SF Giants Prospects: 5 Strongest Positions in the Farm System

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.