Well yes, it is that time of the year again. The mid-season special. This year, the season actually went by pretty silently, as the hype of the draft kind of silenced the minor league season where we actually see the Giants organization having a competitive season all across the board. So for this mid-season special, I made sure to review all of the info available meticulously so that my thoughts will not be half-baked. Without further ado, enjoy!
TL,DR: A lot of prospect reports that you will miss out so read it all!
Mid-season Top 30 (no tiers this time)
1. Heliot Ramos OF A
Hit 45 | Power 60 | Speed 65 | Arm 60 | Glove 60
There might be some debate between Heliot and Bart with regards on their rankings but pretty sure their talent level is pretty much the same and the ceiling is the same as both can be All-Star caliber players if they pan out.
I really hoped you all toned down your expectations on Ramos because he will really hit plenty of speed bumps as he continues to mature through the system. His numbers are horrible so far but the raw tools are still display. Whenever he hits it on the barrel, he lets his raw strength and bat speed go to work but the approach is still raw but there are flashes of patience and selectivity. He can fly in the outfield and makes strong and accurate throws from center but his base running technique still needs plenty of work (time to call Vince Coleman yet again).
Yet again, let me remind you that he's just 18 years old and younger than several of the high schoolers that are just drafted. The Yoan Moncada projection on him is very interesting and a strong finish on the back end of his first full season can solidify this top spot unless Bart did wonders in his cup of coffee.
2. Joey Bart C ROK (then A-)
Hit 50 | Power 60 | Speed 35 | Arm 65 | Glove 60
I think Bart is just a shade below Heliot right now but he brings more polish since he got that college background and polish in his game that Heliot relatively lacks right now.
You probably know him enough and I would love for him to play in Salem-Keizer actually but I guess they will let him play a bit on Arizona. The issue that I see (which is a good issue to have) is how they will give two of the best backstops the organization currently has in Genoves and Bart ample playing time to develop. Will they have Bart play first base when Genoves calls behind the plate? Will they let Bart chill on DH duties and let him catch almost half of the games that he'll play in order to preserve his body? Interesting thoughts, indeed.
3. Steven Duggar OF AAA
Hit 55 | Power 40 | Speed 60 | Arm 60 | Glove 60
Outside Heliot, Duggar has been the most impressive outfielder in the organization for a couple number of years now. He has become more aggressive as he got older as he's taking less walks but still striking out at a pretty high rate. And he's really turned it on offensively in June, hitting .364 since June 1 and has pulled the ball less this year, starting to hit it towards the opposite field.
Looking at the current outfield situation of the Giants, there's not a stable role for him as Gorkys has held down center field and will probably finish the end of the season there. You cannot displace Cutch in right unless he gets hurt and Mac is starting to hit baseballs hard again. Things don't look bright for Duggar but he can play everyday in the big leagues at center at peak. At worse, he'll be a good 4th outfielder or he'll be given the chance to play everyday in the next couple of years just like what happened to Albert Almora Jr.
4. Alexander Canario OF ROK
Hit 55 | Power 50 | Speed 55 | Arm 55 | Glove 55
Another five tool prospect, it's easy to compare Canario with Heliot in every tool but both are tooled up. Like Heliot, Canario has lightning bat speed with impressive eye-hand coordination at the plate with more maturity than an 18 year old to be would possess. He's very lean and there's plenty of room in his broad frame to project above average raw power but he already his pitches out of the park last year. He produces his bat speed by landing open in his front foot while having his hips closed, allowing the hips to rotate in a bigger angle and he has the athleticism to fire it very quickly and the bat is just along for the ride. He still struggles with balance due to the energetic swing and inconsistent front foot landing but it can be done by minor league seasoning. He would lose a step once he fill out his body so there's a chance that he'll move away from center but his arm and instincts will allow him to play center in his career.
It is fair to see that Canario would start the season in Arizona rather than in Salem-Keizer as it would be a hell of a promotion for a guy this raw and young but if he impress the brass with a stellar AZL performance, there's really no doubt that he will get the same treatment as Ramos with a promotion to Augusta. While Ramos has more raw power, raw speed, and raw arm strength on the table, Canario has a better ability to hit for average. I ranked Canario higher than Luciano because I like the sum of the parts as a five-tool player than having just a strong offensive game. Plus, Canario signed for a much cheaper price than the high price tag for Luciano. Quite the discovery indeed.
7. Austin Slater OF AAA
Hit 50+ | Power 45 | Speed 50 | Arm 50 | Glove 50
8. Chris Shaw 1B/OF AAA
Hit 40+ | Power 65 | Speed 30 | Arm 60 | Glove 40+
I don't really have a lot to say for the two. Slater has been playing very well in Sacramento and can really help the Giants now where I think he's a better option right now than Hunter Pence. Front office issue now.
Shaw meanwhile has been the definition of a feast or famine hitter this season with tons of Ks, not a lot of walks, and plenty of homers and doubles. I would have loved for Shaw to take his walks but he's been below 5 BB% this year, clearly his lowest mark in his career, and with all of the revolution nowadays with the launch angles and hitting homers and not giving a damn with the strikeouts, Shaw now fits the mold but again, the logjam where you can only play 10 players on the field including the pitcher is what's keeping him from playing in the Majors. Maybe the two can be a trade bait at the deadline as the Giants make the mediocre push to win the division that's been awful this year.
9. Sean Hjelle RHP A-
FB 55 | CB 60 | CH 50+ | CMD 55
The second round pick of the 2018 draft slots here in my opinion. As I watch Hjelle pitching in full games, I am observing his pitching patterns, his motion, and how can he be better. While I think that he already has plenty of deception with his height and ease in mechanics, he has shown in plenty of videos that he shows the ball at the start of his drive or the start of his arm swing, giving hitters a look at the ball early rather than late.
One thing he can do is to probably close off more, something that Felix Hernandez has done or change the spot of his hands and pull it closer to his body like Luis Severino. Maybe that can improve his swing and miss ability that is below 1 an inning, a disappointing figure given the quality of his fastball and curveball and his feel for pitching. There's still some ceiling for Hjelle, and I hope the coaching staff can tap on it.
10. Tyler Beede RHP AAA
FB 55 | CH 60 | CB 45 | CUT 45 | CMD 40+
After tasting a cup of coffee in the big leagues (a couple of starts) and flashing impressive movement on his three-pitch mix, he has been really struggling in terms of control of his pitches right now. The fastball's going in the heart of the plate more often and is missing his spots often, the curveball's still a mystery and as a result, his nasty changeup has no time to shine as a swing and miss offering. I have been really trying to think of the possible reasons on why did he regressed a ton ever since hitting Sacramento once again.
I can easily say it's mechanical flaws as his release point is all over the place and that has been a recurring issue for him ever since college. I am not really sure if he's overstriding in his mechanics and maybe he can try to shorten up his stride and pitch taller. I think that can help him in stay calm in his mechanics I watched some videos of him and I compared videos of him pitching in 2018 and when he's at his best performance-wise, late 2016. I noticed that his head moves more violent this year than in late 2016 and that could be the difference between focusing on the mitt and just letting his natural throwing motion do its job or not. There have been pitchers that has done well while having a head whack in his mechanics (Max Scherzer, prime James Shields, King Felix to name a few) but that is looking like an issue for Beede.
And you can say that his recent struggles might be starting to get on his head and I know that even though Beede has a very strong mental fortitude, constant failures will slowly cripple any man. I do think that there's still hope for Beede to recover but after his struggles and adversity this year, and given his development curve, time is starting to run out for him sad to say and he could really just be a bullpen piece if things will never go up for him.
11. Jacob Gonzalez 3B A
Hit 50 | Power 55 | Speed 50 | Arm 50+ | Glove 45
Both Heliot and Jacob were given a difficult task to play their first full season of pro ball in the Sally which is very daunting for hitters and safe to say that both are holding up well. The production has not been as plenty of people hoped and people expected him to hit a ton of homers but he has just hit 5 homers this year. Gonzalez is not striking out at an alarming rate this year but he is not drawing walks. It is really tough for a young hitter to adjust to the rigors of full season ball and pitchers that can throw a breaking ball for a strike and Jacob has been doing a good job so far.
Yeah, hitting homers would be nice since Jacob's got so many leverage in his frame and in his swing but he's not trying to swing for the fences which is a good thing for me, a proof of a good idea at the box. Homers will come if he hits the ball more consistent enough. He's actually even stealing bases!
12. Gregory Santos RHP A-
FB 60 | SL 60 | CH 50+ | CMD 45
The other half of the Eduardo Nuñez trade, Santos offers a pretty healthy ceiling but would need 2-3 years in order to fully evaluate Santos' value but he got plenty of things to get excited. The frame is pretty projectable for him to hold his mid-90s velocity deep into starts and while his stuff is great, composing of a fastball in the low to mid-90s with good running action, a slurve-type breaking ball but has sharp, sweeping movement with big bite, and a changeup that sells well with fastball action and good fading bite, the command is still very much a work in progress and I am not a big fan of his slow mechanics even though he got plus arm speed and throws downhill consistently mainly because I like aggressive mechanics and majority of successful pitchers has one.
Now, let's see Santos' performance in Salem-Keizer and probably expect plenty of walks and strikeouts along the way.
Update: He pitched well in 4 plus innings of work but was effectively wild if you may call it, with 2 wild pitches and 3 walks but with 4 Ks and a homer allowed but a bonehead move by the S-K manager to let Santos pitch after 60+ pitches in a pro debut, it could have been a much better ending for Santos' outing.
13. Garrett Williams LHP AA
FB 55 | CB 65 | CH 45 | CMD 40
Williams' old, nasty friend known as control issues is back. He has just continued to struggle throwing strikes on a consistent basis and that hinders his plus-plus curveball to just shine, just like Beede's. I don't know also what is the problem with Williams this time, where I don't see a lot of issues right now with his mechanics. Maybe getting every part of his mechanics to be on time is the issue as his arm or his momentum gets late at front foot strike which tends for him to either fly open or be late, resulting to poor command. His strikeouts has also waned due to the poor command, most especially with his fastball. He can still throw his breaking ball for strikes however which is pretty surprising. Maybe it's kind of a mental thing, perhaps?
I think the unfortunate comeback of his control issues puts him in a limbo on whether he can start or not. I think the Giants can use him as a wipeout reliever if they can solve some of his command issues. The changeup also has been fringey to be a third option and is being restricted by his poor fastball control.
14. Sandro Fabian OF A+
Hit 50+ | Power 50 | Speed 45 | Arm 60 | Glove 55
First off, how about a round of applause for Sandro Fabian for almost tying his walk total last season with just a little less than half of his plate appearances this year! Boy, it feels good! But other than that, Fabian regressed in production that we might have expected because he had such a good finish to his first full season last year.
There's still the tools that makes him a potential special hitter: the bat speed, the eye-hand coordination, the feel for the barrel, the instincts. The issue is his overaggressiveness is still very much present and he's getting beat by quality breaking balls and sequencing and is evident by the increase in strikeout rate as compared to last year. If he gets on a groove late in the season just like what happened to him last year, he should be rising up once again in next year's prospect lists.
15. Heath Quinn OF A+
Hit 50 | Power 55 | Speed 45 | Arm 55 | Glove 50
After suffering an injury last year that really hampered his production last year, Quinn looked healthy to play this year and has caught fire in his last 5 games after returning from the disabled list again, batting 9-17 in his last five games with a homer with same number of walks and strikeouts. Quinn is just been his natural self like what we saw from him in his college days.
The awkward but strong swing that is really top handy, the good recognition of the strike zone, massive pop from pull to center, the faster than expected speed, and the strong arm fit for right are all back and it's nice to see. The issue for him however is he needs to produce continuously to move past the other outfielders in the system that has a higher ceiling. Can Quinn do it? Let us see.
16. Jason Bahr RHP A
FB 65 | CB 50+ | CH 40+ | CMD 50+
You know, I could have went with Bahr as the possible breakout player for this year but picking him seemed like a pretty obvious choice due to being a pretty high draft pick (well, I picked Duggar before to break out big time and he did).
This year, Bahr broke out and has surpassed expectations so far and he's doing it using his plus-plus fastball and quite an exceptional command of it. The fastball has been reaching 94-97 MPH with little dropoff in velocity when he's deep into starts. The pitch has plenty of life and he can throw it with command on both sides of the plate and the ball jumps on hitters due to his long extension with his mechanics and his lightning fast arm speed. He generates tremendous spin rates with his fastball and has drawn tons of swings and misses. Bahr's curveball flashed above average with good shape and break and has been throwing it with more confidence this year. The changeup is still in its earliest stage and is still lacking feel for it but I think it's not a good fit for his repertoire given his tremendous extension. The projection is not promising even though he got some traits that will allow him to tack on more muscle like good hips and lean frame.
Bahr doesn't really need to be pitching in Augusta because he has already proven that he owned the young and developing hitters of the Sally. And given his age of 23 years old, I think that he's just ripe enough to be dominating in the league and a promotion to the Cali League is just the perfect challenge that suits him. But still, Bahr just needs to continue to improve and improve his changeup, probably incorporating a cutter into his mix, and learning the art of pitching to be a starting option.
17. Ryan Howard SS/3B/2B AA
Hit 50+ | Power 40 | Speed 50 | Arm 55 | Glove 50
He has hit the nursing station with the hamstring injury last week or two but Howard has hit and continued to make consistent contact while actually drawing more walks, with a 7.2 BB% this year as compared to just 4.1% last year. Of course, he's a tough guy to strike out with just 11.3 K% this year as he's continuing to mature in terms of his approach at the plate which is more of a contact guy, similar to our beloved Duffman. The homers has yet to reveal themselves however as he just hit just a single homer and has instead hit more doubles, with already 19 in his half season of work. I think the brutal pitching environment of the Eastern League has something to do with that and also his contact-heavy approach.
I think that Howard has more ceiling than Kelby Tomlinson at the moment and could supplant him as the infield utility guy that you can just slot anywhere and he'll be solid defensively anywhere you put him and he will definitely hit.
18. Pat Ruotolo RHP AA
FB 60 | CB 60 | CH 45 | CMD 50
I think it is about freaking time for Ruotolo to get the love and the attention that he deserves. I have noted him as the first of my possible breakout candidates in the 2017 primer, the scouting report that I wrote on him in my May 2017 update that I reverted back to a draft is probably the best description of him that I wrote that still applies today.
"Picked him to break out because there's not much to be done with his mechanics to improve, he stayed upright better this season and finished his pitches more consistently and that helped his command to improve massively and I can now project him to have a future 50 command on his pitches. Even though there's still moments where he crouches even just a bit and flies open resulting to wild command, there's moments where the catcher's glove never moved when throwing his fastball. The velocity is more in the 89-91 MPH but there could be inaccuracies in the readings because the fastball has plenty of life. His curveball is wipeout and locates it in the zone better and is another plus pitch. He threw changeups that are meh pitches with little break and not a lot of feel but there's projection as he repeats his arm action and arm speed with his fastball."
The velocity is now towards 91-94 MPH while still holding its life and of course, the wipeout curveball and a better changeup to boot. Yes, the mechanics is like Lincecum and is only a relief option, he can turn to be a great one as he just keep on racking up saves and strikeouts while holding his walks in check.
19. Jalen Miller 2B A+
Hit 50 | Power 50 | Speed 50+ | Arm 45 | Glove 50+
New year, new swing, second chance in the Cal League, much better result. Miller is currently enjoying his best season in the pros ever. After a very nice and magical run of posting three seasons of an wRC+ of 69 (nice), 70 (boo!), and 69 (NICE) respectively, Miller has been a much better hitter this year, posting a wRC+ of 120 in the first half of the season.
He has done it in two ways. First off, a new stance. Miller opened up his stance this year and has incorporated a bigger leg kick and the change has been wonderful for him. He looked more loose, more active and powerful at the plate. It allowed him to drive the ball more and used his strong wrists to full effect, having surpassed his homer total already than his first rodeo in San Jose and really showing off the raw power that he has which I think is above average. Second, settling in. I think Miller is better the second time around and once he gets acclimated to the system. I can also consider myself like that as I need to learn by failure in order to bounce back so I think after seasons of aggressive promotions, Miller settled in quite nicely in San Jose. Don't promote him until next year!
While he is still an aggressive hitter and will strike out, Miller has become much more mature at the plate and armed with a new stance and a new mentality at the plate, it's safe to say that Miller is back as a prospect to follow and he has a much better chance now to hit his still pretty high ceiling. Plus, he's a very outgoing guy especially in social media so there's so much to like about Miller right now.
20. Jake Wong RHP A- (probably)
FB 60 | CB 50+ | CH 50+ | SL 45 | CMD 50+
Wong, the third round pick in this year's draft, will slot here for me. Wong's clean mechanics makes his mid-80s changeup play better than average as it got some fade and plays exactly the same arm action as his fastball but his fastball is fairly true and doesn't have much life even though he can hold mid-90s in starts and can reach 96 early in starts. I am really impressed with his 79 MPH curveball which is above average with good bite and 11-5 movement. His slider by the way is a fringey offering with not much excitement in terms of break but he can locate it pretty well. For me, what I'm most impressed with him is his ability to pitch with command that is above average at best and is looking close to a finished product.
I think that Wong can still get better as a pitcher. You know the Giants are also known as the preacher of the cut fastball and I think Wong can utilize a cutter and scrap his slider to complement his unappetizing four-seamer to give hitters a different look and I think he can incorporate it well due to his feel for pitching. Also, Wong can probably throw more two-seamers and just elevate his four-seamer high in the zone. If all goes to plan, expect Wong to be a fast mover in the system due to his ability to locate his pitches and has some swing and miss offspeed pitches even though his fastball fares down.
21. C.J Hinojosa 2B AA
Hit 50 | Power 40 | Speed 35 | Arm 50 | Glove 50
Hinojosa has been surpassed by Howard as the better utility infielder that the Giants might employ in the big league club but C.J's been hurt and has returned late-May. So far, the stats are yet to blow us away. He's going to hit but the rest of the package is fringey to subpar and I will relegate him to second base.
22. Logan Webb RHP A+
FB 60 | CB 60 | CH 55 | CMD 40
It has been like a couple of years or less since Logan Webb has returned from Tommy John surgery and while the stats seemed to be underwhelming, the things that you see on video or in the field is much better. First off, the fastball's back and might be even better. Yeah he's been pitching a healthy 3-4 innings per start to preserve his right arm per se but the fastball's been pretty electric, a 93-97 MPH offering with late life. The curveball is an easy plus offering that is in the low-80s with hammer break and is a plus offering. His changeup is a hard one in the high-80s with signs of plus sinking action but is inconsistent.
Webb hasn't missed a ton of bats this year in San Jose with a shade over 7 K/9 and that can be traced to his lack of present command of the zone and it's evident with his 4 BB/9 and has thrown north of 50 pitches in just 3 innings of work at times. There's clearly work to be done but there is a little chance he'll be a mainstay in the rotation as his mechanics clearly is a violent one with an arm action that is somewhat scary to watch because it looks like a ticking time bomb and Webb already had one Tommy John. But one thing is sure about Webb right now, the stuff looks legit and the command will improve as he gets further from his surgery but there might not be enough starter-quality traits to see him as a long-term fixture in the rotation but the nastiness of his three-pitch mix will make him a terrifying weapon out of the pen.
23. Manuel Geraldo SS A
Hit 45+ | Power 50+ | Speed 55 | Arm 55 | Glove 45
Looks like third time's the charm for Geraldo as he finally break out and has been officially in the prospect radars. He still has technically the same swing as last year on both sides of the plate so his secret to his impressive season so far has been the improvement of his pitch selection and plate discipline. He is not striking out a lot right now, he's taken more walks, he's on base a lot more now, he's been better against righties but he's not too shabby against lefties, he's hit the ball harder and has shown more game power. He's just been better this year. He's continuing to steal bases quite recklessly again so that needs some work to be done but he's shown he can steal it quite a lot.
Issues that I still see aside from his base stealing smarts is his fielding ability, where he's already committed 12 errors at short. I suggest for him to move, possibly to third or second where his good arm can still play. He just need to be a sound defender in order to continue to rise in every prospect ranks. He's also hit some sort of a funk during the GreenJackets' 11-game losing streak so there's some concern on it as well if he can continue hitting until the end of the season.
24. Melvin Adon RHP A+
FB 75 | SL 50+ | CH 40 | CMD 40+
Adon is very similar to the minor leagues legend Ray Black in terms of stuff. The difference is Adon can actually pitch a full season without any injury whatsoever. Adon can fire his fastball at 102 to 103 MPH early in starts and will typically sit in 96-99 MPH and does have plenty in the pocket to throw it in 100 MPH deep in his starts. The pitch is a nightmare when thrown high in the zone where Adon can use his low 3/4 slot and the slinging motion to his advantage. Down in the zone however, his fastball can get hit more than expected because it doesn't have very good movement to pair with the velocity. When placed in the pen, expect it to hover at a healthy 99-102 MPH that's why it got an 80 ceiling. The slider breaks early so it does looks slurvy but there's tremendous two-plane break on it and he can actually throw it for strikes. The changeup isn't going to be a true out pitch for him as he will be a two-pitch mix type of guy.
I think that the Giants have done enough in terms of giving him the innings and just let him dominate the pen as a closer-type of guy and maybe he can figure out stuff like fastball command there as well. He's this low not because he is performing at a subpar rate but there are plenty of more appetizing prospects right now to follow.
25. Malique Ziegler OF A
Hit 45 | Power 45 | Speed 70 | Arm 55 | Glove 60
Too bad Ziegler got hurt too early this season due to a torn oblique, as he's been showing off his pop with four April homers. He's got the elements of a five tool player when it's all said and done. He's showing the sneaky power that he has, mostly to pull side. He's showing off his plate discipline by drawing 11 walks in April, the blazing speed has been obvious in his outfield defense but there's more work to be done in base stealing as he's been caught 4 times in 9 chances.
Too bad I don't have to write more on him as he's been injured but if the stats that he put up in April is a true sign, we might have yet another potential above average five-tool player. Let's wait for him to come back, rehab, take some swings, and go play. He said personally that he'll be back after a couple of weeks. He'll really skyrocket in my rankings if he puts on a strong comeback after the injury.
26. Seth Corry LHP ROK
FB 55 | CB 60+ | CH 45 | CMD 40
Yet to pitch, Corry looked very fine in his workout videos all around the internet, building up the physique and strength, maximizing the athleticism (there are videos of him running a 3.7 30-yard dash and hitting 40" on his vertical that I don't know how to translate on the mound), and the drive to make it all work and be successful this year. I do hope he has actually thrown with the intent of pitching rather than throwing the baseball all out where I think I read before that Corry's been throwing it as hard as 96 MPH.
It was disappointing to read Roger Munter's comment on him back in Spring Training where he has no feel for his pitches. But certainly he has done everything that he can with his body to be at its best shape. So I really hope that he did tone down his mechanics so that he can fully control his disgusting repertoire.
*Update: He pitched in the first game of the AZL season with a wild pitch, 2 walks, 2 hits, and 4 strikeouts. Looks like there's still wildness but we need video to prove it.
27. Jose Marte RHP A
FB 60 | CB 50+ | SL 50 | CH 45 | CMD 45
This young right hander has been quite a revelation this season in the Augusta rotation that is the reason why the squad has been very good this year while playing in a brand new ballpark. Marte has posted good peripherals and his strikeouts per 9 has gone up to better than a K per inning while reducing his walks to a respectable 3.5 per 9 innings.
Looking at the videos and you will see Marte has refined his mechanics. I hated his mechanics last year as it looked out of sync and pretty much all over the place but still managed to locate his fastball in the zone. Now, the tempo of his mechanics is better and he's a solid athlete enough to repeat it with some consistency. His fastball has been harder and harder ever since he signed in 2015 and is now reaching 97 MPH while sitting at around 92-94 MPH. The pitch has plus life as well and draws swings and misses with good feel for it. The secondaries flashed good potential but has been terribly inconsistent. His high-70s curveball flashed potential to be an above average offering with nice shape and good snap but the feel for the pitch has come and go, mostly on the come side. The slider has solid tilt but is even more consistently as compared to his curveball and the change is still on the trying to figure out what to do with it stage. His improved mechanics suggest that there's a potential for the offspeed offerings to pick up the pace in terms of feel but I am not entirely sure on how much is his command projection but it looks like an average ceiling at best.
Marte has been throwing very well this season and has age in his side as he just turned 22 this year. There is a huge possibility that he will be a relief piece after 2-3 years but there's a chance he'll be a starting option once he figures out how to control his secondary pitches.
28. Camilo Doval RHP A
FB 70 | CUT 70 | SL 50 | CH 40 | CMD 45
Doval's numbers might look horrible for the casual fan but let us do a comparison of his first three appearances of the season to his last 18.
First 3 appearances: 1.1 IP, 6 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 0 HPB, 8 BB, 3 K, 54.00 ERA, terrible peripherals
Last 18 appearances: 23 IP, 17H, 7 R, 4 ER, 2 HPB, 6 BB, 35 K, 1.57 ERA, 1.08 FIP, 13.7 K/9, 2.35 BB/9, 5.83 K/BB
We can classify Doval's early April struggles as jitters as he might be overwhelmed or too pumped in April but when Doval found his groove, he started mowing down opposing hitters. Armed with a fastball that typically sits at 96-100 MPH with either a solid sinking movement or a late and hard cut.
His mechanics really screams bullpen and don't expect him to add projection in his pretty max effort, drop and drive mechanics and the ball feels like coming from the third base side of the field so it's really deceptive. He is now generally around the strike zone but is more of a zone filler rather than spotting his pitches but he does show ability of spotting his cutter down the zone. He has long fingers that helps him create the cutting movement and helps generate the very high spin rate on his fastball. I also like the energy of his mechanics that shows his athleticism.
Doval has shown in its early stage his big potential as a pen arm and if he keeps on going like what he has shown, he's going to be a pivotal part of the Giants pen in the future.
29. Blake Rivera RHP ROK (probably)
FB 60 | CB 60 | CH 45 | CMD 45
The fourth rounder in this year's draft will slot in here. There's not much I can say for him right now as I need to see how he will perform and I need videos because there's not a single video that shows his mechanics, repertoire and command clearly. So I am humbly asking a kind reader of my blog that will in some chance hit Scottsdale and go inside the complex (it's free admission, they said) to take video clips of the guys there either for public display or private (DM me if you want), preferably right behind home plate or either of the batter's box. That would be really great for the Giants community!
30. Aaron Phillips RHP A
FB 60 | CB 60 | CH 45 | CMD 45
The 9th round selection of last year's draft, Phillips has been hurt recently and was placed on the disabled list but before he got hurt, Phillips has been lights out for the GreenJackets. I mean look at the walks, just 2 in 30 1/3 innings pitched. Just two! Jesus Christ! Pair that with more than a strikeout an inning! Crikey!
For a guy who has a funky mechanics, Phillips has done a really good job of filling the strike zone and getting the Sally hitters to chase pitches out of the zone. His 91-94 MPH fastball has good life and has been a zone filler rather than a spot pitch. His mechanics that got plenty of deception with the crossfire and a unorthodox arm action that hides the ball very well on hitters. His curveball is ultra sharp with tremendous late break and flashes plus-plus and is the perfect complement for his fastball. Changeup looks okay to meh for my taste but haven't seen him throw that pitch that often. He got some body control and good athleticism to make his pitches work and he does throw strikes with it but the arm action is quite a catcher of red flags for possible arm and/or shoulder injuries.
Phillips has been consistently throwing 5 innings a start with some room to throw for 6 innings. I see some Jose de Leon elements in his mechanics and the fastball can lose plane when thrown high in the zone so he needs to do a good job of pitching and I think Phillips can do it. Hopefully, the injury's not that severe that he can pitch late in the season and could continue to blossom out as one of the surprise prospects in last year's draft.
This Guy Is Still A Prospect???
Ray Black
Yes, he still is ladies and gentlemen. After battling like a million injuries with the Tommy John, the bone chips, and everything else to his release from the organization last year and signing back a couple of months after, at age 27 (entering 28 later this June), Ray Black is still throwing hard. I mean 102 MPH hard. Now, he's just casually throwing 96-99 MPH which is still very good and he's still getting the same results: a lot of strikeouts, not a lot of hits, and a lot of walks. Yes, there's still potential for him as a reliever but he's gonna be 28, the peak age for athletes, and he just needs to perform now or he's gonna be just the legend that we never got the chance to see in the big leagues.
Notable Prospects Not Included In the Top 30
Joey Marciano LHP A
FB 50 | CB 60 | CH 45 | CMD 50
The biggest story in the minor leagues so far is the quality of pitching that the Augusta GreenJackets deliver in the first half of the season and Marciano is one of the biggest key to their success. Marciano has done it with the mix of maturity, sequencing, feel for pitching, impressive mound presence and a plus curveball. The fastball's on the high-80s range but the body's maxed out so there is little hope he can throw harder in the future but he got some Adalberto Mejia elements to make his prototypical control and crafty lefty profile to work.
Ricardo Genoves C A-
Hit 40 | Power 45 | Speed 30 | Arm 60 | Glove 55
Defensive-minded catchers doesn't need to hit well in order to rise through the ranks and that what could happen with Genoves, a potential defense-first backup in the big leagues with a questionable offensive production in the future.
Aramis Garcia C AA
Hit 40 | Power 45 | Speed 30 | Arm 55 | Glove 50
Oh, how bad is Aramis struggling with the bat this year in the Eastern League that just kills hitters with contact issues. His future is now a big question mark now that the Bart train is now online.
Tyler Herb RHP AAA
FB 55 | SL 55 | CB 45 | CH 45 | CMD 45
Guy that we got from Seattle on that Heston Trade, Herb doesn't really excite me but he got a feel for four pitches with clean mechanics and a slider as an out pitch. Relief-type material for me.
Sam Coonrod RHP AA
FB 55 | CB 50+ | CH 40 | CMD 45
Former regarded prospect, Coonrod has hit rock bottom with him under the knife. I think there's still salvageable value for him in the pen but there are a lot more prospects with better stuff and command than him before he tore his UCL.
John Gavin LHP A
This guy is dominating the Sally just like Marciano: feel for pitching, sequencing, impressive control and command of his otherwise mediocre stuff, mound presence, and maturity.
Jordan Johnson RHP AA
FB 50+ | CH 60 | CB 40+ | CMD 40
He's drawing swings and misses with his plus split-change but the same old is what is happening this year: lack of fastball life and plane that makes him get hit a lot more than expected, questionable command of his fastball and curveball, and lack of a quality third pitch to be a serviceable starter.
Bryce Johnson OF A+
Hit 40+ | Power 20 | Speed 55 | Arm 50 | Glove 55
He's struggling to hit in the leadoff spot and he really needs to hit in order to be a serviceable player in the organization because he has zero power and there are a million outfield prospects that the Giants keeps on churning out these days.
Garrett Cave RHP A
FB 60 | CB 50+ | CUT 50+ | SPL 40+ | CMD 40+
He's still the same old Garrett Cave: there's flashes of brilliance but a lot of bouts with his control. Cave's mechanics is as simple as anyone's but he's still struggling to throw his pitches consistently for strikes. The fastball is still good, where he can still top 97 MPH, but there's still little development with his feel to see it yet as a consistent strike filler. The curveball is a dandy but it's easy to track and lack of fastball feel hinders it. His cutter is also a good one and his split has shown some promise. Then again, there's too much problems with him in terms of throwing strikes. I do hope that he will follow track of Jake Arrieta as an inspiration to not give up.
Sam Wolff RHP (still in DL)
Again, to those who forgot, this is who we get for Matt Moore. I can't give a report on him because he's never pitched for the organization mainly because of injuries. Previous reports on him when he's on the Rangers suggests he's got a heavy mid-90s sinker and a power slider with command issues. I hope the injuries won't truly derail him but the Matt Moore trade overall is like a win for the Giants because Moore just plain sucks.
Kelvin Beltre 3B A+
Someone I'm very low than the rest, it would be a real shock if Beltre will make an impact this year. He's been injured, the approach is raw and doesn't see him incorporating his power well with his swing, and there's still work that needs to be done defensively. Age is by his side however.
Franklin van Gurp RHP A
van Gurp should not be denied here as he's been lights out in April but got bounced around quite a bit in May. He's been getting swings and misses with his above average slider that complements his low-90s sinker that he hides in his big frame.
Aaron Bond OF A
A fan favorite due to his performance last year in the Arizona League, Bond has struggled to get his footing in Augusta and looks like he will be a repeater next year where he could be more confident and acclimated to the environment.
Diego Rincones OF A-
Man, Rincones can just hit. There's very good bat speed from him with a pretty mature approach but can get overaggressive. His raw is above average and I think he can be a doubles machine as long as he makes contact. The problem with him is where to hide him defensively. I think left field is always the best bet. Rincones and Miguel Gomez are very similar players in terms of their player profiles so I expect him to just hit.
Logan Baldwin OF A
Heartwarming story where raised in Georgia and became an All-Star this year for Augusta. Looks like a capable utility outfielder profile who can steal plenty of bases but has contact issues and too many strikeouts right now to be a true leadoff hitter. But still, a true Georgian.
Conner Menez LHP AA
FB 50+ | CH 50 | SL 50+ | CB 45 | CMD 50+
It must have sucked for AAA hitters when they saw Connor Menez pitched because he hides the ball so well and throws it at an unusual angle that hitters who face him for the first time and has drawn a lot of strikeouts in his stay in the Cal League. He's been pretty much bounced around but he's continued to deliver. He's not overpowering but he's got deception and a mature pitching approach to say that there are big league starter elements in him.
Connor Nurse RHP ROK
Late-rounder who signed for mid-rounder price last year, Nurse will look to start off his pro career with a bang (hasn't pitched in actual game last year but he's working hard in the backfields). I hope he will perform because there's good potential with his projection and potential three above-average pitches.
Cory Taylor RHP AA
One-pitch, low-90s sinker with nasty sink, is currently what Taylor is but here's a proposition from me: what if they turn him to the bullpen, possibly improve the velocity of the pitch and turn him into a Blake Treinen because the sinker is just so good to be seen three times by a hitter?
Gio Brusa OF A+
With all of the acomplishments that Brusa has achieved this year, the hit for the cycle and the three homer game, he's still swinging and missing that that might just be the nail in the coffin for his prospect status but I do like the guy's passion.
Patrick Hilson OF ROK
Hit 40 | Power 50 | Speed 70 | Arm 60 | Glove 55
Hilson should excite you on his potential and he's a guy to watch in Arizona if I am an area scout because he's just scratching the surface of what he can be. Hilson can throw his body forward when he swings but he displays strong wrists and does a nice job of staying closed with a developing feel to hit. There's sneaky pop on him and the swing is very loose with serious plus to plus-plus bat speed but I think he needs to improve on bat control and approach. His swing changed this year and became more balanced and not like Hunter Pencey. asx
Also, Hilson can fly and can stick to center or to right field where he can throw 94 MPH on the mound so the arm is suitable for right field as well. Actually, I can compare Hilson to Malique Ziegler with Ziegler having more experience, less arm strength, but more defensive potential. Surely, Hilson is a prospect to watch in Scottsdale.
Keaton Winn RHP A-
Winn started the game on Salem-Keizer in their opening series and I didn't actually expected that, as his stuff might be a little raw in terms of the command but he pitched well in short burst. Let's see how well he can deliver in his cup of coffee this year.
Edison Mora SS ROK
Hit 45 | Power 50 | Speed 55 | Arm 60 | Glove 55
A shortstop from Puerto Rico, Mora could be a good prospect if he developed well. Mora is an above average athlete with plus quickness in his feet and agility. His frame is projectable in his upper half because the legs already got some muscle and could have above average power at peak to tap on and I am being conservative. He has plus present speed but figures to slow down to above average or lower as he tack on some pounds. His swing has an upward plane on it so it might be an issue if he has lack of feel to hit which is still TBD but he got some strength, some bat speed, and willingness to use the opposite field.
Defensively is what I gets me excited on Mora. His throws doesn't have require any hops and has good carry on it, but for me, the standout elements are his footwork which are excellent and efficient, and his agility when fielding is top-notch. He projects to be a plus defender at short.
Solomon Bates RHP ROK
I think that Bates could enjoy the same stuff that guys like Marciano and Gavin are enjoying right now in Augusta when Bates would get a shot as Bates is a guy that eat innings and has maturity on the mound and should feed on young, raw hitters.
Ben Madison RHP ROK
He's the strikeout leader of the league that he's played (I am not sure if it's NAIA or MAAC) and we need to see maybe he's another Aaron Phillips-like pitcher where he will just wow you with funky mechanics and two plus pitches or he's different. A very short Instagram video ensures the funky mechanics but the stuff is still TBD.
Joan Gregorio RHP AAA
Short simple thought: I don't really consider him as prospect-quality, I am lower than anyone that ranked him since 2015, and I pretty much forget about him.
2018 Draft Day 3 Quick Hitters
I told you guys that I will make my review on the day 3 selections, to see who I liked and the guys that are already signed are the fellows that I will review to make sure that I am not profiling a non-member of the organization.
David Villar has some looseness and loft in his swing but will swing and miss on good breaking balls but some are pretty optimistic on him, Sean Roby is a guy I like more than Villar with a better chance to stick at third but also has some swing and miss issues, George Bell, Jr. has some tools to play and has good bloodlines, Bryce Tucker is a deceptive and crafty lefty reliever option with a high-80s to low-90s heater and a slurve, Matt Frisbee is a potential sneaky riser candidate with the prototypical pitcher's frame, nice low to mid-90s fastball with plenty of deception in his mechanics, Trenton Toplinkar doesn't have fresh videos but there is some Mat Latos in his arm action in his HS video
Angel Guzman is a catcher that is said to be clocked at 6.7 seconds on the 60 but actually timed him at around 7.1 which registers at below average, solid athlete with 1.9-2.0 second pop times, and a good looking swing where the bat takes a long path through the zone, Randy Norris looks like a sneaky riser candidate too with good reports on his speed and makeup and is the all-time hits leader in his school, Jett Manning is a real scout's find because the stats available about him are horrible, Clay Helvey is pretty sure someone that they kept on tabs since last year when they scouted and drafted Garrett Cave with actually some Cave-like elements in his mechanics!, Ben Strahm is the younger brother of Matt Strahm and Matt is a pretty good pitcher so let's hope that Ben is half of that, Preston White pitched an inning in the first game of the AZL season, Fabian Pena is a big bodied catcher with potential to reach the Majors as a backup
Travis Perry is another scout's find, Marcos Campos has a nice name and loves to pull the ball and looks pretty good with the glove even though the athleticism is fringy and I don't get the jumping after the throw, Kwan Adkins looks like an athlete with raw baseball skills, Ryan Walker can sling it at low-90s with sink but has a poor slider, Braden Frankenfort and Austin Edgette are real barn finds, with Edgette posting ridiculous numbers in D2 baseball, Chris Roberts is another barn find with poor numbers but can throw his fastball to low-90s and has a slider, Trevorn Horn has horrible stats, and Abdiel Layer is the brother of Jose Layer but has struggled in JC this year. Maybe his brother swayed him to sign.
There you go.
Dominican Dandies Making Waves This Year (So Far)
Jean Pena SS
Luis Toribio 3B/SS
Both young shortstop prospects signed for the max of $300,000 last year when the Giants are still on the penalty due to the signing of Lucius Fox. Both already hit 4 homers this year, both are in the top 10 in OPS, and both look very promising.
I think Pena's old reports of him being a line drive hitter with occasional gap shots because the swing has plenty of loft and is a big swing that needs to be compacted in order for it to be consistent but there's strength in his still very lean frame to dream for more power. The feel for hitting is still questionable but the power's legit. He has started at short for the majority of the early season and looks like he will stay there at the end of the year. Would be nice to see him down in Arizona for instructs after the DSL is over.
Torribio on the other hand has an advanced knowledge of the strike zone and is posting numbers that are similar to what Alex Canario posted last year. The feel for hitting is looking to be above average with a quicker bat speed than Pena from the left size. The combination of hit and power from Torribio would be something to follow until the end of the season. He's primarily played DH and 3B, but mostly DH so there might be some things to be worked on defensively.
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This ends my mid-season special. I will update my Top 30 again in late-July but not as concise as this mid-season reports. I have never written this much prospect reports in one post so I hope you enjoyed it!
TL,DR: A lot of prospect reports that you will miss out so read it all!
Mid-season Top 30 (no tiers this time)
1. Heliot Ramos OF A
Hit 45 | Power 60 | Speed 65 | Arm 60 | Glove 60
There might be some debate between Heliot and Bart with regards on their rankings but pretty sure their talent level is pretty much the same and the ceiling is the same as both can be All-Star caliber players if they pan out.
I really hoped you all toned down your expectations on Ramos because he will really hit plenty of speed bumps as he continues to mature through the system. His numbers are horrible so far but the raw tools are still display. Whenever he hits it on the barrel, he lets his raw strength and bat speed go to work but the approach is still raw but there are flashes of patience and selectivity. He can fly in the outfield and makes strong and accurate throws from center but his base running technique still needs plenty of work (time to call Vince Coleman yet again).
Yet again, let me remind you that he's just 18 years old and younger than several of the high schoolers that are just drafted. The Yoan Moncada projection on him is very interesting and a strong finish on the back end of his first full season can solidify this top spot unless Bart did wonders in his cup of coffee.
2. Joey Bart C ROK (then A-)
Hit 50 | Power 60 | Speed 35 | Arm 65 | Glove 60
I think Bart is just a shade below Heliot right now but he brings more polish since he got that college background and polish in his game that Heliot relatively lacks right now.
You probably know him enough and I would love for him to play in Salem-Keizer actually but I guess they will let him play a bit on Arizona. The issue that I see (which is a good issue to have) is how they will give two of the best backstops the organization currently has in Genoves and Bart ample playing time to develop. Will they have Bart play first base when Genoves calls behind the plate? Will they let Bart chill on DH duties and let him catch almost half of the games that he'll play in order to preserve his body? Interesting thoughts, indeed.
3. Steven Duggar OF AAA
Hit 55 | Power 40 | Speed 60 | Arm 60 | Glove 60
Outside Heliot, Duggar has been the most impressive outfielder in the organization for a couple number of years now. He has become more aggressive as he got older as he's taking less walks but still striking out at a pretty high rate. And he's really turned it on offensively in June, hitting .364 since June 1 and has pulled the ball less this year, starting to hit it towards the opposite field.
Looking at the current outfield situation of the Giants, there's not a stable role for him as Gorkys has held down center field and will probably finish the end of the season there. You cannot displace Cutch in right unless he gets hurt and Mac is starting to hit baseballs hard again. Things don't look bright for Duggar but he can play everyday in the big leagues at center at peak. At worse, he'll be a good 4th outfielder or he'll be given the chance to play everyday in the next couple of years just like what happened to Albert Almora Jr.
4. Alexander Canario OF ROK
Hit 55 | Power 50 | Speed 55 | Arm 55 | Glove 55
Another five tool prospect, it's easy to compare Canario with Heliot in every tool but both are tooled up. Like Heliot, Canario has lightning bat speed with impressive eye-hand coordination at the plate with more maturity than an 18 year old to be would possess. He's very lean and there's plenty of room in his broad frame to project above average raw power but he already his pitches out of the park last year. He produces his bat speed by landing open in his front foot while having his hips closed, allowing the hips to rotate in a bigger angle and he has the athleticism to fire it very quickly and the bat is just along for the ride. He still struggles with balance due to the energetic swing and inconsistent front foot landing but it can be done by minor league seasoning. He would lose a step once he fill out his body so there's a chance that he'll move away from center but his arm and instincts will allow him to play center in his career.
It is fair to see that Canario would start the season in Arizona rather than in Salem-Keizer as it would be a hell of a promotion for a guy this raw and young but if he impress the brass with a stellar AZL performance, there's really no doubt that he will get the same treatment as Ramos with a promotion to Augusta. While Ramos has more raw power, raw speed, and raw arm strength on the table, Canario has a better ability to hit for average. I ranked Canario higher than Luciano because I like the sum of the parts as a five-tool player than having just a strong offensive game. Plus, Canario signed for a much cheaper price than the high price tag for Luciano. Quite the discovery indeed.
5. Marco Luciano SS/OF
Hit 55 | Power 60 | Speed 50 | Arm 55 | Glove 50
The first premier 16 year-old July 2 signee by the Giants since Gustavo (Lucius Fox is like 18 at the time he signed for $6 million), Luciano is widely considered as the best power hitter and overall player of this year's crop of J2 kids. I will make a detailed report on him but here is a quick rundown of his tools and potential.
I think there are elements that could make him a special hitter in the system with the right development. He's very athletic with projection in his frame with wide hips and long thighs to add weight and potentially have plus raw power. The ball just jumps out of the bat from him and he can hit homers to pull and center right now thanks to his present strength, plus bat speed, quick-twitch athleticism. Of course, the approach is still in its baby stage but he got nice eye-hand coordination. Even though he's very athletic, he doesn't possess good speed as he runs 60 yards at 6.7 seconds and is looking to lose a step once he fills out. Defensively, he got a strong arm in the dirt but I don't like his throwing mechanics in the infield as he tends to lower his arm slot and nonchalant routine throws in practice with pretty solid accuracy. He can improve there via infield drills. He projects to be stick at short right now but would have to move to second or third base as he gets older or move to the corner outfield.
Nonetheless, the bat is what separates him from the other fellas in this J2 class and let us hope he won't get into a freak injury or sorts.
6. Shaun Anderson RHP AA
FB 55 | CUT 50+ | SL 55 | CH 55 | CB 50 | CMD 50+
You know the beauty of Shaun Anderson? There are a ton of pitchers listed in the Top 30: some faded while some exploded to the scene but there is one pitcher that has no issues all season so far and that's him. And there's one thing that separates him currently from the rest of the pitchers in this organization: his feel for his big repertoire and have command to locate it well. The Anderson that arrived in the farm system as a result of the Eduardo Nuñez trade and dominated the California League last year is still the same pitcher that got promoted to Richmond: his low to mid-90s fastball with good life, his slider and change that generate a good amount of swing and miss, a solid, late-breaking cutter, a curveball that is quite more than a get-me-over pitch, intensity on the mound, and the command to show for.
The Eastern League is more of a pitcher's league and Richmond has one of the most pitching-friendly parks, period but the things that Anderson can control, his K-BB ratio, has actually been better from 3.24 to 4. His FIP and xFIP has been steady at around 3 that's close to his ERA. While 7 of his 13 starts have been quality starts and he has allowed less than 3 runs in 10 of his starts. The issue for him is failing to reach beyond 6 innings this season due to high pitch counts, already reaching 90+ pitches at around that time. Pitching with efficiency will be the next step for him but Anderson's the best pitching prospect right now.
Hit 55 | Power 60 | Speed 50 | Arm 55 | Glove 50
The first premier 16 year-old July 2 signee by the Giants since Gustavo (Lucius Fox is like 18 at the time he signed for $6 million), Luciano is widely considered as the best power hitter and overall player of this year's crop of J2 kids. I will make a detailed report on him but here is a quick rundown of his tools and potential.
I think there are elements that could make him a special hitter in the system with the right development. He's very athletic with projection in his frame with wide hips and long thighs to add weight and potentially have plus raw power. The ball just jumps out of the bat from him and he can hit homers to pull and center right now thanks to his present strength, plus bat speed, quick-twitch athleticism. Of course, the approach is still in its baby stage but he got nice eye-hand coordination. Even though he's very athletic, he doesn't possess good speed as he runs 60 yards at 6.7 seconds and is looking to lose a step once he fills out. Defensively, he got a strong arm in the dirt but I don't like his throwing mechanics in the infield as he tends to lower his arm slot and nonchalant routine throws in practice with pretty solid accuracy. He can improve there via infield drills. He projects to be stick at short right now but would have to move to second or third base as he gets older or move to the corner outfield.
Nonetheless, the bat is what separates him from the other fellas in this J2 class and let us hope he won't get into a freak injury or sorts.
6. Shaun Anderson RHP AA
FB 55 | CUT 50+ | SL 55 | CH 55 | CB 50 | CMD 50+
You know the beauty of Shaun Anderson? There are a ton of pitchers listed in the Top 30: some faded while some exploded to the scene but there is one pitcher that has no issues all season so far and that's him. And there's one thing that separates him currently from the rest of the pitchers in this organization: his feel for his big repertoire and have command to locate it well. The Anderson that arrived in the farm system as a result of the Eduardo Nuñez trade and dominated the California League last year is still the same pitcher that got promoted to Richmond: his low to mid-90s fastball with good life, his slider and change that generate a good amount of swing and miss, a solid, late-breaking cutter, a curveball that is quite more than a get-me-over pitch, intensity on the mound, and the command to show for.
The Eastern League is more of a pitcher's league and Richmond has one of the most pitching-friendly parks, period but the things that Anderson can control, his K-BB ratio, has actually been better from 3.24 to 4. His FIP and xFIP has been steady at around 3 that's close to his ERA. While 7 of his 13 starts have been quality starts and he has allowed less than 3 runs in 10 of his starts. The issue for him is failing to reach beyond 6 innings this season due to high pitch counts, already reaching 90+ pitches at around that time. Pitching with efficiency will be the next step for him but Anderson's the best pitching prospect right now.
7. Austin Slater OF AAA
Hit 50+ | Power 45 | Speed 50 | Arm 50 | Glove 50
8. Chris Shaw 1B/OF AAA
Hit 40+ | Power 65 | Speed 30 | Arm 60 | Glove 40+
I don't really have a lot to say for the two. Slater has been playing very well in Sacramento and can really help the Giants now where I think he's a better option right now than Hunter Pence. Front office issue now.
Shaw meanwhile has been the definition of a feast or famine hitter this season with tons of Ks, not a lot of walks, and plenty of homers and doubles. I would have loved for Shaw to take his walks but he's been below 5 BB% this year, clearly his lowest mark in his career, and with all of the revolution nowadays with the launch angles and hitting homers and not giving a damn with the strikeouts, Shaw now fits the mold but again, the logjam where you can only play 10 players on the field including the pitcher is what's keeping him from playing in the Majors. Maybe the two can be a trade bait at the deadline as the Giants make the mediocre push to win the division that's been awful this year.
9. Sean Hjelle RHP A-
FB 55 | CB 60 | CH 50+ | CMD 55
The second round pick of the 2018 draft slots here in my opinion. As I watch Hjelle pitching in full games, I am observing his pitching patterns, his motion, and how can he be better. While I think that he already has plenty of deception with his height and ease in mechanics, he has shown in plenty of videos that he shows the ball at the start of his drive or the start of his arm swing, giving hitters a look at the ball early rather than late.
One thing he can do is to probably close off more, something that Felix Hernandez has done or change the spot of his hands and pull it closer to his body like Luis Severino. Maybe that can improve his swing and miss ability that is below 1 an inning, a disappointing figure given the quality of his fastball and curveball and his feel for pitching. There's still some ceiling for Hjelle, and I hope the coaching staff can tap on it.
10. Tyler Beede RHP AAA
FB 55 | CH 60 | CB 45 | CUT 45 | CMD 40+
After tasting a cup of coffee in the big leagues (a couple of starts) and flashing impressive movement on his three-pitch mix, he has been really struggling in terms of control of his pitches right now. The fastball's going in the heart of the plate more often and is missing his spots often, the curveball's still a mystery and as a result, his nasty changeup has no time to shine as a swing and miss offering. I have been really trying to think of the possible reasons on why did he regressed a ton ever since hitting Sacramento once again.
I can easily say it's mechanical flaws as his release point is all over the place and that has been a recurring issue for him ever since college. I am not really sure if he's overstriding in his mechanics and maybe he can try to shorten up his stride and pitch taller. I think that can help him in stay calm in his mechanics I watched some videos of him and I compared videos of him pitching in 2018 and when he's at his best performance-wise, late 2016. I noticed that his head moves more violent this year than in late 2016 and that could be the difference between focusing on the mitt and just letting his natural throwing motion do its job or not. There have been pitchers that has done well while having a head whack in his mechanics (Max Scherzer, prime James Shields, King Felix to name a few) but that is looking like an issue for Beede.
And you can say that his recent struggles might be starting to get on his head and I know that even though Beede has a very strong mental fortitude, constant failures will slowly cripple any man. I do think that there's still hope for Beede to recover but after his struggles and adversity this year, and given his development curve, time is starting to run out for him sad to say and he could really just be a bullpen piece if things will never go up for him.
11. Jacob Gonzalez 3B A
Hit 50 | Power 55 | Speed 50 | Arm 50+ | Glove 45
Both Heliot and Jacob were given a difficult task to play their first full season of pro ball in the Sally which is very daunting for hitters and safe to say that both are holding up well. The production has not been as plenty of people hoped and people expected him to hit a ton of homers but he has just hit 5 homers this year. Gonzalez is not striking out at an alarming rate this year but he is not drawing walks. It is really tough for a young hitter to adjust to the rigors of full season ball and pitchers that can throw a breaking ball for a strike and Jacob has been doing a good job so far.
Yeah, hitting homers would be nice since Jacob's got so many leverage in his frame and in his swing but he's not trying to swing for the fences which is a good thing for me, a proof of a good idea at the box. Homers will come if he hits the ball more consistent enough. He's actually even stealing bases!
12. Gregory Santos RHP A-
FB 60 | SL 60 | CH 50+ | CMD 45
The other half of the Eduardo Nuñez trade, Santos offers a pretty healthy ceiling but would need 2-3 years in order to fully evaluate Santos' value but he got plenty of things to get excited. The frame is pretty projectable for him to hold his mid-90s velocity deep into starts and while his stuff is great, composing of a fastball in the low to mid-90s with good running action, a slurve-type breaking ball but has sharp, sweeping movement with big bite, and a changeup that sells well with fastball action and good fading bite, the command is still very much a work in progress and I am not a big fan of his slow mechanics even though he got plus arm speed and throws downhill consistently mainly because I like aggressive mechanics and majority of successful pitchers has one.
Now, let's see Santos' performance in Salem-Keizer and probably expect plenty of walks and strikeouts along the way.
Update: He pitched well in 4 plus innings of work but was effectively wild if you may call it, with 2 wild pitches and 3 walks but with 4 Ks and a homer allowed but a bonehead move by the S-K manager to let Santos pitch after 60+ pitches in a pro debut, it could have been a much better ending for Santos' outing.
13. Garrett Williams LHP AA
FB 55 | CB 65 | CH 45 | CMD 40
Williams' old, nasty friend known as control issues is back. He has just continued to struggle throwing strikes on a consistent basis and that hinders his plus-plus curveball to just shine, just like Beede's. I don't know also what is the problem with Williams this time, where I don't see a lot of issues right now with his mechanics. Maybe getting every part of his mechanics to be on time is the issue as his arm or his momentum gets late at front foot strike which tends for him to either fly open or be late, resulting to poor command. His strikeouts has also waned due to the poor command, most especially with his fastball. He can still throw his breaking ball for strikes however which is pretty surprising. Maybe it's kind of a mental thing, perhaps?
I think the unfortunate comeback of his control issues puts him in a limbo on whether he can start or not. I think the Giants can use him as a wipeout reliever if they can solve some of his command issues. The changeup also has been fringey to be a third option and is being restricted by his poor fastball control.
14. Sandro Fabian OF A+
Hit 50+ | Power 50 | Speed 45 | Arm 60 | Glove 55
First off, how about a round of applause for Sandro Fabian for almost tying his walk total last season with just a little less than half of his plate appearances this year! Boy, it feels good! But other than that, Fabian regressed in production that we might have expected because he had such a good finish to his first full season last year.
There's still the tools that makes him a potential special hitter: the bat speed, the eye-hand coordination, the feel for the barrel, the instincts. The issue is his overaggressiveness is still very much present and he's getting beat by quality breaking balls and sequencing and is evident by the increase in strikeout rate as compared to last year. If he gets on a groove late in the season just like what happened to him last year, he should be rising up once again in next year's prospect lists.
15. Heath Quinn OF A+
Hit 50 | Power 55 | Speed 45 | Arm 55 | Glove 50
After suffering an injury last year that really hampered his production last year, Quinn looked healthy to play this year and has caught fire in his last 5 games after returning from the disabled list again, batting 9-17 in his last five games with a homer with same number of walks and strikeouts. Quinn is just been his natural self like what we saw from him in his college days.
The awkward but strong swing that is really top handy, the good recognition of the strike zone, massive pop from pull to center, the faster than expected speed, and the strong arm fit for right are all back and it's nice to see. The issue for him however is he needs to produce continuously to move past the other outfielders in the system that has a higher ceiling. Can Quinn do it? Let us see.
16. Jason Bahr RHP A
FB 65 | CB 50+ | CH 40+ | CMD 50+
You know, I could have went with Bahr as the possible breakout player for this year but picking him seemed like a pretty obvious choice due to being a pretty high draft pick (well, I picked Duggar before to break out big time and he did).
This year, Bahr broke out and has surpassed expectations so far and he's doing it using his plus-plus fastball and quite an exceptional command of it. The fastball has been reaching 94-97 MPH with little dropoff in velocity when he's deep into starts. The pitch has plenty of life and he can throw it with command on both sides of the plate and the ball jumps on hitters due to his long extension with his mechanics and his lightning fast arm speed. He generates tremendous spin rates with his fastball and has drawn tons of swings and misses. Bahr's curveball flashed above average with good shape and break and has been throwing it with more confidence this year. The changeup is still in its earliest stage and is still lacking feel for it but I think it's not a good fit for his repertoire given his tremendous extension. The projection is not promising even though he got some traits that will allow him to tack on more muscle like good hips and lean frame.
Bahr doesn't really need to be pitching in Augusta because he has already proven that he owned the young and developing hitters of the Sally. And given his age of 23 years old, I think that he's just ripe enough to be dominating in the league and a promotion to the Cali League is just the perfect challenge that suits him. But still, Bahr just needs to continue to improve and improve his changeup, probably incorporating a cutter into his mix, and learning the art of pitching to be a starting option.
17. Ryan Howard SS/3B/2B AA
Hit 50+ | Power 40 | Speed 50 | Arm 55 | Glove 50
He has hit the nursing station with the hamstring injury last week or two but Howard has hit and continued to make consistent contact while actually drawing more walks, with a 7.2 BB% this year as compared to just 4.1% last year. Of course, he's a tough guy to strike out with just 11.3 K% this year as he's continuing to mature in terms of his approach at the plate which is more of a contact guy, similar to our beloved Duffman. The homers has yet to reveal themselves however as he just hit just a single homer and has instead hit more doubles, with already 19 in his half season of work. I think the brutal pitching environment of the Eastern League has something to do with that and also his contact-heavy approach.
I think that Howard has more ceiling than Kelby Tomlinson at the moment and could supplant him as the infield utility guy that you can just slot anywhere and he'll be solid defensively anywhere you put him and he will definitely hit.
18. Pat Ruotolo RHP AA
FB 60 | CB 60 | CH 45 | CMD 50
I think it is about freaking time for Ruotolo to get the love and the attention that he deserves. I have noted him as the first of my possible breakout candidates in the 2017 primer, the scouting report that I wrote on him in my May 2017 update that I reverted back to a draft is probably the best description of him that I wrote that still applies today.
"Picked him to break out because there's not much to be done with his mechanics to improve, he stayed upright better this season and finished his pitches more consistently and that helped his command to improve massively and I can now project him to have a future 50 command on his pitches. Even though there's still moments where he crouches even just a bit and flies open resulting to wild command, there's moments where the catcher's glove never moved when throwing his fastball. The velocity is more in the 89-91 MPH but there could be inaccuracies in the readings because the fastball has plenty of life. His curveball is wipeout and locates it in the zone better and is another plus pitch. He threw changeups that are meh pitches with little break and not a lot of feel but there's projection as he repeats his arm action and arm speed with his fastball."
The velocity is now towards 91-94 MPH while still holding its life and of course, the wipeout curveball and a better changeup to boot. Yes, the mechanics is like Lincecum and is only a relief option, he can turn to be a great one as he just keep on racking up saves and strikeouts while holding his walks in check.
19. Jalen Miller 2B A+
Hit 50 | Power 50 | Speed 50+ | Arm 45 | Glove 50+
New year, new swing, second chance in the Cal League, much better result. Miller is currently enjoying his best season in the pros ever. After a very nice and magical run of posting three seasons of an wRC+ of 69 (nice), 70 (boo!), and 69 (NICE) respectively, Miller has been a much better hitter this year, posting a wRC+ of 120 in the first half of the season.
He has done it in two ways. First off, a new stance. Miller opened up his stance this year and has incorporated a bigger leg kick and the change has been wonderful for him. He looked more loose, more active and powerful at the plate. It allowed him to drive the ball more and used his strong wrists to full effect, having surpassed his homer total already than his first rodeo in San Jose and really showing off the raw power that he has which I think is above average. Second, settling in. I think Miller is better the second time around and once he gets acclimated to the system. I can also consider myself like that as I need to learn by failure in order to bounce back so I think after seasons of aggressive promotions, Miller settled in quite nicely in San Jose. Don't promote him until next year!
While he is still an aggressive hitter and will strike out, Miller has become much more mature at the plate and armed with a new stance and a new mentality at the plate, it's safe to say that Miller is back as a prospect to follow and he has a much better chance now to hit his still pretty high ceiling. Plus, he's a very outgoing guy especially in social media so there's so much to like about Miller right now.
FB 60 | CB 50+ | CH 50+ | SL 45 | CMD 50+
Wong, the third round pick in this year's draft, will slot here for me. Wong's clean mechanics makes his mid-80s changeup play better than average as it got some fade and plays exactly the same arm action as his fastball but his fastball is fairly true and doesn't have much life even though he can hold mid-90s in starts and can reach 96 early in starts. I am really impressed with his 79 MPH curveball which is above average with good bite and 11-5 movement. His slider by the way is a fringey offering with not much excitement in terms of break but he can locate it pretty well. For me, what I'm most impressed with him is his ability to pitch with command that is above average at best and is looking close to a finished product.
I think that Wong can still get better as a pitcher. You know the Giants are also known as the preacher of the cut fastball and I think Wong can utilize a cutter and scrap his slider to complement his unappetizing four-seamer to give hitters a different look and I think he can incorporate it well due to his feel for pitching. Also, Wong can probably throw more two-seamers and just elevate his four-seamer high in the zone. If all goes to plan, expect Wong to be a fast mover in the system due to his ability to locate his pitches and has some swing and miss offspeed pitches even though his fastball fares down.
21. C.J Hinojosa 2B AA
Hit 50 | Power 40 | Speed 35 | Arm 50 | Glove 50
Hinojosa has been surpassed by Howard as the better utility infielder that the Giants might employ in the big league club but C.J's been hurt and has returned late-May. So far, the stats are yet to blow us away. He's going to hit but the rest of the package is fringey to subpar and I will relegate him to second base.
22. Logan Webb RHP A+
FB 60 | CB 60 | CH 55 | CMD 40
It has been like a couple of years or less since Logan Webb has returned from Tommy John surgery and while the stats seemed to be underwhelming, the things that you see on video or in the field is much better. First off, the fastball's back and might be even better. Yeah he's been pitching a healthy 3-4 innings per start to preserve his right arm per se but the fastball's been pretty electric, a 93-97 MPH offering with late life. The curveball is an easy plus offering that is in the low-80s with hammer break and is a plus offering. His changeup is a hard one in the high-80s with signs of plus sinking action but is inconsistent.
Webb hasn't missed a ton of bats this year in San Jose with a shade over 7 K/9 and that can be traced to his lack of present command of the zone and it's evident with his 4 BB/9 and has thrown north of 50 pitches in just 3 innings of work at times. There's clearly work to be done but there is a little chance he'll be a mainstay in the rotation as his mechanics clearly is a violent one with an arm action that is somewhat scary to watch because it looks like a ticking time bomb and Webb already had one Tommy John. But one thing is sure about Webb right now, the stuff looks legit and the command will improve as he gets further from his surgery but there might not be enough starter-quality traits to see him as a long-term fixture in the rotation but the nastiness of his three-pitch mix will make him a terrifying weapon out of the pen.
23. Manuel Geraldo SS A
Hit 45+ | Power 50+ | Speed 55 | Arm 55 | Glove 45
Looks like third time's the charm for Geraldo as he finally break out and has been officially in the prospect radars. He still has technically the same swing as last year on both sides of the plate so his secret to his impressive season so far has been the improvement of his pitch selection and plate discipline. He is not striking out a lot right now, he's taken more walks, he's on base a lot more now, he's been better against righties but he's not too shabby against lefties, he's hit the ball harder and has shown more game power. He's just been better this year. He's continuing to steal bases quite recklessly again so that needs some work to be done but he's shown he can steal it quite a lot.
Issues that I still see aside from his base stealing smarts is his fielding ability, where he's already committed 12 errors at short. I suggest for him to move, possibly to third or second where his good arm can still play. He just need to be a sound defender in order to continue to rise in every prospect ranks. He's also hit some sort of a funk during the GreenJackets' 11-game losing streak so there's some concern on it as well if he can continue hitting until the end of the season.
24. Melvin Adon RHP A+
FB 75 | SL 50+ | CH 40 | CMD 40+
Adon is very similar to the minor leagues legend Ray Black in terms of stuff. The difference is Adon can actually pitch a full season without any injury whatsoever. Adon can fire his fastball at 102 to 103 MPH early in starts and will typically sit in 96-99 MPH and does have plenty in the pocket to throw it in 100 MPH deep in his starts. The pitch is a nightmare when thrown high in the zone where Adon can use his low 3/4 slot and the slinging motion to his advantage. Down in the zone however, his fastball can get hit more than expected because it doesn't have very good movement to pair with the velocity. When placed in the pen, expect it to hover at a healthy 99-102 MPH that's why it got an 80 ceiling. The slider breaks early so it does looks slurvy but there's tremendous two-plane break on it and he can actually throw it for strikes. The changeup isn't going to be a true out pitch for him as he will be a two-pitch mix type of guy.
I think that the Giants have done enough in terms of giving him the innings and just let him dominate the pen as a closer-type of guy and maybe he can figure out stuff like fastball command there as well. He's this low not because he is performing at a subpar rate but there are plenty of more appetizing prospects right now to follow.
25. Malique Ziegler OF A
Hit 45 | Power 45 | Speed 70 | Arm 55 | Glove 60
Too bad Ziegler got hurt too early this season due to a torn oblique, as he's been showing off his pop with four April homers. He's got the elements of a five tool player when it's all said and done. He's showing the sneaky power that he has, mostly to pull side. He's showing off his plate discipline by drawing 11 walks in April, the blazing speed has been obvious in his outfield defense but there's more work to be done in base stealing as he's been caught 4 times in 9 chances.
Too bad I don't have to write more on him as he's been injured but if the stats that he put up in April is a true sign, we might have yet another potential above average five-tool player. Let's wait for him to come back, rehab, take some swings, and go play. He said personally that he'll be back after a couple of weeks. He'll really skyrocket in my rankings if he puts on a strong comeback after the injury.
26. Seth Corry LHP ROK
FB 55 | CB 60+ | CH 45 | CMD 40
Yet to pitch, Corry looked very fine in his workout videos all around the internet, building up the physique and strength, maximizing the athleticism (there are videos of him running a 3.7 30-yard dash and hitting 40" on his vertical that I don't know how to translate on the mound), and the drive to make it all work and be successful this year. I do hope he has actually thrown with the intent of pitching rather than throwing the baseball all out where I think I read before that Corry's been throwing it as hard as 96 MPH.
It was disappointing to read Roger Munter's comment on him back in Spring Training where he has no feel for his pitches. But certainly he has done everything that he can with his body to be at its best shape. So I really hope that he did tone down his mechanics so that he can fully control his disgusting repertoire.
*Update: He pitched in the first game of the AZL season with a wild pitch, 2 walks, 2 hits, and 4 strikeouts. Looks like there's still wildness but we need video to prove it.
27. Jose Marte RHP A
FB 60 | CB 50+ | SL 50 | CH 45 | CMD 45
This young right hander has been quite a revelation this season in the Augusta rotation that is the reason why the squad has been very good this year while playing in a brand new ballpark. Marte has posted good peripherals and his strikeouts per 9 has gone up to better than a K per inning while reducing his walks to a respectable 3.5 per 9 innings.
Looking at the videos and you will see Marte has refined his mechanics. I hated his mechanics last year as it looked out of sync and pretty much all over the place but still managed to locate his fastball in the zone. Now, the tempo of his mechanics is better and he's a solid athlete enough to repeat it with some consistency. His fastball has been harder and harder ever since he signed in 2015 and is now reaching 97 MPH while sitting at around 92-94 MPH. The pitch has plus life as well and draws swings and misses with good feel for it. The secondaries flashed good potential but has been terribly inconsistent. His high-70s curveball flashed potential to be an above average offering with nice shape and good snap but the feel for the pitch has come and go, mostly on the come side. The slider has solid tilt but is even more consistently as compared to his curveball and the change is still on the trying to figure out what to do with it stage. His improved mechanics suggest that there's a potential for the offspeed offerings to pick up the pace in terms of feel but I am not entirely sure on how much is his command projection but it looks like an average ceiling at best.
Marte has been throwing very well this season and has age in his side as he just turned 22 this year. There is a huge possibility that he will be a relief piece after 2-3 years but there's a chance he'll be a starting option once he figures out how to control his secondary pitches.
28. Camilo Doval RHP A
FB 70 | CUT 70 | SL 50 | CH 40 | CMD 45
Doval's numbers might look horrible for the casual fan but let us do a comparison of his first three appearances of the season to his last 18.
First 3 appearances: 1.1 IP, 6 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 0 HPB, 8 BB, 3 K, 54.00 ERA, terrible peripherals
Last 18 appearances: 23 IP, 17H, 7 R, 4 ER, 2 HPB, 6 BB, 35 K, 1.57 ERA, 1.08 FIP, 13.7 K/9, 2.35 BB/9, 5.83 K/BB
We can classify Doval's early April struggles as jitters as he might be overwhelmed or too pumped in April but when Doval found his groove, he started mowing down opposing hitters. Armed with a fastball that typically sits at 96-100 MPH with either a solid sinking movement or a late and hard cut.
His mechanics really screams bullpen and don't expect him to add projection in his pretty max effort, drop and drive mechanics and the ball feels like coming from the third base side of the field so it's really deceptive. He is now generally around the strike zone but is more of a zone filler rather than spotting his pitches but he does show ability of spotting his cutter down the zone. He has long fingers that helps him create the cutting movement and helps generate the very high spin rate on his fastball. I also like the energy of his mechanics that shows his athleticism.
Doval has shown in its early stage his big potential as a pen arm and if he keeps on going like what he has shown, he's going to be a pivotal part of the Giants pen in the future.
29. Blake Rivera RHP ROK (probably)
FB 60 | CB 60 | CH 45 | CMD 45
The fourth rounder in this year's draft will slot in here. There's not much I can say for him right now as I need to see how he will perform and I need videos because there's not a single video that shows his mechanics, repertoire and command clearly. So I am humbly asking a kind reader of my blog that will in some chance hit Scottsdale and go inside the complex (it's free admission, they said) to take video clips of the guys there either for public display or private (DM me if you want), preferably right behind home plate or either of the batter's box. That would be really great for the Giants community!
30. Aaron Phillips RHP A
FB 60 | CB 60 | CH 45 | CMD 45
The 9th round selection of last year's draft, Phillips has been hurt recently and was placed on the disabled list but before he got hurt, Phillips has been lights out for the GreenJackets. I mean look at the walks, just 2 in 30 1/3 innings pitched. Just two! Jesus Christ! Pair that with more than a strikeout an inning! Crikey!
For a guy who has a funky mechanics, Phillips has done a really good job of filling the strike zone and getting the Sally hitters to chase pitches out of the zone. His 91-94 MPH fastball has good life and has been a zone filler rather than a spot pitch. His mechanics that got plenty of deception with the crossfire and a unorthodox arm action that hides the ball very well on hitters. His curveball is ultra sharp with tremendous late break and flashes plus-plus and is the perfect complement for his fastball. Changeup looks okay to meh for my taste but haven't seen him throw that pitch that often. He got some body control and good athleticism to make his pitches work and he does throw strikes with it but the arm action is quite a catcher of red flags for possible arm and/or shoulder injuries.
Phillips has been consistently throwing 5 innings a start with some room to throw for 6 innings. I see some Jose de Leon elements in his mechanics and the fastball can lose plane when thrown high in the zone so he needs to do a good job of pitching and I think Phillips can do it. Hopefully, the injury's not that severe that he can pitch late in the season and could continue to blossom out as one of the surprise prospects in last year's draft.
This Guy Is Still A Prospect???
Ray Black
Yes, he still is ladies and gentlemen. After battling like a million injuries with the Tommy John, the bone chips, and everything else to his release from the organization last year and signing back a couple of months after, at age 27 (entering 28 later this June), Ray Black is still throwing hard. I mean 102 MPH hard. Now, he's just casually throwing 96-99 MPH which is still very good and he's still getting the same results: a lot of strikeouts, not a lot of hits, and a lot of walks. Yes, there's still potential for him as a reliever but he's gonna be 28, the peak age for athletes, and he just needs to perform now or he's gonna be just the legend that we never got the chance to see in the big leagues.
Notable Prospects Not Included In the Top 30
Joey Marciano LHP A
FB 50 | CB 60 | CH 45 | CMD 50
The biggest story in the minor leagues so far is the quality of pitching that the Augusta GreenJackets deliver in the first half of the season and Marciano is one of the biggest key to their success. Marciano has done it with the mix of maturity, sequencing, feel for pitching, impressive mound presence and a plus curveball. The fastball's on the high-80s range but the body's maxed out so there is little hope he can throw harder in the future but he got some Adalberto Mejia elements to make his prototypical control and crafty lefty profile to work.
Ricardo Genoves C A-
Hit 40 | Power 45 | Speed 30 | Arm 60 | Glove 55
Defensive-minded catchers doesn't need to hit well in order to rise through the ranks and that what could happen with Genoves, a potential defense-first backup in the big leagues with a questionable offensive production in the future.
Aramis Garcia C AA
Hit 40 | Power 45 | Speed 30 | Arm 55 | Glove 50
Oh, how bad is Aramis struggling with the bat this year in the Eastern League that just kills hitters with contact issues. His future is now a big question mark now that the Bart train is now online.
Tyler Herb RHP AAA
FB 55 | SL 55 | CB 45 | CH 45 | CMD 45
Guy that we got from Seattle on that Heston Trade, Herb doesn't really excite me but he got a feel for four pitches with clean mechanics and a slider as an out pitch. Relief-type material for me.
Sam Coonrod RHP AA
FB 55 | CB 50+ | CH 40 | CMD 45
Former regarded prospect, Coonrod has hit rock bottom with him under the knife. I think there's still salvageable value for him in the pen but there are a lot more prospects with better stuff and command than him before he tore his UCL.
John Gavin LHP A
This guy is dominating the Sally just like Marciano: feel for pitching, sequencing, impressive control and command of his otherwise mediocre stuff, mound presence, and maturity.
Jordan Johnson RHP AA
FB 50+ | CH 60 | CB 40+ | CMD 40
He's drawing swings and misses with his plus split-change but the same old is what is happening this year: lack of fastball life and plane that makes him get hit a lot more than expected, questionable command of his fastball and curveball, and lack of a quality third pitch to be a serviceable starter.
Bryce Johnson OF A+
Hit 40+ | Power 20 | Speed 55 | Arm 50 | Glove 55
He's struggling to hit in the leadoff spot and he really needs to hit in order to be a serviceable player in the organization because he has zero power and there are a million outfield prospects that the Giants keeps on churning out these days.
Garrett Cave RHP A
FB 60 | CB 50+ | CUT 50+ | SPL 40+ | CMD 40+
He's still the same old Garrett Cave: there's flashes of brilliance but a lot of bouts with his control. Cave's mechanics is as simple as anyone's but he's still struggling to throw his pitches consistently for strikes. The fastball is still good, where he can still top 97 MPH, but there's still little development with his feel to see it yet as a consistent strike filler. The curveball is a dandy but it's easy to track and lack of fastball feel hinders it. His cutter is also a good one and his split has shown some promise. Then again, there's too much problems with him in terms of throwing strikes. I do hope that he will follow track of Jake Arrieta as an inspiration to not give up.
Sam Wolff RHP (still in DL)
Again, to those who forgot, this is who we get for Matt Moore. I can't give a report on him because he's never pitched for the organization mainly because of injuries. Previous reports on him when he's on the Rangers suggests he's got a heavy mid-90s sinker and a power slider with command issues. I hope the injuries won't truly derail him but the Matt Moore trade overall is like a win for the Giants because Moore just plain sucks.
Kelvin Beltre 3B A+
Someone I'm very low than the rest, it would be a real shock if Beltre will make an impact this year. He's been injured, the approach is raw and doesn't see him incorporating his power well with his swing, and there's still work that needs to be done defensively. Age is by his side however.
Franklin van Gurp RHP A
van Gurp should not be denied here as he's been lights out in April but got bounced around quite a bit in May. He's been getting swings and misses with his above average slider that complements his low-90s sinker that he hides in his big frame.
Aaron Bond OF A
A fan favorite due to his performance last year in the Arizona League, Bond has struggled to get his footing in Augusta and looks like he will be a repeater next year where he could be more confident and acclimated to the environment.
Diego Rincones OF A-
Man, Rincones can just hit. There's very good bat speed from him with a pretty mature approach but can get overaggressive. His raw is above average and I think he can be a doubles machine as long as he makes contact. The problem with him is where to hide him defensively. I think left field is always the best bet. Rincones and Miguel Gomez are very similar players in terms of their player profiles so I expect him to just hit.
Logan Baldwin OF A
Heartwarming story where raised in Georgia and became an All-Star this year for Augusta. Looks like a capable utility outfielder profile who can steal plenty of bases but has contact issues and too many strikeouts right now to be a true leadoff hitter. But still, a true Georgian.
Conner Menez LHP AA
FB 50+ | CH 50 | SL 50+ | CB 45 | CMD 50+
It must have sucked for AAA hitters when they saw Connor Menez pitched because he hides the ball so well and throws it at an unusual angle that hitters who face him for the first time and has drawn a lot of strikeouts in his stay in the Cal League. He's been pretty much bounced around but he's continued to deliver. He's not overpowering but he's got deception and a mature pitching approach to say that there are big league starter elements in him.
Connor Nurse RHP ROK
Late-rounder who signed for mid-rounder price last year, Nurse will look to start off his pro career with a bang (hasn't pitched in actual game last year but he's working hard in the backfields). I hope he will perform because there's good potential with his projection and potential three above-average pitches.
Cory Taylor RHP AA
One-pitch, low-90s sinker with nasty sink, is currently what Taylor is but here's a proposition from me: what if they turn him to the bullpen, possibly improve the velocity of the pitch and turn him into a Blake Treinen because the sinker is just so good to be seen three times by a hitter?
Gio Brusa OF A+
With all of the acomplishments that Brusa has achieved this year, the hit for the cycle and the three homer game, he's still swinging and missing that that might just be the nail in the coffin for his prospect status but I do like the guy's passion.
Patrick Hilson OF ROK
Hit 40 | Power 50 | Speed 70 | Arm 60 | Glove 55
Hilson should excite you on his potential and he's a guy to watch in Arizona if I am an area scout because he's just scratching the surface of what he can be. Hilson can throw his body forward when he swings but he displays strong wrists and does a nice job of staying closed with a developing feel to hit. There's sneaky pop on him and the swing is very loose with serious plus to plus-plus bat speed but I think he needs to improve on bat control and approach. His swing changed this year and became more balanced and not like Hunter Pencey. asx
Also, Hilson can fly and can stick to center or to right field where he can throw 94 MPH on the mound so the arm is suitable for right field as well. Actually, I can compare Hilson to Malique Ziegler with Ziegler having more experience, less arm strength, but more defensive potential. Surely, Hilson is a prospect to watch in Scottsdale.
Keaton Winn RHP A-
Winn started the game on Salem-Keizer in their opening series and I didn't actually expected that, as his stuff might be a little raw in terms of the command but he pitched well in short burst. Let's see how well he can deliver in his cup of coffee this year.
Edison Mora SS ROK
Hit 45 | Power 50 | Speed 55 | Arm 60 | Glove 55
A shortstop from Puerto Rico, Mora could be a good prospect if he developed well. Mora is an above average athlete with plus quickness in his feet and agility. His frame is projectable in his upper half because the legs already got some muscle and could have above average power at peak to tap on and I am being conservative. He has plus present speed but figures to slow down to above average or lower as he tack on some pounds. His swing has an upward plane on it so it might be an issue if he has lack of feel to hit which is still TBD but he got some strength, some bat speed, and willingness to use the opposite field.
Defensively is what I gets me excited on Mora. His throws doesn't have require any hops and has good carry on it, but for me, the standout elements are his footwork which are excellent and efficient, and his agility when fielding is top-notch. He projects to be a plus defender at short.
Solomon Bates RHP ROK
I think that Bates could enjoy the same stuff that guys like Marciano and Gavin are enjoying right now in Augusta when Bates would get a shot as Bates is a guy that eat innings and has maturity on the mound and should feed on young, raw hitters.
Ben Madison RHP ROK
He's the strikeout leader of the league that he's played (I am not sure if it's NAIA or MAAC) and we need to see maybe he's another Aaron Phillips-like pitcher where he will just wow you with funky mechanics and two plus pitches or he's different. A very short Instagram video ensures the funky mechanics but the stuff is still TBD.
Joan Gregorio RHP AAA
Short simple thought: I don't really consider him as prospect-quality, I am lower than anyone that ranked him since 2015, and I pretty much forget about him.
2018 Draft Day 3 Quick Hitters
I told you guys that I will make my review on the day 3 selections, to see who I liked and the guys that are already signed are the fellows that I will review to make sure that I am not profiling a non-member of the organization.
David Villar has some looseness and loft in his swing but will swing and miss on good breaking balls but some are pretty optimistic on him, Sean Roby is a guy I like more than Villar with a better chance to stick at third but also has some swing and miss issues, George Bell, Jr. has some tools to play and has good bloodlines, Bryce Tucker is a deceptive and crafty lefty reliever option with a high-80s to low-90s heater and a slurve, Matt Frisbee is a potential sneaky riser candidate with the prototypical pitcher's frame, nice low to mid-90s fastball with plenty of deception in his mechanics, Trenton Toplinkar doesn't have fresh videos but there is some Mat Latos in his arm action in his HS video
Angel Guzman is a catcher that is said to be clocked at 6.7 seconds on the 60 but actually timed him at around 7.1 which registers at below average, solid athlete with 1.9-2.0 second pop times, and a good looking swing where the bat takes a long path through the zone, Randy Norris looks like a sneaky riser candidate too with good reports on his speed and makeup and is the all-time hits leader in his school, Jett Manning is a real scout's find because the stats available about him are horrible, Clay Helvey is pretty sure someone that they kept on tabs since last year when they scouted and drafted Garrett Cave with actually some Cave-like elements in his mechanics!, Ben Strahm is the younger brother of Matt Strahm and Matt is a pretty good pitcher so let's hope that Ben is half of that, Preston White pitched an inning in the first game of the AZL season, Fabian Pena is a big bodied catcher with potential to reach the Majors as a backup
Travis Perry is another scout's find, Marcos Campos has a nice name and loves to pull the ball and looks pretty good with the glove even though the athleticism is fringy and I don't get the jumping after the throw, Kwan Adkins looks like an athlete with raw baseball skills, Ryan Walker can sling it at low-90s with sink but has a poor slider, Braden Frankenfort and Austin Edgette are real barn finds, with Edgette posting ridiculous numbers in D2 baseball, Chris Roberts is another barn find with poor numbers but can throw his fastball to low-90s and has a slider, Trevorn Horn has horrible stats, and Abdiel Layer is the brother of Jose Layer but has struggled in JC this year. Maybe his brother swayed him to sign.
There you go.
Dominican Dandies Making Waves This Year (So Far)
Jean Pena SS
Luis Toribio 3B/SS
Both young shortstop prospects signed for the max of $300,000 last year when the Giants are still on the penalty due to the signing of Lucius Fox. Both already hit 4 homers this year, both are in the top 10 in OPS, and both look very promising.
I think Pena's old reports of him being a line drive hitter with occasional gap shots because the swing has plenty of loft and is a big swing that needs to be compacted in order for it to be consistent but there's strength in his still very lean frame to dream for more power. The feel for hitting is still questionable but the power's legit. He has started at short for the majority of the early season and looks like he will stay there at the end of the year. Would be nice to see him down in Arizona for instructs after the DSL is over.
Torribio on the other hand has an advanced knowledge of the strike zone and is posting numbers that are similar to what Alex Canario posted last year. The feel for hitting is looking to be above average with a quicker bat speed than Pena from the left size. The combination of hit and power from Torribio would be something to follow until the end of the season. He's primarily played DH and 3B, but mostly DH so there might be some things to be worked on defensively.
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This ends my mid-season special. I will update my Top 30 again in late-July but not as concise as this mid-season reports. I have never written this much prospect reports in one post so I hope you enjoyed it!
Wasn't sure how to contact you otherwise, but found an article I thought you would love to read, since you want to get into the business: https://www.themuse.com/advice/this-is-how-working-for-new-york-mets-sales
ReplyDeleteI will read your full post later when I have time, but I thought I would share my findings on Heliot season so far, which I just published myself on my blog.
ReplyDeleteBasically, Heliot has been hitting .760-ish OPS for most of the season, which is good for an 18 YO hitter in the league, but had a hellish 6-8 games (depends on where you want to mark it) at the end of April and start of May, where he had 0-1 hit (again, depends on where you want to mark it), while striking out over 40% of the time, even worse than a pitcher's batting line. He had a streak of 6 games of 2 to 4 strikeouts!
Such a bad stretch, seems more like his mechanics was way off, or maybe he was going through something, either mentally or physically, as there's no way other teams could adjust so thoroughly to shut him down completely.
And after a week of that, he was back to his old ways, if you compare his first 18 games with his last 42 games (up to June 26th), the batting line and peripherals for K% and BB% were basically in the ballpark of each other.
Thus, while his overall seasonal batting line suggests that he has struggled, he really only struggled that one week or so, then was back to normal, normal being what he was doing before the bad stretch. And .760 is good for the league (Top 50), and good compared to other 18 YO's performances over the past few seasons prior. He's no Soto, who dominated in A-ball at 18, but similar to Ozzie Albies and Rafael Devers, both of whom made the majors at age 20, getting significant playing time, and both hitting well enough for someone in their early 20's. Put it this way, if Ramos can do what those do did, we'll be happy with him in the OF.