Giants Farm System Loaded With Top Position Player Prospects


Over the last decade, the San Francisco Giants have been known as a franchise that has struggled to develop homegrown hitting talent. However, that distinction is beginning to change, most notably due to the emergence of Pablo Sandoval as one of the better hitters in the National League. Now entering the 2010 season, nearly all of the top prospects in the farm system are position players and several will be suiting up for teams in the upper levels of the organization as they look to take the next step in their professional careers.

Catchers �"
The San Francisco Giants boast some intriguing catching prospects in their organization at the start of the 2010 campaign with the two headliners expected to open the year at opposite ends of the spectrum. Consensus #1 prospect Buster Posey is now a strong candidate to begin this season in the minor leagues after veteran backstop Bengie Molina was re-signed by the club. Theres a chance that with an impressive spring training, Posey could open the year in San Francisco serving as Molina's back-up while also potentially seeing action at other positions on the infield. However, if the goal is to give Posey a chance to play everyday, at least to start the year, he'll find himself in Triple-A Fresno where the former first round draft pick would lead a talented Grizzlies lineup.

Posey has very little left to accomplish in the minor leagues as a hitter after batting .325 with 18 home runs and 80 RBIs between San Jose and Fresno last season. The slugger only lacks for experience behind the plate with just 110 career games as a catcher at the professional level. Even if Posey does begin the season in Triple-A, he'll almost certainly finish the year up in San Francisco, perhaps as an everyday player.

The other standout catching prospect in the organization can be found in the lower levels of the system in 18-year old rookie Tommy Joseph. San Francisco's second round draft pick last year, Joseph boasts outstanding power potential, in addition to above average arm strength and accuracy from behind the dish. One of the top power hitting prospects in the 2009 draft, Joseph has yet to play a game as a pro and his progress will certainly be watched closely this year. Joseph could open the season in Low-A Augusta, where in addition to catching, he may see time at first base.

Former San Jose Giant Jackson Williams is a candidate to repeat Double-A after struggling with the bat in Connecticut last season. A supplemental first round draft pick three years ago, Williams, 23, is known for his defense prowess, but has had major difficulties producing offensively as evident by a .217 career average. Last year, he hit .223 with a pair of home runs in 105 games with the Defenders, so a return to the Eastern League where he'd catch most days for Richmond seems likely. With Posey set to take over as the starting catcher in San Francisco in the near future, Williams' ceiling in the organization is probably only as a back-up, where he'd still have considerable value due to his excellent defensive abilities. 2010 though will be an important year for Williams as he finally looks to breakthrough offensively.

In San Jose, the expectation is that rising prospect Johnny Monell will take over the catching duties. A former 30th round draft pick, the 24-year old Monell hit .273 with eight home runs and 44 RBIs in Augusta last season before starring in the playoffs with San Jose. Monell is rated the #22 prospect and third-highest catcher in the organization according to Baseball America.

One other name to keep an eye on is 20-year old backstop Hector Sanchez, who is coming off a nice season with the AZL-Giants (Rookie level) last year. Sanchez hit .299 in 33 games last season and while he didn't show much power, the switch-hitter drew a number of walks resulting in an outstanding .403 on-base percentage. Sanchez was rewarded for his efforts with an invitation to big league camp this year. He may start in Augusta, where he'd likely split the catching duties with Joseph, or instead not open his season until June with Salem-Keizer.

Former SJ Giants and veteran catchers Steve Holm, Todd Jennings and Nestor Rojas will likely add depth in the upper levels of the system. Holm has big league experience, but batted just .242 in Fresno last season. Jennings, a second round pick in 2003, missed all of last year due to an injury while Rojas, who has Triple-A experience, hit .293 in 27 games with San Jose to end the '09 season.


Infielders
The strength of San Francisco's Minor League infield corps is expected to be in the upper levels of the system, most notably with middle infielders Brandon Crawford and Nick Noonan. Crawford burst onto the scene early last year with a standout opening month in San Jose when he hit .371 with six homers in 25 games. The athletic shortstop, who is an outstanding defensive player, was quickly promoted to Connecticut where he cooled off to a .258 average and four home runs over 108 contests. The drop in production at the higher level was not a surprise and given that 2009 was Crawford's first full professional season and he was already in Double-A, it's obvious the organization is very high on this 23-year old.

Crawford had a solid season in the Arizona Fall League to further increase his prospect status and the expectations will be high for the Bay Area native in 2010. Crawford's opening day destination is a question, but a return to the Eastern League where he'd pair with Noonan up the middle could be glimpse into the future up in San Francisco.

Noonan was one of the youngest players in the California League last year at age 20 and the former supplemental first round pick slowly improved as the season progressed. Overall, Noonan hit .259 with seven homers and 64 RBIs while playing a solid defensive second base. The youngster will have to increase his output against left-handed pitching (.198 in '09) and the Eastern League should provide another stern test for this top prospect.

Another likely Richmond infielder to start 2010 is former first round pick Conor Gillaspie. Last year as San Jose's everyday third baseman, Gillaspie didn't showcase much home run power (four home runs), but he did knock out 31 doubles to go with 67 RBIs and a solid .286 batting average. Gillaspie's strengths are his line drive stroke and a fantastic eye at the plate and he should find success hitting in Double-A this year. However, the 22-year old often struggled in the field last season and will need to show substantial improvement at the hot corner if he's to stick in the major leagues eventually.

Last year's right side of the infield in Connecticut will almost certainly earn promotions to Fresno as Brett Pill and Brock Bond look to build on fantastic 2009 campaigns. Pill, who was rewarded with a spot on the 40-man roster last fall, enjoyed a breakout year with the Defenders when he batted .298 with 37 doubles, 19 home runs and a league-best 109 RBIs. He's also a tremendous defensive player. Bond, 24, wasn't a high draft pick (24th round in '07), but has done nothing but hit for high averages as a professional, including an Eastern League-leading .333 last year. Bond doesn't possess much power (one home run), but he drew a ton of walks last season, stole 13 bases and is solid defensively. 2010 will be an important year for both Pill and Bond in Fresno as each will look to show that they'll be able to help the big league club in the near future.


First baseman Brett Pill led the Eastern
League with 109 RBI's last year and
should begin this season in Triple-A Fresno
(photo by Tony Medina)
The rest of the Fresno infield is difficult to project with many of last year's Grizzlies looking to earn reserve roles in San Francisco. In all likelihood, former San Jose team MVP Matt Downs will return to the Pacific Coast League, where the versatile utilityman can play second, third, short and corner outfield. Downs hit .300 with 14 home runs and 74 RBIs as one of Fresno's top performers last year, but the 26-year old struggled during a pair of short stints in San Francisco (.170 in 17 games).

Ryan Rohlinger has played primarily third base as a professional and if he doesn't make the big league team, a return to Fresno's hot corner is likely. Rohlinger, who has played briefly in the major leagues in each of the last two seasons, batted .281 with 16 home runs and 78 RBIs as a full-time player with the Grizzlies last year. Rohlinger can also play shortstop.

Kevin Frandsen and Emmanuel Burriss could also be in the mix in Fresno to open the year. Frandsen had a productive year with the Grizzlies in '09 (.295, 13 HR, 55 RBI), but his time is beginning to run out to make an impact at the Major League level. Last year, Frandsen batted just .140 in 50 at-bats with the SF Giants. Meanwhile, expectations are higher for Burriss that he may eventually become a full-time major leaguer as the former supplemental first round pick looks to bounce back from an injury. Burriss made last season's opening day roster in San Francisco, but hit just .238 with six extra-base hits in 202 at-bats before a demotion to Fresno. With the Grizzlies, Burriss played in only 17 games and then suffered a season-ending foot injury. His speed and ability to play either second base or shortstop is attractive, but he'll need to hit to have a chance to see significant Major League time in 2010.

First baseman/DH Jesus Guzman also figures to play a leading role in Fresno's offense this season after batting .321 with 16 homers and 71 RBIs for the Grizzlies last year. Versatile infielder Brad Boyer (.294, 3 HR, 41 RBI) could also earn a promotion to Fresno.

There aren't as many top infield prospects in the lower levels of the farm system with the notable exception of Ehire Adrianza, who projects as San Jose's opening day shortstop. Adrianza, rated the #8 prospect (#1 shortstop) in the organization according to Baseball America, is a switch-hitter known for his magnificent glove work in the field. The 20-year old hit a pedestrian .258 with a pair of home runs in Augusta last season and while he likely won't be playing a leading role in San Jose's offense, Adrianza will definitely be one to watch this year.

Other potential San Jose infielders include second baseman Charlie Culberson, third baseman Drew Biery and first basemen Jose Mazzola and Brandon Belt. Culberson, a 20-year old former supplemental first round pick, will look for a breakthrough season at the plate after consecutive subpar years in Augusta (.234 in 2008, .246 in 2009). Biery was the Most Valuable Player in the Northwest League a season ago after batting .326 with six home runs for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. A 2009 draftee, Biery could be pushed to San Jose. Mazzola was Augusta's top run-producer last year when he knocked out 16 home runs and collected a whopping 96 RBIs to go with a .284 batting average. Meanwhile, Belt was San Francisco's fifth round pick last June after a standout career at college powerhouse Texas and while he's yet to play a game at the professional level, Belt is a candidate to open the year in the California League.

In Augusta, look for third/first baseman Chris Dominguez, who was rated as having the best power in the farm system by Baseball America. Dominguez was a third round draft pick last year and hit a team-best nine home runs on Salem-Keizer's championship team. Shortstop Ryan Cavan (.277, 9 HR, 33 RBI), a 16th rounder in '09 and first baseman Luke Anders (.284, 5 HR, 41 RBI) had productive years in Salem as well and should be in line for promotions.

Outfielders �"
The outfield was a major question mark in the San Francisco farm system entering 2009, but many of those concerns seem to have vanished after the breakthrough years from a number of players. The outstanding outfield trio from last year's San Jose club will all be moving up in the organization with each most likely starting in Double-A Richmond.



Thomas Neal is widely considered the top outfield prospect in the organization after the 22-year old blasted California League pitching last season to the tune of a .337 batting average, 41 doubles, 22 home runs and 90 RBIs. Neal also features an above average arm from his left field position and figures to have a chance to move quickly through the farm system with another big year.

Roger Kieschnick will likely anchor the right field position for the Flying Squirrels after a rookie campaign in which he hit .296 with excellent power numbers of 37 doubles, eight triples, 23 home runs and 110 RBIs. A prototypical power-hitting right fielder, Kieschnick probably needs to cut down on his strikeouts to ensure a quick ascension, but his raw power is some of the best in the entire organization.

Meanwhile, Darren Ford put together a spectacular second half of 2009 in the California League when he hit .354 with eight triples, seven home runs and 27 stolen bases. Ford, who has stolen over 60 bases in three separate years and has some of the best pure speed of any player in baseball, will be watched closely this year after his inclusion on San Francisco's 40-man roster. The 24-year old should man center field in Richmond to start 2010.

The cupboard should be far from bare in San Jose's outfield as Francisco Peguero is expected to return to play center field after a standout postseason with the Giants. Peguero, Augusta's leading hitter in '09 with a .340 batting average, is a potential five-tool player. He was the MVP of the California League Championship Series last September and should play a leading role in San Jose's offense this year.

Former first round draft pick Wendell Fairley could join Peguero in the Giants outfield this season. Fairley was one of the top athletes in the 2007 draft when the organization selected him out of the high school ranks. He's still looking to breakout as a pro after batting .243 with three homers and 42 RBIs in Augusta a season ago. Fairley is expected to play left field.

Other San Jose outfielders could include Ben Woodbury (.336, 0 HR, 16 RBI), James Simmons (.252, 4 HR, 35 RBI, 15 SB) and Juan Perez (.244, 9 HR, 54 RBI, 18 SB), who all played in Augusta last season.

At the Triple-A level, the Grizzlies outfield will likely be filled with several Minor League veterans. Center fielder Mike McBryde got a brief taste of the Pacific Coast League last season, but spent most of the year in Connecticut where he batted a solid .308 with five home runs, 41 RBIs and 16 steals. McBryde was not included on San Francisco's 40-man roster this offseason, but the 25-year old still has outstanding tools with some of the best speed and perhaps the top outfield arm in the farm system.

Former San Jose MVP Eddy Martinez-Esteve will look to finally advance beyond Double-A after spending parts of the last four years in Connecticut. Martinez-Esteve hasn't hit for much home run power lately (eight HRs in 2009), but he did bat at a .300 clip with the Defenders two seasons ago and .291 last year. The 26-year old has never been known for his defensive skills, but a big season in Fresno could catch the attention of many in the organization.

Ben Copeland (.281, 8 HR, 35 RBI, 15 SB in AAA last season) is a versatile athlete who can play all three outfield positions. Clay Timpner (.250, 7 HR, 42 RBI) has leveled off in Fresno, but figures to add depth while journeyman Joe Borchard (.250, 14 HR, 50 RBI) is a switch-hitting power bat with a lot of experience in the outfield.

If he is not included on San Francisco's opening day roster, then reigning Pacific Coast League batting champ John Bowker would obviously be a major part of Fresno's outfield group. Bowker had a massive year with the Grizzlies in 2009 when he hit .342 with 21 home runs, 83 RBI's and a .451 on-base percentage. Bowker though could be the odd man out up in San Francisco as he still has a Minor League option remaining and thus could be sent back to Fresno with no risk of losing him to another organization.

In Augusta, look for speedster Evan Crawford, last year's ninth round draft pick, to patrol center field. Crawford hit .316 as Salem-Keizer's leadoff hitter last season. '09 Salem outfielders Ryan Lollis (.312, 2 HR, 25 RBI) and Dan Cook (.294, 2 HR, 37 RBI) could also be in line for promotions to the South Atlantic League.

Rafael Rodriguez, who won�'t turn 18 until July, probably won't get his start until Salem-Keizer begins their season in June. Rodriguez signed a $2.55 million bonus two years ago and is rated the #12 prospect in the organization according to Baseball America. The 6'5” right fielder isn't showing any home run power yet (0 HRs in 2009), but he did bat an impressive .299 with the AZL-Giants last season as a 17-year old.