2014 Top Prospects

[calsnowskier]

DrB just posted his annual top 50 a couple days back, so I figured this is as good a time as any to get this thing started.

Here is my top 10 as of now...

Crick
Escobar
Blackburn
Hembree
Mejia
Susac
Williamson
Stratton
Arroyo
Flores

7 pitchers in the top 10 is both good and bad. We are SUPER deep in pitching prospects, not so much in hitters. However, we do have guys like Panik, Brown, Cabrera and Villalona who did not make my top 10 who could break out and be anywhere from solid MLBer to superstar. Heck, at his time next year, Cabrera could be the overall #1, and that isn't much of a stretch.

As for pitchers that did not make the final top 10, Mella and Blach are probably the highlights for starters with Law and Hall the CLEAR studs from the pen. Both Law and Hall could be ready as soon as this year, and with Hembree, reminds me of Atlanta from a few years ago with their 3 closers coming up all at the same time.

As for the actual top 10, Crick is the clear 1 and Escobar is the clear 2. 3 and further down is a complete crap-shoot. We have about 20 guys who could put up an argument for the #3 spot.

 

[SFGRTB]

My top-10 (though subject to change by ST)

1. Crick (AA)
2. Escobar (AAA)
3. Mejia (AA)
4. Arroyo (A)
5. Susac (AAA)
6. Blackburn (AA)
7. Stratton (A+)
8. Williamson (AA)
9. Agosta (A+)
10. Hembree (AAA/MLB)

I don't usually like to rank relievers to high, but Hembree gets the 10th spot over Blach, Flores. Also look out for Ryder Jones and Brian Ragira, 2 hitters from this past draft, and obviously see how Cabrera responds to his injury and if Brown can finally put it together.

AAA Fresno's lineup should be pretty interesting, Brown, Panik, Susac, Villalona, Dominguez.

We have some flame throwing bullpen arms coming through as well. Hembree, Josh Osich, Derrick Law, Cody Hall, Bryce Bandilla, Joan Gregorio.

 

[SFGRTB]

Also look out for John Riley. He was a 30th round draft pick last year, but because teams were worried he wouldn't sign. Giants took a shot and he surprisingly signed. He's probably the second best catcher in the system.

 

[calsnowskier]

Catcher

1) Andrew Susac. He came into 2013 with a bit of rust on his prospect belt, but he shook that off completely in 2013. He had a solid year in Richmond and is beginning to get some national attention as a legit catching prospect in the entire game. He is probably going to be a key piece in a deadline trade this year. He may be pushing for an MLB job as early as 2015.

2) um... Ah... Yea...

Ok, no one else. We have 3 kids that MAY be something, but it is too early to list them.

A) Eugene Escalante. 15th rounder in the 2013 draft. He signed almost immediately and got on the field even faster than that. He is probably more of an org-depth kind of kid, but I like his excitement to get started. He actually put together a decent freshman season, though. .300 BA with a .777 OPS for a catcher is not bad.

B/C) John Riley and Gabriel Cornier. Riley was a HS draftee in 2013 who was not expected to sign. Apparently, one of the minor-league coaches is good friends with his dad and they worked hard to get him in the fold. I think this is the kid that was committed to Stanford, and Stanford NEVER loses commitments (we stole two from them this year, if you count Ragira). Cornier is a Latin Dandy who had his first year stateside in '13. He did not shine at the plate, but the kid is supposed to have some talent.

First Base

1) Angel Villalona. He still has a LOT of question marks, but he probably has the most power of anyone in the org, SF included. This year is his final option season, so it is definitely shit or get off the pot time for AnVil. He should start off in Fresno, and potentially get his cuppo this year.

2) Brian Ragira. He was drafted as a 1B, but it looks like the G's are at least trying him in the OF. He payed more OF in his freshman campaign than 1B. I list him here because no one else seems to want to be listed here. Ragira has a decent shot at developing, though. He is legit.

3) Ricky Oropesa. The kid is HUGE and still has a ton of power. However, getting demoted in the middle of your sophomore season is not a good sign. He struggled REAL bad in Richmond to start the season, so the PTB swapped him and AnVil. He seamed to click when he came back to SJ, so maybe it was just the extreme pitching rich environment of the EL that put him on his heals early. He did have a good ST last year with the big club, and the org is still reportedly high on him, so we will see what happens with him in '14.

Second Base

1) Joe Panik. He officially made the conversion from SS in '13. He did not have a great year, but it was in Richmond, so it can kinda be forgiven. He should start in Fresno and will likely get at least a cuppo in '14, potentially more given Moped's frailty. Arias or Adrianza may get the starting gig at 2B before him, though, in that event.

2) Brandon Bednar. He was our 7th rounder this year and put up decent numbers in SK. I am not sure if he is really a prospect yet. I want to see what the org does with him in '14, first.

Most of our mid-infield prospect get put at SS in the low minors, so it is hard to put a list together of 2Bers. If the org decides Arroyo has more of a future at 2B, than he clearly becomes the top 2B in the org. Right now, they are giving him every opportunity to stick at SS, though.

Shortstop

1) Christiam Arroyo. He was considered a reach when the G's took him at number 25 in the 2013 draft, but the Giants drafted the person more-so than the player. He is supposed to be a true field general and an absolute pro in the clubhouse. He was the team captain and MVP of the 18 under world championship in Korea last year. He followed that up being named the MVP of the AFL for his first pro season. It is a bit early to get too excited about him, but he is certainly on all Giants fans radars, and on the radar of every national writer already. He is likely not a top 100 guy yet, but he certainly could be if he does anything in his first full season in 2014. Oh yea. The kid is only 18. I only ranked him my #9 org prospect???

2) Ehire Adrianza. He is out of options, so he will almost certainly be either in SF or another org come opening day. The G's are supposedly SUPER high on him, so I suspect he makes the big club as the second utility option behind Arias. I would be OK with the G's trading him for a package of prospects, though. Defense-first SSs are back in vogue right now, so he actually has some trade value.

3) Matt Duffy. The guys on DrBs site LOVE this kid. He had a solid year in '13 in Augusta and SJ, combining for 9 HRs and an .832 OPS. I really don't know much about him since he was not on my radar before the DrB guys started gushing about him.

3rd Base

This is a tough group to rank, so I am not even going to try. There are basically 2 groups here, for a total of 6 players.

Group 1 - advanced minors, low ceiling - Chris Dominguez, Adam Duvall, Ryan Cavan
Group 2 - low minors, high ceiling - Nathaniel Javier, Ryder Jones, Jonah Arenado

Dominguez, Duvall and Cavan are all power-hitting, iffy-fielding 3B who are getting a bit long in the tooth to REALLY be considered prospects. Any of them could fill in in a pinch if absolutely needed, and they may even break out. However, all of their games have pretty substantial holes that they could just as easily not be with the org come ST. Duvall is on the 40, so I guess he would have to be considered the top of this group, though.

The second group is fun. Jones was the 2nd rounder in '13 and had an almost as impressive first-year as Arroyo. I suspect he was playing over his head, though, so I am definitely holding my excitement on him. Arenado, like Riley, was a kid who slipped in the draft because he was committed to a major college (South Carolina??) and was not expected to sign. He just got a taste of pro ball in '13, and did not shine, but he is supposed to be legit. Javier is a Latin Dandy that signed at the same time as Cabrera. He does not have the same ceiling as Cabrera, but he would have been more noticed by the Giants blogosphere had Cabrera not also signed. His major wart is that he got caught with PEDs late in 2013, so his entire prospect-ness is in question right now.

Outfield

1) Mac Williamson. I am SUPER excited for this kid. The Giants were reportedly considering starting him Richmond last year, but decided to pay it slow with him and send him to SJ. I wouldn't say he had a MONSTER year (think Posey or Belt), but he had a very solid year in SJ. 25 jacks, .879 OPS, .292 BA. He got hurt early diving for a ball in the OF and his play suffered for the next month or so. He turned it back on for the second half of the season. He is one of the guys in the org with an outside shot at getting some top 100 attention.

2) Gary Brown. He is really becoming an enigma. The dude has +++ speed, but only steels at a 66% clip. He also is EXTREMELY streaky. DrB has floated the idea that he pouts when other guys get promoted over him. I am not sure I buy into that, but the evidence certainly supports Doc's claim.

3) Gustavo Cabrera. If he were not hurt, he might actually be the #1 OF prospect. But as it is, his career is in question. He almost severed his hand in some freak accident about a month or so back. There has not been much info on his status since, except for a quick mention by Sabes (I think) a couple days after saying the org thought he would be OK. Injury aside, Gustavo is a legit 5-Tool guy. As I have mentioned before, he has the potential to be the org #1 next year, even if Crick remains a prospect without a fall in stature.

Chunky Jones, Shilo McCall, Devin Harris, Jesus Galindo and Shawn Payne also have varying levels of potential.

 

[SFGRTB]

Thank you Cal, great analysis.

This is how I see the top-10 hitters right now:

Arroyo (A)
Susac (AAA)
Williamson (AA)
Cabrera (?/Rookie League)
Villalona (AAA)
Brown (AAA)
Panik (AAA)
Ragira (A+)
Ryder Jones (A)
Charles Jones (A+)

I'm including Chuck Jones in my top-10 over others because I really think he's going to finally break out. I really liked what he did the second half of the season, and I think he's poised for a big year in SJ. Still very young. He's a big guy, projects to have decent pop and has a cannon of an arm, plays a good RF too.

 

[calsnowskier]

I cant argue your top 10. I would not place Brown that high, but I have been off of his band-wagon for a few years now. The top 4 are pretty clearly the cream-of-the-crop. Any order of those guys is pretty OK by me.

I think I would go like this...

Susac (position and proximity)
Williamson (power, baby!)
Arroyo (just because he is SOOOO young)
Cabrera (age, latin and injury offer some pretty large question marks)
Panik (position and proximity)
Villalona (make or break year coming up)
Ryder
Ragira
Adrianza (probably more of a trade-chip)
Brown

I like Chucky, but he has to show something, sometime. This is not a make-or-break year, but he certainly needs to do something above-pedestrian to remain on my radar.

 

[calsnowskier]

Miami's Heaney ranked top left-handed pitching prospect | MLB.com: News

Escobar rated the #8 LHP prospect in all of baseball by MLB.com.

 

[calsnowskier]

2014 Prospect Watch | MLB.com: News

Susac #8 catcher prospect in all of baseball.

 

[tzill]

2014 Prospect Watch | MLB.com: News

Susac #8 catcher prospect in all of baseball.

 

[SFGRTB]

Here's my evaluation of the system's top pitching prospects.

I'll begin with the starting pitchers. The system is deep with starters ranging from number 1 potential to innings eaters. Despite many of our high round picks being hitters in recent drafts, the organization has done a great job finding hidden value in later rounds (Blackburn), trades (Escobar), or the international market (Mejia). The future of the SF Giants depends a lot on these kids, the big club has a good core of hitters locked up, but the arms are starting to age. The front office is putting a lot of faith that by 2015/2016 a lot of these guys will be ready to make an impact at the ML level. Here's my top 10 starting pitchers:

1. Kyle Crick - The consensus top pitching prospect and overall prospect in the system. The Matt Cain comparisons have been breathing down his neck since he was drafted as a compensation pick in 2011. When he's on the mound he's been dominating hitters, they just can't touch him. He's holding batters to a sub-.200 BAA and has 223 K's in 180 innings but he's also allowed 106 walks in that time. He also has had trouble staying on the field. He was out with an oblique injury early in the year but dominated after he came back, including in the AFL. He throws a high 90s fastball, sharp curveball and a work-in-progress changeup. Despite only pitching in 68.2 innings in SJ, it looks like he's destined for AA Richmond to lead their staff. Brass wants to see him stay healthy all year so he can start racking up the innings needed for a ML pitcher to survive all year, and work on his secondary stuff. I'd imagine he'll stay in the minors all year, maybe get a cuppo in 2015 and be all systems go by 2016.

2. Edwin Escobar - As mentioned many times before, Escobar was acquired in a Rule-V trade with the Texas Rangers for the then much more highly heralded lefty Ben Snyder. As you can see, Snyder hasn't pitched professionally since 2012. Now Escobar is the second highest rated pitcher in the Giants system and closest to the major leagues among the starting pitchers. He's a hard thrower, sitting around 91-93 but understand location and movement on it, he also throws a changeup and a breaking ball that has put-away potential (I've read curveball some places, slider other). Sabean and co. speak very highly of him, and have moved him along the quickest. That should say something about him, as guys like Stratton lagged behind. Escobar is likely headed to AAA and is probably the 7th (maybe 8th with David Huff now around) starting pitcher on the depth chart. We'll likely see him at some point this year, though hopefully for a little September seasoning. He looks to be taking over for Volgelsong in 2015, if not sooner.

3. Alberto Mejia - Here's where consensus goes out the window (hell, after Crick even). I'm going with Mejia here because of his advanced edge to pitching at such a young age and his body. He throws 3 pitches: fastball (88-92 mph), changeup and slider. The fastball is said to have good movement, the changeup is his best off-speed pitch and the slider is still working. He's not overpowering though which is a little concerning, especially given his size but he has well above-average control. Scouts believe that he'll gain some velocity though, which puts him this high. He's likely to start in AA and backup Crick and the Giants would like to see him stay healthy as well (he suffered an oblique injury). If all goes well, Mejia and Crick are on similar tracks; spend the next 2 years in AA and AAA and hope to crack the bigs by late 2015/2016.

4. Clayton Blackburn - Blackburn doesn't have the overpowering stuff like Crick does, but he has excellent command of 4 pitches and understands how to use a fastball. He just turned 21 too, so for a young guy it's a huge plus. His strikeout numbers have been good, but many expect those to take a big dip once he reaches the upper-minors and more advanced hitters, he's more of a ground-ball pitcher. He's a big guy built for a lot of innings. He should join Crick and Mejia in AA super staff.

5. Chris Stratton - Coming out of the draft a lot of people expected Stratton to be ready for the big leagues within 2-3 years. Well, going into year 2 as full-time starter he hasn't even pitched in SJ yet. He didn't exactly dominate Agusta either which raised the most concern. I am not one of those too concerned. I think he's poised for a big breakout year for a few reasons. First, he didn't pitch in SJ because the rotation was just stacked (Crick, Mejia, Escobar, Blackburn, Blach, Marte) and he was hit in the head with a line-drive in his half-season after being drafted so the brass wanted to ease him in. Second, he was asked to throw a two-seam fastball for the first time. So between learning a new pitch, lingering injury concerns and no reason to really rush him, they felt he could stay in Augusta all year. I think he's poised for a breakout this year though because he can finally put all that stuff behind him and show off why he was the first pick for the Giants 2 years ago. He has a great four-seam fastball (probably second best to Crick) and a plus slider. His changeup and curveball still need some work, but they both show plus potential. Given his body of work in college and his above-average stuff, I think he's in line for a big start in San Jose and could force himself back onto the fast-track to the majors.

 

[SFGRTB]

6. Keury Mella - Here is the best kept secret of the Giants farm system. He was a Dominican signing in 2011 and has flown under the radar so far in his pro career. If he is promoted to Augusta though, that will quickly change. He's only 20 yo, but he throws a hard fastball clocked as high 96, and every year he keeps adding velocity. He also throws a heavy sinker around 92-94, a sharp slider and changeup/curveball that both need work. Keep an eye out for this kid, if he pitches a full season, he could be pushing Crick next year in the rankings. I will be watching him very closely, you're going to start hearing his name more often. He's headed for either Augusta or back to the AZ Rookie league and the short-season Salem.

7. Kendry Flores - Another Dominican signing back in 2009, Flores burst onto the scene with a huge season in Augusta in his first full-season. His strikeout/walk numbers were ridiculous (137/17) and really jump off the page. He throws a 92 mph fastball that he can cut, and a changeup/curve combo, with the former being farther ahead. He was added to the 40-man to protect him from the Rule-V draft, and many people think that he could see an Edwin Escobar type rise next year. He has time though, expect him to start in San Jose with Stratton and build on his huge season.

8. Ty Blach - One one end you have Stratton who was drafted first in 2012 out of college and was expected to race through the minors but hasn't to this point. On the other you have Blach who was the third pitcher drafted out of college in the same draft (5th round) but mostly overlooked. Well, Blach has forced attention on himself with his impressive numbers in SJ last year, putting up a lot of strikeouts and not handing out free passes. He commands all his pitches; a low-90s fastball the he can cut and sink, a changeup, curveball and slider that he's comfortable throwing any at anytime. His projection is tough to gauge, while he con throw a lot of different pitches, none are considered "plus" offerings and he's not overpowering. But he trusts all of his pitches and seems to out-smart guys. He draws Tom Glavine comparisons, which are quite lofty. I see more of a Noah Lowry type guy. The Giants letting Surkamp go had a lot to do with this guy as well, both very similar pitchers. He'll move up to AA with Crick, Mejia and Blackburn in the stacked Richmond rotation.

9. Joan Gregorio - Gregorio is another guy flying under-the-radar right now who could easily be found near the top of these rankings after next year. Joan is tall and lanky, 6'-7" but less than 200 lbs. He throws a big fastball though, running in the mid 90s with movement and a slider/changeup combo that could both be plus pitches. He's battled injuries similar to Crick (oblique and blisters) which explains the missed time in his first full season. He maintains good command even with a questionable delivery, I do not know if the Giants plan to work on it, but this will be his 4th year in the organization so I would imagine they've already tried a few things out. He's headed to SJ to going Stratton and Flores for yet another intriguing rotation. He's another breakout candidate.

10. Martin Agosta - It's really amazing that the guy who had some of the best numbers of anyone on this list is all the way at the bottom, but it really shows the depth this organization has right now. Agosta was the second pitcher out of college taken in 2012 (between Stratton and Blach). He has one of the best fastball/slider combos in the system, a working changeup and the Giants are trying to get him to throw some kind of fastball with movement (cut or sink). Based on stuff alone, he's one of the top pitchers, but he has big time injury concerns and command is an issue. He only pitched 23 innings after June 13th, due to injuries then fatigue. The biggest thing for him going forward is going to be health. If he can stay on the field and develop another pitch against lefties he could be a mid-rotation starter. If he just can't stay on the field, he may be converted into a reliever and could be a high-leverage guy there. He'll join Stratton, Flores, and Gregorio in SJ, which has big-time boom-or-bust prospects this year.

Honorable mentions (no particular order): Chase Johnson, Daniel Slania, Nick Vander-Tuig, DJ Snelten

 

[SFGRTB]

Excuse my spelling for Adalberto Mejia.

 

[tzill]

Great write up, and thanks for the thumbnails on these guys. One question: My understanding is that the Giants tend to want to jump guys straight from AA to the majors. You've got Crick, Mejia, and Blackburn on a track to spend a year in AAA. Don't you think any/all of those guys could be invited to ST in 2015 with an opportunity to make the big club? Or are you figuring with 2 year contracts to Huddy and Freak that there just won't be any room in the rotation?

 

[calsnowskier]

Great write up, and thanks for the thumbnails on these guys. One question: My understanding is that the Giants tend to want to jump guys straight from AA to the majors. You've got Crick, Mejia, and Blackburn on a track to spend a year in AAA. Don't you think any/all of those guys could be invited to ST in 2015 with an opportunity to make the big club? Or are you figuring with 2 year contracts to Huddy and Freak that there just won't be any room in the rotation?

I don't think skipping AAA is really an option with this group. There are simply too many of them, and as you mentioned, there aren't any open spots in the rotation for them to take.

The G's do not like to hand a job to a rookie, either. Remember, Bum got his job out of necessity. He was a mid-season call-up due to injury. I would say that Escobar has an outside shot of making the team in that fashion this year, but then he may have to defend his rotation spot against the masses in '15.

 

[MarcoPolo]

Great write up, and thanks for the thumbnails on these guys. One question: My understanding is that the Giants tend to want to jump guys straight from AA to the majors. You've got Crick, Mejia, and Blackburn on a track to spend a year in AAA. Don't you think any/all of those guys could be invited to ST in 2015 with an opportunity to make the big club? Or are you figuring with 2 year contracts to Huddy and Freak that there just won't be any room in the rotation?

Why do you think the Giants WANT to do that? They have done it, but IIRC they were (almost) all due to injury on the big club.

 

[SFGRTB]

Great write up, and thanks for the thumbnails on these guys. One question: My understanding is that the Giants tend to want to jump guys straight from AA to the majors. You've got Crick, Mejia, and Blackburn on a track to spend a year in AAA. Don't you think any/all of those guys could be invited to ST in 2015 with an opportunity to make the big club? Or are you figuring with 2 year contracts to Huddy and Freak that there just won't be any room in the rotation?

What cal and Marco said. If Volgey gets injured, and Escobar is just carving up hitters in AAA then we'd probably see EE get promoted a la Bumgarner or Lincecum (remember he filled in for the injured Russ Ortiz back in 07').

Plus, the Giants don't want to be too aggressive, they've admitted in the past that they probably rushed Belt and Crawford and forced them to learn A LOT at the ML level. The Front Office knows they have a potentially special group here and they don't wan't to screw this up by rushing their development.

 

[tzill]

Why do you think the Giants WANT to do that? They have done it, but IIRC they were (almost) all due to injury on the big club.

Bobby Evans talked a little bit about it once a year or so ago. The Giants don't feel that AAA is particularly useful for developing pitching. The PCL is a hitters league and they think that prospects who move up there from Richmond tend to develop bad habits that don't translate well to the majors. In short, they adjust for an extreme hitters league and get too fine with their pitches and avoid fly balls. More walks, and they don't develop their pitches up in the zone, which are useful against some hitters and especially at AT&T.

A gross generalization and oversimplification to be sure. But I think it came up as a result of Sabean pooh-poohing the PCL as a development league for pitchers. Bum pitched there for 1/2 a season, Cain was there a whole year, Timmy was there for 5 games, Sanchez 9 games.

Looking at the last decade:

Jerome Williams -- 1.5 years in AAA
Noah Lowry -- 0.5 years
Kevin Correia -- 1 year
Ryan Sadowski -- 1 year
Joe Martinez -- 5 starts
Eric Surkamp -- 0.5 years
Yusmeiro Petit -- 4+ years

So you can see it's pretty rare for a Giants pitcher to spend a whole year in AAA and actually be good at the major league level. Cain and maybe Correia would be the exceptions.

 

[MarcoPolo]

Bobby Evans talked a little bit about it once a year or so ago. The Giants don't feel that AAA is particularly useful for developing pitching. The PCL is a hitters league and they think that prospects who move up there from Richmond tend to develop bad habits that don't translate well to the majors. In short, they adjust for an extreme hitters league and get too fine with their pitches and avoid fly balls. More walks, and they don't develop their pitches up in the zone, which are useful against some hitters and especially at AT&T.

A gross generalization and oversimplification to be sure. But I think it came up as a result of Sabean pooh-poohing the PCL as a development league for pitchers. Bum pitched there for 1/2 a season, Cain was there a whole year, Timmy was there for 5 games, Sanchez 9 games.

Looking at the last decade:

Jerome Williams -- 1.5 years in AAA
Noah Lowry -- 0.5 years
Kevin Correia -- 1 year
Ryan Sadowski -- 1 year
Joe Martinez -- 5 starts
Eric Surkamp -- 0.5 years
Yusmeiro Petit -- 4+ years

So you can see it's pretty rare for a Giants pitcher to spend a whole year in AAA and actually be good at the major league level. Cain and maybe Correia would be the exceptions.

Williams : in the space of less than 14 days, starting pitchers Jensen and Schmidt were taken off the active roster, just before Williams was called up. (Ryan Jensen was soon returned to AAA, and Ainsworth then went on the DL.)

Noah Lowry bounced up and down in 2004, called up for 1-10 days, generally replacing some injured pitcher.

Kevin Correia was a "bounce up and down" pitcher the first few years he appeared in the majors.

Joe Martinez was because they really needed another starter at the beginning of the season.

Surkamp was called up because J Sanchez had just been injured, and he immediately was sent back down (then called back up in Sep).

Petit was the proverbial generic emergency replacement, signed in FA.

I think that all of the above qualify as "emergency replacement callups".

In fact, concerning the statement "it's pretty rare for a Giants pitcher to spend a whole year in AAA and actually be good at the major league level", I would claim that (besides the current crop of stars) there have been VERY few good (Giants) pitchers to come up thru the Giants minors in the last 10 years or so, besides Romo and Wilson.

 

[tzill]

Williams : in the space of less than 14 days, starting pitchers Jensen and Schmidt were taken off the active roster, just before Williams was called up. (Ryan Jensen was soon returned to AAA, and Ainsworth then went on the DL.)

Noah Lowry bounced up and down in 2004, called up for 1-10 days, generally replacing some injured pitcher.

Kevin Correia was a "bounce up and down" pitcher the first few years he appeared in the majors.

Joe Martinez was because they really needed another starter at the beginning of the season.

Surkamp was called up because J Sanchez had just been injured, and he immediately was sent back down (then called back up in Sep).

Petit was the proverbial generic emergency replacement, signed in FA.

I think that all of the above qualify as "emergency replacement callups".

In fact, concerning the statement "it's pretty rare for a Giants pitcher to spend a whole year in AAA and actually be good at the major league level", I would claim that (besides the current crop of stars) there have been VERY few good (Giants) pitchers to come up thru the Giants minors in the last 10 years or so, besides Romo and Wilson.

Maybe, but that wasn't the point. The point was that the Giants don't tend to use AAA much to develop pitchers. As you say, they pull emergency starters from AAA but not typically rotation mainstays.

 

[MarcoPolo]

Maybe, but that wasn't the point. The point was that the Giants don't tend to use AAA much to develop pitchers. As you say, they pull emergency starters from AAA but not typically rotation mainstays.

Well, the original statement was "the Giants tend to want to jump guys straight from AA to the majors", not "the Giants don't tend to use AAA much to develop pitchers". There is quite a difference between the two.

But that isn't my point either. My point is that the Giants just don't really develop that many "rotation mainstays". I count three : Cain, Lincecum, and MadBum. In 10+ years, just 3 "rotation mainstays" isn't a great record. Well, except that those three have been pretty damn good. (I might make it 3.5, if you count Lowry and J Sanchez as "back of the rotation filler" for 1/2 a pitcher total.)

The Giants DO use AAA to develop pitchers. Most of the pitchers they develop (at any level) just aren't that great. Besides the 3 afore-mentioned, only Romo and Wilson come to mind as the only other really good pitchers they've developed in the last 10 years (and the previous great pitcher they developed they screwed the pooch on - Joe Nathan - but that was 15 years or so ago). Actually, even going back 15 years I can't think of any other great starting pitchers they developed.