Spring Training games are now fully online and it gives us Giants fans plenty of opportunities not just to flame guys like Kapler and Zaidi but also to see the young guns, also known as the prospects, in the flesh. While Spring Training records amount to nothing in terms of the grand scheme of things and player stat lines during Spring Training are highly skeptical because the level of competition is so sketchy, the Giants are still 5-3 nonetheless and this... does put a smile on my face. In case you are wondering, the Padres are 6-1 and the Dodgers are 6-2. Again, the record will not transpire to the regular season but I feel that it gives us a pretty good indication that those two teams are at it again in the NL West.
Back to the prospects, I am here to talk about some players that are worth noting in the recent Spring Training games. Not just prospects, but also I would like to talk about a big leaguer that I like.
- I have notified you about the whereabouts of Heliot Ramos in my last post but I did not warn you about Heliot's Spring Training appearance a couple of nights ago, that which I am not notified to be honest. Whether I am notified or not, I am still in awe of Heliot's performance against the Rockies.
In his second at-bat, Heliot singled up the middle, a smoked groundball in an 0-2 count, against Rockies pitcher Jeff Hoffman that's sporting a much shorter arm action reminiscent of the transformation of Lucas Giolito by following the way of the weighted ball. In his third at-bat, Heliot showed how hard he can hit a baseball, feasting on yet another low fastball but on a 2-1 count this time, towards the deepest part of the yard with no wind blowing for a long two-run home run.
Offensively, it showed Heliot at his best and worst. He was whiffing on breaking balls and feasting on fastballs. But when Heliot connects, boy he can really connect and with his fine looking ass and thighs, there's going to be plenty of tape-measure homers. We'll still be looking at Heliot starting at Sacramento at the start of the 2020 regular season but boy it has to feel really good to see the top prospects Heliot and Bart giving us a taste of what we will hopefully see on a regular basis like tasting one of the starters at Osteria Francescana as soon as next year.
- We got to see Bart doing some catching behind the plate, where my eyes are more glued on rather than him taking swings. Bart's lower half set-up is quite a show, from a conventional one, to kneeling on either knees, to even doing a split on one Johnny Cueto pitch where he has to stand up and quickly tag the incoming runner at home. Bart's also quite a savant in terms of framing as he is setting up his glove below the knees when expecting a ball in the lower third of the zone and above the letters for the upper third of the zone. It gives him the ability to either raise his glove on a low pitch or drop his glove on a high pitch (something I have seen less than the former as he also drops his glove for a high pitch quite often), and will help him steal strikes. There are times where he will just hold the glove steady instead of pulling the glove back to the zone and that's just great stuff for the big boy.
- Quite possibly the most pleasant surprise in the early going is Sean Roby. A relative nobody to all casual Giants fans and even to some hardcore Giants prospects followers, Roby has popped off in the early going, proving that he belong even though he has not even licked a game beyond Augusta yet.
I have written Roby a bit in the prospects outside the Top 30 in my Prospect Primer (be sure to check that one out if you haven't already!) and I have given him an asterisk that means he is on the cusp of joining the 30 best. This interview that Roby did with a fellow prospector and writer Marc Delucchi on Around The Foghorn will shed some light about the player (I hope to talk to Roby himself soon!).
Coming from Arizona Western College, a JUCO that produced #ForeverGiants Bengie Molina and Sergio Romo, Roby got drafted and played in the backfields at a tender age of 20. In his two years of pro ball, Roby has posted an above average wRC+, with his 155 wRC+ ranking inside the top 5 in NWL in 2019, and has shown glimpses of power in game but he does not try to do too much at the plate. In the 2019 NWL Home Run Derby though, Roby showed that there's power potential in his 6'2" 215 lbs. frame by winning the event, pumping out 18 homers in the final round.
I absolutely love how Roby swings at the batter's box. He stands tall in the box but when he loads, he starts to drop his body, load up those legs, pull his hands back, and creating plenty of separation with his hips and shoulders, also called as the rubber band effect. He then fires those hips and the bat is just along for the ride, shooting balls all over the field. There's real power there when he starts to mature up in his frame but there's decent to good upside with his bat in terms of both average and power once he gets more mature at the plate. Defensively, I think there's some work to be done but he does the routine plays and I think can stay in the position.
I think that this hot start to his 2020 campaign might push Roby to be placed in the San Jose roster instead of back to Augusta and that's already a win for him. Catching the eyes of the decision-makers on the field sure feels good and if he can put up another above average offensive campaign again in 2020, he will definitely enter my top 30 list.
- I like how Drew Smyly is working at the moment, having a strong spring and reaching 94 MPH on the gun with his heater with his plus knuckle-curve. I always followed Smyly back to his Tampa Bay Ray days because I love how he throws the baseball and I think that Smyly can be actually as good as Drew Pomeranz out of the bullpen but Giants are doing the right thing by building up his workload that will transition towards a starting rotation role.
- Jalen Miller went boomstick yesterday that reminded us that he's still worth a consideration, Alex Canario made a sick grab and crashed to the wall that ended the game and it shows how hard he plays the game even though his bat has yet to come online, Bryce Johnson was a menace on the bases and made a great diving catch in right. Overall, good stuff all around.
- I have received an info that the minor league Spring Training games, or the backfield games, will begin in the second week of March, specifically March 11 and Luis Matos will fly to the States and participate in it. I say, get excited!
That's all for me in this spot. Be sure to read my Prospect Primer to get more info about those juicy prospects playing in Spring Training that you have zero idea who the hell he is but you would want to know. I will dedicate more prospects but we will likely see them less once the backfield brawl starts in a couple of weeks. I hope you enjoy reading this one!
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