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LHG
Former Californian. Hesitant Tennessean.
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We've all discussed these players before but I thought about putting them all together in one thread. Here is how the last 10 years have gone with the 1st round of the Rule IV draft:
2015 - Chris Shaw - Power hitting outfielder/1st baseman who was strikeout prone and not very good defensively. Got to the big leagues around the time FZ took over the front office. As we know, FZ has been reluctant to hang his hat on the previous regime's players and barely gave Shaw a chance with the big club, despite generally good numbers in AAA. He didn't hit well in the brief time he did play with SF. Jettisoned from the 40 man roster after the 2020 season, he was picked up by Baltimore, he missed most of 2021 due to injury and struggled in his 20 games with their org. Played independent ball in 2022 and signed a minor league deal with the White Sox for 2023, struggled in 55 games with their AA team, signed one more deal with an independent team that year and hasn't been seen in 2024.
2015 - Phil Bickford - A controversial pick from the draft, he got shipped to Milwaukee in 2016 and has become a journeyman reliever since making his debut with them in 2020. He has pitched in 187 big league games, all in relief, with the Brewers, Dodgers, Mets and Yankees. He has a 1.27 WHIP and 4.62 ERA thus far.
2016 - None
2017 - Heliot Ramos - Finally found success in the big leagues this year but had a rough road. Initially looked good but showed a penchant for struggling initially at each level of professional baseball, it looked like he would become an afterthought with the Giants.
2018 - Joey Bart - Last of the 1st round picks of the previous regime, Bart got surpassed in the catching depth charts by another 1st round catcher. He did have a decent year in 2022 with the Giants (0.8 WAR but 87 OPS+) but struggled more in longer playing time last year. Jettisoned early this year by the Giants, he's put together a fine offensive year with the Pirates.
2019 - Hunter Bishop - Looking like the biggest bust of this group, Bishop hasn't made it to the big leagues yet. He did start off decently in his short season debut in 2019 but lost all of 2020 due to the pandemic and missed most of 2021 due to injury (played in 16 games that year with a .464 OPS mainly at rookie ball). He came back in 2022 with 85 games at high A ball but hit a pedestrian .727 OPS while being 1.5 years older than the average competition. He then missed all of 2023 due to injury yet got to start the 2024 season with Richmond, posting a .672 OPS there. Despite poor numbers, he got promoted to Sacramento in early June and has posted a .705 OPS in 90 games with the RiverCats.
2020 - Patrick Bailey - The catcher who quickly passed Bart, he made it to the big leagues last year and has shown really good defense and some promising offense, but with a troubling trend of completely bottoming out offensively both years in the 2nd half of the season.
2021 - Will Bednar - This guy could give Bishop a run for his money for biggest bust of the past 10 years. A polished college pitcher, Bednar only reached AA this year and the results have not been good. Injuries have limited his career so far, but he hasn't looked good when healthy, except for 7 good innings his debut season (between the ACL and San Jose). He was limited to 12 starts in 2022 with San Jose, posting a 4.19 ERA but 1.063 WHIP. Then he only appeared in 4 games (3 starts) on a rehab assignment with the ACL in 2023 (4.22 ERA, 1.500 WHIP in 10.2 IP). This year, he has thrown in a total of 31 games (13 starts) between San Jose, Eugene and Richmond. He has thrown 20 games (5 starts) with Richmond, posting a 7.96 ERA and 1.958 WHIP in a generally pitching friendly league.
2022 - Reggie Crawford - Drafted as a 2 way player, Crawford started his professional career as a hitter, getting into 6 games as a DH in the ACL. He posted a .396 OPS in 21 PAs. He got another 18 PAs with San Jose in 2023, posting an .840 OPS, while also making his pitching debut there, appearing in 7 games (11 IP, 4.09 ERA, 1.182 WHIP). He got promoted to Eugene but mainly pitched there, appearing in 6 games (8 IP, 1.13 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) and getting only 1 PA (striking out) there. Curiously, he played as a hitter in fall ball (.558 OPS in 71 PAs), not throwing a pitch there. After his disastrous fall hitting, he was converted to full time pitching this year. Unfortunately, he only got into a combined 14 games this year (7 each with Richmond and Sacramento) before an injury. He looked good with Sacramento (1.04 ERA, 1.154 WHIP in 8.2 IP), so if he can stay healthy, he may at least get to SF in 2025.
2023 - Bryce Eldridge - Another two way player, Eldridge never threw a professional pitch before being moved first to right field and then 1st base as a professional. The first high school pick by the Giants in the first round since Ramos, he hit well in his professional debut in the ACL (1.041 OPS in 61 PAs) before holding his own as a teenager in San Jose (.785 OPS in 69 PAs). Move to 1st base this year, he has taken it to another level, going from San Jose (.801 OPS in 229 PAs) to Eugene (1.060 OPS in 216 PAs) to Richmond (.785 OPS in 40 PAs) to Sacramento (1 for 4 with a 1 K in his first game). Did I mention he is still a teenager (turns 20 in October). The future looks bright with him.
2024 - James Tibbs - I find it interesting that the first guy listed here and the last guy listed here had the same general profile when drafted. Both are big, hulking power guys with limited, questionable defensive abilities. Tibbs got off to a hot start in his debut with San Jose (.941 OPS in 42 PAs, but only 1 walk) before hitting a buzz saw in Eugene (.455 OPS in 74 PAs). Hope he works out better than Shaw.
2015 - Chris Shaw - Power hitting outfielder/1st baseman who was strikeout prone and not very good defensively. Got to the big leagues around the time FZ took over the front office. As we know, FZ has been reluctant to hang his hat on the previous regime's players and barely gave Shaw a chance with the big club, despite generally good numbers in AAA. He didn't hit well in the brief time he did play with SF. Jettisoned from the 40 man roster after the 2020 season, he was picked up by Baltimore, he missed most of 2021 due to injury and struggled in his 20 games with their org. Played independent ball in 2022 and signed a minor league deal with the White Sox for 2023, struggled in 55 games with their AA team, signed one more deal with an independent team that year and hasn't been seen in 2024.
2015 - Phil Bickford - A controversial pick from the draft, he got shipped to Milwaukee in 2016 and has become a journeyman reliever since making his debut with them in 2020. He has pitched in 187 big league games, all in relief, with the Brewers, Dodgers, Mets and Yankees. He has a 1.27 WHIP and 4.62 ERA thus far.
2016 - None
2017 - Heliot Ramos - Finally found success in the big leagues this year but had a rough road. Initially looked good but showed a penchant for struggling initially at each level of professional baseball, it looked like he would become an afterthought with the Giants.
2018 - Joey Bart - Last of the 1st round picks of the previous regime, Bart got surpassed in the catching depth charts by another 1st round catcher. He did have a decent year in 2022 with the Giants (0.8 WAR but 87 OPS+) but struggled more in longer playing time last year. Jettisoned early this year by the Giants, he's put together a fine offensive year with the Pirates.
2019 - Hunter Bishop - Looking like the biggest bust of this group, Bishop hasn't made it to the big leagues yet. He did start off decently in his short season debut in 2019 but lost all of 2020 due to the pandemic and missed most of 2021 due to injury (played in 16 games that year with a .464 OPS mainly at rookie ball). He came back in 2022 with 85 games at high A ball but hit a pedestrian .727 OPS while being 1.5 years older than the average competition. He then missed all of 2023 due to injury yet got to start the 2024 season with Richmond, posting a .672 OPS there. Despite poor numbers, he got promoted to Sacramento in early June and has posted a .705 OPS in 90 games with the RiverCats.
2020 - Patrick Bailey - The catcher who quickly passed Bart, he made it to the big leagues last year and has shown really good defense and some promising offense, but with a troubling trend of completely bottoming out offensively both years in the 2nd half of the season.
2021 - Will Bednar - This guy could give Bishop a run for his money for biggest bust of the past 10 years. A polished college pitcher, Bednar only reached AA this year and the results have not been good. Injuries have limited his career so far, but he hasn't looked good when healthy, except for 7 good innings his debut season (between the ACL and San Jose). He was limited to 12 starts in 2022 with San Jose, posting a 4.19 ERA but 1.063 WHIP. Then he only appeared in 4 games (3 starts) on a rehab assignment with the ACL in 2023 (4.22 ERA, 1.500 WHIP in 10.2 IP). This year, he has thrown in a total of 31 games (13 starts) between San Jose, Eugene and Richmond. He has thrown 20 games (5 starts) with Richmond, posting a 7.96 ERA and 1.958 WHIP in a generally pitching friendly league.
2022 - Reggie Crawford - Drafted as a 2 way player, Crawford started his professional career as a hitter, getting into 6 games as a DH in the ACL. He posted a .396 OPS in 21 PAs. He got another 18 PAs with San Jose in 2023, posting an .840 OPS, while also making his pitching debut there, appearing in 7 games (11 IP, 4.09 ERA, 1.182 WHIP). He got promoted to Eugene but mainly pitched there, appearing in 6 games (8 IP, 1.13 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) and getting only 1 PA (striking out) there. Curiously, he played as a hitter in fall ball (.558 OPS in 71 PAs), not throwing a pitch there. After his disastrous fall hitting, he was converted to full time pitching this year. Unfortunately, he only got into a combined 14 games this year (7 each with Richmond and Sacramento) before an injury. He looked good with Sacramento (1.04 ERA, 1.154 WHIP in 8.2 IP), so if he can stay healthy, he may at least get to SF in 2025.
2023 - Bryce Eldridge - Another two way player, Eldridge never threw a professional pitch before being moved first to right field and then 1st base as a professional. The first high school pick by the Giants in the first round since Ramos, he hit well in his professional debut in the ACL (1.041 OPS in 61 PAs) before holding his own as a teenager in San Jose (.785 OPS in 69 PAs). Move to 1st base this year, he has taken it to another level, going from San Jose (.801 OPS in 229 PAs) to Eugene (1.060 OPS in 216 PAs) to Richmond (.785 OPS in 40 PAs) to Sacramento (1 for 4 with a 1 K in his first game). Did I mention he is still a teenager (turns 20 in October). The future looks bright with him.
2024 - James Tibbs - I find it interesting that the first guy listed here and the last guy listed here had the same general profile when drafted. Both are big, hulking power guys with limited, questionable defensive abilities. Tibbs got off to a hot start in his debut with San Jose (.941 OPS in 42 PAs, but only 1 walk) before hitting a buzz saw in Eugene (.455 OPS in 74 PAs). Hope he works out better than Shaw.
