Category Archives: Fresno Grizzlies

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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Best Giants Prospects Not In Top-20

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Along with a few strugglers inside MLB.com’s top-20

Thankfully, projections are just … projections. It’s what makes sports interesting. If every major league club’s top prospect proved to be what they were supposed to be, Jesse Foppert would have two World Series rings and be king of San Francisco.

“Wait, who’s Jesse Foppert?”

It’s okay. He’s busy hanging out with Eddy Martinez-Esteve.

There’s something awesome about Tom Brady being picked in the sixth round. Being passed on 198 times. Seven rounds, and you can find three Lombardi Trophies in the scraps.

Baseball is even crazier. The depth of minor league baseball is practically infinite compared to basketball, football and hockey.

Needless to say, top talent are grooming and refining their games under minimal spotlight. Here are some of San Francisco’s top unranked, unnoticed prospects:

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