Prospects

With September promptly approaching, The Giants roster will soon expand from 25 to 40 players. Casual fans are usually clueless on who these new young guys are so I thought it would be good to give a quick run down of The Giants farm system. Since they don't really have anyone besides Nate Scheirholtz that is a legit prospect and on the 40 man roster, I decided to show who are the best prospects on each of their minor league affiliates, and what their ceilings are.

Fresno Grizzlies- AAA- Pacific Coast League

Unfortunately, this team really isn't really what you want in your AAA team. Way too many of their players (especially pitchers) are non-prospect roster fillers in their 30's. However, they do have the best triplet of outfielders of any team in The Pacific Coast League.
Top Prospects
1. Nate Scheirholtz-LF/RF-- .325/.357/.541 14 HR's 59 RBI's 23 years old
Probably The Giants best prospect thats not 17 years old. Showed he can handle big league pitching in his brief stint in the majors this year. Has .300 AVG. 20-25 HR potential. Converted to outfield from 3rd base so his defense is average but improving. Can also play first base but he probably won't need to until late in his career.

2. Clay Timpner- OF-- .303/.362/.398 6 HR's 35 RBI's 24 years old
He has always been considered a stellar defensive outfielder (not quite gold glove caliber but something close to it), but never really could put up much offensive production. He has had a breakout season this year in Fresno, hitting somewhere around .320 all year until a recent slump. He can play all three outfield positions so he will definately be on The Giants roster sometime soon. He profiles as a solid 2nd place hitter or maybe something lower in the lineup because he does have above average speed, but is not much of a base stealing threat.

3. Brian Horwitz- OF-- .320/.375/.433 1 HR 18 RBI's 24 years old
The University of California graduate spent the first half of the season in AA Connecticut. He has good strike zone discipline and hits for a good average but might end up being a bench player because of his complete lack of power to go with his below average speed.

4. Fred Lewis- OF-- .292/.366/.550 8 HR 32 RBI's 26 years old
Some people might be surprised that I put Fred Lewis so low on this list. He has a decent pop in his bat and makes every groundball exciting with his blazing speed. However, Lewis has not managed to turn these tools into skills. This is because he didn't even start to seriously concentrate on baseball until he was 20. He seems fooled by any curveball thrown by a major leaguer and doesn't steal many bases because he can't seem to get good jumps. He can still be useful as a back up outfielder.

5. Travis Blackley- SP (lefty)-- 9-7 4.61 ERA 150.1 IP 108 K's Opp. Avg .262 24 years old
Travis Blackley was acquired for Jason Ellison in a trade just before the start of opening day. His season this year in AAA would be defined as inconsistent. At times he has looked like he should be starting for The Giants immediately and other times hes looked like he shouldn't even be playing professional baseball. Assuming he becomes more consistent, he could eventually have a few decent seasons as a 5th starter.

Connecticut Defenders- AA- Eastern League

The Connecticut Defenders might be the sorriest excuse for a minor league baseball team I have ever seen. They have two blaring whole in their team: they can't hit, and their pitching isn't much better. From a prospect standpoint, they have too many pitchers that post decent stats, but are 25-26 years old in AA which means they will likely never reach the show. I doubt anyone on this team will make any sort of impact on a major league club, or even make it there for that matter

1. John Bowker- OF-- .300/.352/.496 17 HR's 76 RBI's 24 years old
John Bowker is probably the best thing going for The Defenders these days. He has pretty good power from the left side and shows that he can get on base. However his strikeouts and lack of defensive versatility might keep him from ever making his mark in the majors. I see him as a potential 5th outfielder for a few years down the road.

2. Justin Hendrick- RP-- 3-6 2.43 ERA 63 IP 65 K's Opp. avg .230 25 years old
Hendrick just might make it to the majors as a middle reliever. Hendrick is kind of a late bloomer but he strikes out batters and generally gets the job done. His age isn't on his side but a reliever's age isn't as important as it is at all the other positions.

San Jose Giants- High A- California League

The San Jose Giants have a pretty good team this year. Their hitting is sort of average but they have TONS of speed and a few good pitchers. They won the first half crown in The California League.

1. Henry Sosa- SP-- 5-4 3.95 ERA 57 IP 69 K's Opp. avg .253 22 years old
Henry Sosa was finally able to harness his electric stuff this year and post lights out numbers earlier in the year while in Low-A. He's a hard throwing right hander who strikes out a lot of batters but at times can become rattles after allowing a few runs. His ERA doesn't represent how dominant he has been so far because of 2 starts (although they do still count) where he only went 2 innings or so and allowed 5+ runs. He played in The Future's game and is likely The Giants best pitching prospect.

2. Pablo Sandoval- C-- .292/.312/.488 11 HR's 51 RBI's (just turned) 21 years old
Pablo Sandoval has had a pretty good offensive season for a catcher after getting off to a bad start in the first two months of the season. He played in The Future's game last year so this isn't that much of a surprise to anyone in The Giants front office. He still needs to work on his OBP but he has time.

3. Brian Bocock - SS-- .225/.296/.328 3 HR's 35 RBI's 22 years old
Brian Bocock has always been considered a very good defensive shortstop; so after Emmanuel Burris was demoted early in the season, Bocock was called up in his place. He got off to a hot start in High-A but has cooled down significantly. He isn't extremely young so he will have to work on his hitting fast if he wants to make a name for himself. He played in this year's Futures game.

4. Jesse English- SP (lefty)-- 0-0 0.00 ERA 4.2 IP 8 K's Opp. Avg .154 22 years old
English is a little bit of a wild card. He was once considered a top prospect out of high school but sort of fell of the map in the past year and a half while battling injuries and inconsistency. He has seemed to found his old stuff again this year. He dominated in short season A-ball and was quickly promoted to High-A where his first few appearances have been very impressive. He might someday make the big club as a lefty specialist.

Augusta Greenjackets- Low-A- South Atlantic League

The Augusta Greenjackets are probably The Giants best minor league team. They have four young pitchers with an ERA under 3.00 (they had five until Henry Sosa was promoted). They also have a speedy shortstop who could be starting for The Giants in a few years.

1. Emmanuel Burris- SS-- .322/.370/.383 0 HR's 33 RBI's 22 years old
Burris was a sandwich round pick of The Giants in the 2006 draft. He impressed The Giants last year by signing early, then having a monster year in short season A-ball. They rewarded him with a promotion to High-A this season. That unfortunately, did not turn out too well. He struggled to get on base and within a month, was sent down to Augusta. Since then, he has been nothing short of stellar. He has great range at shortstop in addition to stealing 47 bases with The Greenjackets.

2. Kevin Pucetas- SP-- 15-3 1.81 ERA 139.1 IP 101 K's Opp avg .217 22 years old
Kevin Pucetas surprised people last year with a magnificent performance in short season A-ball last year after being a 17th round (506th overall) pick in the 2006 draft. He came out this year and dominated The South Atlantic League. He was rated by baseballamerica.com as having the best control in the SAL. He profiles as a middle of the rotation guy in a few years.

3. Clayton Tanner- SP (lefty)-- 12-7 2.85 ERA 129.1 IP 104 K's Opp avg .262 19 years old
After being drafted in the 3rd round (89th overall) in the 2006 draft out of De La Salle high school (Concord,CA), Tanner has been better than expected. He features a sneaky fastball and a tight, left handed curveball. The Giants have something to be excited about because at only 19, he is still growing. He projects as anywhere from a 2nd-4th starter down the road.

4. Benjamin Snyder- SP(lefty)-- 15-5 2.11 ERA 145 IP 138 K's Opp avg .229 22 years old
After a shaky career at Ball State, The Giants drafted him in the 4th round (116th overall) in the 2006 draft. In Low-A this year he has been part of a very dominant lefty one-two punch for The Greenjackets. He could have to be fast-tracked because of his age but he will definately make the majors somehow, but he might have to be a lefty specialist (lefties bat .192 against him as opposed to righties who are batting .240).

5. Juan Trinidad - CP-- 3-3 1.88 ERA 48 IP 48 K's Opp avg .167 21 years old
I don't know much about Juan Trinidad other than he was an international signee 2 years ago. Throughout his professional career, he has posted dominant strikeout numbers. He also has never had a WHIP over 1.00. I can see him being a valuable reliever down the road.

Salem-Keizer Volcanoes- Short Season A-ball- Northwest League

The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes have been incredibly dominant this season. They have posted a 50-15 record (.769 win pct.) while no one else in the league is even above .500. Their dominant pitching. combined with their deep lineup full of contact hitters, has made them the best short season team in recent memory. Unfortunately, they have had all this success with players who are somewhat old, and aren't really top prospects.

1. Daniel Turpen- RP-- 0-0 0.61 ERA 14.2 IP 15 K's Opp. avg .180 just turned 21
Daniel Turpen was the backbone of The Beaver's bullpen while at Oregon State. The Giants drafted him in the 8th round (254th overall) in the 2007 draft. He spent a brief period of time with The Giants rookie league affiliate in Arizona and didn't allow a run. He projects as a middle reliever down the road.

2. Daniel Otero- CP-- 0-0 0.47 ERA 19.1 IP 13 K's Opp. avg .121 22 years old
Daniel Otero was a starting pitcher while in college but once The Giants drafted him in the 21st round (644th overall), they immediately converted him into a closer. He has been lights out since he took the job, converting all of his save chances. He might move to middle reliever in the future, but there is a decent shot he will reach the majors.


3. Brock Bond-2B-- .328/.451/.397 0 HR's 14 RBI's 21 years old
After putting up decent numbers at Missouri, Brock Bond was drafted in the 24th round (734th overall) in the 2007 draft. He spent a short time in Rookie ball and wasn't that successful. However, the coaches must have liked what they saw and promoted him to Salem-Keizer. Since then he has shined at the plate. However, because of his lack of power, he might be limited to a back-up role in the future.

Arizona League Giants- Rookie- Arizona League

This team might hold a lot of the Giant's future on it. They are currently tied for 1st place in The Arizona League. They are nowhere near as dominant as Salem-Keizer has been in short season play, but they have many more legit prospects.

1. Angel Villalona- 3B/1B-- .267/.333/.439 5 HR's 34 RBI's just turned 17
The Giants broke their previous record for a signing bonus given to an amateur player last year when they gave Angel Villalona $2,100,000. He was offered over $3,000,000 by other teams like The Yankees and The Mariners, but he chose to sign with The Giants because he felt most comfortable with them. His season so far has been just average, but you have to take into account that if he was born in America, he would be entering his senior year in high school. He might have to move over to 1st base because of his lack of range, but he could be a 40+ homers a year guy in 5-6 years.

2. Nick Noonan- SS/2B-- .311/.353/.435 2 HR's 35 RBI's 18 years old
The Giants drafted Nick Noonan in the supplemental 1st round (32nd overall) in the 2007 draft. Some analysts thought that he was drafted too high but I really liked the pick. He has silenced his critics so far, posting one of the best season of any player straight from high school in The Arizona League. He is currently the team's starting short stop, but he will likely have to move to second base because he doesn't have top notch arm strength. He projects as a good defensive second baseman batting in the number 2 hole.

3. Wilber Bucardo- SP-- 5-2 1.94 ERA 60.1 IP 34 K's Opp. avg .213 19 years old
Wilber Bucardo was an international signee 2 years ago and has been the ace of the teams staff the entire season. He doesn't have dominating stuff, but he gets players to pound the ball into the ground. He could be a possible 4-5th starter down the road for The Giants

4. Charlie Culberson- SS-- .287/.370/.413 1 HR 16 RBI's 18 years old
Charlie Culberson was a surprise pick when he was selected in the supplemental 1st round (51st overall). He has more power than his one home run would indicate. He might not make the majors as a Giant because of their minor league depth at middle infield, but he will definately be in the majors for awhile somewhere else.

Dominican Summer League Giants- Rookie- Dominican Summer League

I don't know much about this team because all of these players are recent international signings and there isn't much information about any of them. All I know is that this league has slightly worse competition than The Arizona League. So I will just judge them by their stats and age.

1. Jorge Bucardo- SP-- 7-2 1.35 ERA 60 IP 39 K's Opp avg .200 17 years old

2. Francisco Peguero- CF-- .296/.324/.378 1 HR 15 RBI's 25 SB's 19 years old

3. Julio Izturis- 2B-- .245/.357/.266 0 HR 29 RBI's 35 SB's 17 years old

4. Kevin Marte- RP-- 5-1 1.62 ERA 61 IP 91 K's Opp. avg .167 19 years old

5. Hector Sanchez- C-- .288/.396/.475 4 HR's 18 RBI's 17 years old