San Francisco Giants Prospect Rankings: Top 5 Left-Handed Pitchers

With the 2019 MLB draft now in the rearview and a fresh collection of talent set to join the farm system ranks, we’ll take a position-by-position look at the top prospects at each position for the San Francisco Giants. Up next, the left-handed pitching prospects.

As the San Francisco Giants get set to embark on a full-scale rebuild, more attention than ever will be paid to the current state of the farm system.

With the MLB draft now concluded and two months of the 2019 season in the books, now seems like as good a time as any for an updated look at the farm system.

Rather than simply providing a cumulative ranking of the team’s top prospects, we’re going to go position-by-position to see how the team is lined up for the future.

Up next are the left-handed pitchers:

1. Conner Menez (24 years old)

A 14th-round pick in 2016 out of The Master’s College, Conner Menez has rapidly climbed the ranks of the San Francisco farm system.

He posted a 4.46 ERA and 1.38 WHIP with an eye-opening 171 strikeouts in 135.1 innings over three minor league levels last season, and he was sent to Double-A to begin the 2019 campaign.

In 11 starts at Richmond, he pitched to a 2.72 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with 70 strikeouts in 59.2 innings, earning a promotion to Triple-A as a result.

The 24-year-old has punched out 19 batters in 11 innings in his first two starts since the promotion, and he could make his MLB debut later this season.

2. Seth Corry, Single-A (20 years old)

The Giants signed Seth Corry to an above-slot bonus of $1 million as a third-round pick in 2017, and he is already flashing some exciting potential.

MLB.com wrote: “Corry’s best pitch is his curveball, which he commands better than his fastball and sits in the upper 70s with 12-to-6 break. His quick arm produces low-90s heaters that top out at 96 with running action. He has improved his changeup since turning pro, giving him the makings of an average third pitch. He elicits comparisons to a young Matt Moore, who also had trouble locating his pitches early in his pro career. Corry is athletic but has a lot of effort in his delivery and has yet to repeat it consistently.”

The 20-year-old has a 2.73 ERA with and a .194 opponents’ batting average with 73 strikeouts in 49.1 innings at Single-A this season. However, he has also walked 37 batters for a 6.8 BB/9 walk rate.

If he can take the next step with his command, he has the stuff to emerge as one of the team’s best young arms.

3. Garrett Williams, Double-A (24 years old)

A first-round talent coming out of high school, Garrett Williams underwent thoracic outlet surgery during his senior year and wound up slipping to the 33rd round. He honored his commitment to Oklahoma State and questions about his command made him a seventh-round pick in the 2006 draft.

He struggled to a 6.06 ERA with a 73-to-61 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 81.2 innings at Double-A last season but turned heads in the Arizona Fall League with a 1.88 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 24 innings.

The 24-year-old has returned to Double-A this season where he is showing some signs of improvement. His ERA is down to 4.42 and he has trimmed his walk rate from 6.7 to 4.9 BB/9. There’s still work to do, though.

4. Caleb Baragar, Double-A (25 years old)

A ninth-round pick out of Indiana in 2016, Caleb Baragar showed some intriguing signs of improvement last season.

His strikeout rate climbed from 6.4 to 9.3 K/9 last season and he trimmed his WHIP from 1.41 to 1.18 in the process.

The 25-year-old has posted a 3.02 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 60 strikeouts in 62.2 innings between High-A and Double-A, and he has emerged as one to watch as he advances through the upper levels of the minors.

5. Sam Selman, Triple-A (28 years old)

At 28 years old, Sam Selman is not a traditional prospect, but he still has rookie eligibility so we’re including him here.

Signed to a minor league deal during the offseason, Selman came over from the Kansas City Royals who made him a second-round pick in the 2012 draft.

He’s working exclusively as a reliever at this point in his career and he’s been borderline unhittable. In 23 appearances between Double-A and Triple-A, he has a 1.65 ERA and 0.74 WHIP with a staggering 58 strikeouts in 32.2 innings.

Once Will Smith and Tony Watson are inevitably traded, Selman should get his shot in the San Francisco Giants bullpen.

Others of Note: Travis Bergen (MLB), Williams Jerez (Triple-A), JJ Santa Cruz (High-A), Joey Marciano (High-A), John Gavin (High-A)

The San Francisco Giants have welcomed Shaun Anderson and Tyler Beede into the MLB rotation this season, and there is plenty more pitching talent on the way.