Onil Banerjee and Renato Vargas have recently joined the team to strengthen MAFAP's policy optimization modelling portfolio focusing their efforts on integrating climate change and biodiversity objectives to the economy-wide tool while MAFAP Policy Analyst Alethia Cameron has been promoted to Economist to lead the programme's policy monitoring work The Monitoring and AnalysingFood and Agricultural Policies (MAFAP) programme has recently recruited two new members to its team Onil Banerjee and Renato Vargas join as consultants to help the team strengthen the policy modelling tool used to support budget optimization on government spending on food and agriculture and to guide cost-effective public investments for inclusive agricultural transformation.  Onil Banerjee is a Canadian economist with over 18 years of professional experience in integrated economic-environmental analytics for evidence-based public policy and investment design He has led the development and application of cutting-edge analytical tools for policy scenario analysis to optimize the distribution of economic Onil provided expert advisory services and training to the World Bank the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and other institutions in the development and application of integrated economic-environmental frameworks to support policy formulation Onil worked with the IDB for 10 years where he led operations and policy support focusing on the interplay between natural capital ecosystem services and human well-being for most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean He has contributed to the scientific literature on natural capital sustainable natural resources management and policy and investment design through publication of 33 peer reviewed journal papers 6 book chapters and over 60 working papers Renato Vargas is a Guatemalan Economist with over 20 years of experience integrating macroeconomic and geographic data to provide fact-based analysis and answers for policy design and evaluation efforts With a two-decade practical understanding of the System of Environmental and Economic Accounts (SEEA) he has helped organizations bridge the gap between economic performance measures and environmental sustainability questions He has worked on sustainable development assessments for several international organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and The Caribbean several international cooperation agencies and governmental institutions around the world.  particularly in the frameworks of the MAFAP programme whose team is behind the country analyses on public expenditure on food and agriculture and on commodity price incentives.  See the full MAFAP team here either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content Philippine police announced Wednesday that they have arrested three suspects linked to the Oct. 17 kidnapping of American citizen Elliot Onil Eastman in Sibuco who was reportedly shot in the leg during his abduction The arrests began with two suspects surrendering separately leading police to a third arrest in Sibuco Law enforcement has identified three additional suspects and authorities indicate that more individuals could be implicated Criminal charges related to abduction were filed against the six suspects on Tuesday She confirmed that the search efforts remain focused until Eastman's location is confirmed Lt. Col. Galvez explained that police have launched a house-to-house search in an undisclosed area, adding that the suspects are believed to be part of a criminal group, rather than affiliated with armed Muslim rebel factions that have historically carried out ransom kidnappings in the southern Philippines posed as police officers during the abduction then forced onto a motorboat by his abductors Investigators found M16 shell casings and bloodstains in the area where Eastman had been living for five months before his kidnapping Eastman, a Vermont native, had recently returned to the Philippines for his wife's graduation. He had been residing in the coastal town of Sibuco and sharing videos of his life there on social media which may have attracted the suspects' attention He was the only foreigner there," Galvez noted while emphasizing that this kidnapping is considered an isolated incident in the relatively stable area the incident underscores ongoing security concerns in the southern Philippines a region marked by persistent poverty and occasional violence particularly within the Muslim minority community Southern Philippines, despite its resource wealth, has long struggled with poverty and sporadic violence involving insurgents and outlaws. A 2014 peace accord between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front has reduced widespread conflict known for targeting Americans and Western tourists has orchestrated multiple ransom kidnappings over the years Some hostages held in this part of the Philippines lost their lives during military rescue attempts This article includes reporting from The Associated Press Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsletters in your inbox See all A YOUTUBER has been kidnapped from a remote village in the Philippines just months after getting married to a local Elliot Onil Eastman, 26, was shot in the leg and ambushed by a group of men with machine guns in the coastal town of Sibuco on October 17 A witness claimed the Vermont native was shoved into a white speedboat just after 11pm on Thursday in the remote town he'd been living in Local resident Abdulmali Hamsiran Jala told cops that four armed pretended to be police officers when they forcibly took the YouTuber Abdulmali said that the men were dressed in black and armed with M16 rifles One of the gunmen allegedly shot Elliot's leg before he dragged him into a speedboat then fled by sea further south They said: "We confirm that there was a report of the alleged abduction of an American national that we are doing everything in our power to secure the safe recovery of the victim." The police asked the public to immediately provide any information that could help an ongoing investigation of the reported abduction. The US Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to questions about the reported abduction Elliot's Facebook account reveals that he had married a Muslim woman in Sibuco and he updated his profile picture to a sweet wedding day picture just six days ago His YouTube bio reads: "I came to the Philippines about a year and half ago where I met the love of my life deep in the mountains of the red zone of the Philippines."  The southern Philippines has seen decades of stark poverty and insurgency the country will hold mid-term elections and hopefuls in the volatile south are expected to focus on tackling crimes like kidnappings and extortion In a chilling Facebook livestream just weeks before Thursday's shock incident Elliot admitted he was scared living in Sibuco where he'd settled five months prior On September 22 he said: "As long as I'm here, my life is still at risk, you know", according to reports by Daily Mail USA. He continued: "That's the reality especially the area that I'm in...It's not even just the Philippines "This area that I'm in is like the most dangerous are in the country so it's literally like the red zone I've had a hard time sleeping at night time." Honest to goodness San Francisco Giants baseball has returned to our lives And while there’s no debate that the 2025 Giants are a flawless baseball team headed for an undefeated season there’s still plenty of debate to be had when it comes to ranking prospects as we’re getting close to wrapping up the 2025 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List which will see us rank the top 44 prospects in the system The latest chapter brought about a fierce debate as the winning name received just 22% of the vote on the seven-player ballot it was catcher Onil Perez who stood tallest who signed with the Giants in 2019 as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic spent the entire season with High-A Eugene It wasn’t a particularly fruitful offensive season for the right-handed hitter as he slashed .236/.334/.303 for a .637 OPS and an 87 wRC+ His control of the strike zone was impressive — he rocked an 11.1% walk rate and just a 16.6% strikeout rate — but he was almost entirely devoid of power: in 350 plate appearances and he sported a .067 isolated slugging mark so it wasn’t as concerning as the .236 batting average Perez has always had strong contact skills: in 2023 he had a .299 average and an 11.5% strikeout rate so 2024 was a notable step backwards in the contact department He made up for it a little bit by stealing 20 bases in 24 attempts marking his second year in a row with at least 20 swiped bags .. something Giants fans became aware of this time last year when Blake Snell was very complimentary of Perez after a Spring Training bullpen session The Giants have also praised him for his leadership and his ability to work well with pitchers It certainly seems like Perez has the defense and intangibles to make the Majors if his bat can even come close to playing And the contact skills certainly seem to be there .. they just might be in need of a little bit of tweaking Note: Clicking on the above names will link to the CPL where they were voted onto the list Will Bednar — 24.8-year old RHP — 7.71 ERA/6.93 FIP in AA (32.2 IP); 3.18 ERA/4.06 FIP in High-A (11.1 IP); 3.60 ERA/3.97 FIP in Low-A (10 IP) Jose Bello — 19.8-year old RHP — 7.71 ERA/4.27 FIP in ACL (2.1 IP); 2.49 ERA/2.36 FIP in DSL (25.1 IP) Spencer Miles — 24.6-year old RHP — 4.91 ERA/2.79 FIP in ACL (7.1 IP) Yohendry Sanchez — 18.3-year old C — .937 OPS/164 wRC+ in DSL (45 PA) Adrián Sugastey — 22.3-year old C — .545 OPS/54 wRC+ in AA (191 PA) Oliver Tejada — 18.2-year old OF — .893 OPS/139 wRC+ in DSL (205 PA) Note: Each player’s first name links to their Baseball-Reference page and their last name links to their Fangraphs page Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Powered by ATC Online LLP Sign in to listen to groundbreaking journalism Philippines – Gunmen abducted an American near a military outpost in Sibuco town Police-Zamboanga Peninsula Director Brigadier General Bowenn Joey Masauding said the American was snatched around 11 pm in Sitio Tungawan Sibuco police chief Joseph Villarino said Eastman was dragged from his wife’s house by the gunmen who were all dressed in black He said they shot Eastman in the leg when he resisted with authorities suspecting they were heading toward Sulu or Basilan barely 200 meters from a Marine detachment raised suspicions that it was the handiwork of the dreaded Abu Sayyaf escorted by Marines and fighters from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) about seven kilometers from the town center after receiving reports of armed men on a pump boat but a few minutes after returning to our station we received a report about the kidnapping at 11 o’clock in the evening,” Villarino said The abduction happened just as people in Sibuco and Baliguian towns in Zamboanga del Norte thought the days of kidnapping in their area were over “We thought we were already free of kidnappings for ransom we have been trying to erase the stigma that our place or even the entire Zamboanga Peninsula is a haven for kidnappers and other lawlessness But then this happened,” former mayor Norbideiri Edding told Rappler on Friday told authorities that the suspects presented themselves as policemen They wore face masks while escaping with the wounded victim pursued the kidnappers but were hindered by a lack of seacraft Edding said Eastman came to the Philippines to marry a woman from Zamboanga City The victim lost a lot of money to the scammer but then met the woman from Sibuco Barangay Poblacion chairman Merjan Caril said Eastman converted to Islam and lived in his wife’s house in a depressed area in Sibuco The American was apparently facing financial difficulties but Edding said kidnappers have always seen foreigners as opportunities to make money The former mayor said the incident hurt efforts by provincial and regional officials to rid the area of its reputation for lawlessness “I think our authorities are just too complacent This is a wake-up call that we’re not yet fully free from this kind of atrocity,” Edding said Onil Chibás describes the menu as “New American” because it weaves food from around the globe with classical French training Louis ribs (Chris Mortenson/Staff Photographer) Serving high-quality food is second nature for longtime chef and caterer Onil Chibás of Pasadena Formerly running Elements Kitchen in the renowned Pasadena Playhouse a warm and welcoming eatery with indoor and outdoor seating It’s next to an Armenian butcher and specialty store ice cream shop and pizza joint on Washington Boulevard “We are very happy to open a new restaurant here in Northeast Pasadena,” said Chibás “It’s very exciting to see the changes that are happening in this neighborhood Deluxe 1717 began offering regular dinners in January 2021 He had been catering out of the space as Onil Chibás Events he experimented with limited dinner service on Friday evenings for “Casual Fridays.” “It was so well received by the local community that we decided to expand to Thursday which all came together in summer 2022,” Chibás said The restaurant’s name is inspired by the original moniker of Deluxe Lounge & Café and its street address “I decided to look it up and see if numerologically 1717 had any significance and “The angel number 1717 is all about independence Seeing this angel number is a sign that a new phase of life is on the horizon which the angels backing you and your new way of living I thought this was perfect as a deeper meaning and significance for the restaurant’s new name and felt it was the right choice to call it Deluxe 1717.” The cozy and intimate interior features Chibás’ personal art collection on the walls by local artists such as JT Burke whose eye-catching framed works were created by layering detailed photographs of costume jewelry “I love JT’s work because there’s a whimsical quality to it There’s serious art that’s behind the composition and the technique,” Chibás said “I feel like that is similar to the way we approach our food Everything we create is beautifully presented there’s a seriousness and care we approach it with Other pieces are a nod to Chibás’ native Cuba his historic Pasadena home and his love for cats “My artwork is a reflection of me and the restaurant’s sensibility,” Chibás said “We wanted it to be a comfortable neighborhood restaurant but at the same time we wanted it to be a beautiful space.” Chibás describes the menu as “New American” because it weaves foods and ingredients from around the world with classical French training Those cultural influences certainly come through enhancing our desire to explore many diverse cuisines flavors and ingredients that literally makes our menu New American.” Among the menu’s highlights are the Cuban sandwich which is made with slow-roasted pork shoulder Other standout dishes include the Asian fish and chips made with miso-marinated snapped nam pla sauce and sambal tartar sauce served with a side of taro chips; the Deluxe burger with tomato-bacon jam gruyere and crispy shallots; and house-smoked St Louis ribs made with in-house barbecue sauce that is available on Fridays and Saturdays The restaurant also serves seasonal favorites like the house-cured duck pastrami with braised cabbage and violet mustard Another popular offering is the new Deluxe brunch on Saturdays and Sundays which includes menu items like German chocolate pancakes huevos rancheros with house-smoked brisket and vegetarian sopes with Beyond Beef picadillo filling Deluxe 1717 also hosts special tasting menu dinners and wine pairings for guests it partnered with L’Objet vintner and ex-music business veteran Danny Glover for an exclusive wine dinner Its five-course tasting menu featured a range of dishes from a burrata crostini with Indian-inspired pickled cauliflower and golden raisins with red pepper ham to a sweet plantain mousse Napoleon on cinnamon sugar puff pastry with fresh currants and gooseberries “It was a great evening that allowed us to feature new menu items that were thoughtfully paired with wines old and new from our wine list,” Chibás said “We had a great time creating this menu and wine pairings and our guests made up of a full house of regulars and newcomers to Deluxe 1717 clearly enjoyed what we served and the idea of creating food that pairs well with a certain wine or choosing wines with our wine steward that complement our dishes is very exciting and satisfying especially when the perfect food and wine pairing is greater than the sum of its parts.” Champion said he curated Deluxe 1717’s wine list “There needs to be acidity and structure in the wines to balance the fruit,” Champion said “We also don’t tend to pick wines that only go with one thing Many of the dishes that Onil and Alberto create tend to do well with lighter reds duck and fish — all work well with wines like Pinot Noir You’ll always see a selection of these wines on the list Our whites will be bright and energetic in the warmer months and round and pleasing in the cooler months.” Champion added that the wine list will always focus on local regions with family-owned though they will incorporate some international wines as the menu changes “With such an international group of chefs in the kitchen and I think we’d be missing the mark if the wine list didn’t also represent that,” Champion said as we wanted to get our feet wet and see what works you can expect to see some higher-end wines start to dot the list soon the list was always going to mirror the theme of the menu A few anchors surrounded by wines that change with the season or whatever sparked excitement in the three of us My role for this list is to look ahead at what the chefs are planning and redirect the list accordingly Both Onil and Casey are instrumental in choosing the wines It’s not enough for one of us to like the wine we all need to agree that it goes well with the menu and the sense of the restaurant It’s a great feeling when we’re all excited about a wine — those tend to be the wines that make the list.” Chibás said his customers love that Deluxe 1717 is an inviting chef-driven neighborhood restaurant that serves reasonably priced thoughtfully prepared food served by a warm staff “Pasadena has been my home for the past 22 years and so it was and continues to be the obvious choice for both my ventures,” Chibás said “My love for Pasadena stems from its beauty civic cohesiveness and inherent pride of city I can’t think of a better place to open a restaurant like Deluxe 1717 Our restaurant and the city it is in have that small-town sense of comfort and community together with this incredibly broad cultural mix that livens every corner.” Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: the kidnapping suspect's two brothers speak out "I hope he rots in that jail," Onil Castro says of his brother Onil's soul-wrenching sorrow: "This has torn my heart apart I feel trapped for what somebody else did" '+n.escapeExpression("function"==typeof(o=null!=(o=r(e,"eyebrowText")||(null!=l?r(l,"eyebrowText"):l))?o:n.hooks.helperMissing)?o.call(null!=l?l:n.nullContext||{},{name:"eyebrowText",hash:{},data:t,loc:{start:{line:28,column:63},end:{line:28,column:78}}}):o)+" \n '+(null!=(o=c(e,"if").call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2PreText"):l,{name:"if",hash:{},fn:n.program(32,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:63,column:20},end:{line:63,column:61}}}))?o:"")+"\n"+(null!=(o=(c(e,"ifAll")||l&&c(l,"ifAll")||n.hooks.helperMissing).call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Text"):l,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Link"):l,{name:"ifAll",hash:{},fn:n.program(34,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:64,column:20},end:{line:70,column:30}}}))?o:"")+" passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loving family on Saturday Roy was born in 1939 in Winslow to Arthur and Leone Roy He graduated from Winslow High School in 1957 He was an accomplished trombone player in the band and orchestra and was a member of the football he received a scholarship to Admiral Farragut Naval Academy in Toms River he played in the band and was co-captain of the football team where he attended University of Maine at Presque Isle graduating in 1964 with a bachelor's degree in science That summer he began his chosen career at R.W Traip Academy in Kittery as an educator and coach Roy was a highly respected and devoted science teacher for 34 years He was an assistant football coach and head coach of boys track leading two teams to state championship titles He was inducted into the Maine High School Coaches Association Roll of Honor in 1991 Roy started the Ski Club and the Camera Club He taught basic photography and photo developing in the Kittery Adult Education Program he also took charge of Project Graduation for many years he received communications from many of his former students Recently he was asked what alternative career he would choose today "I would choose to teach and coach again!" He felt most successful whenever he was able to assist any student achieve his or her full potential Roy participated in several community organizations he became a member of the Seacoast Military Retirement Golf League and attended many school activities and athletic events of his beloved grandchildren He will be dearly missed by his wife of 53 years Nancy; and his three daughters and their husbands He was the proud Grandad of Lauren and Mark Haley and Jean Roy and wife Betty of Atlanta; several brothers and sisters-in-law SERVICES: A celebration of life will be held Friday A memorial Mass will be celebrated by his brother memorial donations may be made to The Rice Public Library or The Kittery Historical & Naval Society Care for the Roy family has been entrusted to the JS Pelkey Funeral Home The town of Onil has changed the lives of children everywhere Its exaggerated features bore little resemblance to the sweet facial characteristics that she loved about her daughter Nella The experience set the US blogger and author firmly against such dolls years later she found herself smitten with another doll This time it had been carefully crafted to subtly capture the characteristics that made Nella unique “This one was simply a beautiful doll any child would want to play with,” she said The town, home to around 7,500 people and 38 toymakers, made headlines across Spain last year after a local collection of four dolls with Down’s syndrome won the country’s much-coveted “toy of the year” prize The dolls – two boys and two girls of varying skin colours – were rolled out by toymaker Miniland. “We were apprehensive at the beginning,” saidVictoria Orruño Dolls by Miniland Photograph: MinilandThe doll is intended for all children “Sometimes we overlook it but playing with dolls is a very enriching and formative experience for children,” Orruño said “They can see different realities and normalise them.” In 2015 Onil-based The Doll Factory Europe which ships some 95% of its products outside of Spain released what today is a collection of six dolls with Down’s syndrome “The response was fantastic,” said the company’s Francisco Herrera One of the Doll Factory Europe’s dolls Photograph: The Doll Factory EuropeIntertwined with the push for inclusion is the town’s century-old method of dollmaking “Today there are still sculptors who use clay from the mountain to create the dolls,” said Herrera It was one of Herrera’s dolls that captured Hampton’s heart she watched as her daughter Nella gingerly lifted the doll to her shoulder and gently patted her on the back with Nella repeatedly telling her sister that her doll – which she named Nella – was just like her It was a potent reminder of the power of being seen and celebrated. “It was one small thing we could do to help her feel what we hope she is surrounded with her entire life – the message that people with Down’s syndrome are beautiful, capable and loved,” Hampton wrote on her blog at the time. “And I knew she felt it holding that doll.” Below is an analysis of the prospects in the farm system of the San Francisco Giants Scouting reports were compiled with information provided by industry sources as well as our own observations This is the fourth year we’re delineating between two anticipated relief roles the abbreviations for which you’ll see in the “position” column below: MIRP for multi-inning relief pitchers and SIRP for single-inning relief pitchers The ETAs listed generally correspond to the year a player has to be added to the 40-man roster to avoid being made eligible for the Rule 5 draft Manual adjustments are made where they seem appropriate A quick overview of what FV (Future Value) means can be found here. A much deeper overview can be found here All of the ranked prospects below also appear on The Board, a resource the site offers featuring sortable scouting information for every organization. It has more details (and updated TrackMan data from various sources) than this article and integrates every team’s list so readers can compare prospects across farm systems. It can be found here Harrison peppers the top of the strike zone with an uphill fastball that has averaged 93 mph so far in 2024 he would show you anywhere between 92-97 mph and it appears he’s settled into the lower part of that range He generates a ton of fastball chase because of the pitch’s angle and his delivery’s deception The thick-thighed southpaw throws from a low three-quarter arm slot and further lowers his release point by way of a deep knee bend as he lunges toward the plate Harrison started 2023 at Triple-A and spent most of the year there (minus a few weeks on the IL with a hamstring injury) before joining the Giants’ big league rotation in late August He broke camp in the rotation this season and has amassed enough innings to graduate from rookie status Harrison has been surprisingly efficient so far as a big leaguer after he was rather walk-prone early in his pro career He still has a big bending breaking ball that works best as a show-me pitch versus lefties but his most-used secondary is now his changeup Harrison’s changeup plays because of how often it’s chased more than because of its pure swing-and-miss action It often finishes in the middle/bottom of the zone rather than down and to his arm side like a normal changeup We’ve made no changes to Harrison’s offseason evaluation based on how he’s looked so far He continues to project as a mid-rotation mainstay where his lack of a third pitch takes a minute to catch up to him but Whisenhunt’s changeup might be even better than Paddack’s and his fastball has better power pitcher’s utility at the letters Whisenhunt could have a 60-grade pitch and an 80-grade one and simply be an awesome backend option That feels more in play now that he’s again scattering his fastball all over the place early in 2024 At 6-foot-7, Eldridge has plenty of room to build on an already strong frame, and he’s going to have enormous power in the Matt Olson/Adam Dunn zip code one day; he already showed plus measureable power late last season there are justifiable doubts about whether or not he’ll be able to catch up to pro velocity Eldridge looks relatively short to the baseball He can be a little long getting to the bottom of the zone right now but he has a surprising ability to get on top of high fastballs; most lefty hitters built like him are the opposite and have low-ball tendencies There is probably always going to be a heavy dose of strikeouts here (as there are with Olson) but Eldridge’s combination of power and patience is going to make him a potent offensive threat Whether he ends up playing right field or first base is probably going to be immaterial He’s quite a ways from the big leagues and there is some hit tool risk here but Eldridge projects as a middle-of-the-order-force with elite power Eldridge was shut down after six games in 2024 with an undisclosed injury (it sounds like it isn’t even listed in EBIS but scouts who cover the Giants org seem to think it’s something from which Eldridge will return from relatively soon After losing two seasons of development — one to the pandemic and the other to Tommy John — Winn rocketed to the upper levels of the minors very quickly once he was healthy in 2022 and made his big league debut in 2023 He showed much more arm strength on the other side of his surgery and he retained it even as the Giants stretched him out from working just two or three innings at a time to working as many as six He sat 94-97 all last year across about 100 innings of work and he’s parked in that range again at the start of 2024 Winn was a polished slider away from making the offseason Top 100 list He has had success (but not been dominate) in the majors even though his repertoire is missing a great breaking ball Winn instead more often deploys a four- and two-seam fastball and his devastating splitter which is one of the nastier ones in pro ball Winn’s upper-80s slider is hard but lacks the biting movement of a great finishing pitch Winn is a little bit stiff and eyeball evaluations of his relatively violent delivery have tended to funnel him toward the bullpen but at this point his strike-throwing track record is long enough to bet he’s going to start as long as he can stay healthy under a slightly larger workload He’s going to perform pretty well on a rate stat basis but whether he generates big WAR production is going to depend on how many more innings Winn can throw and whether or not he can find a better breaking ball It was surprising to see Arias on the Giants backfields during 2023 minor league spring training because even the best international prospects tend to stay in the Dominican Republic for their entire first calendar year of pro ball it was clear he belonged with a more advanced tier of player He mashed during his brief time in Arizona and was sent back to the D.R prior to extended spring training to get ready for the DSL season After a couple of dominant weeks in the DSL he broke his left wrist while diving for a ball in the outfield and his season was over Arias again looked fantastic during 2024 minor league spring training and during the early portion of extended and slammed his glove to the turf in frustration A Giants source relayed that it’s just a sprain this time but it’s something to keep an eye on physical corner outfield prospect with heart-of-the-order power potential He’s built like an NBA combo guard and only turns 18 a few days before the start of the 2024 complex slate He is already quite strong and should have superlative physicality at maturity Though his swing looks a little longer and has more scoop and lift during 2024 looks he has also shown an ability to be short to the baseball with power His swing path is somewhat grooved and there hasn’t been a ton of barrel variability during in-person looks we still don’t have a great sense of Arias’ bat-to-ball ability from a data standpoint because the sample is too small (though his 76 PA sample from 2023 was strong) though we likely won’t move him into the Top 100 until we have contact data that reinforces our eyeball look Whitman is a super smooth lefty with a beautiful arm action and delivery After two years with just 5.2 total innings pitched at Purdue Whitman transferred to Kent State for his junior year and had a breakout season it seemed feasible that Whitman had both skill and physical development remaining with a chance to blow up on a pro strength and conditioning program as his fastball has gone from the 90-94 mph range to the 92-96 mph range at Low-A San Jose He has taken a power-over-precision approach with his fastball so far in pro ball leaning on it at about a 70% clip so far in San Jose and Whitman’s size and the pacing of his delivery causes his heater to jump on hitters His slider has plus teeth and two-planed depth at its best and we’re projecting heavily on Whitman’s changeup here because of the quality of his arm action and athleticism he barely pitched in a competitive setting until 2023 make him one of the more viable starting pitching prospects in the Giants system This is a great tip-of-the-iceberg prospect who has already shown progress in one of the areas we hoped he would upon his entry into pro ball (velocity) and has the ingredients to be a good team’s no 4 starter if his changeup or a second breaking ball develop Crawford was the first player in Cape Cod League history to top 100 mph on the mound and also hit a home run in the same season He was regularly up to 99 mph and would peak at 102 that summer putting himself in the mix for the following draft’s top 10 picks or so but Crawford blew out and needed Tommy John that fall but his pre-injury look was exciting enough for the Giants to select him 30th overall in 2022 He was developed as a two-way player through 2023 making short starts every five days with one DH appearance in between He totalled just 19 innings before going to the Fall League where he had one last gasp as a hitter; Crawford has plus power but his bat is often too late to make contact He’s being developed solely as a pitcher in 2024 Crawford began the season in extended spring training (you can see his recent outing there in the linked video) where he was throwing hard (95-98) but not with the all-world gas we saw before his injury His heater has huge uphill tailing action that he doesn’t always command while his curveball (78-81 mph during his Arizona tune up) has superlative two-plane break and is going to be a lethal pitch Crawford’s changeup also has bat-missing action at times it often tails into unpredictable locations Crawford’s 40-man platform year is 2025 so realistically the Giants have through 2026 or so to build his innings count and help him polish his repertoire and command enough to start He entered 2024 having thrown just 19 professional innings and he’s only been both healthy and focusing on pitching for a couple of months We love tip-of-the-iceberg types like Crawford whose career context gives us a reason to project on his skills Crawford doesn’t move with the fluidity of a typical big league starter and it’s more likely he ends up pitching toward the back of a bullpen than the top or middle of a good rotation but because of his career context it makes sense for the Giants to see if he’s only scratching the surface of his potential command He’s still graded here on par with a late first rounder McCray is a toolsy power/speed threat whose lackluster hit tool will likely cause his offensive production to be very streaky and and limit him to a part-time role. Similar to Dodgers outfielder James Outman McCray’s uppercut style of swinging leaves him very vulnerable at the top of the strike zone with his barrel breezing below a lot of pitches up there His strikeout rate has typically hovered around the 30% mark in the minors which is actually more substantial than Outman’s was at the same time and it’d be surprising if he developed better than a 30-grade hit tool McCray’s swing packs a surprising punch for a guy with his build His style of swing should enable him to get to his power when he’s making contact Combine that with electric center field defense and McCray should be a solid extra outfielder He’s getting his first taste of Double-A to start 2024 Though he isn’t necessarily young for the level McCray was a multi-sport high schooler whose would-be first full season was squashed by the pandemic His baseball acumen has always been a little bit behind for a player his age but he’s got deep body and skill projection into his mid-20s Once a bat speed prodigy who looked like a potential 35-homer shortstop and stagnating development on defense have clouded and soured Luciano’s forecast The muscular 22-year-old has plus-plus power but he’s only truly dangerous in the very middle of the zone as Luciano lacks the barrel feel to impact pitches all over the zone but this is more a product of his bat path than expert feel to hit Chase has historically also been somewhat of an issue for Luciano but scouts coming out of Sacramento this year have had positive things to say about the quality of his at-bats where the power provides for a couple peak seasons but near bottom-of-the-scale contact ability and frustrating defense have Luciano more often looking like a 40-grade player Teams down the competitive continuum that may want to take a post-hype flier on Luciano sometime during the next year and a half should have a very firm idea of how they might help him improve on at least one side of the ball We think Luciano will have a lefty-mashing window of relevance Martin was not a high school showcase fixture until fairly late in the scouting process when he had a breakout at the 2022 Area Code Games His feel to hit was harder to evaluate due to a smaller showcase sample than is typical for a high-end infield prospect but in short looks it appeared rather undercooked especially for a high school prospect who’d be 19 on draft day He destroyed opposing Colorado high schoolers Martin got a substantial bonus (nearly $3 million) to eschew a commitment to Arkansas but didn’t play after the draft due to a back injury nor did he break camp with an affiliate in 2024 Martin is now 20 and hasn’t yet played at an affiliate A hamstring issue that popped up during extended spring training will have him shelved for another few weeks until after the 2024 Complex League season begins His spring training and extended looks were about the same: exciting but raw Martin’s hitting hands are explosive and portend good power for a shortstop if he can stay there but his on-field acumen is lacking for a talented 20-year-old He is trending more like a bat-oriented second baseman There’s still pretty considerable power-hitting upside here and there has been no change to Martin’s predraft FV grade even though his pro career is struggling to get off the ground Rodríguez had a breakout 2021 during which he sat 94-96 mph while incorporating a low-80s slider with big horizontal sweeping action his velocity and effectiveness have yo-yo’d as Rodríguez’s option years have poured through the hourglass He’s had stretches of wildness where he’s walked nearly a batter per inning the sort of on-mound athlete for whom we think things will click over time enabling him to be a core middle relief piece Rodríguez’s pitch mix is headlined by a fastball that regularly resides in the upper-90s and also features plus carry through the zone which allows the offering to play despite his shotgun command he has a tendency to get on the side of it which gives the offering inconsistent shape and spin Rodríguez has the pure stuff of a high-leverage reliever but his lack of control and inconsistency in harnessing his mix looks to have him bound for a lesser role If his feel for location takes a step forward in his mid-20s which feels possible given the way his body moves then he’ll become a higher-leverage option Choate is a large-framed southpaw who struck out 87 batters over 68 frames between Low- and High-A in 2023 He’s still being developed as a starter and opened the season in the Eugene rotation We are split as to whether he’ll be able to stay there long-term Choate comes at batters from a low three-quarters slot and also has some crossfire direction in his stride This combo is especially tough on left-handed hitters but it’s also an atypical look for a starter He has a great strike-throwing track record in pro ball but doesn’t have precise command which is hindered by a long arm swing that disrupts his timing So far he’s been able to avoid walks in a way that we think merits continued development as a starter and puts him more squarely on the starter/reliever line Choate’s slider tends to be wide and sweepy The other secondary pitch in Choate’s mix is a changeup that features very late depth and is an effective offering against both righties and lefties and it needs to be in order to keep righty hitters off his fastball Choate has a shot to start and checks a lot of the modern boxes that analytically driven scouts and orgs look for in a sleeper starter prospect Ahuna spent his first two college seasons at Kansas and had one of the hottest lines in all of 2022 college baseball slashing .396/.479/.634 before transferring to Tennessee for his draft year He wasn’t eligible for the start of the season because Tennessee didn’t handle the transfer process correctly and it cast a pall on the rest of Ahuna’s year a pretty serious red flag for a college hitter which is frankly beneath a player of Ahuna’s SEC and Big 12 experience Ahuna can spray pitches in the lower third of the zone to all fields but his bat path naturally cuts underneath high fastballs The length of his swing is going to make it tough for him to hit and we expect that his hit tool issues will persist a lock to stay at shortstop thanks to his hands and he has a shot to be an impact defender there This is the foundation of Ahuna’s profile rather than his offense He projects as an athletic utility guy who relies on the power he generates when he makes contact to carry the offensive burden He began 2024 on the 60-day IL while recovering from postseason thoracic outlet surgery Arteaga showed no ill-effects on defense despite seemingly playing through this ailment last year though it adds to the volatility around his hit tool because it’s another long stretch during which he isn’t getting live reps Black covered 123.2 frames across Double- and Triple-A in 2023 striking out 30% of the batters he faced while keeping his walks right around 10% Black utilizes both a four-seamer and a sinker in his mix preferring his four-seamer more against lefties and the sinker more when facing righties The four-seamer has averaged 92 mph so far this season (down a little bit from last year and down a lot from the 96-97 mph peaks he’s shown once in a while as a prospect) and lacks the outlier life that would allow the offering to play above its velocity His sinker will show above-average movement and his command of his fastballs projects a tick above average Black’s breaking ball arsenal consists of a sweeping slider and a slider that is much more vertically-oriented and the sweepy slider will routinely show above-average break while the downer slider is a bit more inconsistent in producing sharp Black lacks a pitch with which he can regularly generate whiffs which is why we view him as a future multi-inning reliever who can be used in more low-leverage situations to get bulk outs out of the bullpen After sitting 90-93 mph at Eastern Illinois and in the Northwoods League in 2022 Birdsong’s fastball was parked in the 93-96 mph range throughout 2023 He ended up working 100 innings as a starter and climbed from Low- to Double-A throughout the year with his walk rate ticking up toward the end He opened the 2024 season in the Richmond starting rotation but to us he still comes off as more of a reliever long-term Birdsong has significant length in his arm path that often hampers the timing of his release and command though it also creates some deception because of how long he hides the ball from batters He’s relied more on his 12-to-6 curveball in 2024 which routinely shows above-average teeth but is very reliant on chase It’s a pitch that pairs better with his four-seamer than his slider does because of its significant depth He can throw it out of the same tunnel as his elevated four-seamer but presently the pitch ends up in the dirt more often than not and major league hitters will just eliminate it if he isn’t able to show he can land it for a strike with greater frequency He’s still utilizing his late-tilting slider but it hasn’t shown sharpness as consistently so far this year (its chase and miss rate stats were great in 2023) and seems to have taken a bit of a backseat to the curveball usage wise Birdsong will also throw a changeup that often lacks notable action and while it will show some slight depth on occasion It was exciting how quickly Birdsong appeared to be developing last year and there are still changes being made to his pitch mix We think Birdsong profiles as a single-inning reliever a role where his stuff can play up in short bursts and his limited command is less of a factor A back injury limited Roupp’s 2023 and he really only threw his fastball and curveball during his 10 healthy starts so perhaps it’s unsurprising the Giants accelerated his big league timeline and proactively put him in the bullpen at the start of 2024 Roupp has one of the better curveballs in all of baseball It bends in around 77 mph with a ridiculous amount of depth It has in-zone and bat-missing utility against hitters of either handedness and it is likely to be the pitch Roupp throws most of all Roupp has a drop-and-drive delivery and low-ish arm slot which together create a shallow approach angle on his sinking fastball The line on his heater pairs nicely with his curveball and he’s going to be able to sneak it past hitters at the belt Roupp could conceivably work multiple innings which is part of why he’s been juiced into an impact FV tier rather than being given a generic middle relief grade Acquired from the Phillies before the 2023 season in exchange for hard-throwing reliever Yunior Marte hard-throwing lefty reliever with a great changeup The Giants never bothered developing him as a starter and moved Miller straight into the bullpen after they acquired him He has enjoyed a three-tick velo bump since joining the org (some of that is from the bullpen move) and sat 96 mph in 2023 and again early in 2024 Miller’s arm slot and release varies frequently for which he has a tendency to drop down to a noticeably lower angle His changeup has big fading action and is going to be a bat-missing big league offering anyway; it’s easily his best pitch as he lacks feel for locating his low-80s slurve He has a pretty standard changeup-oriented middle reliever’s stuff McDonald was a late pop-up guy in the 2019 draft out of a high school in rural Mississippi The Giants used their excess bonus pool money to sign him out of the 11th round for $800,000 He had something of a 2022 breakout in a piggyback starter role at Low-A en route to an incredible 2.39 ERA in the Cal League His 2023 season was interrupted multiple times by injury — an AC joint sprain and a tweaked hammy — and McDonald only threw half as many innings as the year before He looked healthy and effective at the end of the campaign and was added to San Francisco’s 40-man roster after the season McDonald began 2024 on the IL with a groin injury. We suppose you could consider him injury prone, but McDonald hasn’t had persistent, recurring ailments — his issues are all over the board. He hasn’t necessarily been missing out on building a starter’s stamina because his arm action, which is ultra-short, relatively stiff and odd looking (Jason Adam is a fair delivery comp) as well as a fairly inefficient approach to pitching with his fastball seemed likely to funnel him toward the bullpen anyway His collection of secondary stuff gives him the repertoire depth of a bulk relief or swingman McDonald has been sitting 93-95 when healthy for the last three seasons and has a big-breaking low-80s curveball that has overwhelmed lower-level hitters His changeup has consistent below-the-zone finish and McDonald could stand to use it more often Pitchers on a 40-man roster tend to wear a big league uniform during the course of the year and it’s likely McDonald debuts sometime toward the end of 2024 once he’s healthy and establishes himself at Richmond for a while Level signed for just shy of $1 million in January and will begin his career in the 2024 DSL. He is barely 17 as of Giants list publication but already very strong. He’s built like Jasson Domínguez was as an amateur a lack of arm strength will likely limit him to second base putting pressure on his offensive tools to be loud enough for him to be an everyday player there’s practically no raw power projection here because Level is already so strong and maxed out The good news is scouts like his hit tool enough to give him a puncher’s chance to be an everyday guy Sanchez is a slightly built lefty with a great changeup who is now on the doorstep of the big leagues He works out of a closed-off stretch position and has an exaggerated inward rotation during his delivery to hide the ball from hitters even longer Sanchez also creates a tough angle for left-handed hitters with his crossfire stride direction He throws both a four-seamer (92-96 mph) and sinker (92-94 mph); the sinker shows average tail and sinking action while the four-seamer has solid carry through the zone which ranges between 83-87 mph and features very late bottom action It routinely slips under bats and is exceptionally hard for hitters to identify because of the arm speed with which he throws the pitch The changeup is also an offering he shows advanced feel for as reflected in the 47% whiff rate and 43% chase rate the offering produced in 2023 Sanchez will infrequently show you an 84-86 mph slider that tends to have tilt to it but it has below average tightness and best projects as a pitch he can drop it to steal strikes on occasion Sanchez looks to have a single-inning middle-relief path ahead of him one where he can lean on his bat-missing changeup and odd fastball angle to get outs against both lefties and righties An arm strength relief prospect from Notre Dame Simon came out of the 2023 gates throwing gas sitting 95-97 mph even as he was stretched out to work as many as four innings It looked like he had made a successful leap to a minor league rotation when Simon was shut down with an elbow issue that led to a Tommy John in May A typical recovery would put him on track for a mid-2024 return but the fastball/slider combo that drives many a relief profile is already here and Simon didn’t pitch a ton in college and had already taken a leap from a strike-throwing standpoint before he went on the IL He projects as a solid middle reliever here but things were off to a pretty good start before the injury and others have returned from surgery having made strides in pitch design while they were away Teams should prioritize a pre-deadline look at Simon just in case he’s made a leap during rehab like Keaton Winn did Miles went undrafted as an eligible sophomore and had an ERA over 6.00 at Mizzou but the Giants still used a pretty high pick on him a move that looked pretty sly by the end of the summer: Miles was sitting 95-98 mph and touching 99 in the 2022 ACL while flashing two average secondary pitches he hasn’t thrown a pitch at an affiliate since A back injury cost him all of 2023 and an elbow issue has him on the 60-day IL to start 2024 We don’t know the exact nature of the elbow issue or when it cropped up; it’s possible it was discovered during Miles’ recovery from the back stuff It still sounds like we could see him in 2024 Healthy Miles stands out in the uniform for his size and physique; he’s well-built and his arm is fast His low-80s slider has late horizontal movement and he can vary its shape and give it more of a curveball look and some of his pre-injury changeups (also in the low-80s) were plus It’s clear there was pitch design meat left on the bone here in college it’s possible Miles would have been one of the breakout prospects in this system either of the past two seasons Fitzgerald has hit an average of 20 homers annually since 2021 by utilizing a pull-heavy approach to contact He doesn’t quite have average raw power but has still produced in-game power because of how focused his approach is with a little bit due to the PCL offensive environment A toned down leg kick in 2023 seemed to help him cut his strikeout rate from north of 30% to a more reasonable 24% at Triple-A but Fitzgerald still swings and misses an awful lot and not just sliders that finish off the plate His desire to pull everything often causes him to swing inside sliders that don’t quite turn the corner and he ran a 69% contact rate in 2023 (which is not good) even as his strikeout rate improved While a poor hit tool will probably prevent Fitzgerald from hitting enough to be heavily used his defensive versatility should ensure Fitz stays on a big league roster consistently He’s capable (but not great) at a variety of infield spots and he successfully took to center field in 2023 where he got most of his late-season big league reps Sugastey is a talented but flawed catching prospect who has had moderate success through the mid-minors despite a wreckless He’s an athletic mover in the batter’s box and has modest but meaningful thunder in his hands Sugastey does everything he can to prioritize contact He has a fairly simple swing that becomes strideless and simpler with two strikes and he tracks pitches well and works a ton of well-timed contact back into the middle of the diamond He had a two-strike chase rate over 60% in 2023 and his walk rates have dwindled into a problematic range (less than 5%) of late but he can hit pretty well for a catcher and has no significant flaw besides his chase so he profiles as a streaky bat-first backup Bericoto’s prodigious power is enough to give him some prospect clout as a role-playing corner bat but his contact rates have historically been near the bottom of what is typical of big league 1B/LF (70% overall Most successful corner bats who make so little contact either hit left-handed or have immense which is probably more than Bericoto will grow into some of what has historically ailed Bericoto (he’s relatively chase-prone) has neutered his offense entirely While he has experience at three corner positions If he can continue to produce like he did in 2023 Bericoto should compete for a 40-man roster spot across the next two seasons and we think he’ll have a few peak years in his prime when he has relevance as a short-side corner platoon guy A stocky 18-year-old outfielder currently on San Francisco’s extended spring training roster Guzman has an exciting present contact and power blend but isn’t especially projectable His top-hand driven swing covers a lot of the plate and his overall package is seasoned with a pretty good idea of the strike zone He’ll have to hit all the way up the ladder as a likely left fielder Acquired from the Pirates not long before list publication in exchange for Joey Bart Strickland popped up in extended spring training piggybacking with a rehabbing Reggie Crawford He was mostly a reliever at Kentucky but could be developed as a starter in pro ball He’s a fairly smooth-operating righty with a fastball that was in the 93-95 mph range during his couple of complex innings last week Strickland bends in two distinct breaking balls One is a slider in the 83-86 mph range and the other is a curveball that hovers around 80 mph Strickland’s rate stats at Kentucky suggest he can throw strikes and he may develop a changeup late once he’s forced to use one as a starter His pro career is just underway and he hasn’t yet pitched at an affiliate as of list publication but he’s a name to monitor in the system Velasquez has a strong contact track record for a switch-hitting infielder of his age but the way scouts have described his level of athleticism and bat speed has varied substantially across the last three years and this spring he has looked like the lesser version It’s important for Velasquez to have his best bat speed and hit for some power because he’s likely destined for second base His range and arm are both better fits on the right side of the infield and he needs power to profile without defensive versatility Contact skills on such a young switch-hitter are hard to find but there isn’t great long-term physical projection here and it will take changes to his conditioning to better Velasquez’s mobility Foster’s feel and soft skills on defense drive his prospectdom — at the very least they’re going to enable him to stay at shortstop throughout his time in the minors What Foster lacks in athletic ability he somewhat makes up for with on-field acumen and awareness his arm stroke is true and consistent (plenty for the left side of the infield) Foster is also a switch-hitter who hit fairly well in the SEC his Low-A assignment to start 2024 is pretty cushy and he should dominate the Cal League after playing well at Auburn low-ball swing will end up underneath a lot of pro fastballs but Foster’s defense should enable him to be a rosterable bench infielder Teng was signed by the Twins and traded as part of the 2019 Sam Dyson deal He has slowly marched to the big leagues as a four-pitch starter prospect but his lack of athleticism and issues with walks made him more likely to be a big league reliever That seems to have happened as Teng made the Giants’ big league roster out of 2024 camp but has since been optioned his repertoire has been pared down to sinkers and sliders Teng will reach back for the occasional 96 but tends to sit a few ticks below that as a starter His mid-80s slider is tough to spot out of hand and generated a 46% miss rate in 2023 Teng also threw a fair number of changeups and curveballs but those are probably going to be rare show-me pitches if he ends up staying in the bullpen in perpetuity Avila was once a Rule 5 pick of the White Sox he worked in multi-inning relief at Sacramento He has a cutter-heavy approach to pitching and will vary four- and two-seam fastballs from a very vertical arm slot He can also slow things down and bend in an upper-70s curveball but it generated the best rate of whiffs of any of his offerings in 2023 Expect him to be up and down from Triple-A a low-level reliever who had a big enough breakout to merit a 40-man spot even though he was still a sizable distance from the big leagues and was likely to spend at least one whole season continuing to develop in the minors and started walking hitters at an excessive rate in 2023 after he was promoted to Richmond Cruz appears to have added some strength over the offseason and has a mature He has ditched the windup in favor of working out of the stretch full-time and his stride down the mound is so ridiculously huge that it appears as though he has a hard time maintaining mechanical consistency enough to throw a strike Cruz throws from a high three-quarters arm slot that helps to create above-average carry on his four-seamer but the pitch plays well below its velocity and life grades overall due to his poor command It’s a similar story with his sinker Cruz’s bread and butter pitch is a changeup that features significant late fading action and will also flash depth Cruz does a good job of maintaining his fastball arm speed when throwing his changeup to add an extra element of deception it’s a pitch that he’s unable to consistently control which makes him overly reliant on hitters chasing out of the zone Cruz flashes pure stuff that is more in line with a future setup man but his very limited strike-throwing ability best projects for a low-leverage single inning role which will still require more overall control than what he’s shown so far in his professional career he struck out 35.5% of the hitters he faced between Eugene and Richmond has slight crossfire direction in his stride and is max effort on every pitch he throws His fastball does have plus riding action through the zone but that’s largely negated by his shotgun command Madison also has a sharp downer slider that features late action but it’s also greatly hindered by his inability to land it with any frequency His lack of strike throwing ability is best suited for a low-leverage single-inning role He struck out 63 batters over 52.2 frames in A-ball last season but also issued 33 free passes along the way Johnson’s overhand slot contributes to the plus carry on his mid-90s four-seamer which will also show late cut action and is capable of generating whiffs and his command ceiling is below average at best and varies between a slurvey offering and a vertical downer It’s another pitch he struggles to control and you hope the control/command clicks one day Johnson presents a single-inning middle-relief profile Johnson recently underwent surgery to repair a fracture in his right elbow and joins the legion of injured arms of note in this system He was a 28th round pick of the Phillies in 2014 and was released after two seasons After a few years away from affiliated ball he signed with the Twins in 2018 and pitched just 14 innings at Cedar Rapids before he was released again he’s pitched in Mexico and Independent ball; the Giants added him to their system at the very end of May 2023 Kiest has been scattering a mid-to-upper-90s fastball with hair on it and he’ll occasionally show you an above-average slider as well and finding release consistency will be key to his journey continuing through the upper minors Kiest began 2024 at Richmond and continues to throw hard without a great idea of where the baseball is going Wynja pitched at four different colleges in four years — first at Purdue and finally Murray State — after which he was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022 The gigantic 6-foot-9 lefty has already added about four ticks to his fastball which sat 87-88 mph at Murray State then was suddenly in the 90-92 range in 2023 That’s better but still below-average and although Wynja continues to be developed as a starter his fringy command of an already below-average fastball makes it very difficult to see him consistently turning over a lineup of major league hitters as a starter We think he’s best suited to cover lower-leverage assignments where he can air it out in an attempt to get his stuff to tick up in single-inning bursts Wynja has a plus slider that he commands with aplomb Wynja and his several late-bloomer traits (his size and nomadic amateur career) made him seem like he might continue to improve but he has settled into looking like an up/down lefty specialist Perez is a young catcher who has made a ton of contact in the lower levels He has a quick bat and sprays the ball to all fields but he is a relatively projectionless athlete without much power right now Perez has some clear things to work on defensively He’s a pretty good young receiver with deft hands around the edge of the zone and his throwing has gotten a bit better but he’s a fringe athlete with a maxed out build and it’s possible he’ll have a hard time remaining athletic enough to be a good catcher as he ages It’s encouraging that Prez has continued to hit as he’s entered the mid-minors but he’s still just a bat control sleeper at a premium position a prospect to monitor for change in the areas that need improvement but not one with an imminent or certain high-impact projection Sanchez is a viable defensive catcher prospect (his arm strength is better than his receiving right now) with above-average power for a hitter his age There are scouts who think he’ll develop truly plus raw power at peak and others who think he’s more or less maxed out He signed for $1.4 million and will begin his career in the DSL as a dev project at a premium position After experiencing delays to his development – first the 2020 shutdown then a 2021 meniscus tear – Waites rocketed from High-A to the majors in 2022 as he pumped upper-90s gas past hitters and struck out well over 40% of them during the season He dealt with a lat strain during 2023 spring camp and pitched with reduced velocity when he returned velo that ticked down more and more throughout the year until Waites went from sitting 97-101 at peak to 93-96 toward the end of his season He had his second career Tommy John in September and will miss all of 2024 Healthy Waites’ fastball touches triple-digits and punishes righties on the inside of the plate His slider quality and command were not especially good (he only throws it 20% of the time) and much of the swing-and-miss with his breaking ball is the result of the batter gearing up for the fastball rather than the quality of the slider on its own Waites hasn’t had a ton of reps — his 41 innings in 2022 were easily the most of his career It’s plausible he could improve his slider or command enough to be more than the wild up/down reliever he was projected as before his most recent TJ but another year of missed development will make that more difficult He’ll be nearly 27 when he next throws a competitive pitch and we expect he’ll be more of a “lightning in a bottle” type reliever who could make a meaningful big league bullpen impact but probably during a narrow window of time rather than for five or more consistent seasons Grouped by type and listed in order of preference within each category Gutierrez is a 19-year-old outfielder signed out of Mexico who struck out in merely 6.7% of his 2023 DSL at-bats He’s a little bit undersized and has to get stronger but he’s lanky and sinewy and just might Szykowny was San Francisco’s 2023 ninth rounder out of UIC lefty-hitting SS/3B who is still on the complex for extended spring training even though he hit well last summer at Papago Diaz could have lived in either of the Honorable Mention hitter groups we have here as both his measurable power and contact from last year’s DSL looks pretty special on a spreadsheet he’s shown a kind of mature frame and an odd swing It’s still early for these complex-level hitters and it’s unsurprising that they’re slow out of the gate given how few games the Giants are playing in extended Brown had a breakout a couple of years ago and posted some of the most explosive number in all the minors in 2022 he posted a sub-60% contact rate at a more age-appropriate level If he were more comfortable in center field there might be more room for this little contact has similar issues and has also dealt with persistent injury Reynoso had a huge 2023 DSL and is part of the 2024 extended spring group but he’s had more of a defense-first look so far in Arizona and isn’t tracking pitches especially well McDaniel was a 2023 Draft Combine standout who plays a mix of positions and swings hard but he’s struck out quite a bit at the lowest levels Williamson arguably had the most power of any Giants complex-level hitter last year but he’s swinging and missing at an untenable rate for a first baseman Small was once a 45 FV prospect when he looked like a starter with a stable riding fastball and plus changeup Injuries and command regression have caused him to change orgs and shift to relief He is currently out with an oblique strain Dabovich is still throwing hard when healthy (regularly up to 97) and has a big breaking ball but he hasn’t thrown strikes at a reasonable rate for a couple of years now and is currently out with an elbow strain Maldonado was one of the hard-throwing young complex guys of two summers ago; he’s currently out rehabbing from Tommy John Munguia is a spark plug little outfielder who plays his ass off and makes a lot of contact This system has 20,000 leagues of depth but is light up top. Some of the top prospects from recent list cycles have graduated (Patrick Bailey), including some who have struggled to find their footing in the big leagues (Luis Matos) Most of the depth here comes via middle-of-the-roster pitching They’re pitchers you need to have around to survive a whole big league season the sorts of arms you hate to have to go outside the org to acquire when you’ve suffered a rash of injuries While few of these guys look like impact arms right now the sheer number of interesting arrow-up hurlers here gives the Giants many opportunities to develop the next Keaton Winn who really popped coming out of his TJ rehab the latter sitting 90 in extended spring training and the sheer number of injuries to pitchers in this org is staggering So many are hurt at the moment that the Giant have had to cancel many of their extended spring games due to a lack of healthy pitching partly because pitchers have needed to domino up the minors to replace all the injured guys you see on this list The Complex League season is around the corner We’d also like to take the opportunity to introduce Travis Ice who will be joining FanGraphs as a prospect contributor Travis was a junior college and Division II second baseman he served as an assistant coach at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (a junior college in Miami then worked as an MLB video scout at Baseball Info Solutions before being hired as an Angels minor league video coordinator He was a member of the Angels pro scouting department from 2014-2020 and has spent the last few years doing freelance scouting work for area scouts in the midwest while also maintaining his own blog focused on player evaluation Travis is a big believer in blending modern data and technology with “traditional” scouting His time as a FanGraphs community member predates his scouting career and he’s extremely excited to have the opportunity to contribute to all things prospect related at the site moving forward Police have released Pedro and Onil Castro The brothers of Ariel Castro are hiding in an undisclosed location Onil Castro says he "would never even think of something like that" brother or no brother," Pedro Castro says Immediate Need  The Family Interactive feature enhances An Amazing Life Authorized family members can securely access their loved one's memorial website settings at any time Please enter the name and email details so that we can send your friend a link to the online tribute No names or addresses will be collected by using this service Please enter your question or comment below: A receipt has been emailed to the address provided Agreement with Policy and Continued Use of Site We encourage you to share your most beloved memories of Onil here so that the family and other loved ones can always see it and can even comment on those shared by others it will also remain on this memorial website in perpetuity PLEASE NOTE: The reproduction of any copyrighted images is forbidden without express written permission from the copyright holder any image in violation of any copyright laws you will receive two daily updates containing all new stories one week prior to the anniversary of death The email will only serve as a reminder should you choose to connect with the family at what will no doubt be a difficult time Please select your relationship to the deceased and add your email address before submitting Operated by Families First Funeral Home and Tribute Centre Inc Calling his brother a hateful monster, Onil Castro has told CNN he hopes Ariel Castro "rots in that jail." "I want him to suffer," he said of Ariel, the 52-year-old man accused of holding three young women captive in his Cleveland home for about a decade — years in which Ariel Castro allegedly raped them repeatedly and subjected them to other physical and mental torment Onil (left) and Pedro Castro in an exclusive interview broadcast Monday morning on CNN Prosecutors said there was no evidence the men knew the women were inside their brother's home and that there's no evidence the two brothers played any part in the women's disappearances or captivity On an interview CNN broadcast Monday morning Pedro Castro said he wants the world to know that "I had nothing to do with this and I don't know how my brother got away with this." On the occasions when he was in Ariel's home he was never invited to go beyond the kitchen Either a radio or a TV was always playing in the kitchen and he never heard any other sounds in the house Onil Castro said he feels like "a walking corpse right now" because of the attention and shame the case has brought to his family He added that he had "absolutely no idea that this horrific crime was going on." CNN has posted video of its interview here Become an NPR sponsor Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Complete digital access to quality analysis and expert insights complemented with our award-winning Weekend Print edition Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times This article was published more than 11 years ago Onil Castro and Pedro Castro (R) appear for their initial court appearance in Cleveland a veteran school bus driver fired from his job last fall was formally charged with kidnapping and raping the three women who were rescued from his house on May 6 evening shortly before his arrest were also arrested as suspects in the case but police said they were not charged after investigators determined they had no knowledge of the abductions or captivity of the women.John Gress/Reuters Not long after police found three longtime missing women in a home on Cleveland's west end Monday they announced they had arrested three suspects: Ariel Castro and his brothers police announced only Ariel would be charged in connection with the kidnappings and rapes of Amanda Berry Brothers Pedro and Onil were later released According to Cleveland police Deputy Chief Ed Tomba "there is nothing that leads us to believe that they [Pedro and Onil] were involved or had any knowledge of this." Mr Tomba said that after interviewing victims as well as the three Castro brothers they concluded that Pedro and Onil did not have anything to do with the three kidnappings Tomba said a big part of why the two were arrested is because at least one of them happened to be with Ariel at the time of his arrest you can only imagine the chaos and the relief that we had finding these girls We had enough probable cause to bring them into custody," he said Onil was with his brother Ariel in a McDonald's parking lot Monday when police approached Onil Castro asked police if this was about his brother he's over at our mom's house on Hyde Avenue,'" Onil said Though police later determined that Pedro and Onil were not involved with the missing women investigation they remained in police custody due to unrelated misdemeanour warrants All three brothers made appearances in court Thursday morning – Ariel for four charges of kidnapping and three counts of rape and Pedro and Onil for misdemeanour charges Report an editorial error Report a technical issue Editorial code of conduct Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following Ann Hui is the national food reporter at The Globe and Mail she worked as a national reporter and homepage editor for theglobeandmail.com and an online editor in News Jill Mahoney is a Globe and Mail reporter who specializes in investigative and enterprise journalism with a current focus on housing and real estate During her more than 25 years at The Globe Ontario politics and the real estate industry She served as The Globe's Edmonton correspondent for six years A profile photo uploaded to Ariel Castro's Facebook account Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. Non-subscribers can read and sort comments but will not be able to engage with them in any way. Click here to subscribe If you would like to write a letter to the editor, please forward it to letters@globeandmail.com. Readers can also interact with The Globe on Facebook and Twitter Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff We aim to create a safe and valuable space for discussion and debate If you do not see your comment posted immediately it is being reviewed by the moderation team and may appear shortly We aim to have all comments reviewed in a timely manner Comments that violate our community guidelines will not be posted UPDATED: Read our community guidelines here We have closed comments on this story for legal reasons or for abuse. For more information on our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines and our Terms and Conditions .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Barton Deiters | bdeiters@mlive.comRoger Torres and Onil Rivas-PerezGRAND RAPIDS – The man who pleaded guilty to stealing credit card numbers from Taco Bell customers was taken to task by a judge during his sentencing today who came to the United States from Cuba in 2007 was sentenced today to two years of probation by Kent County Circuit Court Judge Dennis Leiber Police said Rivas-Perez and alleged co-conspirator Roger Torres, 38, of Caledonia, got two Taco Bell employees to use a "black box"that can store numbers from swiped credit cards Rivas-Perez pleaded guilty last month to identity theft Police said the two men used the stolen card numbers to buy prepaid Visa gift cards from at least three Meijer stores in Caledonia Detectives estimated 50-100 customers were affected by the fraud “You came to a land of opportunity and you squander that opportunity by choosing to commit a crime,” said Leiber after noting that Rivas-Perez has a degree in economics from Cuba Rivas-Perez said through an interpretor that he hopes to be able to work in air conditioning and refrigerator repair He was not ordered to be deported as long as he lives up to the conditions of his probation E-mail Barton Deiters: bdeiters@grpress.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/GRPBarton Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices the brothers of the Ohio kidnapping and rape suspect tell CNN they were unaware of what police say was happening in their brother's home "If I knew, I would have reported it, brother or no brother," Pedro Castro told CNN's Martin Savidge remains in jail under a suicide watch on $8 million bond while prosecutors weigh more charges including some that could carry the death penalty faces three counts of rape and four counts of kidnapping involving victims Amanda Berry Castro was also charged with kidnapping in connection with Berry's 6-year-old daughter DNA test results confirmed Castro fathered the girl were detained last week after Ariel Castro was arrested but police released the pair a few days later saying there was no evidence that either brother — neither of whom lived at Ariel Castro's home — were involved in any crimes against the women or Berry's daughter The two men tell CNN they worry people will always believe they played a role in the crimes and say their friends cannot fathom them being involved they know that Onil Castro is not that person and has nothing to do with that Would never even think of something like that," Onil said referring to the allegations against his brother Ariel No reason for anybody to think that I would ever do something like that Both brothers say they are hiding in an undisclosed location after their homes were targeted and they received death threats online Follow @KatharineLackey on Twitter .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By John Tunison | jtunison@mlive.comOnil Rivas-PerezGRAND RAPIDS -- Onil Rivas-Perez a man police say took part in a scheme to digitally skim credit card numbers from Taco Bell customers entered the plea Tuesday before Kent County Circuit Court Judge Dennis Lieber and will be sentenced Feb Police said Rivas-Perez and alleged co-conspirator Roger Torres, 38, of Caledonia, got two Taco Bell employees to use a black box that can store numbers from swiped credit cards Police said the two men used the stolen card numbers to buy prepaid Visa gift cards from at least three Meijer stores: in Caledonia E-mail John Tunison: jtunison@grpress.com .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By John Tunison | jtunison@mlive.comRoger Torres and Onil Rivas-PerezKENT COUNTY -- A credit card scam that allegedly defrauded numerous people involved two Taco Bell employees who used "skimming" devices to copy card numbers are contained in a probable cause affidavit that details multiple purchases Many involved hundreds of dollars at a time Torres and Rivas-Perez did not work for Taco Bell According to Kent County sheriff's detectives Torres admitted to giving two credit card skimming devices -- small black boxes that allow someone to slide a card and store the card number -- to two Taco Bell employees "Torres stated that he had received the devices back from (the employees) several times and with the information obtained from the skimming devices credit card information was obtained," a detective described for the affidavit It wasn't immediately clear how many Taco Bell restaurants were involved But court documents show the scam likely lasted several weeks Torres said Rivas-Perez offered him $10,000 to distribute the skimming machines and get them filled with numbers Torres and Rivas-Perez are charged with 20-year felonies of conducting a criminal enterprise Rivas-Perez also is charged with three counts of stealing credit cards and Torres with possessing a false credit card Police say the two men used the stolen card numbers to buy pre-paid Visa gift cards from at least three Meijer stores: in Caledonia Police identified Torres using surveillance video and a stake-out at the Meijer store he normally visited to buy the pre-paid cards Detectives determined Torres used the same stolen account number to spend $326 at one store and $255 at another Rivas-Perez was identified after Family Fare gas station employees obtained his license plate number and an employee notified deputies the vehicle matching the plate number was fueling up Rivas-Perez allegedly was on the payroll at Torres' business although company employees told police he did not work there The two men were arraigned last week in Grand Rapids District Court Torres is out of jail on a $15,000 bond and Rivas-Perez is being held on a $50,000 bond Detective Bryan Muir said his investigation shows the scope of the scam is much larger than the three victims initially found Probable cause hearings began Friday for Onil Rivas-Perez the two men police say masterminded the operation with two Taco Bell employees The hearings were adjourned for two weeks due to new information in the case gave skimming devices to two Taco Bell employees who used the black boxes to swipe and collect credit cards numbers Police would not say which local restaurants were involved E-mail the author of this story: localnews@grpress.com Production company Rêver Media has launched in Sydney by co-founders Onil Kotian and Karim Sokarno who respectively form its core director-producer team Having previously been represented by Moth Projects and Velvet, Kotian’s unique visual aesthetic and AWARD School mentality has seen him direct visuals for David Jones, Racing & Wagering Western Australia, Opera House and Angus & Julia Stone to name a few has spent the last four years working across product design and development for his eponymous fashion label that has been recognised internationally His entrepreneurship and network across a wide range of industries have enabled him to produce art exhibitions commercials & music videos for local and international clients From fashion films and music videos to branded content and TVCs Rêver prides itself on the ability to pursue & inject a unique perspective into each and every project Rêver strives to keep its finger on the pulse and be at the forefront of culture and trends through film and content For enquiries, please contact Karim Sokarno karim@rever.com.au Register for Free and receive the Campaign Brief Daily Bulletin Type your email address in the space below This article was published more than 12 years ago This undated combination photo released by the Cleveland Police Department shows from left and Pedro Casto.The three brothers were arrested Tuesday after three women who disappeared in Cleveland a decade ago were found safe Monday The brothers are accused of holding the victims against their will.Cleveland Police Department/The Associated Press After the discovery of three longtime missing women in a Cleveland home – where they are believed to have been held captive for nearly a decade – attention has focused to the three brothers accused of abducting them sometimes violent lives of the Castro brothers: Ariel graduated from Lincoln West High School in 1979 1991 by the Cleveland Metropolitan School District as a bus driver I plan to drive a bus and working with young people." After he left his school bus unattended for four hours in the fall of 2012 Records show his home was recommended for foreclosure with Ariel owing over $2,500 in unpaid taxes dating back to 2010 - Ariel was briefly suspended from work in 2004 after he apparently left a student unattended on a bus According to the student's complaint in his employment file instead of taking the child to an ADHD meeting at school he instead drove to a Wendys restaurant and told the child to "lay down bitch" while he went inside to eat An investigation by Children and Family Services as well as Cleveland Police later found there was"no criminal intent" behind the incident Figueroa was given custody of the couple's children The couple had four children together: Ariel "Anthony" Daughter Emily is now in prison for attempting to murder her infant daughter - Grimilda Figueroa filed for a domestic violence protection order from Ariel in August Ariel had been arrested for domestic violence in 1993 though a grand jury declined to indict him at the time she claimed Ariel had broken her nose twice She also claimed he had threatened to kill her and their daughters on multiple occasions even after the couple had already separated she claimed he "frequently abducts daughters," keeping them from her Figueroa also asked the court to require Ariel to attend "batterer counselling" and substance abuse counselling - Ariel was well known as a local musician playing bass guitar at clubs around the city he listed his employer as a merengue band called Grupo Fuego But the band distanced themselves from him in a statement Tuesday saying he was only a "sub" and had only played with the group a handful of times - He has been the owner of the home on Seymour Avenue since 1992, where the three missing women were found. According to his son Anthony, Ariel didn't allow visitors inside certain parts of the home. "There were places we could never go," he told the Daily Mail. "There were locks on the basement - The eldest of the Castro brothers, Pedro is described by friends as a once-promising student whose life was taken over by alcoholism. Nestor Roman told the Daily Mail that he went to Lincoln High School with the eldest Castro brother and said "Pedro was a straight-A student until he started drinking." He said that Pedro never finished high school because of his drinking and was probably a "bad influence" on his brothers - Pedro reportedly lived with the brothers' mother as search crews dug through a vacant lot looking for Amanda Berry Pedro told a Fox News reporter the search was "a waste of money." Roman told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that Pedro had worked at a punch press factory in the past but had to stop working because of how badly the drinking had affected him He was receiving Social Security benefits in recent years Nephew Anthony told the Daily Mail that it was difficult to even carry a conversation with his uncle "Every time I went to visit my grandmother he always just seemed to be lying on his bed reportedly lived alone in his own home "somewhere in the lower west side," according to police Onil had a live-in girlfriend for 15 years but the couple broke up about 10 years ago - According to the Castro brothers' uncle Julio in an interview with CNN - Onil had worked as a handyman in the past and more recently was receiving workers' compensation ABC News News HomeCastro's brothers deny knowledge of imprisoned womenShare Castro's brothers deny knowledge of imprisoned womenTopic:Law Ariel Castro appears in court for his initial appearance in Cleveland Link copiedShareShare articleThe brothers of the man suspected of abducting raping and imprisoning three Cleveland women say they had no idea about his alleged crimes has been charged with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape after three women and a child were rescued from his home Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight - have released a statement thanking their supporters and asking for privacy Castro's brothers Onil and Pedro were also arrested after the dramatic rescue but were released when investigators determined they were unaware of what was going on They have gone into hiding after receiving death threats Onil Castro has told CNN people are suspicious of him they know that Onil Castro is not that person would never even think of something like that," he said no reason for anybody to think that I would ever do something like that If I knew that my brother was doing this.. Pedro Castro added: "I could not never think of doing anything like that." "If I knew that my brother was doing this.. because that ain't right," he said the three women released a statement asking for privacy so they could reconnect with their families Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight are extremely grateful for the generous assistance and loving support of their families friends and the community," said the statement "They are also very grateful for the tireless efforts of numerous law enforcement officials." The women have received offers of cash, furniture and the use of a holiday home from people around the world who want to help them rebuild their lives a fund for the trio had raised more than $50,000 The women were rescued a week ago along with Ms Berry's six-year-old daughter, fathered by Castro Charles Ramsey has played down his actions in helping Amanda Berry The local dishwasher kicked through a door to end the women's ordeal after responding to screams that "were so loud children stopped playing" Ms Knight was kidnapped in 2002 at the age of 20, Ms Berry in 2003 the day before her 17th birthday and Ms DeJesus in 2004, when she was 14. Ms Berry has told police her escape had been her first chance to break free in the 10 years she was held captive. With the help of neighbours, she and her daughter broke free, and police discovered and freed the other two women. "Thank you so much for everything you're doing and continue to do," Ms Berry said in the statement. "I am so happy to be home with my family." Gina DeJesus said she wanted to spend time with her family. "I'm so happy to be home and want to thank everybody for all your prayers." The longest-held captive, Michelle Knight, 32, has slipped into seclusion after being released from a hospital on Friday. She shunned hospital visits from family members, some of whom believed she was a runaway when she disappeared 11 years ago after losing custody of her young son. "Thank you to everyone for your support and good wishes. I am healthy, happy and safe and will reach out to family, friends and supporters in good time," Ms Knight said in the statement. Erin Patterson's mushroom murder trial resumesLIVE CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) Hotelier Middle East Home » People » Purchasing Power: Onil D’Mello assistant purchasing manager at the Holiday Inn Dubai Al Barsha shares the smart way to select suppliers and how to bag a bargain: 11:42:12 PM EDTA policeman checks an area where an American identified as Elliot Onil Eastman was reportedly abducted by gunmen in Sibuco town (Philippine National Police Regional Office 9 via AP)Kidnapped American YouTuber Elliot Onil Eastman is feared dead as Philippine authorities investigate reports of a shooting in the country’s south in October.On Dec was shot twice with an M16 rifle while attempting to fight off four abductors Ramoncelio Sawan said investigators received new information through a witness and relative of one of the suspects Eastman was forcibly taken by four unidentified suspects posing as policemen from his home in the coastal town of Sibuco in Zamboanga del Norte on Oct Sawan said the witness had told investigators that Eastman died on the night he was abducted adding he succumbed to his injuries before the suspects threw his body into the sea “We are constrained to believe that he has died All of the information that we have points to that,” Sawan said The information was later corroborated by a key suspect in the kidnapping who was arrested recently with a sworn statement submitted to government prosecutors Authorities launched an extensive search operation for Eastman and his abductors which ultimately led to the arrest of a number of suspects with three being killed in a gun battle with police in the south last month Sawan said an investigation remains underway “we’re still leaving a little bit of hope that it may not be the case.” Embassy in Manila said it is aware of the reports and is coordinating with local authorities Eastman was in the nation at the time of his abduction to attend his Filipino wife’s graduation and initially traveled to the Philippines a year and a half ago where he met his significant other The brothers of Ohio kidnapping suspect Ariel Castro have spoken to CNN in an exclusive interview saying that they knew nothing of the horrific crimes that were committed by their brother. Onil and Pedro Castro spoke out in an interview last night, saying they didn't know why they were initially arrested with their brother on May 6. The brothers have since been released due to lack of evidence and have not been charged in connection to the kidnappings. Three women – Amanda Berry, Gine DeJesus, and Michelle Knight – have been freed last week after being held captive by Castro for about ten years. Onil was with his brother Ariel when he was arrested for the kidnapping. He said that he thought he was being pulled over for running a red light. Meanwhile, Pedro was sleeping in his home when he was woken up by police. He thought he was being arrested for an outstanding open container warrant. Only when Onil and Pedro arrived at the police station did they find out the crimes committed by their brother and now do not consider him to be their kin. Pedro told CNN that when he asked a police officer what he was charged for, the officer wrote 'kidnapping' on a piece of paper. Since Pedro did not have reading glasses, he thought it said 'open containers'. However, the officer told him to read it again and when he saw closely, he said "Oh! Kidnapping! What's this? Kidnapping? I'm thinking kidnapping. Who did I kidnap?" Pedro then said that Onil told him: "Onil, I'm sorry. You didn't know nothing about this, Onil. I'm sorry, Onil." And that was it. And then that's when I broke down on my way over there. I said, "What did my brother do? What did he do?"' He said that his brother to him "you're never going to see me again" and said "I love you bro." The brothers spoke of the shock of their 'monster' brother and said they felt the worst when they realized that Ariel took Gina DeJesus. They are friends with her father, Felix DeJesus. He told CNN: "I knew him for a long time and when I found out that Arial had Gina, I just broke down its just shocking. Ariel, we know this guy for a long time and you got his daughter and you go round like nothing, you even went to the vigils, you had posters, you give his mama a hug and you got his daughters captive?' Pedro also said he saw Jocelyn, the 6-year-old daughter that Ariel fathered with victim Amanda Berry. He said Ariel explained that the child was his girlfriend's. "I seen Ariel with a little girl at McDonald's and I asked him who's that and he said "This is a girlfriend's of mine,"' The brothers recalled how they would always stay in Ariel's kitchen area when they visited his home and did not go into any other rooms as he had curtains blocking the other rooms. "The reason why we would go in the kitchen, because he had alcohol. And he would take me in the kitchen, give me a shot,' Pedro told CNN. Pedro also explained that there would always be some sort of background noise on, such as a TV or radio and that his brother always opted to eat on the steps instead of indoors. Onil told CNN reporter Martin Savidge that before their brother was arrested, he was a very liked person. "'The people out there who know me, they know that Onil Castro is not that person, has nothing to do with that - would never even think of something like that. I was a very liked person [before the arrest], never had any enemies. [There is] no reason for anybody to think that I would ever do something like that. It was a shock to all my friends. They couldn't believe it." Pedro told Savidge his disbelief that his brothers would commit such a crime behind closed doors. "I couldn't never think of doing anything like that. If I knew that my brother was doing this, in a minute I would have called the cops; cause that ain't right. But yeah, it's going to haunt me down. Cause people are going to think Pedro had something to do with this and pedro don't have anything to do this….If I knew, I would have reported it, brother or no brother." Berry made her dramatic escape from her captor's house on May 6 after screaming and shouting for help through a small gap on the front door. Her screams were heard by a neighbor, who helped her out. Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, Michele Knight and Jocelyn were all rescued from the house and taken to hospital. They have since been released from hospital and reunited with their families. Meanwhile, reports say that Knight has gone home with DeJesus and is shunning her family for not looking for her. Knight, 32, has been held captive by Ariel Castro for the longest time among the three victims - a total of 11 years. She is reportedly in good condition but has not yet met any of her family members. Deborah Knight, the victim's grandmother, told news agencies last week that she has not yet seen her granddaughter. "No, we haven't – on her request. She does not want to be seen by family," she said, according to Reuters. Knight had required additional medical care as she was found with facial injuries and had suffered at least five miscarriages while in captivity. She was reportedly starved and punched in her stomach whenever she fell pregnant by Castro. Castro, 52, was charged with four counts of kidnapping on May 8. He has also been charged with raping the three women he kidnapped and held captive for around 10 years. Knight was a single mother at the age of 20 when she was abducted by Castro. Because she was over the legal age of an adult, many dismissed her case as a runaway case. She had vanished after losing a custody battle with child welfare authorities over her son, who was three at the time. Some of her family members thought she had run off after losing custody of her child. See below for Onil and Pedro Castro's full interview video with CNN. 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