Giants Trade Deadline acquisition Mendez turns up the heat against old friends in the desert
GOODYEAR, Ariz. – Miguel Mendez has signature heat, and the Padres know it well from his time in the organization that ran until this most recent Trade Deadline, when he was moved to the Giants in a deal for Robbie Ray.
As part of an Arizona Fall League tripleheader at Goodyear Ballpark on Saturday, San Diego prospects got a different front-row seat to that four-seamer. Mendez’s three fastest heaters came against former organization-mates Alex McCoy (SD No. 26) -- at 98.2 mph, and 96.6 -- and Justin DeCriscio (97.2 mph) in the second inning of his Scottsdale start against Peoria He added another 96.6 mph fastball against DeCriscio that tied his fourth-best velo of the afternoon.
Was there any extra juice?
“The only thing that came to mind was competing,” said the Giants’ No. 16 prospect via translator and Scottsdale athletic trainer Jen Bardales. “They are friends that get the best out of me, just like hopefully I got the best out of them.”
Given how active the Padres typically are at the Deadline, it can become a familiar sight for former San Diego prospects to fan out across the Minor Leagues and cross paths with the current group of Friars farmhands. Mendez isn’t even the only one in the AFL. Orioles infielder Brandon Butterworth, who moved as part of the Baltimore-San Diego swap involving Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Laureano at the 2025 Deadline, is on the same Peoria roster as DeCriscio and McCoy.
Mendez was still trying to find a foothold in the 2026 season when his own deal went down. He missed about three weeks between April and May with a neck strain and was out for five weeks in June and July due to a shoulder injury. After opening the season at Double-A San Antonio, he made two rehab appearances with High-A Fort Wayne, including one outing on Aug. 2 one day before the Deadline, to reestablish his health just in time to be moved.
“Obviously, it was a little unexpected,” Mendez said. “But just like in baseball with everything that happens, you have to keep going, performing and doing the same thing you did before for your new team.”
The Giants gave the 24-year-old righty one more rehab outing at Single-A San Jose before moving him back to Double-A (this time Richmond) for four starts to round out the regular season and one more in the postseason. He finished the year with 51 2/3 innings across all levels, organizations and rounds of play, down from a career-high 95 in 2025, making him a perfect candidate for additional frames in the AFL.
So far through three starts in the desert, the 6-foot-2 hurler has pretty much lived up to his scouting report that indicates his four-seamer and slider are potential plus pitches while his changeup remains an area for improvement.
He has topped out at 98.6 mph with the fastball, thrown 10 pitches above 98 (including one in each outing) and generally sat 95-97 as he did Saturday. He mixed in six mid-80s cambios in the latest start that showed tons of armside movement but not as much sink, and one 86.2 mph changeup that caught too much of the plate in the second inning and was crushed to right-center by Mariners catcher Matthew Ellis for a solo homer (Peoria’s only run off Mendez over his three innings).
But it was the 81-84 mph slider that took center stage Saturday. When it’s on, it can be a tight, breaking weapon that can fool hitters sitting on the heat, and it looked the part in Goodyear. Mendez elicited seven whiffs against eight swings on the slider alone; he had five across his first two Scottsdale starts combined. Improving the slider command and consistency has been a focal point since he joined the Giants.
“I’m really focusing on it during my throwing program,” he said, “trying to use it a little bit more during those times to get it really honed in.”
By striking out five in his three frames Saturday, Mendez now sits tied for second in the AFL in strikeouts with 12 over 7 2/3 total innings and 33 batters faced. The jury remains out on if he can develop enough of a well-rounded arsenal – and establish enough health – to be a long-term starter in a budding San Francisco system that is currently heavily tilted toward bats. His 40-man roster status, which will reach its second season in 2027, could accelerate that decision on his current and future role next year.
As part of that pursuit to stick as a starter, he still expects to exchange notes with his former Padres teammates while they’re still prospects and, hopefully, before they’re officially NL West foes in the Majors.
“I made a lot of friendships over there, obviously,” he said. “Still really good friends and good teammates. I’ll take the time to have conversations with them soon.”