San Francisco Giants: The Good and the Bad from the Arizona Fall League

The good has included the pitching performances from Adon, Wolff, Williams, and to a lesser extent, Johnson.

Adon’s power fastball has been on full display in the Arizona Fall League. In addition to this, his slider to developing and becoming a nice complement to his fastball.

Adon has punished Arizona Fall League hitters. He has posted a 1.54 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 11.2 innings. The command has improved as he has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen.

Sam Wolff, who was acquired in the Matt Moore trade with the Rangers last offseason, struggled mightily in his first season in the Giants organization. The Arizona Fall League has been a little kinder.

Wolff’s repertoire includes a quality fastball as well as a slider and curveball. His biggest issue is staying on the field. He has sustained a couple significant injuries throughout his professional career. As a result, he is a little on the older side at 27 years old.

Wolff has not given up a run in nine innings. This includes 12 strikeouts, and he has only allowed two runners to reach base. The Arizona Fall League typically is a hitter’s league, but Wolff disagrees with that notion. Similar to Adon, Wolff is not too far away from making it on to the Giants roster.

Williams, hopefully, has turned a corner in his development. After a forgetful 2018 season with Richmond, Williams is looking to finish the year on a higher note.

Williams’ repertoire includes a quality fastball and an effective slider and curveball. He has good stuff. However, his command continues to limit the effectiveness of his offerings.

So far in the AFL, Williams has posted a 1.35 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 20 innings of work. He has, however, given up seven free passes. But, this is a substantial improvement from his season in Richmond where he averaged 6.7 BB/9.

Williams will likely repeat Double-A in 2019. But, he could earn a quick promotion to Sacramento if his AFL performance carries over.

Lastly, Chase Johnson continues his rebound from Tommy John Surgery. Johnson is on the 40-man roster. So, the expectation is we may see him in a San Francisco Giants uniform soon.

In the AFL, Johnson has posted a 3.86 ERA. However, his peripherals have been far less encouraging. He has given up only three hits including a home run, but he has issued five walks in seven innings of work.

As good as the pitching side has been for the San Francisco Giants prospects, the opposite can be said for their hitting prospects. Regardless, Adon, Wolff, Williams, and Johnson all have intriguing tools, and all four seem likely to make their major league debut at some point.