SF Giants: Fastest Prospect in the Organization is a Surprising Name

MLB.com revealed its list of the fastest prospects in each organization and a surprising name made the list for the SF Giants. According to their list, infield prospect Simon Whiteman is the fastest prospect in the system, receiving a 65-grade on the 20-80 scale.

SF Giants fastest prospect is infielder Simon Whiteman, per MLB.com.

Whiteman was originally drafted by the Giants in the ninth round of the 2019 draft out of Yale University. His inclusion on the list is a mild surprise given that he has one professional season and a total of 310 plate appearances under his belt. In his brief pro debut at Low-A after signing, he slashed a meager .274/.386/.313 line with eight doubles, one triple, no home runs, and 14 RBI. However, it’s a lot easier to evaluate speed than most other tools.

Despite the total lack of power, he does bring good plate discipline to the table as he posted a 14.5 percent walk rate against an even 19 percent strikeout rate. Furthermore, most impressive, he successfully swiped 31 bags in 42 chances.

His pro debut caught the attention of some talent evaluators as Paul Aiton of Prospects 1500 rated him as the no. 48 prospect in the Giants farm system before the 2020 campaign. Similar to MLB.com, Aiton highlighted Whiteman’s speed and plate discipline while going on to say that it was a good pick by the front office.

In the field, the 24-year-old saw time at both second base and shortstop, so it will be interesting if he can stick as a middle infielder once he reaches the upper levels. There is not much video of his style of play, but he did make a tremendous grab while at Yale:

Marco Luciano, Heliot Ramos, and Joey Bart are just a few of the names that receive a lot of attention in the SF Giants farm system, but there are definitely traits to like in Simon Whiteman beyond his speed. He looks like a gritty ballplayer with a good command of the strike zone while being able to play up the middle. These are the qualities that the Giants’ front office targets with the hopes that he can eventually become a big-league contributor.