2020 Giants Top Prospects

[calsnowskier]

2019 thread: 2019 Top Prospects

With the Wilson acquisition today, I figured this was a good time to start this one...

Off the top of my head...

1) Bart

2) Luciano

3) Ramos

4) Bishop

5) Wilson

Everyone else is a hodgepodge. But we probably have 20-30 additional guys who could be considered “prospects”.

 

[LHG]

2019 thread: 2019 Top Prospects

With the Wilson acquisition today, I figured this was a good time to start this one...

Off the top of my head...

1) Bart

2) Luciano

3) Ramos

4) Bishop

5) Wilson

Everyone else is a hodgepodge. But we probably have 20-30 additional guys who could be considered “prospects”.

The acquisition of Wilson makes the shortstop position in the lower full season levels very crowded. I assume we'll see Wilson in San Jose and Luciano in Augusta in 2020.

 

[calsnowskier]

Kerry Crowley was speculating Wilson is more of a 2B prospect, but will not make the full move right away.

 

[SFGRTB]

My most trusted list (which now includes Wilson)

Top 35 Prospects: San Francisco Giants

 

[SFGRTB]

Kerry Crowley was speculating Wilson is more of a 2B prospect, but will not make the full move right away.

He strikes me as a Duffy type of player.

 

[MarcoPolo]

It's sad when out of the top 5 "top prospects" the majority haven't made it to A+ ball yet, and the two others have sniffed AA for half a season. A collection of hope and dreams, to be shattered as they move up through the minors, mostly made up of guys drafted in '19 or '18 (or signed as pre-adults out of the Caribbean).

 

[calsnowskier]

It's sad when out of the top 5 "top prospects" the majority haven't made it to A+ ball yet, and the two others have sniffed AA for half a season. A collection of hope and dreams, to be shattered as they move up through the minors, mostly made up of guys drafted in '19 or '18 (or signed as pre-adults out of the Caribbean).

Is that so weird, though? True top prospects don’t remain prospects for long. I doubt many teams have “top” prospects drafted prior to ‘18.

I would put Bart/Luciano/Ramos/Bishop against any teams top 4 prospects. They may not be the BEST top 4, but they are a competitive top 4.

 

[MarcoPolo]

Is that so weird, though? True top prospects don’t remain prospects for long. I doubt many teams have “top” prospects drafted prior to ‘18.

The reason a team's "top prospects" don't stay that way for long is because they don't amount to anything, because they are chosen as "top prospects" with "high ceilings" at draft time before playing a single season of pro ball and they don't make it to AAA, let along the majors.

Cain was a top prospect, and he took 4 years to go through the system. Crawford was a top prospect, and he made it to the show during his 4th season as well.

Posey, Lincecum, MadBum weren't just "top prospects", they were *stars*; not a lot of players show up in the majors (to stay) within 3 years of being drafted, let alone their 2nd year.

 

[calsnowskier]

The reason a team's "top prospects" don't stay that way for long is because they don't amount to anything, because they are chosen as "top prospects" with "high ceilings" at draft time before playing a single season of pro ball and they don't make it to AAA, let along the majors. Of all the "top prospects" SF has had the last 25 years or so, I imagine about 10-15 made it to the majors (and stuck) - even as average players.

Cain was a top prospect, and he took 4 years to go through the system. Crawford was a top prospect, and he made it to the show during his 4th season as well.

Posey, Lincecum, MadBum weren't just "top prospects", they were *stars*; not a lot of players show up in the majors (to stay) within 3 years of being drafted, let alone their 2nd year.

Crawford was not a top prospect. He was known by deep-studiers, but he never really made a lot of noise on prospect lists. He probably had similar buzz to Duggar, iirc.

Basically, yes. Prospects are volatile. But to say the don’t remain prospects because they don’t amount to anything is disingenuous at best.

I don’t fully subscribe to TINSTAAPP, but I do acknowledge its existence and sacrifice the occasional chicken in its name.

 

[MarcoPolo]

2012 "top prospects" (minorleagueball.com - couldn't find BB prospectus) :
1) Gary Brown, OF, Grade B+
2) Joe Panik, SS-2B, Grade B:
3) Tommy Joseph, C, Grade B-: Borderline
4) Andrew Susac, C, Grade B-
5) Heath Hembree, RHP, Grade B-


2013 "top prospects" (BB prospectus) :
RHP Kyle Crick
RHP Clayton Blackburn
RHP Chris Stratton
CF Gary Brown
RHP Heath Hembree
C Andrew Susac


2014 "top prospects" (BB prospectus) :
RHP Kyle Crick
LHP Adalberto Mejia
LHP Edwin Escobar
RHP Kendry Flores
RHP Clayton Blackburn
C Andrew Susac

2015 "top prospects" (BB prospectus) :
LHP Adalberto Mejia
RHP Kyle Crick
C Andrew Susac
RHP Tyler Beede
RHP Keury Mella
SS/2B Christian Arroyo

2016 "top prospects" (BB prospectus) :
SS Christian Arroyo
SS Lucius Fox
RHP Tyler Beede
SS Jalen Miller
RHP Phil Bickford


Out of all of those, only Christian Arroyo is an everyday player in the majors IMO (so far). Well, Crick and Hembree have been OK relievers - certainly not stars. Panik looked very promising (for a while) - he *was* a 1st round draft pick.

 

[MarcoPolo]

Crawford was not a top prospect. He was known by deep-studiers, but he never really made a lot of noise on prospect lists.

Dam, you're right. Once I had seen him play a few games in San Jose I thought "I hope he continues hitting well enough to make the show" - he had really soft hands and a great glove, and made great plays. He reminded me of Vizquel. So he was a top prospect in my mind.

Basically, yes. Prospects are volatile. But to say the don’t remain prospects because they don’t amount to anything is disingenuous at best.

I just don't get excited about "prospects" who haven't played pro ball yet. Or ones that have ONE full season under their belt. I expect them to flame out before AAA (because most of them do). I've always considered the prospects lists that include guys who haven't played yet to be a joke. But YMMV.

 

[calsnowskier]

2012 "top prospects" (minorleagueball.com - couldn't find BB prospectus) :
1) Gary Brown, OF, Grade B+
2) Joe Panik, SS-2B, Grade B:
3) Tommy Joseph, C, Grade B-: Borderline
4) Andrew Susac, C, Grade B-
5) Heath Hembree, RHP, Grade B-


2013 "top prospects" (BB prospectus) :
RHP Kyle Crick
RHP Clayton Blackburn
RHP Chris Stratton
CF Gary Brown
RHP Heath Hembree
C Andrew Susac


2014 "top prospects" (BB prospectus) :
RHP Kyle Crick
LHP Adalberto Mejia
LHP Edwin Escobar
RHP Kendry Flores
RHP Clayton Blackburn
C Andrew Susac

2015 "top prospects" (BB prospectus) :
LHP Adalberto Mejia
RHP Kyle Crick
C Andrew Susac
RHP Tyler Beede
RHP Keury Mella
SS/2B Christian Arroyo

2016 "top prospects" (BB prospectus) :
SS Christian Arroyo
SS Lucius Fox
RHP Tyler Beede
SS Jalen Miller
RHP Phil Bickford


Out of all of those, only Christian Arroyo is an everyday player in the majors IMO (so far). Well, Crick and Hembree have been OK relievers - not stars. And Panik looked very promising for a while - he *was* a 1st round draft pick.

None of these kids were ever big prospects. That said..

Panik was a MLB starter / near all star for 5 years. Breaking ones backs tends to sideline a career.
Tommy Joseph had 2 20-hr seasons.
Susac was a top 10 catcher in all of baseball!!
Hembree has been a solid reliever for many years.
Crick is a solid reliever.
Mejia has been a middling reliever for a few years.
Blackburn and Stratton each had a couple years of middling success.
Arroyo is an everyday starter on a good team.
Beede, Mella and Fox are breaking in now (Fox still has a year or so to go)

so out of a list of moderate prospects, you have a bunch of moderate success. Sounds about right. Were you expecting (more than hoping) these guys to be stars? Fox is really the only one out of this group who ever had that kind of potential.

 

[calsnowskier]

Dam, you're right. Once I had seen him play a few games in San Jose I thought "I hope he continues hitting well enough to make the show" - he had really soft hands and a great glove, and made great plays. He reminded me of Vizquel. So he was a top prospect in my mind.



I just don't get excited about "prospects" who haven't played pro ball yet. Or ones that have ONE full season under their belt. I expect them to flame out before AAA (because most of them do). I've always considered the prospects lists that include guys who haven't played yet to be a joke. But YMMV.

That’s fair. I too place more emphasis on kids who have a track record. It is the age old question of proximity vs potential.

But sometimes kids just have so much natural ability that they deserve extra attention. And these are the kids who CAN be franchise-changers. Shaw is close to the majors, but there is no way in hell he will ever be a franchise-changer. Luciano doesn’t really have a track record yet, but he CAN be a franchise changer.

 

[Stokes1931]

None of these kids were ever big prospects. That said..

Panik was a MLB starter / near all star for 5 years. Breaking ones backs tends to sideline a career.
Tommy Joseph had 2 20-hr seasons.
Susac was a top 10 catcher of all time! (FIFY)
Hembree has been a solid reliever for many years.
Crick is a solid reliever.
Mejia has been a middling reliever for a few years.
Blackburn and Stratton each had a couple years of middling success.
Arroyo is an everyday starter on a good team.
Beede, Mella and Fox are breaking in now (Fox still has a year or so to go)

so out of a list of moderate prospects, you have a bunch of moderate success. Sounds about right. Were you expecting (more than hoping) these guys to be stars? Fox is really the only one out of this group who ever had that kind of potential.

I have heard rumors that tzill, whose alts we all are, sometimes mutters in his sleep, "Bring me Susac!"

 

[SFGRTB]

So there was apparently some chatter that Wilson could be a candidate to be moved to catcher out of the draft. Obviously that wasn't explored by the Angels, but I wouldn't put it past Zaidi.

Remember with the dodgers, he had Austin Barnes who played both 2B and catcher. Could be something to keep in mind.

 

[Stokes1931]

So there was apparently some chatter that Wilson could be a candidate to be moved to catcher out of the draft. Obviously that wasn't explored by the Angels, but I wouldn't put it past Zaidi.

Remember with the dodgers, he had Austin Barnes who played both 2B and catcher. Could be something to keep in mind.

Didn't Biggio start out at catcher and then move to 2B?

 

[LHG]

Didn't Biggio start out at catcher and then move to 2B?

I cannot remember the sequence but it was either catcher, then 2nd base, then center field or catcher, then center field, then 2nd base. All done in the big leagues too.

 

[calsnowskier]

Biggie was C - 2B - CF

 

[tzill]

None of these kids were ever big prospects. That said..

Panik was a MLB starter / near all star for 5 years. Breaking ones backs tends to sideline a career.
Tommy Joseph had 2 20-hr seasons.
Susac was a top 10 catcher in all of baseball!!
Hembree has been a solid reliever for many years.
Crick is a solid reliever.
Mejia has been a middling reliever for a few years.
Blackburn and Stratton each had a couple years of middling success.
Arroyo is an everyday starter on a good team.
Beede, Mella and Fox are breaking in now (Fox still has a year or so to go)

so out of a list of moderate prospects, you have a bunch of moderate success. Sounds about right. Were you expecting (more than hoping) these guys to be stars? Fox is really the only one out of this group who ever had that kind of potential.

your dues have tripled.

 

[tzill]

I have heard rumors that tzill, whose alts we all are, sometimes mutters in his sleep, "Bring me Susac!"

I am Susac.