SF Giants Prospects: 5 Strongest Positions in the Farm System

Marc Delucchi continues Around the Foghorn’s SF Giants prospect week with a look at the strongest positions in the organization’s farm system.

With so many current SF Giants starters slated to hit free agency over the next two offseasons, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and the rest of the front office still has some long-term questions up and down the roster. While they are expected to be extremely aggressive in free agency, the type of players they target will be undoubtedly impacted by their evaluations of internal prospects. So, where are the Giants most setup to find future starters from within the organization?

SF Giants Farm System’s Strongest Positions
5. Center Field:

Strong Candidates: Luis Matos, Grant McCray, P.J. Hilson
Possible: Hunter Bishop, Heliot Ramos, Jaylin Davis, Jairo Pomares, Alexander Suarez

I oscillated between second base and center field for this final spot. It’s obviously far easier to develop second basemen than center fielders. Still, upon a closer look, even if Giants prospects currently developing as shortstops are forced to move elsewhere, most are better suited for third base than second. That ultimately led me to push second base outside the top-five.

Center field has a different conundrum. A disproportionate number of their top prospects, like Luis Matos, Heliot Ramos, and Hunter Bishop, have primarily played center field throughout their careers. However, most prognosticators expect them to be forced to move to an outfield corner. If I were sure one of Ramos or Bishop would be a strong defensive centerfielder, this position would be much higher on the list. At the moment, Matos is the only elite prospect I’m confident can stick.

Grant McCray and P.J. Hilson were prep outfielders with plus or better defensive potential and questions about their ability to hit. McCray has a far more advanced hit tool than Hilson but probably has a ceiling of 45-grade power. Hilson has flashed above-average power potential. Neither are great bets to become everyday big-leaguers, but if they can develop enough offensively, they have the defensive tools to be strong MLB players.

Jairo Pomares is a hit-first outfielder that probably lacks the athleticism to stay in center without sufficient power to be an everyday corner option. He still has a fairly good shot at becoming a solid fourth outfielder but probably lacks the defensive upside to be viewed as a long-term center fielder. I think I’m more confident than the Giants in Jaylin Davis‘ potential to be an above-average or better defensive centerfielder, but their peculiar insistence on playing him in right has made me question my own evaluation.

Alexander Suarez is the wild-card of the group. As part of the Giants 2018-19 IFA cycle, he has shown the speed to handle center with more offensive upside than McCray or Hilson, but missed most of 2019 with an injury and only received 39 at-bats in the Dominican Summer League.

Ultimately, Matos carries a group of fringe center fielders with strong offensive potential and elite defensive centerfielders with major questions about their ability to produce offensively. Still, it’s a solid collection of talent at a premium up-the-middle position.

SF Giants Farm System’s Strongest Positions
4. Third Base

Strong Candidates: Luis Toribio, Will Wilson, Casey Schmitt, Diego Velasquez
Possible: Sean Roby, Anthony Rodriguez

Some groups are carried by specific elite talents. Others, like the Giants depth chart at third base, are filled with several legitimate potential everyday players. None of Luis Toribio, Will Wilson, and Casey Schmitt are surefire impact players, but all have a case to rank among the system’s 15 best prospects, and every list has all three among the organization’s top 25 prospects. If a position lacks an obvious potential impact player, you want to see multiple everyday options, and the Giants have that at third.

There are some questions about Wilson and Toribio’s defensive futures. Toribio has below-average hands and struggles with his glove work. However, I think his plus arm leads the Giants to keep him at third instead of pushing a move to second or first. Wilson has primarily played shortstop, but the Giants have moved him all over the diamond in the past year. He has a far better glove than Toribio and an above-average arm that should make him average or better at both second or third base.

On the other hand, Schmitt is considered a safe bet to become at least an above-average defender at third, with many seeing plus potential. A two-way player at San Diego State, Schmitt’s low-90s fastball plays as plus at third alongside strong glovework.

Sean Roby has struggled mightily defensively in his professional career. He’s probably a future designated hitter, but I think he’s better suited for third base than first if he has to play the field.

Not a premium defensive position, there are very likely some current shortstops in the organization that will see time at third down the line as well. Diego Velasquez, one of the organization’s costliest international signings in the 2020-21 cycle, is the most obvious name, with an advanced bat and broad frame that is almost certainly headed for a future at the hot corner.

SF Giants Farm System’s Strongest Positions
2. Corner Outfield

Strong Candidates: Heliot Ramos, Hunter Bishop, Alexander Canario, Jairo Pomares, Sandro Fabian, Alexander Suarez, Armani Smith
Possible: Logan Wyatt, Franklin Labour, Garrett Frechette

At this point, the positional depth jumps from strong to elite. Ramos and Bishop consistently find themselves rank among the top-100 prospects in baseball, and Alexander Canario was trending in that direction before a shoulder injury at instructs last year. If Canario can return to the field and perform well in 2021, this group will be even stronger.

Ramos and Bishop both have the range to be above-average or better in either corner, but Bishop’s arm has been inconsistent, which could push him to left. Regardless, both are well-positioned to cover the spacious outfield at Oracle Park. Canario profiles as an average big-league right fielder but would probably be best suited in left at Oracle.

After that top trio, Pomares and Sandro Fabian are two additional prospects consistently ranked among the Giants’ top 25 or 30 prospects. Fabian was one of the Giants’ most exciting young hitters not too long ago, but an aggressive approach, injuries, and other prospects’ development throughout the system have left him behind. With that said, he’s roughly the age of an old college senior and hit .287/.353/.417 in 2019 at High-A with a vastly improved walk-rate.

Armani Smith has been one of my favorite sleepers in the system since he was drafted in 2019. Like Bishop, he carries a power-over-hit profile and made a substantial swing change that sparked a breakout junior year in college. Smith has the range to handle right field but has an arm that could push him to left.

Beyond that group comes a pair of big-bodied corner bats (Logan Wyatt and Franklin Labour) and young question-marks (Suarez and Garrett Frechette). The Giants said they believed Wyatt, who projects as a plus defensive first baseman, could play an adequate left field, but that seems unlikely. Labour has a strong arm but struggles to cover ground in the outfield. Suarez should end up in a corner if he is unable to handle center, while Frechette currently flashes the athleticism to handle left field, but some envision a move to first base as he fills out his lanky frame.

SF Giants Farm System’s Strongest Positions
1. Catcher

Strong Candidates: Joey Bart, Patrick Bailey, Ricardo Genoves, Adrian Sugastey
Possible: Rayner Santana, Brett Auerbach

The Giants probably have the best group of catching prospects in the league. When you consider their big-league trio of Buster Posey, Curt Casali, and Chadwick Tromp, they might have the best catching depth from top to bottom in MLB. Even for those lower on Bart, I include myself in that group; he and Bailey make an elite catching prospect duo before moving down the system, where the Giants have some other underrated backstops.

Ricardo Genoves had a breakout 2019 season, reaching Class-A at just 20-years old. He’s long projected to be a strong defensive catcher with power potential. Some have raised concerns about his defensive future as he’s matured. He remains comfortable in the squat with a strong arm and, just as importantly, lacks defensive upside at any other positions, which leads me to think he stays behind the plate.

Adrian Sugastey and Rayner Santana are two recent international free-agent signings who could breakthrough as well. Santana hit 10 home runs in his first season at the Dominican Summer League and has a plus arm and power potential. His abilities behind the plate have been inconsistent, and he might need to change positions to find an everyday role. Otherwise, he could still project as a bat-first backup.

Sugastey is only a few months younger than Santana but did not sign until the 2019-20 period, which means he’s yet to play a professional game. He has also shown some offensive potential, but at the moment, has an even more advanced feel behind the plate to pair with a strong arm. It’s hard to make any projections of players so young with such little track-record, but it’s clear that Sugastey and Santana are high on the Giants’ radar.

Brett Auerbach might be the least toolsy player of anyone in these rankings. He’s also one of the most unique. The 5’9” non-drafted free agent walked more than he struck out over his career at Alabama and has experience at every defensive position except for shortstop. He probably will not be able to handle center at the professional level but has the range, arm, and reaction time to play catcher, first base, second base, third base, and the corner outfield. It’s a unique swiss-army knife that could add even more backstop depth to the Giants’ current embarrassment of catching prospect riches.

Around the Foghorn’s SF Giants prospects week is less than halfway done. Make sure to check back for more articles about the franchise’s farm system alongside our usual spring training coverage.