San Francisco Giants Top 10 Prospects
http://tinyurl.com/aov9o2
TOP TEN PROSPECTS
1. Madison Bumgarner lhp
2. Buster Posey c
3. Angel Villalona 1b
4. Tim Alderson rhp
5. Nick Noonan 2b
6. Ehire Adrianza ss
7. Conor Gillaspie 3b
8. Rafael Rodriguez of
9. Scott Barnes lhp
10. Sergio Romo rhp
BEST TOOLS
Best Hitter for Average Buster Posey
Best Power Hitter Angel Villalona
Best Strike-Zone Discipline Eddy Martinez-Esteve
Fastest Baserunner Darren Ford
Best Athlete Wendell Fairley
Best Fastball Madison Bumgarner
Best Curveball Tim Alderson
Best Slider Waldis Joaquin
Best Changeup Scott Barnes
Best Control Madison Bumgarner
Best Defensive Catcher Jackson Williams
Best Defensive Infielder Brian Bocock
Best Infield Arm Brian Bocock
Best Defensive Outfielder Darren Ford
Best Outfield Arm Mike McBryde
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The Giants hit just 94 home runs last year, the fewest by a major league club
in a non-strike-shortened season since the expansion Marlins in 1993. It was
a depressing lack of power for a fan base accustomed to cheering Barry Bonds.
San Francisco took plenty of souvenir baseballs out of play, though. Fifteen
players made their major league debuts before Sept. 1, the most by a club
since the 1954 Philadelphia Athletics, and seemingly hardly a day went by
without someone registering their first hit. After the 162-game experiment
ran its course, the Giants identified a few players—Fred Lewis, Sergio Romo,
Pablo Sandoval, Brian Wilson—who could be part of their next contender. They
also eliminated many others.
Tim Lincecum shined brightest of all. The undersized righthander elevated
himself among the game's elite pitchers, winning the National League Cy Young
Award and becoming the first Giant to lead the majors in strikeouts.
The end result was a 72-90 record and a fourth consecutive losing season, a
run of shame San Francisco hadn't experienced since 1974-77, among the
darkest of ages at Candlestick Park.
Yet there's hope deeper in the system and the Giants might not be down for
long. First-year scouting director John Barr redirected the club's former
pitching-heavy philosophy and took college bats with his top four draft
picks. None made a bigger statement than catcher Buster Posey, Baseball
America's College Player of the Year and the Golden Spikes Award winner, who
signed at the Aug. 15 deadline for $6.2 million.
That was the largest up-front bonus in draft history and nearly triple the
previous franchise record ($2.1 million to Angel Villalona in 2006). It also
underscored a significant change that began the previous season under
longtime general manager Brian Sabean. Instead of borrowing from the
player-development budget to sign veteran free agents, the Giants reduced
payroll and spent more on prospects. They also invested in another top-flight
international talent, signing 16-year-old Dominican outfielder Rafael
Rodriguez for $2.55 million in mid-July.
Most of the system's top talent is at least a year or two away, however, so
2009 promises to be interesting in San Francisco. Sabean and manager Bruce
Bochy have contracts that expire after the season, and new managing partner
Bill Neukom doesn't believe in public votes of confidence. That may be why
the team spent $37.25 million in guaranteed money on several free agents in
the offseason, most notably Edgar Renteria.
Major League Baseball approved Neukom in August to replace Peter Magowan,
whose departure was termed charitably as a retirement. Magowan solidified the
Giants' place in San Francisco, and his ballpark vision was realized with the
construction of a modern classic on the waterfront. But the Mitchell Report
characterized him as a steroids enabler, forever staining his reputation, and
there were indications the club's disastrous $126 million signing of Barry
Zito made him unpopular with club investors.
Magowan approached his role from a fan's perspective, often making impetuous
moves such as the Zito contract. Neukom, the former chief legal mind at
Microsoft, plans to take a measured, analytical approach while prioritizing
player development and a "Giants Way" of competing both on and off the field.
Neukom said he expects San Francisco to be competitive in 2009 and contend
the following season, all while bringing his "Microsoft meritocracy" to the
front office. Even if the Giants show improvement, Neukom could decide he
wants a baseball architect with a more modern perspective than Sabean, who
isn't known to squint at a laptop screen.
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