This story was excerpted from Maria Guardado's Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

One of the most intriguing developments in the Giants’ farm system this year has been the emergence of right-hander Dylan Cumming.

Signed as an undrafted free agent last year, Cumming is establishing himself as the Giants' breakout pitching prospect of 2024, logging a 1.73 ERA with 62 strikeouts over 41 2/3 innings in 11 appearances (eight starts) between High-A Eugene and Double-A Richmond.

It’s been a fascinating rise for the 25-year-old Cumming, who began his collegiate career at Chicago State before the COVID-19 pandemic threw the program into flux and forced him to transfer to Liberty University for his final two seasons of eligibility in 2021-22. He recorded a 5.05 ERA over 19 appearances in his last year for the Flames before attempting to boost his Draft stock in the Appalachian League, where he posted a 1.67 ERA in nine outings for the Burlington Sock Puppets.

Despite his success in the summer collegiate baseball circuit, Cumming wasn’t selected in the 20-round 2022 MLB Draft, though he continued to chase his baseball dream by heading to Charlotte, N.C., to train at Tread Athletics, a metric-driven sports performance company. His efforts eventually paid off when he landed a Minor League deal with the Giants in February 2023.

Cumming doesn’t throw especially hard, topping out at 90-92 mph, but he’s managed to put up results thanks to his impressive array of breaking balls, including a nasty sweeper and a slurvy curveball.

The Grand Blanc, Mich., native recorded a 2.93 ERA over 34 appearances (seven starts) after making his professional debut at Single-A San Jose in 2023, sharing the club’s Pitcher of the Year honors with fellow right-hander Manuel Mercedes.

Cumming has been even more dominant so far this season, starting a combined no-hitter for Eugene on April 17 en route to being named the Northwest League Pitcher of the Month for the first month of this season. He made the jump to Double-A Richmond on May 28 and has continued to perform well, allowing two runs (one earned) over eight innings with 12 strikeouts in his first two appearances for the Flying Squirrels.

It remains to be seen how Cumming’s stuff will continue to play at the upper levels of the Minors, but if he can continue to make the most out of what he has, he could prove to be a shrewd pickup for the Giants.

Here’s a roundup of other notable performances from San Francisco’s four full-season Minor League affiliates:

Triple-A Sacramento
Right-hander Spencer Bivens earned his eighth save of the season after striking out two over a scoreless ninth inning in the River Cats’ 4-2 win over Albuquerque on Thursday. The 29-year-old journeyman is 2-0 with a 0.39 ERA and 23 strikeouts over 23 1/3 innings in 12 appearances since April 27.

Double-A Richmond
Left-hander John Michael Bertrand struck out eight over six shutout innings against Altoona on Tuesday, lowering his ERA to 2.68 over 11 appearances (10 starts) this season. A 2022 10th-round Draft pick, Bertrand was also named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season after firing six hitless innings at Bowie on May 23.

High-A Eugene
Shortstop Diego Velasquez, the Giants’ No. 18 prospect per MLB Pipeline, went 3-for-6 with two triples and a career-high four RBIs in the Emeralds’ 20-5 rout at Tri-City on Tuesday. The 20-year-old Venezuelan entered Saturday batting .284 with a .788 OPS and two homers over 42 games this season.

Single-A San Jose
Outfielder Wade Meckler (No. 16) hit his first home run of the season in a rehab game with San Jose on Tuesday, though he took only two at-bats before being replaced in left field in the bottom of the fourth inning. Meckler, 24, has been working his way back from a wrist issue that forced him to miss the first six weeks of the Minor League season.