MILWAUKEE -- Giants prospect Jhonny Level is ... leveling up.
The 19-year-old shortstop was promoted to High-A Eugene on Monday following a scorching start to the season at Single-A San Jose, where he batted .325 with a .968 OPS, 10 home runs, 47 RBIs and 11 stolen bases over 44 games.
General manager Zack Minasian said Level’s performance merited the move, though he also praised the Venezuelan switch-hitter for “really taking care of things off the field, as well.”
“I think something that maybe doesn't get seen in the public eye is just how hard he's worked,” Minasian said Tuesday. “I think he leads by example and has put himself in a really good situation, day in and day out, to have a good game.”
Level, the Giants’ No. 4 prospect, ranked second in the California League in homers and RBIs and fourth in OPS, helping him break into MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list in April. He’s now ranked as MLB’s No. 63 prospect overall and is currently the youngest player in the Northwest League, a sign of the meteoric rise he’s enjoyed this year.
COMPLETE GIANTS PROSPECT COVERAGE
In addition to his steady offense, Minasian said the Giants have been impressed by the defensive strides the 5-foot-8 Level has made at shortstop this year.
“Just looking at how he’s performed defensively at shortstop is pretty encouraging,” Minasian said. “I think there’s always been a lot of belief in his bat. For being a quote-unquote smaller guy, he’s always been able to get to some impact. To see him handle shortstop the way he has has been super encouraging.”
In Eugene, Level is poised to play alongside fellow middle infielder Gavin Kilen, the Giants’ No. 5 prospect and 2025 first-round Draft pick. Kilen, 22, has served as the Emeralds’ starting shortstop this year, so it will be interesting to see how the Giants split up reps between him and Level at the position moving forward.
Level started at second base in his High-A debut on Tuesday, going 2-for-5 with an RBI in Eugene's 8-5 loss to Everett.
“I’m sure we’ll try and get each of them time at short and second,” Minasian said. "I haven't talked to [senior director of player development] Kyle [Haines] or [vice president of player development] Randy [Winn] to get the exact breakdown of what that will be, but I know they’re on top of it. We’ll want to try and get both of them exposed to both middle infield positions.”
Level’s arrival will only add to the abundance of young talent at Eugene, which ranks first in the Northwest League with a dominant 37-15 record in 2026. Other top Giants prospects on the High-A roster include outfielder Dakota Jordan (No. 6), left-hander Jacob Bresnahan (No. 8) and outfielder Trevor Cohen (No. 9).
The Giants moved up a few other notable prospects on Tuesday, with left-handers Matt Wilkinson and Joe Whitman (No. 24) both making the jump from Double-A Richmond to Triple-A Sacramento.
Wilkinson, who was acquired from the Guardians as part of the Patrick Bailey trade last month, logged a 2.40 ERA over three starts for the Flying Squirrels and earned Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors on Tuesday after tossing a seven-inning, one-hit gem against Akron last week.
Whitman, a 2023 second-round Draft pick, posted a 3.22 ERA with 65 strikeouts over 50 1/3 innings in 10 starts for Richmond this year.