San Francisco Giants Top 10 Prospects for 2017
The San Francisco Giants fell short of continuing their every-other-year World Series success in 2016. Will they have help coming from the farm in 2017?
An Introduction
Our minor league top 10 series is coordinated by Benjamin Chase, one of our contributors at Call to the Pen.
He has pored over thousands of minor league games over the course of the year via milb.tv along with speaking with a number of team and independent scouts. These lists are based out of those conversations.
Each system will have prospects from 10 to 1, and then finish with one newcomer to the system that is worth keeping an eye on that is not in the top 10 at this time.
Conversations are certainly encouraged in the comments section on each system as we go along!
While the Giants system is one of the bottom ones in baseball overall, there is plenty of hope in the influx of talent this season.
Giants System Review
The Giants and Brian Sabean have used their farm system exactly as a farm system should be used in the last 5-10 years. Select players are used to better the major league club while others are traded away to acquire pieces to help championship runs.
With three World Series championships since 2010 and no finish worse than third in their division since 2009, the Giants are doing something right.
That all said, their system is truly devoid of major pieces currently. The 2016 draft was a huge boon for the organization after trading away many of the top talents in the pursuit of their recent world championships and seeing a number of others fall off.
The Giants’ 2016 draft was focused heavily on college players, and they were highly praised for the players they picked as multiple of them were considered to be first two rounds picks that the team was able to snag much deeper into the draft.
While the Giants system is one of the bottom ones in baseball overall, there is plenty of hope in the influx of talent this season.
Let’s look at the top 10!
Next: #10
6. Andrew Suarez, LHP
Birthdate: 9/11/92 (24 years old)
Level(s) Played in 2016: high A, AA
Stats in 2016: 143 2/3 IP, 3.63 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 4.82 BB%, 20.6 K%
Suarez was drafted three times, first as a ninth rounder out of high school by the Blue Jays, then as a 2nd rounder in 2014 by Washington before being a second round in 2015 by the Giants.
His stuff from the left side is a good mix of pitches that have no plus pitches individually, but each pitch sits above-average, which gives him a very good mix that should allow him to keep moving forward as a starter.
Suarez had his first full season in 2016 as a pro, and he made a big impact
Suarez had his first full season in 2016 as a pro, and he made a big impact, starting in high-A and finishing in AA, which is very impressive in a first full year.
His fastball works in the low-90s and can touch 95 with excellent late arm-side run. His best off speed pitch is his slider with excellent bite. His curve has good spin, but he can get off in location with the pitch and hang it. His change gets plenty of swing and miss with excellent arm deception.
Suarez showed an excellent ability to handle innings this year, and that will be pushed as he hits AAA in 2017. He could make an impact in San Francisco as early as mid-season, but certainly should be a candidate for the 2018 rotation.
Next: #5
4. Ty Blach, LHP
Birthdate: 10/20/90 (26 years old)
Level(s) Played in 2016: AAA, MLB
Stats in 2016: 162 2/3 IP, 3.43 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 5.8 BB%, 17.25 K% (minor league stats only)
I’ll likely be the high guy on Blach, and I’m more than willing to go down on this island. Blach showed a tremendous amount of pitchability in his 2016 season, seeing his average stuff (outside of his plus change) play up much better.
Blach has a recognized five-pitch mix, though he has shown variations on his off speed pitches that truly give him even more than just the five.
Blach has a recognized five-pitch mix, though he has shown variations on his off speed pitches that truly give him even more than just the five.
Blach uses two fastballs, a two-seamer with excellent sink and late life and a four-seamer with some cut. He runs them both at a similar velocity, sitting 88-92, touching 94.
His curve and slider are both average pitches, but they work well due to his exceptional ability to control pitches in the zone and approaching each pitch with the same arm angle, which provides a moment of deception for his pitches before hitters can pick up what’s coming.
Blach’s change is elite with sink and fade, and he has the ability to cut it at times as well, which allows him to mimic both the two-seam and four-seam fastballs.
Blach will likely get a chance to stick with the big league club out of spring in 2017, but he’s already 26, so if he isn’t cracking the Giants rotation or at least the bullpen this year, he will likely be a trade piece as he’d start for many clubs in the league.
Next: #3
3. Bryan Reynolds, OF
Birthdate: 1/27/95 (21 years old)
Level(s) Played in 2016: short season A, low A
Stats in 2016: .313/.363/.484, 6 HR, 3 SB
One of my favorite college players in the 2016 draft, Reynolds had a storied career with Vanderbilt as an outfielder, winning the College World Series as a freshman while leading the team in hitting and slugging, along with finishing as the 2015 CWS runner up and hitting extremely well in 2016 leading up to his draft year.
Reynolds really doesn’t have any one tool that’s “plus”, but every tool but his arm is above-average. He makes excellent contact and has the ability to drive the ball from either side of the plate. There’s some doubt that he’ll ever be a 20+ home run guy, but he is a guy who very well could hit 30+ doubles and 15+ home runs.
In the field, Reynolds was a center fielder in college, and he uses excellent instincts to handle center field well. His arm is below-average, but he gets himself in position to make accurate throws to cutoff men.
Reynolds has fringe-plus speed that allows him to cover a ton of ground in the outfield and also has very good instincts on the bases, which should allow him to steal plenty of bases.
While Reynolds showed excellent pitch recognition in college, he was noted as possibly pressing for performance in his pro debut, likely due to the “hot streak” he found himself on from the time he entered pro ball, which led to a higher strikeout rate than you’d like, but he has shown that to be something he can control in the past.
Reynolds finished with low-A Augusta in 2016, and it’s quite likely he’ll open in the Cal League in 2017 and move quickly if he keeps up his 2016 performance.
Next: #2
2. Tyler Beede, RHP
Birthdate: 5/23/93 (23 years old)
Level(s) Played in 2016: AA
Stats in 2016: 147 1/3 IP, 2.81 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 8.66 BB%, 22.06 K%
The Blue Jays selected Beede 21st overall in 2011, but he chose instead to go to Vanderbilt, where he won the 2014 College World Series. The Giants then made him the 14th overall selection in the 2014 draft.
Beede is a guy that many saw with an elite fastball/change combination and thought he would end up being a reliever, but the Giants have pushed him as a starter, and he has responded well, having a very solid season in 2016 in AA.
Beede had issues with command and control in college, and that led to issues with his curve and keeping the fastball down in the zone, and as he has filled into his 6’3″ frame, he has been able to steady his delivery much better.
Beede works with a pair of fastballs, his four-seam that can touch 97-98 that he can locate throughout the zone but does not have a ton of movement, and his primary fastball, his two-seamer that sits more 90-93 and touches 95, with heavy sink.
He has a lot of fade and sink on his change, which allows it to play very well with the two-seam fastball. His curve is a power curve, but he gets more weak contact than swing-and-miss with the curve.
Beede has the raw stuff to be a front line starter, but his strikeouts will be generated through location and his change, not through his breaking pitch, which does require him to have a strong emphasis on his mechanics.
Beede will start in AAA in 2017, and he should get a start or two in the big leagues by the end of the year.
Next: #1
1. Christian Arroyo, 3B
Birthdate: 5/30/95 (21 years old)
Level(s) Played in 2016: AA
Stats in 2016: .274/.316/.373, 3 HR, 1 SB
For a few years, the Giants enjoyed the superb defense and timely hitting of Matt Duffy after moving him off of shortstop in the minor leagues and moving him to third base. He was traded as part of the Matt Moore deal to Tampa Bay as Arroyo hit the upper minors.
Most didn’t have Arroyo graded as a first round talent in the 2013 draft when the Giants selected him 25th overall, but the Giants loved his bat and felt he could stay at short with his solid instincts at the position.
He does have an excellent glove and a fringe-plus glove that would play to a plus defensive third baseman. He has done a solid job in that transition at this point.
Arroyo’s bat has played to the level that the Giants thought it would, though his power certainly has not developed in the way he was expected to. Arroyo has a tremendous ability to square up balls and make consistent contact, but his power is gap power, not driven power, which is indicated in his 36 doubles and three home runs.
Arroyo is not a burner by any means, but he has good instincts in his base running, so he likely won’t steal many bases, but he’s a guy who often goes first to third on a single with smart running.
Arroyo will play at AAA in 2017 while Eduardo Nunez fills third base in the majors, but it would not surprise if he pushed for the big league job at the hot corner by the end of the season.
Next: Newcomer to Watch