San Francisco Giants: How the Farm System Fared this Season

The San Francisco Giants have had an intriguing season. While the farm system showed signs of progress early, much like the big league club, the on-field development took a hit in the second half. Despite that, many prospects still had strong seasons. We’ll take a look at how they fared in 2018.

The San Francisco Giants have a much improved farm system. With plenty of top prospects in the organization now, and an improving crop of players we’re going to take a look at some of the best performers. We’ll take a look at how the Top 30 fared, as well as those who aren’t on the Top 30 that either have a future there, or turned some heads this season. First, let’s take a look at how the affiliates all finished in 2018.

Salem Keizer was the lowest level affiliate for the year that wasn’t related to the DSL or Arizona Rookie League. They went 36-40, finishing second in their division, but 15 games back. Augusta was the next step up, and they finished 67-70. San Jose had a rough year going 59-81, and Richmond didn’t fare much better going 62-76. Sacramento rounded out the losing records with a 55-85 record, although most of their top talent was raided by the San Francisco Giants.

Minor League team success doesn’t always translate to Big League success, however it wasn’t a very pretty year for most of those teams. What probably matters more though is the development of some of their young studs across all levels. Before we break down the performances of those “Top-30” prospects, let’s take a look at some of the top performing guys who don’t appear on that list!

Jesus Tona-Salem Keizer-RHP

The Right Handed Reliever from Venezuela struck out 41 in 31 innings and only walked eight. He brought in tow his 0.87 ERA as well. A strong showing from his first look at extended play.

Matt Frisbe-Salem Keizer-RHP

The 15th round draft pick of 2018 for the San Francisco Giants was on a bit of an innings limit, but didn’t disappoint. He threw 27.1 innings striking out 36 and only walking 13. His strong performance will certainly help his case to be a starter in Augusta next year.

David Villar-Salem Keizer-3B

Villar looked like the steal of the draft for the Giants, as he blasted 13 homers to tie with top prospect Joey Bart. He slashed .279/.332/.549/.881 in 226 At-Bats. The Giants 11th round draft pick certainly made some noise this summer and will certainly get close to the top-30 this offseason.

John Gavin-Augusta-LHP

Gavin may not be a top prospect in the Giants eyes but he put together a very strong season in Augusta. He made 20 starts there before finishing his season in San Jose. He put together a 2.08 ERA and struck out 111 over 95 innings. He only walked 37.

Dan Slania-Richmond-RHP

Slania has been in and around prospect boards in the past, but wasn’t there this season. He had a solid season as a reliever after the Giants decided to convert him to a starter for 2017. He struggled, and now he had another solid season as a reliever. Slania threw 70.1 innings and struck out 69 for a 2.43 ERA. His whip was a nice and low 1.05 as well. He’s no Ray Black, but he could have that type of journey to the big leagues.

Ryder Jones-Sacramento-3B

Jones had another solid season in Sacramento, and you have to be reminded he’s only 24. It wasn’t near as good as his 2017 season in Sacramento, but he showed some signs of improvement when it came to his plate discipline, and you’ve seen equal success in his big league stints as he had in 2017, except for the fact he’s put up the same production of homers and RBI, but in 140 less AB’s. Watch him going forward.

#30-Sam Coonrod-RHP

Coonrod was recovering from Tommy John surgery for most of the 2018 season. He threw in 11 innings and struck out 23, which is a nice little caveat. Though he did post a 5.4 ERA, what matters most is that he’s back to being healthy, and can strike people out.

#29-Garrett Cave-RHP

Cave spent all of 2018 with the Augusta Green Jackets, starting 26 games. He threw a total of 116.2 innings, and struck out 118. However, his WHIP and ERA reflect his true issues as he posted a 1.54 and a 5.20 respectively.

#28-C.J. Hinojosa-SS

Hinojosa missed a good portion of 2018 thanks to a PED suspension, and one has to consider how much longer he’ll be on this list. In his limited time this year, he hit .261 and had a .327 OBP. However he hit for very little power, and his glove isn’t good enough to cover up his lack of XBH power.

#27-Tyler Herb-RHP

Herb had a somewhat disappointing year. He was injured for a good part of the first half, and finally got going again in the second. In 13 starts in Sacramento, he posted a 5.35 ERA and only struck out 59 in 70.2 innings. A bit of a step back from his nice end to 2017 and solid spring training.

#26-Ryan Howard-SS

Howard spent all of 2017 with Richmond. His gap to gap power was evident as he had 32 doubles, but didn’t show off power anywhere else. He hit for .273 and struck out only 50 times. His glove is good enough to get him to the big leagues, the question is if his average can be good enough to translate.

#25-Jalen Miller-2B

Miller is easily the most improved prospect for the San Francisco Giants. He was a Cal-League All-Star and had his best year in the big leagues. Miller slashed .276/.321/.434/.755 hitting 14 homers and 35 doubles. The high school draft pick is finally showing signs of improvement and will most certainly advance to Richmond next year.

#24-Blake Rivera-RHP

Rivera was the Giants fourth round draft pick this year. He was a highly touted relief prospect out of an Alabama Community College. The problem is the Giants used him mostly in starters role. We’ll see how they use him in 2019, but the returns on him as a starter were not good. You’ll certainly see him in Augusta to start the season.

#23-Jordan Johnson-RHP

Johnson was OK at best in 2018. While he started out nicely in Richmond, he struggled with the jump to Sacramento, and you’ll likely see him repeat in Sacramento, especially with how many solid young pitchers the Giants already have.

#22-Camilo Doval-RHP

Doval was one of the lone bright spots on the Augusta pitching staff. He has a big fastball and struck out 78 in 53 innings. His 1.26 WHIP wasn’t too bad either. He’s only 21 and definitely has a future as a reliever. A solid year in pro baseball for the young man.

#21-Jake Wong-RHP

Wong was fantastic in Salem-Keizer, posting a 2.30 ERA in 11 starts. He only threw 27 innings though as he was on a bit of an innings limit after a full year of college ball. Wong will certainly be someone to watch for as he moves up the ladder.

#20- Garrett Williams-RHP

Williams was a seventh round draft pick in 2016, and has yet to really gain control of his stuff. While his fastball and curveball flash above average potential, his command is atrocious. 61 walks in 81 innings with only 73k’s for Williams this year. He posted nearly a 2.0 WHIP (1.92). Williams won’t be on this list much longer, and he’s still got a lot of work to do.

#19- Melvin Adon-RHP

Adon is starting to slip on prospect boards, sadly. Adon boasts a booming fastball but not a whole lot else. He gets hit a ton though, despite posting a decent K-BB ratio. His numbers were below in the CAL-League, which is usually known as a hitters league. Adon is another that isn’t long for this list.

#18-Juan De Paula-RHP

De Paula only made one appearance with the Augusta Green Jackets since his trade from the Yankees. However you can definitely see why they liked him. The lanky 21 year old struck out 9 in five innings in his only appearance with Augusta. His fastball is mid 90’s but could grow if he actually fills out his 6’3″ frame. He’ll add a few pounds at 165 currently. The Giants definitely have a diamond in the rough if they can get him to have better control. I wouldn’t be surprised if he shoots up their rankings next year.

#17-Abiatal Avelino-INF

Avelino was the other piece that the Giants got for Andrew McCutchen. He made his debut in the big leagues with SF getting three hits in 11 At Bats. Not bad. He had his best year at the plate in the minors, slashing .283/.329/.438/.767 and posting a career high of 15 homers. The Giants seem to have yet another Ehire Adrianza on their hands, with a more advanced bat. Could he earn a backup role in the middle infield next year? He sure as hell could as his glove at short might be enough to put him in that conversation over Alen Hanson.

#16-Ray Black-RHP

Black had a big year in the Giants organization. He made his major league debut and struck out a ton of dudes and had an overall good season in the bigs. His ERA might be the only stat that’s worrisome, but his peripherals say that will come back to earth. Both his FIP and xFIP are half of what his ERA is, and usually guys who strike out more guys than they have innings pitched, AND have a 3-1 K/BB Ratio are better than a 6.17. That should come back to earth, and he’ll definitely feature in the bullpen next year.

#15-Aramis Garcia-C

This one is the most interesting year. Normally a bat first guy, Garcia struggled mightily at the plate in 2018 during his stint in the minors. But with Buster Posey‘s injury and no other concrete roster option behind the dish, Garcia played backup behind Nick Hundley for the rest of the season. He proceeded to tie for ninth best on the team in homers in only 65 at-bats. While he certainly may not continue to post those numbers, and he’s he third best catching prospect in the organization, he may have played his way into a job in 2019.

#14-Seth Corry-LHP

Corry was the Giants third round draft pick last year, and finally got to some short season ball with Salem Keizer this year. The Giants are clearly taking it slow with him, but the now 19 year old Corry had a decent showing. He struggled against much older competition in Salem-Keizer this year, posting a 5.49 ERA in 19.2 innings. However he did show out really well in 38 innings in the Arizona Rookie League. He posted a 2.61 ERA with 42 strikeouts and 17 walks. Not bad. He’ll likely start out in Augusta. He has good potential but you’ll have to be patient with the young lefty.

#13-Gregory Santos-RHP

Santos was phenomenal for Salem-Keizer until he got blasted in the head with a come back liner. Santos’ numbers are still quite nice, and were really impressive over the latter half of the NWL season. The Giants certainly made out well in the Eduardo Nuñez trade. Santos is only 19 and will certainly start out in Augusta next season. The hope is that he continues to progress like he has in the last year.

#12-Alexander Canario-OF

Canario was a big time prospect in the DSL who showed a nice knack for power. However, he struggled in his first bit of time stateside. The 18 year old outfielder made his debut in the Arizona League this year, hitting .250 and posting a .761 OPS. He’ll probably get another year in non-full season ball before he makes his full-season debut, but I could be wrong about that.

#11-Logan Webb

Logan Webb was the best prospect pitcher in the Giants organization not named Shaun Anderson this year. We’ll get to Anderson in a bit, but Webb was fantastic in his return from Tommy John. He’s only 21 and has made his way up to Richmond in AA. Webb posted a 1.82 ERA in 20 outings in San Jose, and then posted a 3.82 ERA in six outings in Richmond. I’d like to imagine him on the Andrew Suarez path. He’ll get moved quickly from Richmond next year if he starts out strong, which is consistent with how they handled both Suarez and Anderson over the last two years. He’s a nice prospect coming up the boards, and has relatively little innings on his arm in the minors thanks to Tommy John.