Author Archives: Conner Penfold

HALFWAY POINT, PART 2: Best Giants pitching prospects

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San Jose lefty Edwin Escobar in a May start against Inland Empire. (Conner Penfold / GIANT Potential)

The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (Class-A Short Season) will take the field for game No. 1 of their 2013 campaign tonight, which means it’s offically the prime of minor league baseball. When the Arizona League Giants kick off next week, there will be SEVEN San Francisco affiliated teams in season.

That being said, baseball is awesome.

Four of those seven teams have been playing for more than three months now. Augusta and San Jose have the two lowest team ERAs in the organization, so it’s no coincidence that both teams have arguably the best pitching prospects in the farm.

Here’s a nice list of them, beginning with right-handed starters:

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HITTERS AT THE HALFWAY POINT: Best Giants prospects at each position

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Richmond Flying Squirrels third baseman Adam Duvall playing with Single-A San Jose in 2012. (Conner Penfold / GIANT Potential)

Okay, it’s not actually halfway yet. But I’m anxious to look through stats and overanalyze numbers for hours days.

In a nutshell, know this: San Francisco’s future pitching staff plays at historic Municipal Stadium in San Jose with the “Little Giants.” Some incredible righties, lefties, and even bullpen arms are throwing up gaudy numbers at the Class-A Advanced level. Outliers exist in Richmond and especially Augusta, but a solid chunk are in the South Bay.

I’ll get to pitching in my next post. For now? Guys that swing at small, threaded objects thrown furiously toward them.

Most of them were with San Jose last season, meaning they’ve moved three time zones east to Richmond to play Double-A ball in 2013.

So, here you go. As of today, (statistically) the best San Francisco Giants minor leaguer at each offensive position:

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TEN MINUTES OR LESS: Q&A with San Jose RHP Clayton Blackburn

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This pitch face says: “I want to look like R.A. Dickey when I throw a baseball, but I’m too sleepy.” (Conner Penfold / GIANT Potential)

Currently the youngest player on the San Jose Giants roster, 20-year old Clayton Blackburn doesn’t feel old. The Edmond, Oklahoma native is playing his second full professional season — first at the Class-A Advanced level — and entered the 2013 season as the San Francisco Giants’ No.11-ranked prospect according to MLB.com. The right-handed starter put up fantastic numbers with Low-A Augusta in 2012, walking just 18 batters in 131.1 innings pitched while striking out 143 — most in the South Atlantic League. Blackburn relies on his fastball (two-seam)/changeup (circle) combo and counters that with a sharp-breaking curveball. He sat down with me last week to talk country music, his May struggles, and a fourth pitch he’s really looking to nail down in this week’s edition of “Ten Minutes or Less.”

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