Giants prospects Luis Hernández, Josuar Gonzalez show their skills in San Jose debut

SAN FRANCISCO — Josuar Gonzalez and Luis Hernández might be a long way from making their major league debuts, but if their first professional game together in front of a paid crowd was any indication, the two highly touted teenage infielders already know how to entertain a packed house.

Newly promoted from the Arizona Complex League to Low-A San Jose, the Giants’ two top prospects took turns showing off their defensive skills, eliciting cheers and a gasp of disbelief or two from the crowd at Excite Ballpark Saturday night.

Gonzalez’s debut was all too short, though. He exited in the fifth inning as a precaution because of a groin cramp that interrupted his third at-bat of the game. Prior to that, the 18-year-old switch-hitting shortstop and leadoff hitter was having an eventful evening. He singled in his first at-bat (109 mph exit velocity), stole a base, drew a walk and made a diving catch of a knuckling line drive. Gonzalez also made two outs on the bases, thrown out by 10 feet when he tried to take third base on a ball that got past Ontario catcher Conner O’Neal in the first inning, then thrown out trying to steal second base in the third on an apparent blown call.

Hernández went 0-for-2 with a sacrifice fly, demonstrated zone awareness while drawing two walks, and made the play of the night, ranging far into foul ground after gloving a ground ball that threaded the chalk line. He showed off his arm strength while heaving a 140-foot jump throw that arrived at first base without a bounce. It was the type of play only a handful of major league third basemen could make. It’s hard to imagine five-time Gold Glove winner Matt Chapman could’ve done it any better.

Now it’s Luis Hernández with a web gem to end the inning 🤯 pic.twitter.com/aSuBp9FTcP

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 26, 2026

Hernández also turned in a highlight play in the first inning when he charged a bunt and took away a hit.

“It was unbelievable,” San Jose manager Ydwin Villegas said. “It was amazing the way they moved, the quickness of their footwork and how they were under control. Second batter of the game, they try to bunt for a hit and Luis is ready for it. He even bobbled it a little but he made such a good throw that he got (the runner) anyway.”

Hernández, who turns 18 in December, slid over to shortstop in the sixth inning after Gonzalez left the game. The initial read was that Gonzalez, who dealt with a strained hamstring earlier this year, avoided a significant injury and shouldn’t miss any time.

The two young infielders are already considered the crown jewels in a farm system likely to rank among baseball’s top 10 by the end of the season. Gonzalez was considered the top player in his international class when the Giants signed him for just under $3 million in 2025. Hernández, 17, also topped most industry prospect lists when the Giants traded for additional pool funds to sign him for a $5 million bonus this past January.

Giants vice president of player development Randy Winn and farm director Kyle Haines made the bold decision to begin Hernández’s career in the U.S. and bypass the Dominican Summer League, which is the customary first stop for newly signed international players. Hernández’s advanced skills and experience in Venezuela, where he played in the winter league against some competitors who were twice his age, gave club officials confidence that he could handle the challenge.

Both players graduated out of the Arizona Complex League quickly enough to get considerable experience at a full-season affiliate. San Jose has 37 games remaining on its schedule and has already qualified for the California League playoffs after winning the first-half championship.

Hernández batted .298/.382/.535 with six home runs, 19 doubles and five triples in 54 games in the ACL, while Gonzalez showed off electric skills when healthy against ACL competition. He batted .343/.451/.515 with two home runs, seven doubles, two triples and eight stolen bases in 10 attempts.

Josuar Gonzalez is doing it ALL in his debut with Single-A San Jose 🤩

Tune in now on NBC Sports Bay Area 📺 pic.twitter.com/nRN6Ok2HBZ

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 26, 2026

Crowds at complex league games are limited to a handful of scouts, coaches and team officials. There’s no walk-up music, no mascots, no contests between innings, and a bare minimum of cheering. So Saturday night’s game was a new experience for both players. It was Gonzalez’s third game playing in front of fans; he participated in one major-league spring training exhibition in addition to the Spring Breakout game in March.

After the game, the two young infielders added one more new experience: their first media interviews. The Giants had shielded them from reporters until Saturday, when the team gave The Athletic permission to ask them a few questions with Villegas providing the translation.

“I had experience playing in Venezuela in front of fans and it was a really good experience, but this was different,” said Hernández, who gave expansive answers to every question. “Coming here, playing for the Giants, everything I experienced today was unbelievable. The fans, the environment was unbelievable. It made me feel great and it pushes me to play even harder. I know I’m here to play for the fans and I love that.”

Gonzalez said he would remember his diving catch and the experience of playing in front of a sellout crowd.

“And the environment in the dugout with my teammates,” Gonzalez said. “Everybody is rooting for each other. That something I loved and is going to stick with me. It feels great to hear the crowd go crazy.”

Hernández credited his experience in the Venezuelan League with helping him to stay focused amid an environment with so many distractions.

“I had to work on that because it really affected me the first year — not to the point where I’d drop out of the game, but it could definitely impact me at any moment,” said Hernández, who was tutored at the Carlos Guillen academy in Venezuela. “I found a way to use the noise and crowd to my advantage. You try to let it help you play a little harder. You aim to reach a point where you can stand there and hear absolutely no one because you’re so focused on the game. Of course, after the game, it’s a different story — then you can pay attention to all that.

“Obviously, if you don’t feel those nerves, even if there’s no crowd, it means you don’t love the game. But I’d get past that initial feeling after the first swing, the first play, or the first inning of every game.”

Did Hernández hear how the crowd responded to his highlight play?

“I didn’t hear anything,” he said, smiling. “Once I saw what was going on — after I turned around — I started hearing people shouting a bit. That’s the kind of thing that really fuels you.”

Hernández said his San Jose debut didn’t quite match his expectations because “I felt like the pitching was at a higher level, or that there were better pitches being thrown. That’s going to help me when, God willing, I move up to the next level. It’ll help me trust myself a bit more.”

For now, both young infielders say they are grateful that they get to take this step in their journey together.

“Playing with a guy like Josuar is a really great experience,” Hernández said. “Obviously, we’re close and we’ve been building a partnership, you could say, that brings us even closer and allows us to help one another. We really feel great wherever we play, whether it’s the big leagues, here in San Jose, in rookie ball, or anywhere else.”

What did Gonzalez think of the play Hernández made?

“It’s unbelievable but he always practices that before the game,” Gonzalez said. “It’s pretty much routine for him because he practices it every day. We have a good relationship and to be on the field with Luis is a great feeling for me. I think fans will enjoy watching us play together.”

The promotion of both young prospects, as well as switch-hitting shortstop Jhonny Level, who dominated the Cal League before moving up to High-A Eugene, has been a boon for San Jose. Prior to Level’s arrival, the Low-A affiliate hadn’t featured a consensus top-100 prospect since catcher Joey Bart in 2019.

San Jose had already sold out Saturday’s game in part because of a promotion that included a pregame exhibition featuring masked Mexican wrestlers. But it’s fair to assume that their new infielders will be responsible for plenty of ticket sales over the next six weeks.

“The energy was different today,” San Jose GM Matt Alongi said. “It’s a pretty knowledgeable baseball crowd here in San Jose to begin with, but the attention on the field today isn’t always the case on a Saturday. So to have two guys like that come, it energizes our social media, energizes our fan base. Even our clubhouse has a different feel to it. From a fan perspective, it’s really, really cool to have guys like that come here and get people interested in them.”

Let the record show that the duo’s first jersey for a full-season affiliate was cinnamon brown and featured the club’s San Jose Churros alternate logo. Gonzalez had the additional pressure of being designated the double-double batter of the game; an extra-base hit would’ve won free cheeseburgers for all fans in attendance.

“Let me tell you, they go crazy for that,” Villegas said with a laugh.

Gonzalez and Hernández aren’t the only interesting players on San Jose’s roster. Catcher Rod Barajas Jr., whose father played for seven major-league teams over 14 seasons, hit two home runs, including a grand slam — he also hit a grand slam a night earlier — as the Giants rolled to an 8-3 victory over Ontario.

The Tower Buzzers also happen to be a Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate. It’s never too early for a Giants prospect to start learning how to dominate their archrival.