SF Giants Top 10 Prospects
| 15
|
by Trecole696
Baseball America recently listed the Giants top 10 prospects heading into 2008. The most surprising thing about this list is how many players it contains from the 2007 amateur draft. That just goes to show you how thin the Giants farm system is when 4/10 of the prospects listed where in high school at this time last year. Here is a short rundown of the players who were listed and my quick take on them, as well as a few guys who didn't make the list but should be watched as well:
1. Angel Villalona, 3b- 17 year-old is still at least 3 years away, but is the Giants equivalent to what Miguel Cabrera was for the Marlins a few years back. He's playing 3rd now, but could move to first by the time he reaches the bigs. Best Giants positional prospect in decades and he's still just 17. Only Giants' prospect to make baseball's top 50 list.
2. Tim Alderson, rhp- Scouts feel the Giants 2nd overall pick from '07 could be the first of the class to reach the majors. Has been starting, but could be a future closer because of wacky delivery and overpowering stuff.
3. Madison Bumgarner, lhp- #10 overall pick signed late and didn't pitch any professional ball this summer. Expectations will be big in '08 for the hard throwing lefty. Giants expect him to be on a similar time frame as Matt Cain as far as reaching the bigs, which means we probably won't see him until 2010.
4. Nate Schierholtz, of- Always has hit .300, but power and patience haven't showed up at the big league level yet. He will get more ab's in 2008, but has to show improvement in those areas to be a starter at this level.
5. Henry Sosa, rhp- One of the most intriguing arms in the Giants system. I really like the potential this kid has. The 22 year-old rightie has Pedro Liriano stuff, (2.44 era, 11 wins, 139 k's in 126 ip in A), and made the futures game in '07. He has the best fastball in the system and should be kept in the rotation.
6. Nick Noonan, 2b/ss- Another first rounder from the '07 draft had a solid season in the rookie league. Not much power, but a good contact hitter with a solid glove. Baseball America thinks he's the Giants' most disciplined hitter in the system.
7. Eugenio Velez, of/2b- I'm surprised he made it this list. He's a solid player and still has upside, but he's almost 26 and has moved past the prospect phase.
8. Wendell Fairley, of- I really liked this pick when the Giants made it in June, I think this guy was one of the best athletes in the draft and could and could be a future star. Has Carl Crawford and Grady Sizemore type talent, hopefully he can reach it.
9. John Bowker, of- 24 yr. old hit 22 home runs in AA last season and was the Giants top power hitter in the minors. Will probably start the year in Fresno and could get and could get a shot at some point in '08 but he's got about 6-7 guys ahead of him on the depth chart at this point.
10. Emmanuel Burriss, ss- The potential heir apparent to Omar Vizquel has a lot of glove and speed but has yet to show the bat to get him out of Low A ball. Had a good Fall League showing though and could be destined for a big 2008 season in AA.
Guys who didn't make it:
Travis Denker, 2B- Obtained in the Mark Sweeney trade in August. He has always shown some power potential and a good glove. Has been compared to Marcus Giles because of his height and power potential. Hasn't done much yet beyond single A, but is only 22 and still has some time.
Sergio Romo, rhp- The 24 year-old rightie had about as good of season as one could have in 2007. He dominated in A ball for San Jose this season to the tune of a 6-2 record, a 1.36 era, and a k/bb ratio of 106/15 in 66 innings pitched. Then he went on to the AFL and didn't miss a beat.
The San Francisco Giants Blog-http://giantsbaseballblog.blogspot.com/
