Scouting Reports for the 2016 Giants: AZL Giants Prospects

It's the end of the minor league season for the Giants so it's time to unleash the scouting reports for the Giants prospects this year. I'll mix it up this year, with me writing reports in every level. I will consider the final roster in writing the reports or where the players ended up in the final game of their season. (e.g. even though Heath Quinn raked in the NWL, he got promoted to SJ so you'll see him in the SJ Giants write-up) I will not write-up on all of the prospects because that's pretty stressful considering my studies and other stuff. Instead, I'll write up the top prospects as well as other notable prospects that is worth taking a look at. I'll also change my way of doing scouting reports as you will lots more of semi-colons per report.

In the first scouting reports for the end of the season, I'll take a look at the AZL prospects for the Giants. I hope you enjoy this one!

Nick Deeg  LHP
6'5" 225 lbs.
Videos: Credits to Andrew Krause and Eric Longenhagen

The body: Massive and mature frame; intimidating presence on the mound; no projection in the body.

The mechanics: Tall on the mound; massive leg kick; gets his body closed on leg kick; gets his arm side started fairly early; extends his left arm until he gets to the Power T position; shows the ball to second base; arm can drag behind his body; hand is bent 90 degrees in his arm swing that raises a red flag as it can injure his elbow; stays his body closed in his drive; long extension; drop and drive delivery; deceptive tempo; front foot drops closed; good arm speed; releases pitches on a 3/4 point; gets on top of the ball; north-south path finish; lands on a good fielding position.

The stuff: Fastball velo is down from what it was a year ago, now high-80s with some run in it; changeup has good sinking movement and same arm speed as fastball; mid-80s cutter shows potential of being a good pitch for him; curveball got a 11-5 break on it; he got a good feel for his pitches; potential average command and possibly more.

The bottom line: Deeg's stuff his down from last year so that's why the Giants picked him up in the 30th round. I noticed red flags in his arm swing in his mechanics that hopefully he'll fix. If he can regain his fastball velocity that reached 94 MPH and a changeup that flashes above-average. The more I watch him, the more he reminds me of Ty Blach.

Grades (Current): FB 50 | CH 50 | CB 45 | CUT 45 | CMD 40
Grades (Ceiling): FB 55 | CH 55 | CB 45 | CUT 50 | CMD 50
Grades (Probable): FB 50+ | CH 55 | CB 45 | CUT 50 | CMD 45

Ceiling: #4-5 Starer     Floor: Middle Reliever     ETA: 2019

Sandro Fabian  OF

6'1" 180 lbs.

Videos: Credits to Fangraphs 1, 2 and 3

The body: Thin but built body; broad shoulders; lower body offers little projection but could add more muscle on the torso; solid athleticism; tick above average raw power hinting to true above average raw if he adds more muscle.

The swing: Wide stance; fairly crouched at the box; head is in front of his center of gravity but his hand is set up at his center of gravity; fairly large leg kick; shifts his body back but stays balanced; hands move back; head doesn't move wildly in leg kick; bat is horizontal when his front foot lands; body stays back and low while his front foot is open allowing his to rotate fully; smooth hip turn; long swing which makes him prone to missing pitches; solid bat speed; nice feel for the bat; produces loud contact often; raw approach at the plate but shows potential to be average hitter; potential to translate his raw to average game power.

The other tools: Average speed; will probably adds more weight; speed will move him to the corner OF; solid arm strength but impressive accuracy; arm will play at RF; potential above-average glove.

The bottom line: Fabian has five-tools that got average or better potential in the works with his promising OF D and potential solid bat but he's still very far from his ceiling. The signs of improvement though are evident and his first showing in America is a success.

Grades (Current): Hit 25 | Power 25 | Speed 50 | Arm 55 | Glove 45

Grades (Ceiling): Hit 45 | Power 50+ | Speed 50 | Arm 60 | Glove 50+

Grades (Probable): Hit 45 | Power 50 | Speed 45 | Arm 60 | Glove 50

Ceiling: Everyday OF     Floor: Organization Player     ETA: 2021

Jose Layer  OF
6'1" 160 lbs.
Videos: Credits to The Prospect Pipeline 

The body: Lean frame; skinny in the arms; long legs; good quick-twitch muscles; very athletic; can add a good 20-30 pounds in his frame; below-average raw but should be average when filled out.

The swing: Fairly wide stance; hands on shoulder level; elbow is pre-loaded; shifts his weight on his backside by a toe tap; loose on the box; moves his entire body forward when swinging; stiffens his front leg when swinging; front foot fails to open up occasionally to unload his hips; swing has some loft; line-drive path; good bat speed; nice wrist speed; solid contact sounds; shows good pull side power; will translate his power to his game pretty well; nice approach in the box; shows potential to be an average hit and power tool.

The other tools: Above-average speed but raw base running skills; calm, loose actions in the outfield; knows what he's doing in the outfield; accurate arm; potential to be a good defensive CF; might be pushed to LF.

The Bottom Line: Layer is an exciting, young player with flashy five tools and with buttloads of ceiling. He might have hard lessons to learn but he looks poised to be a good prospect and we might be talking a lot about him come 2 to 3 years time. 

Grades (Current): Hit 30 | Power 25 | Speed 55 | Arm 55 | Glove 55
Grades (Ceiling): Hit 50 | Power 45 | Speed 55 | Arm 55 | Glove 55
Grades (Probable): Hit 40 | Power 40 | Speed 55 | Arm 55 | Glove 55

Ceiling: Everyday OF     Floor: 4th OF     ETA: 2020/2021

Malique Ziegler  OF
6'2" 170 lbs.
Videos: Credits to Travis Hergert 1 and 2, and Mark D

The body: Very athletic, one of the best pure athletes in the org; rail thin body; quick twitch muscles; body has projection to add more muscle and not affect his athleticism; below-average raw that could be average when he adds weight.

The swing: Fairly wide stance in the box; fairly open stance; hands set head level; uses a double leg tap; doesn't shift his weight back a lot on first tap but shifts weight forward on the second; crouches his body after front foot land; hands stays quiet, loose and back; wristy swing; very good bat speed; strong wrists; pretty lofty swing but will line drive balls; will wrap his bat and topspin balls sometimes; pretty compact stroke; quick hips; flashes good approach at the plate but will chase pitches; potential solid hit and power tool.

The other tools: Speed is best tool; 6.20 60-yard time which is close to 80 raw speed; solid arm in CF; great range in CF and should be a base running threat in the bases; good glove.

The bottom line: Ziegler flashes as much ceiling as you can dream in the Giants system with his plus-plus speed and potential to have a good hit tool as well. Unlike other prospects, he's more advanced than his other teammates in AZL but offers the same if not better upside. I am excited for his tools to come around and show that his tools can play in much tougher competition.

Grades (Current): Hit 30 | Power 30 | Speed 70 | Arm 50 | Glove 50
Grades (Ceiling): Hit 50 | Power 45 | Speed 75 | Arm 50 | Glove 55
Grades (Probable): Hit 40 | Power 45 | Speed 75 | Arm 50 | Glove 55

Ceiling: Possible above-average OF   Floor: Organization Player   ETA: 2019


That's the end for the AZL Giants prospects scouting reports. Again, I only looked on notable prospects that have some or good potential to have an impact in the Giants in the future. The OF trio of Fabian, Layer and Ziegler are very exciting young prospects to follow and for Fabian, you will see him in my 2016 Top 30 Giants prospects. Next time, I'll write up the scouting reports for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. Cheers!