Archive for Giants

Mookie Betts Trade Underscores NL West Imbalance

On Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers traded for Mookie Betts and David Price. Assuming the parties involved can hammer out the details, the deal obviously makes the Dodgers a better baseball team, both in the here and now and, to a lesser extent, in the future. For Los Angeles fans tired of October flameouts and agonizing World Series defeats, this is fantastic news: Betts alone is something like a five-win upgrade and he’ll make a long lineup that much more daunting come the playoffs.

As far as simply reaching the playoffs goes though, Betts barely moves the needle. Of all the teams in baseball, it’s not like this one “needed” to get better, at least when it comes to maximizing its playoff chances. Dan Szymborski took great pains to express that the ZiPS projections he’s cooking up are still under-baked and not yet fit for public consumption; that caveat aside, he has the Dodgers projected to win the NL West by 12 games without Betts. With him in the fold, that jumps to 16. Los Angeles has already won the division seven times in a row; with a loaded roster, and a deep farm system, their streak wasn’t in any jeopardy this year and won’t be for some time yet.

Whether or not the trade looks redundant in a competitive sense for the Dodgers, it must feel like just another body blow in Phoenix, Denver, and San Diego. Through the realities of geography, vagaries of expansion, and a league-wide desire to limit travel costs, four other franchises are stuck perpetually competing with the West Coast’s foremost superpower. The Giants have the resources to remain competitive in spite of their southern rival, but the other three teams have looked comparatively hapless. The Giants and Dodgers have captured all but one division title since 2007. In that period, the Padres, Diamondbacks, and Rockies have only reached the playoffs five times combined, never escaping the NLDS. For the little three, the Dodgers are an immovable barrier blocking any real chance of sustained success. That’s a problem in a league that emphasizes postseason glory first and foremost, particularly in a sport that is primarily consumed locally. Read the rest of this entry »


Wilmer Flores Joins Giants’ Crowded Infield Mix

Until last year, Wilmer Flores had spent his entire professional career — from the time that he was signed out of Venezuela on his 16th birthday in 2007 through the ’18 season — with the Mets. After being non-tendered in November 2018, he landed with the Diamondbacks and put together the best season of his career, at least from an offensive standpoint. This week, he parlayed that success into a modest two-year, $6 million deal with the Giants, who suddenly have a rather crowded infield.

Flores, who’s still just 28 years old, hit a sizzling .317/.361/.487 for a 120 wRC+ in 2019, numbers that represent across-the-board career highs. That said, he missed nearly two months after suffering a fracture in his right foot when he was hit by a Drew Pomeranz pitch on May 19, and wound up making only 285 plate appearances, his lowest total at the major league level since 2014. When he wasn’t pinch-hitting — which he did 23 times, hitting just .190/.261/.238 — he played mostly second base, making 56 of his 60 starts and 64 of his 80 total defensive appearances there; the balance of his appearances came at first base. Even in that limited playing time, his 1.1 WAR was his highest mark since 2015.

Thirty-one of Flores’ starts at second base came against lefties — whom he hit to the tune of a 151 wRC+ — and all but a handful of those starts bumped Ketel Marte to center field. That the Diamondbacks desired to move Marte back to the infield in hopes that it would be less physically demanding likely played a big role in the team’s decision to decline Flores’ $6 million option for 2020; instead, they paid him a $500,000 buyout. Last week, Arizona acquired center fielder Starling Marte from the Pirates so as to further the Ketel-to-the-Keystone plan. Read the rest of this entry »


2020 ZiPS Projections: San Francisco Giants

After having typically appeared in the hallowed pages of Baseball Think Factory, Dan Szymborski’s ZiPS projections have now been released at FanGraphs for eight years. The exercise continues this offseason. Below are the projections for the San Francisco Giants.

Batters

The Giants’ lineup won’t be mistaken for a great (or even good) one, but it’s not really all that bad. Sure, many of the contributors are on the wrong side of 30 — even last year’s surprise contributor Mike Yastrzemski will turn 30 before the end of the season — but that’s balanced by the fact that the majority underperformed expectations in 2019. That shouldn’t be taken as good news, as players who underperform see their expectations drop, but it’s still a silver lining — the offense probably wasn’t as inept as it appeared last year.

Also of value is the fact that the team’s position players are generally average-or-better defensively. Among them is Buster Posey, who still is a plus despite his offensive decline. ZiPS isn’t projecting a return to prime form with the wood for the backstop, but Posey is one of the better defensive catchers of this generation, and there’s still some value to be had there. I’m both curious and dreading to see how the writers consider and value Posey’s defense when he becomes Hall-eligible; I’m fairly certain I’ll check his box, but it’s hard to say how the other 400 or so votes will go. Read the rest of this entry »


Yasiel Puig Is a Dream Free Agent for Three Last Place Teams

Yasiel Puig’s first appearance in the majors had been fabled for some time. Matt Kemp, the young Dodgers star the team had just signed to an eight-year deal, was hurt for the third time in 14 months, and doubts of his superstardom were already creeping in. “Derek Jeter appeared on the disabled list twice during his 10-year contract with the Yankees,” Bill Shaikin noted in the L.A. Times, for some reason.

Where, it was being asked, would the Dodgers be expected to find their power with Kemp trying to swing through a shoulder injury and maintaining the lowest slugging percentage (.335) in the league among starting outfielders? What silhouette would appear on the horizon, a bat slung over his shoulder, and take the Dodgers to the Promised Land?

“He is not in the major leagues,” Shaikin wrote. “His name is Yasiel Puig.”

Seven years later, his name is still Yasiel Puig, and he is still a ball player, only now, he is available to play for your team. His biblical foretelling led to an explosive debut and a thrilling first two years of his major league career. Puig has gone through a lot since then; his uniform has changed multiple times and his numbers have fallen away so that only his reputation, the parts earned and unearned, has remained. Now, at age 29 and dragging 20.0 career WAR behind him over seven seasons, he is filling an odd little niche on the 2020 free agent market: He is the dream acquisition of last place teams. To invent a word on the spot, we might say that he can increase the “fan-ability” of three teams that could really use it in 2020. Read the rest of this entry »


Madison Bumgarner Saddles Up for Arizona

Madison Bumgarner is staying in the National League West, but it won’t be with the Giants, the only professional organization he’s ever known. And he’s not joining the Dodgers, the championship-starved, longtime rivals who pursued him after losing out on Gerrit Cole, either. Instead, the 30-year-old lefty will join the rebuilding Arizona Diamondbacks via a five-year, $85 million contract, one that includes $15 million in deferred payments as well as a five-team no-trade clause.

The deal is the fourth-largest for a pitcher this winter after those of Cole (nine years, $324 million with the Yankees), Stephen Strasburg (seven years, $245 million with the Nationals), and Zack Wheeler (five years, $118 million with the Phillies), but it’s well short of the $100 million-plus contract he was reportedly seeking. Indeed, the gap between the third- and fourth-largest deals is strikingly large, particularly given that the two pitchers are similar in age (Bumgarner is 10 months older than Wheeler) and that for our Top 50 Free Agents list, both Kiley McDaniel and the crowd had the two pitchers very close together in terms of their paydays. The teeming masses estimated that both would receive four-year deals at $72 million, with McDaniel estimating $68 million for Wheeler and $64 million for Bumgarner.

It’s not hard to understand the discrepancy. Wheeler was worth a hefty 9.8 WAR over the past two seasons, including offense, with 5.3 (4.7 from pitching) in 2019. Bumgarner was worth 5.2 WAR over that same span, with 3.7 (3.2 from pitching) in 2019. Given his recent performance and the mere 749.1 major league innings under his belt, Wheeler, despite the injuries in his past, is seen as a pitcher who’s still on an upward trajectory, while Bumgarner, with 1,846 innings to his name, may have his best days in the rearview mirror. Read the rest of this entry »


JAWS and the 2020 Hall of Fame Ballot: Jeff Kent

The following article is part of Jay Jaffe’s ongoing look at the candidates on the BBWAA 2020 Hall of Fame ballot. Originally written for the 2014 election at SI.com, it has been updated to reflect recent voting results as well as additional research. For a detailed introduction to this year’s ballot, and other candidates in the series, use the tool above; an introduction to JAWS can be found here. For a tentative schedule, and a chance to fill out a Hall of Fame ballot for our crowdsourcing project, see here. All WAR figures refer to the Baseball-Reference version unless otherwise indicated.

Jeff Kent took a long time to find a home. Drafted by the Blue Jays in 1989, he passed through the hands of three teams who didn’t quite realize the value of what they had. Not until a trade to the Giants in November 1996 — prior to his age-29 season — did he really settle in. Once he did, he established himself as a standout complement to Barry Bonds, helping the Giants become perennial contenders and spending more than a decade as a middle-of-the-lineup force.

Despite his late-arriving stardom and a prickly personality that sometimes rubbed teammates and media the wrong way, Kent earned All-Star honors five times, won an MVP award, and helped four different franchises reach the playoffs a total of seven times. His resumé gives him a claim as the best-hitting second baseman of the post-1960 expansion era — not an iron-clad one, but not one that’s easily dismissed. For starters, he holds the all-time record for most home runs by a second baseman with 351. That’s 74 more than Ryne Sandberg, 85 more than Joe Morgan, and 86 more than Rogers Hornsby — all Hall of Famers, and in Hornsby’s case, one from before the expansion era (note that I’m not counting homers hit while playing other positions). Among players with at least 7,000 plate appearances in their career who spent at least half their time at second base, only Hornsby (.577) has a higher slugging percentage than Kent’s .500. From that latter set, only Hornsby (1.010) and another pre-expansion Hall of Famer, Charlie Gehringer (.884), have a higher OPS than Kent (.855). Read the rest of this entry »


Giants Add Veterans Gausman and Cozart

The Giants made two acquisitions Tuesday evening, signing pitcher Kevin Gausman to a one-year contract and acquiring infielders Zack Cozart and Will Wilson from the Los Angeles Angels for future considerations.

These moves aren’t quite as earth-shattering as the Gerrit Cole signing, but both have short term upside for the Giants, which is consistent with the team’s goal of not completely gutting the roster while rebuilding.

Kevin Gausman is a long-term favorite of mine, and the $9 million the Giants will pay him in 2020 strikes me as a reasonable risk to take given the upside he represents. His stint with the Braves in 2019 is one he’d be happy to forget thanks to the 3-7, 6.19 ERA line he put up in 16 starts. It’s very easy to lose sight of the fact that his 4.20 FIP was nearly two runs better than his actual ERA, which was inflated by a .344 BABIP. Gausman’s strikeout rate had faded in recent years, dipping to a lackluster 7.3 K/9 in 2018, so his 9.6 K/9 in Atlanta was roughly a 30% improvement, which generally portends pleasant results rather than what actually happened.

When looking at Gausman’s 2019 hit data, the ZiPS projection system expects a BABIP of .309 rather than his actual .334. That’s still on the high side, but is enough to drop his batting average against in Atlanta from .290 to .252. Batters actually had the lowest exit velocity against Gausman since 2015 at 86.9 mph, which partially explains why even a struggling Gausman didn’t see his homer rate tick up. Read the rest of this entry »


JAWS and the 2020 Hall of Fame Ballot: Barry Bonds

The following article is part of Jay Jaffe’s ongoing look at the candidates on the BBWAA 2020 Hall of Fame ballot. Originally written for the 2013 election at SI.com, it has been updated to reflect recent voting results as well as additional research. For a detailed introduction to this year’s ballot, and other candidates in the series, use the tool above; an introduction to JAWS can be found here. For a tentative schedule, and a chance to fill out a Hall of Fame ballot for our crowdsourcing project, see here. All WAR figures refer to the Baseball-Reference version unless otherwise indicated.

If Roger Clemens has a reasonable claim as the greatest pitcher of all time, then the same goes for Barry Bonds as the greatest position player. Babe Ruth played in a time before integration, and Ted Williams bridged the pre- and post-integration eras, but while both were dominant at the plate, neither was much to write home about on the base paths or in the field. Bonds’ godfather, Willie Mays, was a big plus in both of those areas, but he didn’t dominate opposing pitchers to the same extent. Bonds used his blend of speed, power, and surgical precision in the strike zone to outdo them all. He set the single-season home run record with 73 in 2001 and the all-time home run record with 762, reached base more often than any player this side of Pete Rose, and won a record seven MVP awards along the way.

Despite his claim to greatness, Bonds may have inspired more fear and loathing than any ballplayer in modern history. Fear because opposing pitchers and managers simply refused to engage him at his peak, intentionally walking him a record 688 times — once with the bases loaded — and giving him a free pass a total of 2,558 times, also a record. Loathing because even as a young player, he rubbed teammates and media the wrong way and approached the game with a chip on his shoulder because of the way his father, three-time All-Star Bobby Bonds, had been driven from the game due to alcoholism. The younger Bonds had his own issues off the field, as allegations of physical and verbal abuse of his domestic partners surfaced during his career.

As he aged, media and fans turned against Bonds once evidence — most of it illegally leaked to the press by anonymous sources — mounted that he had used performance-enhancing drugs during the latter part of his career. With his name in the headlines more regarding his legal situation than his on-field exploits, his pursuit and eclipse of Hank Aaron’s 33-year-old home run record turned into a joyless drag, and he disappeared from the majors soon after breaking the record in 2007 despite ranking among the game’s most dangerous hitters even at age 43. Not until 2014 did he even debut as a spring training guest instructor for the Giants. The reversal of his felony obstruction of justice conviction in April 2015 freed him of legal hassles, and he spent the 2016 season as the Marlins’ hitting coach, though he was dismissed at season’s end.

Bonds is hardly alone among Hall of Fame candidates with links to PEDs. As with Clemens, the support he has received during his first seven election cycles has been far short of unanimous, but significantly stronger than the showings of Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Rafael Palmeiro, either in their ballot debuts or since. Debuting at 36.2% in 2013, Bonds spun his wheels for two years before climbing to 44.3% in 2016 and 53.8% in 2017 thanks to a confluence of factors. In the wake of both Bonds and Clemens crossing the historically significant 50% threshold, the Hall — which in 2014 unilaterally truncated candidacies from 15 years to 10 so as to curtail debate over the PED-linked ones — made its strongest statement yet that it would like to avoid honoring them in the form of a plea to voters from vice chairman Joe Morgan not to honor players connected to steroids. The letter was not well received by voters, but in the two cycles since, Bonds has gained just 5.3 percentage points. Like Clemens, he needs to recapture his momentum to have a shot at reaching 75% by the time his eligibility runs out in 2022.

2019 BBWAA Candidate: Barry Bonds
Player Career WAR Peak WAR JAWS
Barry Bonds 162.8 72.7 117.8
Avg. HOF LF 65.5 41.6 53.6
H HR AVG/OBP/SLG OPS+
2,935 762 .298/.444/.607 182
SOURCE: Baseball-Reference

Read the rest of this entry »


Giants Prospect Seth Corry Is on the Rise After Conquering the Sally

Seth Corry dominated in his second full professional season. Pitching for the Augusta GreenJackets, the 2017 third-round pick had both the lowest ERA (1.76) and the most strikeouts (172) of any pitcher at the A-ball level. Moreover, at age 20, he allowed just 73 hits in 122.2 innings. Rightly honored as the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year, the lefty will head into 2020 ranked No. 11 on our San Francisco Giants Top Prospects list.

The Alpine, Utah native attributes his breakout to a better understanding of the art of pitching. A lot of the credit for that goes to a fellow southpaw who was more guile than power during his playing days.

“My pitching coach this year was Clay Rapada,” explained Corry. “I call him — in funny terms, but seriously, too — ‘My saving grace.’ He’s the coach I not only wanted, but the coach I needed. He taught me things that I’ll cherish for the rest of my career.”

Pupil and mentor have little in common when it comes to raw ability. According to Corry, that’s why the former big-league reliever’s lessons were so valuable. Read the rest of this entry »


Top 37 Prospects: San Francisco Giants

Below is an analysis of the prospects in the farm system of the San Francisco Giants. Scouting reports are compiled with information provided by industry sources as well as from our own (both Eric Longenhagen’s and Kiley McDaniel’s) observations. For more information on the 20-80 scouting scale by which all of our prospect content is governed you can click here. For further explanation of the merits and drawbacks of Future Value, read this.

All of the numbered prospects here also appear on The Board, a new feature at the site that offers sortable scouting information for every organization. That can be found here.

Editor’s Note: Will Wilson was added to this list following his acquisition from the Los Angeles Angels as part of the Zack Cozart trade.

Dany Jimenez was added to this list following his selection by San Francisco in the Rule 5 Draft.

Jose Siri was added to this list at No. 28 after being claimed off waivers.

Giants Top Prospects
Rk Name Age Highest Level Position ETA FV
1 Joey Bart 22.9 AA C 2021 60
2 Marco Luciano 18.1 A- SS 2023 55
3 Heliot Ramos 20.2 AA RF 2022 50
4 Hunter Bishop 21.4 A- CF 2023 45+
5 Luis Matos 17.8 R CF 2024 45+
6 Logan Webb 23.0 MLB RHP 2020 45
7 Will Wilson 21.4 R 2B 2022 45
8 Luis Toribio 19.2 A- 3B 2024 45
9 Alexander Canario 19.6 A- RF 2023 45
10 Mauricio Dubon 25.4 MLB SS 2020 45
11 Jaylin Davis 25.4 MLB RF 2020 40+
12 Seth Corry 21.1 A LHP 2022 40+
13 Gregory Santos 20.2 A RHP 2021 40+
14 Sean Hjelle 22.6 AA RHP 2022 40+
15 Melvin Adon 25.5 AAA RHP 2020 40+
16 Jairo Pomares 19.3 A- CF 2023 40+
17 Prelander Berroa 19.6 A- RHP 2021 40
18 Blake Rivera 21.9 A RHP 2022 40
19 Kai-Wei Teng 21.0 A RHP 2023 40
20 Camilo Doval 22.4 A+ RHP 2021 40
21 Ricardo Genoves 20.5 A C 2021 40
22 P.J. Hilson 19.3 R CF 2023 40
23 Dilan Rosario 18.4 R SS 2024 40
24 Aeverson Arteaga 16.7 R SS 2025 40
25 Tristan Beck 23.4 A+ RHP 2022 40
26 Jake Wong 23.2 A+ RHP 2022 40
27 Kean Wong 24.6 MLB 2B 2020 40
28 Jose Siri 24.6 AAA CF 2020 40
29 Dany Jimenez 24.2 AA RHP 2020 40
30 Trevor McDonald 18.7 R RHP 2024 35+
31 Grant McCray 19.0 R CF 2024 35+
32 Esmerlin Vinicio 16.8 R LHP 2025 35+
33 Logan Wyatt 22.0 A 1B 2023 35+
34 Raffi Vizcaino 24.0 AA RHP 2020 35+
35 Tyler Fitzgerald 22.2 A SS 2023 35+
36 Garrett Frechette 18.9 R 1B 2024 35+
37 Connor Cannon 21.5 A- DH 2023 35+
Reading Options
Detail Level
Data Only
Full
Position Filter
All

60 FV Prospects

Drafted: 1st Round, 2018 from Georgia Tech (SFG)
Age 22.9 Height 6′ 3″ Weight 235 Bat / Thr R / R FV 60
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
35/45 60/60 50/60 35/30 65/70 55/55

Bart’s first full pro season was interrupted by a fractured left hand, which sidelined him for about six weeks, and is the likely reason his 2019 power production was unremarkable until a torrid final week of the season buoyed his stat line. Sent to the Arizona Fall League for extra reps, Bart was the league’s star pupil before he was hit by two pitches in the same game, the second of which fractured his right thumb. That ended his season but in that narrow window of health we saw glimpses of Bart’s power with physically fit phalanges. And we had plenty of looks at his power, particularly to his pull side, in college, including a titanic blast that cleared the facade of Georgia Tech’s football complex in left field and was never found.

The defensive tools are the foundation of Bart’s skillset, the cornerstone of a certain big league future. He’s Mike Alstott’s size but with the lateral quickness and ground game of a small-framed catcher. He’s quick out of his crouch and throws accurate lasers to second base. He also has field general qualities: he’s a rousing, vocal leader at times, a calming presence at others. We still have some questions about the hit tool — we posited Bart was just frustrated by being pitched around in college and developed some bad habits, but he was swing-happy again in 2019. Still, we think he’ll get to much or all of his power, play all-world defense, and be an All-Star catcher, a proper heir apparent to Buster Posey.

55 FV Prospects

Signed: July 2nd Period, 2018 from Dominican Republic (SFG)
Age 18.1 Height 6′ 2″ Weight 180 Bat / Thr R / R FV 55
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
25/60 60/70 25/70 50/45 40/45 50/55

The Giants dusty, tightly-confined backfields abut a gym with the sort of athleisure-wearing clientele you’d expect in Scottsdale. Last January, when most baseball facilities across the country were dark, just feet away from oblivious Peloton riders and tennis-playing retirees, a lucky few scouts and media folks had a religious experience watching the sweetest-swinging teenager on Earth absolutely roast balls fed to his barrel by a high-speed pitching machine. Because of how close you can sit next to the field there, you can feel the sonic force of bat-to-ball impact radiate into your body. When Marco Luciano connects, you feel it to your core. He is not normal. To find bat speed comps you need to look toward Javier Baez, Eric Davis, whatever the top of your mental catalog might be. And while he already generates plenty of it, Luciano’s square-shouldered frame indicates more power might be coming. The length created by Luciano’s natural, uppercut swing is offset by the explosiveness in his hands; he’s not particularly strikeout-prone and he doesn’t take out-of-control hacks. Unless something unforeseen about Luciano’s approach is exposed as he moves through the minors, all of this power seems likely to actualize. His AZL walk rate is encouraging early evidence that he’s unlikely to be so exposed.

As an athlete and infielder, Luciano is only fair. He might play a passable shortstop one day because his hands and actions are fine most of the time, but he can’t presently make strong, accurate throws from multiple platforms. It looks increasingly likely that he’ll move to the outfield, enough so that some scouts have him projected there, but it’s too early to cut bait and move him. He has elite hitting talent, he’s produced on paper, and he already has average exit velos and a hard-hit rate that grade as 65 on the scale. If he continues to perform, especially if the Giants send him right to Augusta and he hits his way to San Jose, then this time next year we’ll be talking about Marco Luciano as one of the best prospects in baseball, and if he does so while improving his infield defense, perhaps the best.

50 FV Prospects

Drafted: 1st Round, 2017 from Leadership Christian HS (PR) (SFG)
Age 20.2 Height 6′ 2″ Weight 200 Bat / Thr R / R FV 50
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
35/50 55/55 45/55 55/50 45/50 60/60

Ramos’ feel for opposite field contact developed out of necessity when his physical tools dipped in 2018. That turned out to be valuable when they returned last year, and half of his 16 homers were hit to the right of center field. Ramos’ bat head drags into the zone, which would cause most hitters to be late, but Ramos’ swing just scoops fly balls to right field, and his strength pushes them toward the heavens. Some of the strikeout issues (25% at Hi-A, 30% at Double-A) become less concerning when you remember Ramos was 19-years-old all year, but they become a bit troubling again when you realize he’s destined for a corner.

Built like a boulder stacked on two Iberico hams, Ramos is already slowing down, and he was an average runner in the Fall League. It’s not great if he is suddenly a corner guy with whiff/discipline issues, though his plate discipline was much more palatable last year. Retaining that will be important or we’re just talking about a Randal Grichuk sequel.

45+ FV Prospects

Drafted: 1st Round, 2019 from Arizona State (SFG)
Age 21.4 Height 6′ 5″ Weight 210 Bat / Thr L / R FV 45+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
30/45 65/65 35/60 60/55 45/50 35/40

Bishop changed his college commitment late (he was originally going to play two sports at Washington), and headed to ASU. After struggling as an underclassman, he arrived for his junior season with a better body and quieter swing, and broke out. He sent many non-conference pitches rocketing into Phoenix’s midnight sky before he started seeing — and swinging over the top of — Pac-12 breaking balls. Whether this is fixable was the subject of many draft room debates, as was Bishop’s relatively short track record of performance.

Bishop has rare physical tools. He’s a plus runner and will post 70 run times to first on occasion, has solid feel for center field and huge, playable power. It’s unclear why his arm strength dipped last year when it was an asset earlier in his career, but it’s not a significant part of the skillset and we heard nothing odd about his pre-draft medical, so we’re looking the other way. He’ll be a top 100 prospect as soon as we’re more confident in the hit tool.

5. Luis Matos, CF
Signed: July 2nd Period, 2018 from Venezuela (SFG)
Age 17.8 Height 5′ 11″ Weight 160 Bat / Thr R / R FV 45+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
25/50 50/60 20/50 60/60 45/50 50/50

International Director Joe Salermo and his staff have an eye for bat speed, as Matos is one of several youngsters with lightning-fast wood. He was a DSL All-Star before coming stateside for the homestretch of the AZL, and the Orange Giants dropped him right in the top of their playoff lineup. An outfield collision soon ended his season, though he left the field under his own power holding a towel to his face.

Matos isn’t a huge-framed outfielder but he projects for plus raw power at peak anyway, because of his ability to rotate. He also has plus speed and he was selectively aggressive during his brief AZL trial, taking big hacks in hitters counts rather than all the time. It’s possible he has underlying issues (breaking ball recognition, expansive approach, any number of things) that we just don’t know about yet because rookie-level pitching isn’t capable of shedding light on them. But just on tools, Matos belongs in the same general area as most of the top high schoolers from the 2019 draft, which puts him a shade beneath the tier of prospect who’ll be on our top 100 list this offseason.

45 FV Prospects

6. Logan Webb, RHP
Drafted: 4th Round, 2014 from Rocklin HS (CA) (SFG)
Age 23.0 Height 6′ 2″ Weight 220 Bat / Thr R / R FV 45
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Slider Changeup Command Sits/Tops
50/50 60/60 50/55 45/50 91-94 / 96

Webb’s career has been Chutes and Ladders for the last several years. He had Tommy John midway through 2016, and the little bit of 2017 for which he was healthy he spent in a strictly-regimented relief role. Finally back in a rotation the following year, Webb blew up. He was holding 92-95 deep into starts, topping out at 97, and spinning in a dastardly slider. Unrefined fastball control indicated relief risk at the time, but the injury and timing of Webb’s surgery robbed him of reps, so it was fair to project slightly better control.

Early in 2019, Webb was popped for PEDs and suspended for 80 games. Upon return, the fastball was down, more 91-94, and it settled there throughout 2019. But Webb’s changeup has improved and a clearly demarcated two-seamer will help it play. The command piece is still not always there, particularly early in games, but at other times Webb has arm-side feel for the change, glove-side feel for his slider, and and he’ll show east/west command of the heater. It’s No. 4/5 stuff, shaded on either side of the slash depending on how the command and changeup progress.

Drafted: 1st Round, 2019 from North Carolina State (LAA)
Age 21.4 Height 6′ 0″ Weight 184 Bat / Thr R / R FV 45
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
30/50 50/50 30/45 50/50 45/50 50/50

Wilson was an Angel for half a year before he was tethered to Zack Cozart’s contract and traded to the Giants, a prospect burp to make budgetary room at the big league level. Wilson was not a traditional first round talent based on visual evalauations. He’s a relatively projectionless, medium-framed infielder without a clear plus tool, and he lacked the strikeout-to-walk ratios first round collegiate players usually exhibit. But, his hands work great in the box, his swing is as compact as his frame (making it possible for him to get on top of high fastballs), he tracks breaking balls very well, and he was very young for a college player, still just 20 on draft day. Some scouts on the amateur side wanted him to catch in pro ball and thought he had the toughness to do it. Others think he’ll be a fine 2B or 3B defender with a balanced, stable offensive profile. There is very likely limited ceiling here, probably something close to an average regular, but Wilson is also a fairly high probability contributor because of his bat-to-ball skills and defensive profile.

Signed: July 2nd Period, 2017 from Dominican Republic (SFG)
Age 19.2 Height 6′ 1″ Weight 210 Bat / Thr L / R FV 45
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
20/50 60/65 25/60 40/30 40/45 55/55

More than any of the other teenagers on this list, Toribio is a fully formed physical entity, a brawny, heavy-footed thumper who looks like Aramis Ramirez did in his prime. That sort of physicality at this age creates risk that he’ll outgrow third base, and it’s very likely that, even if he stays there, he’ll only be passable at the position.

Toribio’s power and feel to hit — he has some head violence when he takes big cuts, but still generates a loud, heavy thwack when his swing is more controlled and precise — means he might profile at first base should he have to move. We don’t expect much more raw power to come because he is already so physically mature. We’re going to monitor his platoon splits over the next year because, to the eye, he’s much less adept at picking up lefty stuff, perhaps concerningly so, but there’s not nearly enough data to support that yet. If he stays at third and the bat-to-ball skills hold, he could be an above-average regular. The low-end of the potential outcomes is a platoon first baseman.

Signed: July 2nd Period, 2016 from Dominican Republic (SFG)
Age 19.6 Height 6′ 1″ Weight 165 Bat / Thr R / R FV 45
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
20/45 55/60 25/60 50/45 40/50 60/60

Canario is still not a polished, skillful hitter — he has mediocre natural timing and feel to hit and his front side often leaks, which leaves him vulnerable against breaking balls away — so last summer’s batting average was higher than what we expect moving forward. But he does have ridiculous power and bat speed, which enables him to make impact, all-fields contact even when he mis-hits balls. This is a risky corner bat, but Canario has potential middle-of-the-order talent because of the raw power and a good chance to get to it in games because his swing has natural lift. There’s huge ceiling if the hit/approach component improves.

Drafted: 26th Round, 2013 from Capital Christian HS (CA) (BOS)
Age 25.4 Height 6′ 0″ Weight 160 Bat / Thr R / R FV 45
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
55/60 40/40 30/35 50/50 45/50 55/55

The first native Honduran to play in the majors, Dubon reached Double-A back in 2016. He seemed to be on the big league fast track when the Red Sox asked him to play center field that fall, but it took two trades and year of rehab from a torn ACL before he finally cracked a big league lineup. First sent from Boston (which signed him) to Milwaukee along with Travis Shaw as part of a lopsided package for Tyler Thornburg, Dubon was traded to San Francisco last summer in exchange for Drew Pomeranz.

Most of Dubon’s role is tied to his ability to make contact, a skill derived from strong hand-eye coordination and bat control. His formerly slender, willowy frame has filled out some, and in 2018 Dubon stopped scrubbing his leg kick with two strikes, but he’s still not getting much out of his lower half and his contact quality is entirely dependent on barrel accuracy, which will limit him to doubles power. Defensively, Dubon is passable at shortstop and second base. Ideally, in a reserve role, he’d be able to play center field as well, but aside from the five games he played there in 2016, he’s only ever played the middle infield. His home-to-first times were down a bit last year coming off the ACL injury, so either the top-end speed he once had (we’ve had a 6 on Dubon’s wheels each of the last several years, until now) will return, or he’ll need to show immediate feel for center for him to see big league reps there. We have him in as a contact-oriented utility player.

40+ FV Prospects

11. Jaylin Davis, RF
Drafted: 24th Round, 2015 from Appalachian State (MIN)
Age 25.4 Height 6′ 1″ Weight 190 Bat / Thr R / R FV 40+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
40/40 65/65 50/55 60/60 55/55 50/50

Davis began incorporating an open stance and bigger leg kick into his swing during the 2018 Arizona Fall League. That adjustment helped him improve his timing at the plate and create a bigger move forward, unlocking previously dormant power. He still has a bottom-hand heavy swing and flat bat path, and thus is unlikely to reach all that the power, but he might be a low-end regular anyway.

12. Seth Corry, LHP
Drafted: 3rd Round, 2017 from Lone Peak HS (UT) (SFG)
Age 21.1 Height 6′ 2″ Weight 195 Bat / Thr L / L FV 40+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Curveball Changeup Command Sits/Tops
50/55 50/55 50/55 40/45 90-94 / 95

Corry was a pretty raw fastball/curveball high school prospect whose changeup improved throughout the last two seasons, which is especially relevant because that pitch’s movement pairs better with his fastball than the curve. Armed with that change, he dominated Low-A, striking out 172 hitters in 122 innings. He’s a fairly stiff, short strider and often has scattershot fastball control — he walked a batter every other inning last year — so there’s significant relief risk here. We’re not inclined to project on Corry’s control enough to consider him a starter, but we like him as a bat-missing, multi-inning reliever who ends up throwing 90 or so innings.

Signed: July 2nd Period, 2015 from Dominican Republic (BOS)
Age 20.2 Height 6′ 2″ Weight 190 Bat / Thr R / R FV 40+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Slider Changeup Command Sits/Tops
55/55 55/60 45/50 35/45 92-96 / 98

Two IL stints, including one for a shoulder injury, derailed what could have been a breakout year for Santos. As a teenager, he bullied hitters with his sinking, sometimes cutting, mid-90s fastball and nasty slider, but he arrived for 2019 camp with a much better changeup and looked like a potential mid-rotation arm during the spring. Then he was shut down because of the shoulder and wound up throwing only 34 innings all year. He’s officially behind on both the work load and command fronts, increasing the odds that he’s a reliever, and forcing us to shade down his FV due to the early-career injury stuff.

14. Sean Hjelle, RHP
Drafted: 2nd Round, 2018 from Kentucky (SFG)
Age 22.6 Height 6′ 11″ Weight 215 Bat / Thr R / R FV 40+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Curveball Changeup Command Sits/Tops
50/55 45/50 45/50 45/55 91-94 / 96

Hjelle body comps to a young Pau Gasol and he’s remarkably athletic for his size. His delivery is graceful and fluid, and he has no trouble repeating it nor fielding his position, as he’s quick off the mound to corral bunts and cover first base, both of which can be challenging for XXL pitchers. Hjelle’s (it’s pronounced like peanut butter and _____ ) fastball only sits in the low-90s but plays up because of extension, life, and the angle created by his height. Those traits in concert with one another make for a heater that competes for whiffs in the zone. The secondaries are closer to average, often below, though Hjelle can locate them. He’s a pretty safe No. 4/5 starter candidate, though we might be underrating how uncomfortable he is to hit against.

15. Melvin Adon, RHP
Signed: July 2nd Period, 2014 from Dominican Republic (SFG)
Age 25.5 Height 6′ 3″ Weight 235 Bat / Thr R / R FV 40+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Slider Changeup Command Sits/Tops
80/80 60/60 40/40 30/35 96-101 / 102

Adon is the hardest-throwing pitcher in the minors and, because he finally found some slider feel late in 2018, he struck out more than a batter per inning for the first time last year. He had been a raw, arm strength goon for what seemed like forever, and he remains concerningly wild; he may be better off dumping his slider in to get ahead of hitters and then chucking the fastball by them, rather than the other way around. Ultimately, he has late-inning, elite closer stuff but a fairly low chance of actualizing. We put a 45 FV on the top tier of pure, two-pitch relievers (most elite closers are failed starters) and Adon deserves that sort of consideration, but his track record of wildness and advanced age have him just shy of that.

Signed: July 2nd Period, 2018 from Cuba (SFG)
Age 19.3 Height 6′ 1″ Weight 185 Bat / Thr L / R FV 40+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
25/55 45/50 20/40 55/50 45/50 45/45

Pomares’ nutty triple slash line in the AZL is a caricature of his true ability, especially the power, but we were still pretty surprised when we sourced his exit velo data and found it was already above big league average. Pomares only makes impact contact to his pull side but he does have the ability to slash balls the other way. He punishes pitchers who try to double up on breaking balls against him, and he has several other hitterish traits. He’s not a speedster and has more of a tweener defensive profile, so he probably needs more game power to profile in a corner. Our visual evaluation is fairly demure, but you can frame discussion around Pomares in such a way that he’s considered a polished hitter with sneaky juice who also has a shot to play center field, which sounds great.

40 FV Prospects

Signed: July 2nd Period, 2016 from Dominican Republic (MIN)
Age 19.6 Height 5′ 11″ Weight 170 Bat / Thr R / R FV 40
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Slider Changeup Command Sits/Tops
55/60 45/50 45/55 35/45 92-96 / 98

Tilt Berroa’s cap another 15 degrees and he’s a dead on-mound ringer for Fernando Rodney, both physically and mechanically. Right now, he’s mostly a teenager with premium arm strength and somewhat inconsistent secondaries, both of which flash at least average. Both secondaries will likely depend on location to work, and Berroa doesn’t currently repeat consistently enough for that. But he has a chance to, which means he could end up with several bat-missing offerings and profile comfortably in a rotation. If only one secondary comes along, he’s still a good reliever.

18. Blake Rivera, RHP
Drafted: 4th Round, 2018 from Wallace State JC (AL) (SFG)
Age 21.9 Height 6′ 5″ Weight 225 Bat / Thr R / R FV 40
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Curveball Changeup Command Sits/Tops
55/55 55/60 40/45 40/45 92-96 / 97

Rivera has an Emilio Pagan body and delivery comp, and he has natural proclivity for spin. His power stuff — 92-96 with cut action and a plus curveball — might tick up in single-inning stints, so while his command likely pushes him to the bullpen, he might be dominant there.

19. Kai-Wei Teng, RHP
Signed: July 2nd Period, 2017 from Taiwan (MIN)
Age 21.0 Height 6′ 4″ Weight 260 Bat / Thr R / R FV 40
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Slider Curveball Changeup Command Sits/Tops
45/50 45/50 50/50 45/50 45/60 91-94 / 96

Teng was one of two players, along with Yunior Severino, who the Twins signed after voiding amateur shortstop Jelfy Marte’s $3 million deal due to vision issues. It didn’t take long for them to flip Teng to San Francisco as part of the package that netted Sam Dyson. He has a thick lower half and is a middling athlete, but he’s very well balanced over his blocking leg and otherwise has a smooth delivery that should not only enable him to throw enough strikes to remain a starter, but perhaps develop plus command, as well.

There’s already strong breaking ball utility here, the ability to vary shape based on location, and competitive, arm-side changeup feel, too. Teng’s frame is maxed out, so he probably won’t add velo, but that’s still a No. 4/5 skillset.

20. Camilo Doval, RHP
Signed: July 2nd Period, 2015 from Dominican Republic (SFG)
Age 22.4 Height 6′ 2″ Weight 185 Bat / Thr R / R FV 40
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Slider Cutter Command Sits/Tops
60/60 45/50 60/70 20/35 93-98 / 99

Doval is one of the weirder pitchers in all of the minors, as his delivery and stuff are each as odd as they are inconsistent. When he’s right, the long-armed, side-winding right-hander chucks upper-90s stuff with either heavy sink, or rising cut action caused by his arm angle. He also throws a hard, horizontal slider. The Trackman readout for Doval is shocking. His primary fastball/cutter spins in at about 2700 rpm, which is incredible considering how hard he throws. He also generates nearly seven feet of extension, and the effective velocity of his fastball is about 2 mph harder than its actual velo. There are outings where he’s untouchable for several innings. He also has nuclear outings where he walks everyone and gives up a bunch of runs before registering an out.

We’re dying to capture Doval on the high speed camera and see how the hell this works and what could be done to improve his consistency. We’re not even all that confident that he’ll figure it out, but we’re bewitched by his stuff and think he has a chance to be an elite bullpen weapon if he ever does.

Signed: July 2nd Period, 2015 from Venezuela (SFG)
Age 20.5 Height 6′ 2″ Weight 210 Bat / Thr R / R FV 40
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
30/50 55/60 30/45 20/20 45/50 60/60

Genoves is Rule 5 eligible but probably too undercooked to be selected. Built like one of the Moai sculptures on Easter Island, Genoves may not have the mobility to catch long term. But he has a plus arm, he’s procedurally advanced for a 20-year-old, and he has the leadership qualities and intangibles that have an outsized impact at catcher. Plus, some of his mobility issues might soon be rendered moot by the existence of electronic strike zones. He also has plus power, enough to put balls out to right center, though Genoves’ current pull-happy approach doesn’t facilitate many homers out there.

This is a somewhat speculative ranking based on what the future of the position may hold. On tools Genoves has a shot to be a regular, though a backup role is probably more likely.

22. P.J. Hilson, CF
Drafted: 6th Round, 2018 from Nettleton HS (AR) (SFG)
Age 19.3 Height 5′ 11″ Weight 175 Bat / Thr R / R FV 40
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
20/35 50/55 25/45 70/70 45/55 70/70

The gap between what Hilson is now and what he might be is perhaps the widest in pro baseball, a yawning chasm that the Giants player development staff will try to close. A complete lack of bat control undermines his scintillating physical ability, and his grooved swing leads to a lot of whiffs on pitches in the zone. Hilson’s chances of becoming a big leaguer are fairly low, but because of his physical talent, he also has a chance to be a David Dahl sort of player if he develops even a 40 hit tool.

Drafted: 6th Round, 2019 from Leadership Christian HS (PR) (SFG)
Age 18.4 Height 6′ 2″ Weight 170 Bat / Thr R / R FV 40
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
20/40 50/55 25/50 60/55 40/50 40/50

Rosario had defensive issues (both hands and arm accuracy, perhaps as a result of him needing to rush after booting balls) throughout the summer after he signed and his future position is unclear. He does have serious pop, though, and even if the defensive problems linger there’s a shot Rosario hits for enough power to profile anywhere.

24. Aeverson Arteaga, SS
Signed: July 2nd Period, 2019 from Venezuela (SFG)
Age 16.7 Height 6′ 1″ Weight 170 Bat / Thr R / R FV 40
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
20/50 30/45 20/40 60/55 45/60 55/60

The timing of Arteaga’s deal, combined with scouts’ general reticence to work in Venezuela, made him tough to evaluate ahead of signing day. He’s been a bit more visible since then, and the carrying tool is going to be the glove. Arteaga’s range, footwork, actions, and athleticism are all terrific. He doesn’t have a clear path to an impact bat based on what teams have seen so far, but his frame is projectable. He may be stateside in January.

25. Tristan Beck, RHP
Drafted: 4th Round, 2018 from Stanford (ATL)
Age 23.4 Height 6′ 4″ Weight 190 Bat / Thr R / R FV 40
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Curveball Changeup Command Sits/Tops
50/55 55/60 45/50 40/45 89-94 / 95

Beck has a dandy 12-6 curveball and he was throwing quite a bit harder in the AFL than he was when Eric saw him right after Atlanta traded him to San Francisco. Those two pitches suggest a big league bullpen/No. 5 starter.

26. Jake Wong, RHP
Drafted: 3rd Round, 2018 from Grand Canyon (SFG)
Age 23.2 Height 6′ 1″ Weight 210 Bat / Thr R / R FV 40
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Curveball Changeup Command Sits/Tops
50/50 45/50 45/50 45/55 91-94 / 96

Wong was holding 93-96 with sink deep into games as a junior at Grand Canyon and his strike-throwing ability carried over to pro ball. Even though he doesn’t spin the ball exceptionally well, he does create some life on his heater and his changeup has improved a bit already. He projects as a No. 5 starter or inning-eating bulk reliever.

27. Kean Wong, 2B
Drafted: 4th Round, 2013 from Waiakea HS (HI) (TBR)
Age 24.6 Height 5′ 11″ Weight 190 Bat / Thr L / R FV 40
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
50/50 35/35 30/30 50/50 50/50 50/50

Wong was kept at Triple-A for the third straight year and posted his second consecutive season with an above-average statline. He’s bounced around waivers, a 40-man casualty of Tampa Bay and the Angels before landing in San Francisco. His versatility, speed, and above-average contact ability from the left side fit like a glove in a bench role.

28. Jose Siri, CF
Signed: July 2nd Period, 2012 from Dominican Republic (CIN)
Age 24.6 Height 6′ 2″ Weight 185 Bat / Thr R / R FV 40
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
30/35 55/55 45/50 60/60 45/50 60/60

The enigmatic Siri has premium physical ability but lacks any kind of plan at the plate, and it’s undercut his offensive performance for much of his career. He’s a volatile talent and person who has begun to be passed around on the waiver wire. The right clubhouse and opportunity to play might enable him to be a real everyday player. He has that kind of power, speed and natural feel for hitting the ball in the air, but it’s not a great sign when teams are still waiting for a 25-year-old to mature as a ballplayer.

29. Dany Jimenez, RHP
Signed: July 2nd Period, 2015 from Dominican Republic (TOR)
Age 24.2 Height 6′ 3″ Weight 190 Bat / Thr R / R FV 40
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Slider Command Sits/Tops
60/60 60/60 40/40 93-96 / 97

Jimenez was picked by San Francisco in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft. Like Ramirez, Jimenez also signed late, agreeing to his first pro contract just before he turned 22. He also missed most of 2017 due to injury, and those sorts of factors combined to limit him to just 33 innings above A-ball even though he is about to turn 26. He sits 93-95, touches 97, the heater spins at about 2450 rpm, and Jimenez’s vertical arm slot makes it hard for hitters to discern the fastball and his power breaking ball from one another. I think he’s pretty likely to stick in a relief role.

35+ FV Prospects

Drafted: 11th Round, 2019 from George County HS (MS) (SFG)
Age 18.7 Height 6′ 2″ Weight 180 Bat / Thr R / R FV 35+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Slider Command Sits/Tops
40/50 45/55 35/50 90-94 / 96

McDonald was a pop-up prep arm from rural Mississippi, almost smack in the middle of the triangle created by the highways that connect Biloxi, Hattiesburg, and Mobile. Every team saw him up to 96 with a good, two-plane breaking ball but had very different projections on how the stuff and body would mature. Those who like him thought his feel for spin could be parlayed into multiple weapons, while others saw a likely reliever with just fair physical projection.

31. Grant McCray, CF
Drafted: 3rd Round, 2019 from Lakewood Ranch HS (FL) (SFG)
Age 19.0 Height 6′ 1″ Weight 175 Bat / Thr L / R FV 35+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
25/55 45/50 20/40 60/60 45/50 50/55

McCray still has work to do from a stride length and swing timing perspective, but he got much stronger in the last year, and did so while retaining his plus speed. Perhaps most surprisingly, he tracked pitches very well over his pro debut and he has promising feel for contact. Again though, the swing needs refinement for the physical tools to actualize.

32. Esmerlin Vinicio, LHP
Signed: July 2nd Period, 2019 from Dominican Republic (SFG)
Age 16.8 Height 6′ 2″ Weight 155 Bat / Thr L / L FV 35+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Curveball Changeup Command Sits/Tops
20/50 40/55 50/60 35/55 83-85 / 86

You need to dream to see Vinicio as a future big leaguer but he gives you plenty of reasons to hope. He is athletic and well-made, graceful, balanced, and loose. His curveball has shape but not power, something that will need to come as his body matures, just like his velocity generally. In his changeup, Vinicio has an out pitch, something that will entice swings and misses as soon as he steps on a pro field.

33. Logan Wyatt, 1B
Drafted: 2nd Round, 2019 from Louisville (SFG)
Age 22.0 Height 6′ 4″ Weight 217 Bat / Thr L / R FV 35+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
30/50 50/55 35/50 30/30 45/50 45/45

Advanced plate discipline and enough hitting tools (big strength and a low load that creates lift) made Wyatt attractive in the draft, but he’s a maxed-out first base-only prospect with 50 raw power.

Signed: July 2nd Period, 2011 from Dominican Republic (SFG)
Age 24.0 Height 6′ 2″ Weight 235 Bat / Thr R / R FV 35+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Curveball Changeup Command Sits/Tops
60/60 55/55 50/50 30/30 94-97 / 98

After missing long stretches with injuries over the last several years, the Giants moved Vizcaino to the bullpen in 2019 and he dominated Hi-A for a month before settling in at the upper levels, where he was just okay. He has no-doubt, big league middle relief stuff but he’s is a 30 athlete with 30 control, so everything plays down because too many pitches end up in non-competitive locations.

Drafted: 4th Round, 2019 from Louisville (SFG)
Age 22.2 Height 6′ 3″ Weight 185 Bat / Thr R / R FV 35+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
30/45 45/50 30/40 55/50 45/50 55/55

FItzgerald has everyday tools and he was a big name in high school, but apart from some spurts, he never quite performed up to his physical potential at Louisville. He has a solid shot to stick at shortstop and develop at least average power, especially if San Francisco can help him better incorporate his lower half into his swing.

Drafted: 5th Round, 2019 from Cathedral Catholic HS (CA) (SFG)
Age 18.9 Height 6′ 3″ Weight 200 Bat / Thr L / L FV 35+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
20/50 50/60 20/55 30/30 40/55 50/55

Marred by multiple injuries and a serious illness during his senior year of high school, Frechette went from intriguing power projection prospect to relative afterthought during his predraft spring. Once he signed and got going in the AZL, some of the explosion that made him interesting the summer before had returned. He’s athletic enough to give it a try in a corner outfield spot, and for now, we like his frame and present raw power more than some of the guys drafted ahead of him.

Drafted: 17th Round, 2019 from UC Riverside (SFG)
Age 21.5 Height 6′ 5″ Weight 240 Bat / Thr R / R FV 35+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
30/40 80/80 35/60 20/20 40/45 55/55

Cannon has serious juice, legitimate 80-grade raw power. He’s enormous and has mobility issues created by his size and exacerbated by multiple knee surgeries. There’s extreme risk here due to the R/R first base profile and the medical, which goes beyond the knee stuff, but he has to be on here because of how loud the power is.

Other Prospects of Note

Grouped by type and listed in order of preference within each category.

They Might Be Giants
Joe McCarthy, OF/1B
Sam Wolff, RHP
Abiatal Avelino, INF
Chris Shaw, 1B
Rico Garcia, RHP
Rodolfo Martinez, RHP
Jose Marte, RHP
Carlos Sano, RHP

This group is full of Quad-A types who might get an opportunity to prove something in the big leagues next year considering where the Giants are in their rebuild. Most of these guys are in their mid-20s. We liked McCarthy as a high-OBP corner platoon guy for the last several years, but he had yet another back issue in 2019 and needs to prove he can stay healthy now. The same goes for Wolff, who has 40 FV stuff but a long injury history. You could argue Avelino belongs where Kean Wong is on the main section of the list, but give us the lefty bat. Shaw has huge power but we don’t think he’ll hit. Eric has seen Garcia sit 93-96 for spurts, with about average secondaries. He was claimed off waivers. Martinez is one of several hard-throwing arms in the system who have had injury or consistency issues. Rodolfo will show you 91-97 and touch 100, a wider range than usual. Marte also throws hard, up to 99, but it doesn’t play like an elite fastball. Sano was hurt most of last year. He’s up to 96 with plus vertical movement. One of these arms should end up sticking.

Body Beautiful with Power
Carter Aldrete, RF
George Bell Jr., LF
Jacob Heyward, RF
Jacob Gonzalez, 1B
Armani Smith, OF

All of these guys have big raw, but play a corner and don’t have the hit tool to be on the main section of the list. Aldrete was an infielder as an underclassman at ASU but moved to the outfield as a junior. Bell was on last year’s list but didn’t take a step forward. Heyward has performed at every level and he walks a ton, but he’s always been quite old for the level. Scouts love Gonzalez’s makeup, but he hit for shockingly little power this year and still projects as a first baseman rather than his current third. Smith, like Bell last year, hit during his first pro summer and he looks the part in the uniform, so we’re monitoring him.

Two Long-Term Projects
Victor Bericoto, 1B
Anthony Rodriguez, SS

Bericoto was promoted from the DSL late in the summer, along with Luis Matos. He’s an advanced hitter but first base is a tough profile and Bericoto’s tools don’t pop. Rodriguez is another 2019 J2 signee, inked for $800,000 out of Venezuela. He’s a projectable switch-hitter with some twitch and bat speed, but the swing is pretty rough.

Sneaky Sneaky
Matt Frisbee, RHP
Kervin Castro, RHP
Luis Amaya, LHP
Izzy Munguia, OF
Jesus Tona, RHP

Frisbee has carved the lower levels with 90-94, plus vertical movement, and plus slider command. He’s 23. If he does it at Double-A next year, he’ll be a 40 FV. Castro is up to 95, he backspins his fastball, and flashes a plus changeup. He’s 20, but is built like a catcher. Speaking of catchers, there’s a full Tona writeup here. Amaya also has a sneaky fastball. It’s only about 91-92 but he hides the ball well and it sneaks past hitters. His 11-to-5 curveball is average. Munguia is tiny but he plays his ass off and puts the bat on the ball at an abnormal rate.

System Overview

We still have much to learn about how the talent acquisition under new Baseball Ops President Farhan Zaidi will go. Not only can we look back at his time with Oakland and the Dodgers for clues, but we can do the same for the relatively new heads of the pro and amateur staffs, as well as fresh-faced General Manager Scott Harris.

Harris has roots in the Commissioner’s office and, more recently, with the Cubs, where he earned his MBA at Northwestern while simultaneously serving as the team’s baseball ops director. He’ll probably be less involved in what we’re interested in than amateur director Michael Holmes, who comes from Oakland, and pro director Zack Minasian, who comes from Milwaukee.

Oakland targeted toolsy, high-upside athletes early in drafts while focusing on college performers on Day Two. Those college performers, some of whom typically came in under slot, enabled Oakland to scoop up an over-slot high schooler or two on Day Two or early on Day Three. The Giants took this exact approach last year, saving about $1 million early on, then spreading that to a few high schoolers as the draft progressed. They pick 13th next year in a draft that’s currently seen as quite deep, so this strategy might yield more talent than normal.

Minasian was with Milwaukee for nearly half of our lifetimes, and over that span, several regimes came and went. Under former Astros Assistant GM David Stearns, the Brewers began to axe scouts this year, after Minasian left. Whether he is bringing that approach with him to San Francisco, we don’t know. The Milwaukee rebuild that yielded most of the current pitching staff and the pieces that were sent to Miami for Christian Yelich were mostly collected by departments helmed by Minasian and Rey Montgomery. Lewis Brinson, Isan Díaz, Josh Hader, Luis Ortiz, Brett Phillips, Zach Davies and Freddy Peralta were all picked up during this stretch. That’s pretty tools-centric on the hitters’ side, and deals often included multiple players sent back to Milwaukee. Last year’s trade deadline adds in San Francisco (Davis/Teng/Berroa, Dubon) have a similar feel.

Let’s see which Quad-A hitters (Tyler Austin, Connor Joe, Jaylin Davis, Aaron Altherr, etc.) end up sticking; the club is cycling through a ton. We’ve thrown our dart at Davis.