SAN JOSE — On an idyllic summer night at Excite Ballpark, one where the venue’s famous churros are hot and fresh and the evening skies feature shades of pink and blue, the San Jose Giants have just completed a ninth-inning comeback.
Thanks to two walks, two wild pitches, a single and a hit-by-pitch, the Giants’ Single-A affiliate erased a three-run lead to beat the Visalia Rawhide. Peyton Bonds, the nephew of Barry Bonds, scored the winning run, scrambling home when an errant pitch skidded to the backstop. Amid the chaos of celebration, one teenage shortstop sought out another.
As the Giants retreated to their dugout, Josuar Gonzalez put his arm around Luis Hernandez, content to bask in the euphoria of victory. Gonzalez and Hernandez are confident that bigger stages await, their final destination being only a stone’s throw away to the north. They’re two of the sport’s highest-rated prospects, the types of talents that have not passed through this organization in quite some time. Their future is unwritten; the hype is palpable.
“These two kids bring a lot of excitement to the organization,” said Joe Salermo, the Giants’ senior director of international scouting. “I’ve never seen a Low-A game be televised on NBC [Sports Bay Area]. That shows you how much excitement there is with these two kids in the organization.”
Kyle Haines, the Giants’ senior director of player development, said of the pair, “They’re two different players, but both very good in their own regard.”
Gonzalez, 18, and Hernandez, 17, are only loosely similar. They’re both shortstops. They were both the highest-rated position players in their respective signing classes. Gonzalez signed for $2,997,500 out of the Dominican Republic in 2025, while Hernandez signed for $5 million out of Venezuela in 2026.
That’s about where the similarities end.
Gonzalez, the Giants’ No. 1 prospect, plays with style and flash, energy and emotion. He’s a big personality with a bigger smile, one that’ll reveal a mouth full of braces. Salermo compares him to former Mets shortstop José Reyes, and if that praise wasn’t enough, he declared that Gonzalez is an 80-grade athlete on the 20-80 scouting scale.
“Josuar’s really kind of high energy, plays with a ton of emotion, likes loud music in the cages. Then, he goes out and plays with a high energy,” said Travis Ishikawa, who is in a complex hitting coordinator role after previously serving as San Jose’s hitting coach.
Gonzalez models his game after Fernando Tatis Jr., whom he has worked with in the Dominican Republic along with other major leaguers including José Ramírez and Jean Segura. He’s even taken live batting practice against right-hander Luis Castillo, lining a double off the three-time All-Star.
Despite being hampered by a lingering hamstring ailment earlier in the year, Gonzalez has been even better in San Jose than he was in the Arizona Complex League. Entering Wednesday, Gonzalez was hitting .367/.473/.589 with two homers and eight steals over 22 games with San Jose while playing dazzling defense.
“He’s going to be flashy. He’s going to bring excitement to the game,” Salermo said. “The plus-speed, the plus-athleticism. He’s going to give you the wow.”
Hernandez said, with San Jose manager Ydwin Villegas interpreting. “I’ve learned a lot from him about the game and life. Playing together is something that’s very special. Josuar is an incredible person, and the fact that we’re playing together helps me play better.”
Hernandez, by contrast, is calm, composed, steady. There’s no shortage of people within the organization who praise Hernandez’s maturity, and Salermo describes him as a “professional in every aspect of the word.” When Hernandez was asked what he considers his best skill, he didn’t point to his power or his defense, but his mindset.
That maturity and professionalism don’t come as a surprise given his path. Along with training with former major leaguer Carlos Guillén, Hernandez also hit .346 over 104 at-bats in the Venezuelan Major League against older competition. With that background, the Giants’ brass had Hernandez skip the Dominican Summer League and sent him straight to the Arizona Complex League, where he hit .298 with six homers and six steals over 54 games.
The pair are definitely on the fast track in the Giants organization. Buster Posey was 22 when he played in San Jose in 2009. There are usually a handful of 18-year-olds who play in the California League each year (e.g. Jhonny Level, the Giants’ No. 3 prospect), but according to the San Jose Giants, they haven’t had a 17-year-old player since at least 2010, which is as far as their records go. Hernandez has struggled since being promoted to San Jose, hitting .231 with a .594 OPS over 20 games, but he’s also played more games than Gonzalez did last season.
“Luis is a little bit more cerebral, kind of lower key,” Ishikawa said. “He wants to get it done, get out there. Kind of a quiet, not really outspoken guy, but just goes out and plays the game and does the job the way he has.”
This news organization visited Excite Ballpark on Tuesday night, and while Hernandez sat out due to a hip ailment, Gonzalez flashed the talent that many believe could make him baseball’s best prospect in a year.
On the first play of the game, Gonzalez backhanded a grounder in the six-hole, then fired a strike across the diamond. The next inning, Gonzalez backhanded a short hop, spun against the grain and delivered a strike across the diamond. He moves with smoothness and fluidity without compromising his internal clock. There’s a coolness, a swagger that borders on nonchalance. For Gonzalez, the game comes easy.
Gonzalez and Hernandez have been lumped together since Hernandez signed with the organization earlier this year. When talking about one, it’s hard not to mention the other. To Ishikawa, it’s only natural for competition to arise. There is, after all, only one shortstop position available when they share a lineup.
“When you get two guys that know they’re really good at baseball, and obviously when you play the same position, you’re not a human being if you’re not secretly competing with the guy next to you,” Ishikawa said. “You never want anything bad to happen to them, but you know you’re doing everything you can to try to one-up them.”
“Luis is the steady player who can take it over with doubles and some of his power in the gaps, where Josuar can literally just electrify the game at a moment’s notice with stolen bases and using his speed,” Haines said.
Still, the two are nothing but complimentary toward one another. Hernandez described Gonzalez as a “humble human being” and an “unbelievable” player who can do everything. Gonzalez praised Hernandez as a “great person” and said that “the professionalism from Luis is unbelievable.”
“We’re always pushing each other,” Hernandez said. “We’re always talking, communicating. Talking about the game, talking about practice. If I couldn’t get to a ground ball, I’ll ask Josuar, ‘How was my first step?’ We’re always sharing information that helps us to be better.”
“If Luis sees something on me, he’ll tell me,” Gonzalez said. “We’re always talking and pushing each other to get better.”
Since Gonzalez and Hernandez both profile as shortstops, the Giants have had both of them pick up secondary positions so they can share a lineup. Gonzalez has spent some time at second base, while Hernandez has mixed in some time at third base. If Gonzalez and Hernandez both pan out as expected, the Giants will eventually have to figure out how to make room for the duo in San Francisco.
Gonzalez and Hernandez are still years away from making their debuts. They’re still teenagers, both of whom are still taking online classes to fulfill their educational requirements. Their ambitions reside in San Francisco, and they both know they need time to get there. Should all go according to plan, they’ll be celebrating those walk-off wins and embracing one another in front of bigger crowds and under brighter lights.
“I think about playing in the big leagues, being in San Francisco,” Hernandez said. “At the same, I know it’s going to take time to get there. I’m not worried about going there right now. … I’m keeping my feet where I’m at right now, and I’m going step by step, trusting the process and believing I’m going to be there at some point.”
“The last word is from God. So, whenever God decides I’m going to go there, I’ll be ready to go there,” Gonzalez said. “I’m going to continue to work hard and play hard.”