Meet the Giants prospect who’s taking his game to another Level

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Jhonny Level's nickname doesn’t require much explanation.

The Giants’ No. 4 prospect is known as “El Nivel,” the Spanish word for his last name. It’s always been a fitting moniker for the switch-hitting Venezuelan shortstop, but never more so now that he can’t stop leveling up on the field.

Level entered Tuesday batting .364 with a 1.066 OPS, four home runs, eight doubles, one triple, 21 RBIs and six stolen bases over 16 games for Single-A San Jose, a torrid stretch that earned him a spot on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list on April 3. He ranks fifth in OPS among Top 100 prospects in the Minors, which is even more remarkable considering he just turned 19 last month.

The Giants’ farm system is loaded with promising shortstops like Josuar Gonzalez (the club’s No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline), Luis Hernández (No. 3) and Gavin Kilen (No. 5), but Level’s scorching start is a loud reminder that he shouldn’t be overlooked.

“It’s hard to start any better than how he has,” senior director of player development Kyle Haines said. “He's a really good player. It's just been great that he's able to showcase how dynamic he can be in stretches. What he's doing is not sustainable. The ebbs and flows of the season happen. But I think I’m just happy for him that his hard work and competitiveness are coming out in the results, and he's getting the attention that he deserves, so to speak. I think sometimes he gets lost in some of these talks. This guy's one of the best players in Minor League Baseball, and I'm glad that he's able to show it.”

It’s easy to forget that the Giants’ rising tide of middle infield talent actually began with Level, who signed with the organization for $997,500 in January 2024.

A native of Cumaná, the capital city of Venezuela’s northeastern Sucre state, Level started playing baseball when he was five and grew up admiring Mets star Francisco Lindor, a fellow switch-hitting shortstop. Level was always a bit undersized, but he showed enough potential that he was invited to enroll at Academia DS, a Venezuelan baseball academy run by trainer Denny Suárez in Puerto La Cruz.

“When I was 12, I joined a baseball academy in Venezuela,” Level said in Spanish. “That’s where I started to realize that [my dreams] were going to happen and I really did have talent.”

Level caught the eye of Giants senior director of international scouting Joe Salermo when he traveled to Cartagena, Colombia, to compete in a tournament with his academy baseball team. The Giants saw him play again at another showcase in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, and were quickly sold on his athleticism, his plus-plus bat speed and cannon-like arm. Those tools ultimately helped Level land the second-highest signing bonus in San Francisco’s 2024 international signing class, fulfilling a lifelong dream for him and his family.

“I had dreamed of that since I was a kid, so it was really special,” Level said. “I had my entire family there with me [on signing day]. It was a great experience.”

Level made his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2024 before making the jump to the Arizona Complex League, where he batted .288 with an .868 OPS, nine home runs and 17 stolen bases over 58 games en route to being named the Rookie circuit's top prospect in ‘25.

Level’s impressive showing earned him a late-season promotion to Single-A San Jose, where he got a chance to be part of the Giants’ Cal League title run last September. He hit only .236 with a .672 OPS and three homers over 31 games as an 18-year-old at San Jose last year, but he used that experience to make some adjustments that have helped him hit the ground running in 2026.

“It feels really good to see that things are working out for me right now,” Level said. “I’m really excited that the team is winning. I think the key for me has been trusting in God and staying disciplined and focused at the plate.”

A natural righty, Level learned to switch-hit as a kid at the encouragement of his father, who is also named Jhonny and was an amateur baseball player in Venezuela. He said he feels slightly more comfortable with his left-handed swing right now, though he’s posted virtually identical splits against right-handed pitching (1.068 OPS) and lefties (1.061 OPS) early this year.

In fact, one of Level's more impressive at-bats came on Wednesday, when he batted from the right side against rehabbing Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell and delivered a leadoff single against the two-time Cy Young winner.

“I was a little nervous,” Level said. “But when I stepped up to the plate, the nerves went away and I just kept doing what I’m doing right now.”

Level drew comparisons to smaller shortstops like Rafael Furcal and Brayan Rocchio when he first signed, though it’s become clear that he’ll have a higher offensive ceiling for the Giants, especially since he has a lot more pop than his 5-foot-8 frame would suggest.

“His bat speed is fast,” San Jose Giants manager Ydwin Villegas said in Spanish. “He might look small, but he’s strong. He’s worked a lot in the gym with the strength and conditioning department. The strength that he has in his legs and his core is what generates that quick swing and helps him hit for power.”

“I've never seen a player like him,” Haines said. “He's kind of his own unique guy. You could comp certain skills. Switch hitter, short, but he's kind of so unique. He's shorter, there's no sneaking around that. People want to put him at second just because he's short, and you're like, ‘But he can play short[stop].’ He's got a good arm. Sometimes the little guy is considered scrappy, but he's not like that. He's got power. He's more than just a scrappy little guy.”

Level has played shortstop his entire life, so he’s eager to stay at his natural position as he continues to climb through the Giants’ system. He’s been working hard on his pre-pitch setup to get better jumps and increase his range, as well as become more efficient with his footwork this year. Villegas praised Level’s work ethic, noting that he’s always asking questions and is hungry to improve during early work before games.

While he isn’t a loud guy, Level is viewed as a team leader who always relishes the chance to let his play do the talking when he steps on the field.

“I’ve had some conversations with him, and he really does care about the fans,” Villegas said. “He’s mentioned a lot that he wants to perform well to obviously help the team, but he also wants to put on a good show for the fans. That’s why he plays hard. He plays really, really hard. He’s a little reserved and quiet away from the field. But when steps on the field, he kind of transforms. He plays hard and with a lot of commitment. That’s really important, and it’s something that I really admire and appreciate about him.”