San Francisco Giants: Top 10 Rookie-Eligible Prospects for 2018
We have reached the point of the offseason where prospect lists abound. We continue our top 10 prospects for every team with the San Francisco Giants!
Our team top 10 prospect lists at Call to the Pen are spearheaded by Benjamin Chase. Today, he gives us the top ten prospects for the San Francisco Giants.
This season, we will be going through teams by division, in order of 2017 record. The AL East will be first, followed by the AL Central and AL West. Then the focus will shift to the National League in the same order.
The format will be as it was last season for the same lists, with a system review, which will include last season’s list. The top 10 will follow in reverse order, two players per page in order to give adequate space to each player. Major trades or international signings will lead to an updated top 10!
Finally, don’t go away after #1 is revealed as each list will also contain a player either signed in the 2017 international free agent class or drafted in 2017 that isn’t part of the top 10 and should be tracked. Last season’s mentions in that area made over half of the top 10s this season, so this is a great way to get to know a player who could be making a big splash in the organization.
System overview
While the major league team has loaded up for the 2018 season, the San Francisco Giants have one of the lower-graded farm systems in all of baseball. The team traded multiple pieces to the Rays to acquire Evan Longoria, then multiple pieces to the Pirates to acquire Andrew McCutchen. Those big name pickups didn’t take away the top 2-3 prospects in the system, but they did take away the minimal depth that was present for the Giants.
The Giants have done well in their drafting the last few seasons, which is the only reason they won’t end up the very last team in system rankings when they come out, but without holding onto some of those players, this is a team headed for a big crash from veterans without any help in the farm system to bring them up for quite some time when that crash comes.
Let’s take a look at that system….
Next: #9 and #10
10. Melvin Adon, RHP
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 6/9/1994 (23)
2017 teams/levels played for: low-A Augusta GreenJackets
2017 Stats: 23 G, 19 GS, 4.35 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 7.9% BB, 20.2% K
Info: One of the common threads in the San Francisco Giants Latin America approach is to find prospects where others aren’t looking. This includes signing players who are older than typical Latin signees. Adon fits that profile as he was 20 when he signed out of the Dominican Republic.
Adon has been known since his signing for his big-time fastball, touching 102 in short stints
Adon has been known since his signing for his big-time fastball, touching 102 in short stints and sitting 95-98 as a starter deep into starts, and his low 3/4 delivery gives him a unique look along with different movement than most hitters are used to seeing.
He features a power slider that sits around 90 MPH with exceptional bite and weight to the pitch. He has seen his change work up to an average pitch with good late low movement.
With command and control still below average, Adon has many scouts that think he will ultimately end up in the bullpen, but he has seen huge strides in his command and control such that they could be passable as a starter now with better sequencing.
The San Francisco Giants want to develop Adon as a starter as long as feasible, and they will do that in high-A in 2018.
9. Heath Quinn, OF
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 6/7/1995 (22)
2017 teams/levels played for: high-A San Jose Giants
2017 Stats: .228/.290/.371, 297 PA, 10 HR, 20/86 BB/K
Info: One of the most impressive pure power hitters in the 2016 draft, Quinn was drafted in the 3rd round by the San Francisco Giants that June.
Quinn struggled through injuries in 2017 that really sapped his season, hurting his chances at showing his true power. When healthy, Quinn has a traditional right field profile with plus raw power and a plus arm.
While he does have some holes in his swing, his strikeout rate in 2017 was not indicative of his true zone recognition as his swing was not right during the season due to his injuries. Even with the injuries, he was able to put up 10 home runs in roughly a half of a season.
The San Francisco Giants desperately need power at the major league level, and they need to develop any power they can in their system, so they will give Quinn the work he needs to potentially fill a RF spot for them long-term. He will likely open 2018 in AA.
Next: #7 and #8
8. Aramis Garcia, C
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 1/12/1993 (25)
2017 teams/levels played for: high-A San Jose Giants, AA Richmond Flying Squirrels
2017 Stats: .274/.323/.485, 436 PA, 17 HR, 24/94 BB/K
Info: Significant injuries have delayed Garcia’s development. He had a solid showing in the Arizona Fall League that has many believing that he could eventually be a big league backstop.
Garcia has solid skills framing, but he struggles with his lateral movement. He does possess a plus arm, though his footwork is below-average and hampers his ability to control the run game.
Offensively, Garcia has plus raw power, but his swing can get long and pull happy. He projects as a fringe-average contact hitter primarily because he is over-aggressive on anything near the plate.
He has work to do to get there, but Garcia has the frame and skillset to be a quality backup for a long time, and the San Francisco Giants can be patient with him.
7. Sandro Fabian, OF
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 3/6/1998 (20)
2017 teams/levels played for: low-A Augusta GreenJackets
2017 Stats: .277/.297/.408, 503 PA, 11 HR, 5 SB, 10/88 BB/K
Info: Fabian has shown well since being signed out of the Dominican in 2014. In spite of sometimes less than impressive numbers, Fabian has been pushed forward by the San Francisco Giants due to his immense raw talent.
Fabian has excellent contact skills along with above average raw power
Fabian spent the entire 2017 season at low-A as a teenager, showing well, especially as the season wore on. His 2017 improvement over the year is part of Fabian’s noted ability to adapt at every level he’s been at in the time he’s at that level, finishing strong.
Fabian has excellent contact skills along with above average raw power. His plate discipline is less-than-desirable, but he’s significantly reduced his strikeout tendencies and adjusted his swing to access his premium contact ability.
The San Francisco Giants love Fabian’s athleticism with his ability to play in center now, though his skills would translate well to either corner as well. He will open 2018 in high-A and hope to continue to work on his plate discipline issues.
Next: #5 and #6
6. Garrett Williams, LHP
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 9/15/1994 (23)
2017 teams/levels played for: low-A Augusta GreenJackets, high-A San Jose Giants
2017 Stats: 18 G, 16 GS, 97 IP, 2.32 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 8.3% BB, 22.6% K
Info: After struggling with his control at Oklahoma State, Williams fell to the San Francisco Giants in the 7th round of the 2016 draft.
Williams works with a fastball that sits 91-94 with plenty of late life that grades out as a plus pitch. He also has a low-80s hard curve with a sweeping motion due to his low 3/4 arm slot. He’s seen his change move up to a fringe-average pitch, though he’s not used it a ton.
While Williams has taken a big step forward with his control, he still has work to do in repeating his delivery. If he can continue the strides he made in 2017, Williams could move quickly to the big league level. He will hope to keep his progress going at AA in 2018.
5. Andrew Suarez, LHP
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 9/11/1992 (25)
2017 teams/levels played for: AA Richmond Flying Squirrels, AAA Sacramento River Cats
2017 Stats: 26 G, 24 GS, 155 2/3 IP, 3.30 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 6.3% BB, 20.3% K
Info: One of the more impressive collegiate starters during his time at Miami, Suarez was a 2nd round selection in 2015 by the San Francisco Giants, and he’s been a steady pitcher as a pro in the Giants organization.
Suarez is a workhorse that gets deep into games consistently
Suarez is a workhorse that gets deep into games consistently with a low-90s fastball that he can spot very well along with a plus slider that he can locate well on either side of the plate. His change and curve are both average at best, but they are both pitches that Suarez can locate well and sequence well to make good use of them.
Suarez showed in some short stints that he can be a very effective LOOGY with his plus slider and control on his other pitches to dominate against lefties out of the bullpen, but he also has the frame and easy delivery to pitch deep into games frequently as well.
The San Francisco Giants will give Suarez a chance to win a starting job this spring, and he could end up in the major league bullpen if he doesn’t win a rotation job.
Next: #3 and #4
4. Tyler Beede, RHP
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 5/23/1993 (24)
2017 teams/levels played for: AAA Sacramento River Cats
2017 Stats: 19 GS, 109 IP, 4.79 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 8.2% BB
Info: Beede was initially drafted by the Blue Jays in the first round out of high school but couldn’t come to an agreement with the team and headed off to Vanderbilt where he had a storied career before once again being a first round selection, this time to the San Francisco Giants in 2014.
Beede blasted through the Giants system, and he appeared ready for the majors at the end of 2016, but he had a major set back of a season in 2017
Beede blasted through the Giants system, and he appeared ready for the majors at the end of 2016, but he had a major set back of a season in 2017, showing reduced velocity for the entire season. He has seen velocity fluctuations in his career previously, but typically for short stints, but he never recovered his top-end 93-95 MPH fastball that can touch 97-98 with excellent sink on his two-seamer and tremendous late movement on his four-seamer. Instead, his fastball sat down a couple ticks all season in 2017,and his numbers reflected it.
Without the premier velocity on his fastball and secondaries, Beede’s below-average command really became a factor, something that has plagued him since his college career. He has a quality cutter and curve and a fringe-average change when he’s on, but without command, each is below-average and none keeps hitters off of his fastball.
Beede has been noted previously for mixing in a slider and other fastball and change variations, leading many to think that he could benefit from locking down his repertoire and focusing on just 3-4 pitches. One scout went as far as to suggest to me that Beede could use a season pitching out of a major league bullpen, using 2-3 pitches to develop significant feel for those pitches, before allowing him to return to the rotation.
Of course, at this point in his development, Beede is getting older as he will turn 25 this season, so he really needs to establish himself soon or face falling to the wayside as a pitching option. If Beede can get his command even to average levels, he could profile as a back-end starter, but for now, he’s left as a major question for the San Francisco Giants, who will likely send him to AAA to open 2018.
3. Steven Duggar, OF
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 11/4/1993 (24)
2017 teams/levels played for: Arizona Rookie League Giants, high-A San Jose Giants, AAA Sacramento River Cats
2017 Stats: .262/.365/.445, 192 PA, 6 HR, 10 SB, 27/54 BB/K
Info: Consistently overlooked in his collegiate career at Clemson, causing him to fall to the San Francisco Giants in the 6th round of the 2015 draft, and even after a solid 2016 season, he’s seemed to slide under the radar for many.
Duggar has a very solid eye and has good pitch recognition. While he shows above-average raw power in the cage, but he often struggles to set up consistently to get to that power in games, though he does spray line drives from line to line.
Defensively, Duggar is a solid, albeit not spectacular center fielder. He has excellent instincts, an above-average arm, and above-average routes to balls that allows him to play center well and be a quality option for the Giants at the big league level.
After improving his quickness and reads on the bases, Duggar has the opportunity to play significant time for the San Francisco Giants this season in center field. He should split time with Austin Jackson to open the season, but he could end up taking the job from Jackson with good play.
Next: #1 and #2
2. Chris Shaw, 1B/OF
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 10/20/1993 (24)
2017 teams/levels played for: AA Richmond Flying Squirrels, AAA Sacramento River Cats
2017 Stats: .292/.346/.525, 514 PA, 24 HR, 38/132 BB/K
Info: The 31st overall selection in 2015 by the San Francisco Giants out of Boston College with plenty of promise but not as much exposure to top competition as many scouts would like, Shaw was seen as a player who could turn into a middle of the lineup sort of power threat.
He’s certainly developed his power stroke as advertised. One of the few with legit power in the Giants system, Shaw has been shuffled between the outfield and first base to get him acclimated to a position that could possibly get him fast-tracked to the major leagues and get his powerful left-handed swing into the lineup. He’s struggled defensively at first base, and actually has shown better in the outfield due to long limbs on his big frame and surprising athleticism, including above-average speed once underway, allowing him to handle left field fairly well.
Shaw definitely has the ability to crush baseballs, though he’s not shown the plate discipline or plate coverage in the upper minors to convince scouts that he will be able to be much more than a pure-power sort of hitter at he plate with likely a .250-.260/.310-.330/.450-.475 sort of hitter.
In a San Francisco Giants system and major league lineup desperate for power, a quality showing early in the 2018 season in AAA could quickly land Shaw in the big leagues with a full-time job.
1. Heliot Ramos, OF
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 9/7/1999 (18)
2017 teams/levels played for: Arizona Rookie League Giants
2017 Stats: .348/.404/.645, 151 PA, 6 HR, 10 SB, 10/48 BB/K
Info: When I talk with scouts about the draft ahead of June, I often like to ask who they’ve seen among the big fish and their impressions of those players, and then ask for a player who isn’t getting any discussion as a top 10-20 player that really should be. To that latter question in 2017, Ramos was one of the most common answers.
Ramos stands out significantly in the Giants system due to his blend of tools across the board
After spending much of their 2016 draft on college bats and upside college arms, the San Francisco Giants turned that on its ear when they took the high-ceiling Ramos 17th overall in the 2017 draft after he had showed some explosive displays on the showcase circuit he previous summer but had a bit of an inconsistent spring in Puerto Rico.
Ramos stands out significantly in the Giants system due to his blend of tools across the board, something not common in the system. He has plus raw power that he’s been able to tap into well in game already, plus bat speed, plus running speed, and a plus arm. He simply needs refinement to be a true five-tool star.
Defensively, Ramos isn’t out of place in center field due to his athleticism, but his reads need work and his routes are often below-average, but his plus speed is plus-plus when underway with long strides that eat up ground at top speed.
While Ramos does still struggle with some zone recognition, especially toward the top of the zone and low and away on breaking stuff, he showed an ability to recognize pitches well beyond what many thought his ability would be, showing the chance to move quickly with an advanced hit tool as well as advanced power and speed.
The San Francisco Giants would be wise to take the time to develop Ramos and let his performance dictate his advancement, but he certainly has earned a full season start in 2018.
Next: Newcomer to watch
2017 Acquisition: Jacob Gonzalez, 3B
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 6/26/1998 (19)
2017 teams/levels played for: Arizona Rookie League Giants
2017 Stats: .339/.418/.458, 194 PA, 1 HR, 16/23 BB/K
Info: The son of former Arizona Diamondbacks (among others) outfielder Luis Gonzalez, Gonzalez has been around baseball for much of his life. His maturity for the game led to the San Francisco Giants drafting the third baseman in the 2nd round.
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Gonzalez is more of a naturally strong hitter than his father, with legit plus raw power and an above-average hit tool as well. In spite of being a below-average runner, Gonzalez has the bat to be an impact offensive player.
Defensively, Gonzalez was much better than seen in showcases at the hot corner, using his above-average arm well and coming in well on balls, but his lateral quickness is still a weakness at third base, and he may end up having to move to first base or a corner outfield position as he fills into his frame.
With a mature approach at the plate as seen in his excellent BB/K rate in the AZL, Gonzalez may force the San Francisco Giants hand to push him straight to a full-season level in his first full pro season.
Next: CTTP's Top 150 prospects
So that is the San Francisco Giants top 10 prospects for 2018. Who is too high? Too low? Missing entirely from the list? Comment below!!