the Northwest League in hits (126), total bases (206), runs (101) and stolen bases (52).

Brown, a 10th-round pick in 2021, started the 2023 season at the Low-A level in San Jose, finishing with a 50-game stint in Richmond in which he slashed .221/.284/.421 for a .705 OPS, with 8 homers, 34 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.

In his first full professional season in 2022, Brown led the minors in batting average (.346) and OPS (1.060).

Bericoto, a free-agent signee in 2018, split his time in 2023 between San Jose and Richmond, and with the Squirrels, he slashed .237/.292/.478, for a .770 OPS, with 11 homers and 31 RBIs.

Between Richmond and Eugene, Bericoto hit 27 homers and collected 86 RBIs, leading the Giants farm system in both categories.

Silva, a fourth-round pick in 2021 who has not pitched above High-A, was 2-7 with a 5.86 ERA in Eugene last season, 1.54 WHIP, with 73 K/39 BB in 76.0 IP.

Sugastey, a free-agent signee in 2019, has not played above High-A, and at Eugene last year, he slashed .298/.333/.423 for a .756 OPS, with four homers and 40 RBIs.

Baseball America rates Sugastey as the best defensive catcher in the Giants’ farm system.

The Flying Squirrels open the 2024 season on the road at Somerset on Friday night. They return to The Diamond for their home opener on Tuesday, April 9 at 6:35 p.m. to face the Akron RubberDucks.

Limited tickets remain online at SquirrelsBaseball.com/Tickets, by phone at 804-359-FUNN (3866) or in person at the Flying Squirrels ticket office.