Top 22 Prospects: San Francisco Giants

Below is an analysis of the prospects in the farm system of the San Francisco Giants. Scouting reports are compiled with information provided by industry sources as well as from our own (both Eric Longenhagen’s and Kiley McDaniel’s) observations. For more information on the 20-80 scouting scale by which all of our prospect content is governed you can click here. For further explanation of the merits and drawbacks of Future Value, read this.

All the numbered prospects here also appear on THE BOARD, a new feature at the site that offers sortable scouting information for every organization. Click here to visit THE BOARD.

50 FV Prospects

Ramos is built like Yoan Moncada and comes with similar strengths and weaknesses. He runs very well, is likely to play in the middle of the diamond, has big raw power for his age, and his issues with strikeouts should give us pause about how much of these skills will actually play in games. Also like Moncada, Ramos’ swing has natural lift out in front of him, which gives him a good chance to hit for power when he does make contact.

He was pushed pretty aggressively to full-season ball this year, and it wouldn’t be surprising or concerning if his numbers were bad all year. He was considered raw by amateur scouts and struck out a lot in the AZL after signing. If everything clicks, the skills closely mirror peak Carlos Gomez, or something like him, but Ramos is a pretty volatile prospect.

45 FV Prospects

If Duggar made a swing change in 2017, it was too subtle for me to notice in the Fall League, but his batted-ball profile had certainly changed. Once producing ground-ball rates in the 46-48% range, Duggar’s ground-ball output is now in the 30-32% range over the past two years. This newfound power-hitting potential will likely manifest itself as doubles, but that should be enough to allow Duggar to play every day, as he’s good in center and has a great idea of the strike zone. He projects as a second-division regular, but it’s possible he reaches base enough to generate more value than that. He’s nearly ready and is San Francisco’s center fielder of the future.

Canario has plus-plus, untamed bat speed. He’s raw right now, as you’d expect for a 17-year old, and has issues with stride direction, swing length, and aggressiveness, which all need remedying. But teenagers with this kind of bat speed are rare and Canario looks good enough in center field that he has a fair chance to stay there. He’s a high-variance prospect with, as early looks indicate, a huge ceiling. Canario’s placement on the list is less about unbridled excitement for his skillset and more about trepidation regarding the rest of the system.

Beede has never developed command better than what he had in college, and his otherwise terrific stuff (92-94, touch 97, good changeup and curveball with a firm cutter) plays down because of it. He made his major-league debut this year and projects as a frustrating, but solid, No. 4/5 starter who has the stuff to turn into much more than that if a big-league pitching coach can find a way to fix his strike-throwing.

Williams’ control was so bad in college that, as an underclassman, he’d go long periods of time without pitching. He still has issues, but lefties with 70 curveballs who touch 96 aren’t exactly easy to find. If things don’t pan out in the rotation for Williams, he could be a dominant late-inning reliever, especially if his fastball ticks up out of the bullpen.

Shaw has some Quad-A traits (he’s a 1B-only defender despite tries in the outfield corners, and he strikes out a ton), but he does have truly massive raw power and has generally performed, for several years now, at the upper levels of the minors. He also remained engaged and vocal with his teammates throughout last Fall League season even after he was shut down due to injury. He could be an average everyday first baseman, but there’s significant risk that the strikeouts prove insurmountable.

40 FV Prospects

Gonzalez projects to be quite similar to Shaw as it’s unclear if he can stay at third base — his hands are not very good, so maybe a corner-outfield spot is the next step instead of first, because Gonzalez runs fairly well. While he also has strikeout issues, he projects to have 70 or better raw power at peak. Gonzalez signed an underslot deal as a second-rounder in 2017.

Suarez was a polished high-school lefty in 2012 and spurned the Blue Jays as an 11th-rounder in favor of attending Miami, where he had to redshirt as a freshman due to labrum surgery. He was drafted two more times (both in the second round) and has mostly been healthy as he’s climbed to the majors, debuting this year. He sits 90-94 and will touch 95, complementing his fastball with a bevy of average secondaries. He’s a big-league-ready fifth starter.

Snelten has an atypical pitch combination for a reliever. He’s a sinker/changeup guy with a bad breaking ball. His size and unique delivery enable everything he throws to play up against lefties, and the changeup neutralizes righties, so he looks poised to handle both-handed hitters in the majors. This is the kind of prospect whose unique way of doing things clouds his projection, but, in Snelten’s case, it seems to aid his. On the surface he’s a generic relief prospect, but there’s a chance Snelten is unique enough to outperform our grade.

Garcia spent most of 2017 at High-A and turned 25 in January, but he does have above-average raw power and is a passable defensive catcher, so it’s likely he becomes a bat-first backup in the next year or two.

Fabian destroyed the AZL in 2016 before going to Low-A in 2017 and swinging at everything. When he makes contact, it’s loud, but some combination of power and patience needs to grow here because Fabian has to play an outfield corner, and upper-level pitching is going to exploit his aggressiveness.

Santos was acquired from Boston as part of the Eduardo Nunez trade before he had even set foot in the U.S. Santos is a big, good-framed power righty who has been up to 98 this spring and flashed a plus slider. He has streaks of good command, but those typically erode by the third inning of his appearances, and there’s still doubt that Santos can start because his control is so far behind where it should be, even at age 18. He has mid-rotation upside if the command comes and is a late-inning ‘pen arm if it doesn’t.

Slater reached Double-A in 2015 and has hit there — and at Triple-A — for the past several seasons while he’s fallen down the defensive spectrum. He has enough of a bat to play some kind of bench role, but we’re not talking about a 2B/CF anymore, and Slater’s swing path doesn’t produce the power necessary to play left field regularly. He’s a tough 25-man fit, but he hits enough that we think he makes his way onto a roster somewhere soon, especially if the Giants decide to rebuild.

The Giants acquired Herb from Seattle for cash last summer, and it looks like he’s going to turn into a fifth starter or bullpen piece. He sits 90-93 and will touch 96 with sink, plus a tick of perceived velo for extension. Herb’s curveball is plus, but the rest of the repertoire is unspectacular, and his command is fringy, hence the conservative projection. He’s currently pitching in the Triple-A rotation.

If your prospecting tastes are tailored toward certainty, then Anderson should be higher on this list, as he’s a fairly stable back-end-starter candidate. He was overshadowed at Florida due to the Gators’ glut of talent, but he has starter stuff, sitting 90-94 and touching 96 with average secondaries. He could max out as a No. 4 starter and is off to a good start at Double-A.

Hinojosa was a high-profile high schooler whose body went backwards at Texas. He’s improved his conditioning since signing, and his tools have bounced back enough that he projects as a utility man trending upward with contact skills. He’s also currently on suspension for a second positive drug test and also dealt with an Achilles injury this spring.

Moronta is a pretty standard relief prospect with a mid-90s fastball that touches 99 to go with a power slider. His changeup is also good, but he doesn’t really throw it. He’s had issues with command this year, and getting those fixed takes precedent over development of a third pitch, but there’s a chance he becomes a three-pitch bullpen force later in his career. If not, he’ll be a fine middle reliever.

Gomez has among the best bat-to-ball skills in the minors. He moves the barrel around the zone and tracks pitches well, including breaking balls. He’s a very aggressive hitter and swings indiscriminately, which impedes his ability to reach base. It’s tough to project him as more than a bench piece — he played all four infield spots in 2016 and has caught in the past, but he plays second base exclusively now — because he’s 25, at Double-A, and lacking in-game pop or on-base ability.

Beltre has had trouble staying healthy, playing under 100 total games from 2014 through 2016 and is currently on the shelf to start this year, but he does have a well-rounded collection of tools and is a viable defender at second and third base. If he can stay healthy, he projects as a multi-positional bench bat, at least.

Doval is one of the weirdest pitching prospects in the minors. He seemingly has no idea how to grip the baseball. I’ve seen his fastball range anywhere from 92-99 within the same inning of work, and sometimes they have natural cut and spin in at a supernatural 2700 rpms at any speed in that range, and other times they have no movement at all. Cutting fastballs with this kind of velocity and spin combo don’t really exist. Doval needs to cross a yawning developmental chasm to reach the big leagues. It’s probably going to take a while for him to develop just as a reliever. We’re not sure if he’s good, but he’s weird in a very specific way that indicates he could be strong if his stuff is properly harnessed.

Adon is a low-slot, short-striding, arm-strength lottery ticket who has been up to 102.

Webb had Tommy John in 2016. His stuff has returned and he was up to 97, sitting 92-95 this spring while flashing a 55 slider and change. His delivery and command likely limit him to a relief role.

Other Prospects of Note
Grouped by type and listed in order of preference within each category.

Probable Relievers Who Should Have Your Attention
Ray Black, RHP
Tyler Cyr, RHP
Seth Corry, LHP
Garrett Cave, RHP
Michael Cederoth, RHP
Joan Gregorio, RHP
Raffi Vizcaino, RHP
Franklin Van Gurp, RHP
Weilly Yan, RHP
Sam Wolff, RHP
Sandro Cabrera, LHP
Sam Coonrod, RHP

Black continues to fascinate me, and I hope he gets a big-league look at some point. I’ve seen his fastball up to 103 but more in the 96-99 range lately, and it spins in at extreme spots on the velo/spin continuum. He’s 28, has a long injury history, and has been passed over in the Rule 5 a few times, but I hope he gets a shot somewhere because he might be a tweak away from being dominant. Cyr sits 92-96, throws strikes, and has a good changeup and a passable breaking ball. He’s repeating Double-A and isn’t on the 40-man, but there’s a chance he debuts this year. Corry was the team’s third-rounder in 2017 as a prep lefty out of Utah. He sits 92-94 and has a hammer curve but 30 control right now. Cave will touch 96 and has a plus slider as well as a curveball that has pleasing shape but is easy to identify out of his hand. Cederoth was released in 2017 because of wildness. His fastball/slider combo would play in middle innings if that gets solved. Joan Gregorio’s velo was down after he returned from a PED suspension. His size/delivery still might enable 90-94 and a fringe slider to play up in short bursts. Vizcaino has poor control but will touch 97 and flash a plus change. Van Gurp is a sinker/slider short-strider with entertaining on-mound mannerisms and 40 control. Yan touches 95 and flashes a 60 slider. Wolff has a 60 fastball and two average breaking balls but is out with a flexor-tendon injury to start the year. Cabrera has a plus curve and tweaked his delivery to get down the mound better, but his velo regressed last year. Coonrod touches 94 and has a 55 curveball.

Up-the-Middle Depth
Ricardo Genoves, C
Bryce Johnson, CF
Jalen Miller, 2B
Ryan Howard, SS

Genoves is a strong-bodied Rookie-ball catcher with some pop and advanced defensive ability. Johnson is a well-built college center fielder with little power. He’s probably a fourth outfielder, but there are some paths toward a larger role for him if his frame fills out late or if he hits enough. Miller can square a fastball and needs to keep hitting as he’s limited to second base. Howard is unlikely to have much offensive impact, but he’s fine at short and could reach the majors because of his glove.

Outfield Depth
Heath Quinn, OF
Diego Rincones, OF
Malique Ziegler, OF
Gio Brusa, OF
Jose Layer, OF
Jacob Heyward, OF
Izzy Munguia, OF
Aaron Bond, OF

Though all have limitations, there are so many of these guys in the system that it’s likely one or two of them works out. Quinn has plus power and pitch selection but poor bat control and has been hurt. Rincones has excellent feel to hit but limited physical projection, so the power may be short for a corner. Ziegler is a lithe, athletic outfielder who was a late pick out of an Iowa Juco in 2016. He makes explosive use of his lower half during his swing but his barrel control and raw strength are questionable. Brusa and Heyward have big power. Layer can square up fastballs. Munguia is an entertaining top-of-the-lineup catalyst who is probably just an org. player. Bond is a 70 runner with some raw power, but his swing path is an issue.

Cistulli’s Guy
Selected by Carson Cistulli from any player who received less than a 40 FV.
Ryan Howard, SS
Howard has so far recorded both a higher walk rate and lower strikeout rate at Double-A this season than he did at High-A last year. Indeed, of the 90 qualified batters in the Eastern League, only five have produced a lower strikeout rate than Howard, and only one of those (Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the top prospect not in the majors) is younger than Howard. The advantage of making contact with such frequency is that it places less stress on the quality of contact — which is relevant in Howard’s case, because his power resides on the fringes. The combination of his bat-to-balls skills and defensive value, though, create a reasonably high floor.

System Overview

This system is not particularly good, but it does have some exciting young talent in Ramos and Canario, and it’s likely to get more soon: the Giants pick second in June’s draft and are the favorites to sign exciting SS Marco Luciano in July. The system also has as a few likely big-league role-players in Duggar, Shaw, and the upper-level pitching, and there’s enough arm-strength depth that the club will probably have a homegrown bullpen for a while.

The Giants are in a tough spot on the competitive cycle. Even with about $32 million coming off the payroll this offseason (Pence and McCutchen), they have long-term commitments to Belt, Crawford, Cueto, Longoria, and Posey, and three of those seem like they’d be hard to trade. The club is playing .500 ball right now and in the thick of things in the NL West and the NL at large. The organization is more heavily scouting the lower levels of the minors this year and is in better position to acquire newly discovered young talent should they become sellers.