San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Giants Receive Intriguing Pitching Prospect in Rogers Trade
The San Francisco Giants recently made a deal to send one of their relievers, Taylor Rogers, to the Cincinnati Reds, and in return will receive right-handed relief prospect Braxton Roxby.
This deal comes as a likely money-saving move for the Giants, who are able to shed Rogers’ $12 million contract remaining from his initial three-year deal and get a prospect to do so.
Looking at Roxby, he was an undrafted free agent in the 2020 MLB Draft class, and at 25 years old has worked his way up to AA in the four seasons since being selected. He has split time between the High-A and AA levels for most of his minor league career, pitching in 49 games and 81 games, respectively.
The reason for the distinct split between those two feeder teams and having not made AAA yet is due to his significant production drop-off at the AA level. But, 2024 was an improvement for Roxby compared to his prior seasons, as he stuck in AA for the entire season and was able to post a lower ERA than his average there with 5.21.
With High-A Dayton, he had a combined 3.17 ERA, with a 1.202 WHIP, 152 strikeouts to 53 walks, 12 saves, and a 9-6 record in 110.2 innings pitched. Then moving up to Double-AA, those numbers inflated to a 6.41 ERA, 1.559 WHIP, 81 strikeouts to 26 walks, three saves, and an 0-4 record in 59.0 innings pitched.
The most intriguing part about his game is the strikeout totals mentioned, as 233 strikeouts to 79 walks (a 2.95 SO/BB ratio) are impressive coming up through the farm system. The difficulty has been keeping the exit velocity on his pitches down, and avoiding consistent contact in general.
In Double-A he had a whopping 28.8% strikeout rate in 2024, which is a huge positive when it comes to being able to develop him into a reliable reliever.
Fangraphs had Roxby within the Reds’ top 40 prospects entering 2024, ranked at No. 38. A glimpse at their analysis of him notes that he’s a side-arm reliever with a mid-90s fastball and a pair or breaking balls.
“He may not have the command to be a true on-roster middle inning guy, but he has rare arm strength for a pitcher with a slot this low and projects as an up/down specialist type,” per Fangraphs.
A Rogers trade had been somewhat anticipated, considering the financial implications in doing so. When it comes to getting a return prospect in a contract-dumping deal, usually the results are not spectacular. Getting a player back with strong slider motion, a high strikeout rate and some tools to work with for the future is a solid piece to get back for San Francisco.
San Francisco, CA
New SF supervisor supports reopening Great Highway on weekdays
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Alan Wong, the new supervisor for District four in San Francisco, has publicly expressed his support for reopening the Great Highway to vehicles on weekdays. This statement comes amid ongoing debates surrounding the highway’s conversion into a park last spring, which was met with mixed reactions from the community.
The Great Highway was transformed into a public park earlier this year, a change that many residents have embraced, while some local neighbors have pushed back. Joel Engardio, the former supervisor who supported this conversion through Measure K, was recalled this year, highlighting the division among constituents in District four.
Wong, who was appointed as supervisor following Engardio’s recall, filed paperwork to run for the elected position on the board. His term is set to last until January 2027, during which he aims to solidify his platform around reopening the Great Highway.
In his statement, Wong emphasized, “I believe my values align with a majority of Sunset residents who support reopening the Great Highway to cars on weekdays. As a result, I am prepared to be one of four supervisors needed to sponsor a ballot initiative to restore that compromise.” This suggests Wong’s intent to address community concerns head-on while building a wider consensus.
Prior to its conversion, the Great Highway allowed vehicles during the week and served as a park on weekends, a compromise Wong supports restoring. He aims to return to this model in response to feedback from local constituents.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KRON4. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KRON4 staff before being published.
San Francisco, CA
Women’s volleyball professional team headed to San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO – Pro volleyball will soon be coming to San Francisco and this latest team is part of a surge of women’s sports.
League One Volleyball officially launched this year with six teams. Now the league has announced it’s expanding to nine teams, and that one of those expansion teams will be based in the city by the bay.
Three-time Olympic volleyball medalist Kelsy Robinson Cook is on the ownership team for LOVB San Francisco, bringing professional volleyball to the city. “Can tell you it’s going to be amazing,” said Robinson Cook. “Then, when you bring in the fandom of the Bay Area and SF I think personally it’s going to make for an incredible atmosphere.”
Team ownership said starting a team in the Bay Area is a natural with colleges and universities in the region turning out top talent. “It’s the number one sport for women and girls and I think that just speaks volumes as to where we’re headed, not only in club and college, but professionally,” said Robinson Cook.
Pro women’s volleyball is part of a growing list of professional women’s sports teams calling San Francisco and the Bay Area home.
The women’s professional baseball league announced plans for a team in San Francisco. Bay FC and the Golden State Valkyries are already proving there is a market for professional women’s sports.
When pro-volleyball was looking to expand, San Francisco was a natural choice. “You’re seeing Bay FC, the Valkyries, the success that they have, and this market loves sports, and they’ve also proven they love women’s sports,” said Robinson Cook.
San Francisco leaders said the city has already proven that it supports pro-women’s teams, and will welcome professional volleyball. Mayor Daniel Lurie pointed to the city’s rich sports history and enthusiasm to support the home teams. “Now, as we saw with the Valkyries selling out every single home game last year, there is an appetite, there is a fan base, and this new league understands that,” said Mayor Lurie.
At this time, there are still a lot of questions up in the air, including exactly where LOVB San Francisco will play. Organizers say they have a lot of plans in the works to get the team ready to bump, set and spike starting in January 2027.
San Francisco, CA
Body cam footage released in South San Francisco police shooting
(KRON) — The South San Francisco Police Department released video Thursday showing what led up to two officers shooting a man who authorities said was armed with a knife.
On December 8 at around 5:10 a.m., police arrived at the 900 block of Sandra Court on the report of a man under the influence of drugs and making threats to kill himself. When officers made contact with the man, identified as 28-year-old Luis Francisco-Manzo, he initially complied with orders, authorities said.
Officer-worn body camera video shows Francisco-Manzo walking toward officers in the entrance hallway of an apartment complex with his arms raised. A small dog barks as officers give repeated commands. Suddenly, Francisco-Manzo appears in the entranceway next to officers as one calls out, “He’s got a knife.”
Officer Brendan Hart, who has been with SSFPD for eight years, fired a Taser at Francisco-Manzo, but it did not have the intended effect, police said.
Four gunshots are heard in the body camera video. Police said Officer Hart and Officer Martin Corona were the officers who discharged their weapons. Officer Corona has seven years of law enforcement experience with over four years at SSFPD.
Francisco-Manzo was transported to the hospital in critical condition. On Thursday, authorities said he continues to recover in the hospital. No officers were injured in the incident.
The police shooting remains under investigation by the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.
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