The only thing that kept Luis Hernández and Josuar Gonzalez from entering even more rarefied air as of one of the best single-game performances for any pair of teammates was the fact that Wednesday’s Arizona Complex League contest was just a seven-inning affair.
Hernández, the Giants’ No. 3 prospect, went 5-for-5 with a homer, three doubles and nine RBIs during the Rookie-level ACL Giants’ 29-2 drubbing of the ACL Dodgers at the Papago Sports Complex.
Gonzalez, the Giants' No. 2 prospect, formed a formidable one-two tandem with Hernández atop the lineup. The 18-year-old went 3-for-3 with three walks, six runs scored and four RBIs -- a byproduct of hitting ahead of Hernández on the best night of his young career.
Per Elias Sports Bureau, no pair of teammates at the Major League level has combined for 13+ RBIs, nine runs scored and 12 times reaching base in the same contest since RBIs became an official stat in 1920. Two players reaching base six or more times and collecting at least four RBIs apiece has happened on just four occasions, most recently when Mickey Moniak and Hunter Renfroe did so for the Angels on June 24, 2023. (Two of the other instances featured Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt in 1979 and Jimmie Foxx in 1935.)
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The Giants’ 29 runs marked the most of any club in the Majors or Minors thus far in the 2026 season. While DSL Miami was the most recent team to reach that run plateau last June 27, the scoring output stands as the most on record for any of the Giants’ Minor League affiliates dating back to 2005. (The previous high of 22 came from Double-A Richmond in May 2022 and Triple-A Sacramento in April 2013.)
At the heart of that deluge was Hernández. A line-drive RBI single in the first. A three-run homer in the second -- already his fourth as a pro. An RBI double in the third. Two doubles in the fourth, the latter of which cleared the bases and had him bidding for a cycle before he was thrown out at third. He walked in the fifth for good measure.
Through his first eight pro games, Hernández, the No. 1 prospect in the 2026 international class, has gone 13-for-32 (.406) and posted a 1.380 OPS, second-highest on the circuit. His 18 RBIs already have him inside the top 25 among all Giants Minor Leaguers this year … despite the fact that his season began 11 days ago.
Hernández was an early-season addition to MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list before he ever had a professional plate appearance. Upon Wednesday night’s Market Corrections in the wake of outgoing No. 1 Konnor Griffin’s graduation, Hernández flew up the list to No. 58 overall. Gonzalez, who went 7-for-17 (.412) with a .565 on-base percentage through his first six games this year, continued his own upward trajectory, checking in at No. 31.
The two have moved around the infield during the early portion of the campaign, with Hernández making seven appearances at shortstop and three at third base while Gonzalez has split his time evenly between second and short.
COMPLETE GIANTS PROSPECT COVERAGE
The Giants are such believers in Hernández that they had him skip over the Dominican Summer League at just 17 years old. Up the Minor League ladder at Single-A and also holding down the premium shortstop stop is Jhonny Level (SF No. 4/MLB No. 64), who ranks near the top of multiple offensive categories in the California League.
The embarrassment of riches is a great problem to have when three teenage phenoms are knocking the cover off the ball.