Out In Front: Comments on the Prospects on SF-MIL Game

It's the first Out In Front in 2016 and it will feature several comments about the Giants prospects that are tasting playing time in Spring Training. Most of them will be sent down to the Minors for more seasoning but the experience to face hitters or pitchers that they can soon face and learn something from it is incomparable. This will be pretty short as it will be mostly comments on prospects mostly the pitchers in their game versus Milwaukee.

- I'm going to start first on the number one prospect in the system, Christian Arroyo. He's hit tool is on full display this spring, with the bat to ball skills being a plus to plus-plus tool for him in the future. And he also showed some real home run potential especially on his pull side as he hit a homer that almost went beyond the grass beyond the outfield wall before this game. If he starts to develop a habit of being aggressively selective and take walks, the bat can go anywhere as it is so special. (Take note, he also stole a base this spring.) 

- True to what my good friend had said before, Tyler Beede's buffed up. He looks like a horse on the mound. His stuff also looks better in the eye test with him featuring his four seamer on his outing versus Milwaukee with very good zip, his sinker is sharp, his cutter got the break, his curveball surprisingly has sharper break in spring than from videos last year. But the problem with him is the command of his pitches. There are pitches where he's pretty much on point but there's pitches where it's pretty far from the catcher's glove. If he gets his command issue solved after spring, him pitching this year is a big possibility. 

- The most surprising story in spring is Chris Stratton. Him getting outs is becoming a norm for him. In his 3 hitless innings, he has featured a fastball in a steep, downward plane. No wonder 7 out of 11 outs have been on the groundball. He has shown his curveball and slider, the former with nice break and better control of it in this start than the latter. His changeup from what I judged the pitch is rather unimpressive, leaving him with 3 pitches to work with and that can do as a long reliever or a back-end starter.

- Chase Johnson doesn't look as cross-firey as I have seen last year (probably the camera view). While his fastball command is rather spotty to okay in his outing, the explosiveness of it is obvious as it can blow past hitters with movement or the true, straight movement. He overthrew some pitch as a putaway pitch but missed his spots and pulled it to his glove-side but when he threw his fastball with good command, it alone is a plus pitch. Other than two curveballs which are pretty average, he threw fastballs. 

- Joan Gregorio actually left me with a good impression. His delivery is funky, the release point is siderarm which is pretty weird especially for a 6'8" pitcher (Randy Johnson is some kind of weird), his slider or slurve breaks in two plane sharply which is very good but he works the best as a reliever. 

- Big Mac can adjust and hit for contact and it's hard contact as it is a smoker down the line for a double. I think him and Parker are neck and neck in terms of the future spot in the outfield in the future but I'm going to give Mac the advantage. 

- Hunter Strickland and Mike Broadway what I have expected. Solid relievers but I'll give Strickland the better chance to stay in the Giants bullpen.

These are short thoughts and Spring stats will mean nothing as the regular season starts but Spring is a good gauge on how ready are the prospects to face the regular season and one day move up to The Show. Other pitching prospects are also having a nice Spring like Mejia and Coonrod. I hope you enjoy reading it!