2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 20-11

Ten prospects down, twenty more to go. Let's see who makes up the middle portion of the 2022 pre-season SF Giants prospect ranking.

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 20-11

20. Patrick Bailey

Position: C
Age: 22
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 210 lbs.
Projected Level: Eugene (High-A)
MLB ETA: 2024

Tool Grades: (Present/Future)

Hit 30/40 | Raw Power 55/55 | Game Power 30/45 | Speed 40/40 | Arm 55/55 | Field 45/55

PV 30 | FV 40

A roller-coaster season is an understatement when describing the season that Patrick Bailey had in 2021. After an aggressive but well-deserved assignment to Eugene at the start of the season, Bailey struggled mightily on both sides of the ball in the first two months where he ended up on the shelf in June. After a short stint in the Arizona backfields, Bailey was assigned and San Jose and played the second half of the season in Low-A ball with great success. After a successful San Jose stint, Bailey got a roster spot in the Arizona Fall League with mixed results.

Bailey looked completely sluggish in Eugene as he struggled to explode through his hips with his swing, often chopping through the ball with very little impact. He also looked very susceptible to sequencing and breaking balls. Even his defense was affected, as he’s allowed far more wild pitches and passed balls than expected. In his time in San Jose, Bailey looked much better swinging the bat, allowing his hips to clear smoothly with the added loft to his swing. He also looked more comfortable on defense, flashing the agility that he’s showed behind the plate in college.

The 2021 season made Bailey a very tough prospect to gauge heading to 2022 as both his massive struggles early and his strong finish need to be accounted for. At his best, Bailey flashed hard three-true-outcome traits as he’s shown the ability to work the count and hit a ball out of the park to the other way. However, he’s been swinging through low-Minor breaking balls far too often, limiting his ceiling offensively. Bailey enters as the prospect with the most to prove heading to the 2022 season having been selected in the first round and receiving all the privileges that came with the selection in the alternate site in 2020 but were passed through by plenty of prospects selected after him in the same draft class.

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 20-11

19. Diego Rincones

Position: OF
Age: 22
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 175 lbs.
Projected Level: Sacramento (Triple-A)
MLB ETA: 2022

Tool Grades: (Present/Future)

Hit 40/55 | Raw Power 55/55 | Game Power 40/45 | Speed 30/30 | Arm 55/55 | Field 40/40

PV 30 | FV 40

Rincones had one of the most successful seasons for a position player in the farm system in 2021, where he hit well in Eugene and hit even better when he got promoted to Richmond in the second half of the season. He even had a walk-off home run in the Olympic qualifiers representing Venezuela.

All that Rincones did so far in his professional career was hit and he took his hitting to another level this season while doing it in a pitcher-friendly environment. Rincones eliminated much of his forward momentum with his leg kick, only stomping to the ground and making him mostly a rotational hitter. He also has a pronounced top-hand swing, extending with a good amount of effort, causing him to drift towards the third-base dugout in his follow-through.

It is a unique and tough swing to duplicate but Rincones has mastered it and also has great timing, feel for the barrel, and plate coverage, especially down in the zone, to make his swing fork for him. Along with his bat-to-ball skills, Rincones also improved his strike zone discipline and is a tough guy to sequence off. The loft in his swing allows Rincones to tap to his raw power consistently, golfing pitches down in the zone to the seats.

There is little doubt that Rincones has the hitting ability to make it to the big leagues. However, he has to hit as his other tools are subpar. Even though Rincones has a sound glove and a strong arm that is a fit in the right field, he weighs around 60 pounds heavier than his current listed weight, resulting in well below-average speed on the bases and range in the outfield. Being a full-time DH is the most likely role for Rincones in the big leagues.

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 20-11

17. Brett Auerbach

Position: C/INF/OF
Age: 23
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 185 lbs.
Projected Level: Richmond (Double-A)
MLB ETA: 2023

Tool Grades: (Present/Future)

Hit 30/45 | Raw Power 50/50 | Game Power 30/45 | Speed 60/60 | Arm 50/50 | Field 50/55

PV 30 | FV 40

Auerbach has come a long way ever since getting signed by San Francisco as an undrafted free agent after the 2020 MLB Draft. After proving that he is one of the best contact hitters in the loaded San Jose squad in the first two months of the season, he then flexed his muscles when he got promoted to Eugene as he hit the most homers and stole the most bases since he got to the Emeralds’ lineup.

Versatility is the name of the game for Auerbach, and it shows on both sides of the ball. After swinging the bat with a more line-to-line approach in San Jose, Auerbach came to Eugene with a mindset of swinging with more authority and towards the air. Auerbach adjusted flawlessly, tapping to his solid raw power consistently with the expense of a lower batting average and more strikeouts. He has a solid eye at the plate, but he chases outside the zone, especially in two-strike situations.

With how well Auerbach changed his approach at the plate mid-season, his true versatility lies on the defensive side of the ball. He’s played in six positions on the field this season, showcasing both his athleticism and instincts, but he’s primarily played behind the plate and in second base. His glove and footwork are sound in every position that he plays and even though Auerbach only has solid at-best arm strength, his small stature and thick legs make him a better defender behind the plate than plenty of full-time catchers.

Auerbach projects as a utility-type, second-division regular who will likely see the field often as a defensive replacement, as a pinch-runner as he has plus speed and base stealing instincts, or as a pinch hitter. The possibilities are endless with Auerbach and if he can continue to hit with power in the coming season like what he did in Eugene while keeping his peripherals in check; he has the potential to become a first-division regular.

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 20-11

16. Randy Rodriguez

Position: RHP
Age: 22
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 166 lbs.
Projected Level: Eugene (High-A)
MLB ETA: 2025

Tool Grades: (Present/Future)

FB 55/60 | SL 55/60 | CH 40/45 | CMD 40/50

PV 30 | FV 40

One of the biggest revelations of the 2021 season, Rodriguez came into the season with little to no fanfare. At the end of the season, though, plenty has now recognized his name after he was placed on the 40-man roster ahead of other household names in the Giants prospect community as a result of his breakout season in San Jose.

Working initially as the middle reliever before moving to the back-end of the bullpen based on merit, Rodriguez primarily used a two-pitch mix to get either righties or lefties out. His first main out pitch is his 93-98 MPH heater with plenty of tailing movement with relative flatness at the top of the zone because of his low ¾ release point. His second out pitch is the slider that is one of the best, if not the best, in the farm system with sharp and tight late break. Rodriguez showed better command at the second half of the season but was filling the zone consistently all season long, throwing either of the two in any count against any hitter regardless of handedness.

With the recent remark from the front office that Rodriguez could be stretched in a starting role, a third pitch is needed and his power changeup is a viable third offering with late, two-seam movement. Continuing to develop confidence with the pitch is essential as he only threw the pitch early in the count against lefties. While he is very athletic on the mound generating plus arm speed with his drop-and-drive delivery, his arm action puts plenty of stress on his rotator cuff.

Whether or not Rodriguez is a starter hinge on developing the third pitch. Expect his fastball velocity to tick down a couple as he does not need to go full send in five-inning stints. Rodriguez still plays better as a reliever rather than a full-fledged starter with his wipeout fastball-slider combination.

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 20-11

15. Nick Swiney

Position: LHP
Age: 22
Bats: Right
Throws: Left
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 185 lbs.
Projected Level: Eugene (High-A)
MLB ETA: 2024

Tool Grades: (Present/Future)

FB 40/45 | CH 60/70 | CB 50/55 | CMD 40/50

PV 30 | FV 40

Assigned conservatively to San Jose at the start of the 2021 season, Swiney was poised to shove through the competition with an impressive pro debut. He then suffered a concussion in a weird off-field incident that caused him to miss the next 11 weeks. After a rehab stint in the Arizona backfields, Swiney was back in San Jose and shoved through the competition during the final month of action.

Swiney has the best off-speed pitch in the farm system with his changeup that flashes plus-plus. It has plenty of fade, big velocity separation to his fastball, and commands it on both sides of the strike zone. His spike curveball is his second-best pitch that drops in like a rainbow at times but he flashes command with it, especially inside against righties. His fastball is his worst pitch, a high-80s offering with good rising action that gives a big vertical break difference to his changeup but stays relatively straight.

The expectation entering this season is to have Swiney gain weight to increase his velocity and iron out the head whack in his delivery to improve his strike-throwing. He did iron out the head whack by slowing his tempo down, particularly in the final phases of his delivery, but his frame stayed relatively the same, and with a slowed-down delivery, it is tough to imagine gaining velocity via mechanical adjustments.

Swiney will probably continue to junkball his way through the Minors because of how good his changeup is and how fringy his fastball is without the necessary velocity increase. His control of the zone improved a bit after cleaning up his mechanics, but he is still more control than command. His changeup alone will carry Swiney to the big leagues as a solid relief option, but he needs his velocity to improve to stick in a big-league rotation.

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 20-11

14. Sean Hjelle

Position: RHP
Age: 24
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 6'11"
Weight: 228 lbs.
Projected Level: Sacramento (Triple-A)
MLB ETA: 2022

Tool Grades: (Present/Future)

FB 50/55 | CB 50/55 | CH 40/50 | CMD 45/55

PV 40 | FV 45

One of the most advanced pitchers in the farm system, Hjelle started the season in Double-A and was again one of the most reliable pitchers in the rotation playing as the #2 starter in the rotation behind Caleb Kilian before Kilian got traded to the Cubs. Hjelle got promoted to Sacramento in the second half of the season and was roughed up a bit, but finished the season strong with his best start as a River Cat in early October.

Hjelle worked on lowering his arm slot from a true ¾ to a low-¾ arm slot this season and keeping his torso to be more vertical on the mound during his leg drive to help improve his fastball characteristics. Hjelle’s fastball has more tailing life than sink and its velocity falls off as the game goes on, starting from 92 to 95 MPH that touches 96 early in his starts to 91-93 MPH touching 94 after around 60+ pitches. His lowered arm slot helped his fastball achieve a lower vertical approach angle at the top of the zone while his natural steep downhill angle at the bottom of the zone because of his height allows him to still generate plenty of groundballs.

At its best, Hjelle’s secondaries grade out as above-average. His knuckle-curve is a hard pitch that sits in the mid-80s and tops out at 87 MPH with bat-missing break down in the zone while his high-80s changeup has good fading action. He is not afraid to throw any of his pitches on any count against any hitter. He is still around the strike zone this season; however, his control and execution were a bit worse compared to a couple of years ago.

Entering his age-25 season, Hjelle’s potential role is a bit clearer moving forward. He works best as a finesse pitcher with three big-league pitches that generate plenty of weak contact. However, his in-game velocity dip and his lack of a true third pitch limit his ceiling to a back-end starter or as a reliever in either an opener or bulk late-inning role where he will sit in the mid-90s and could throw even harder while going through a lineup one time.

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 20-11

13. Camilo Doval

Position: RHP
Age: 24
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 185 lbs.
Projected Level: San Francisco (MLB)
MLB ETA: 2021

Tool Grades: (Present/Future)

FB 70/70 | SL 60/60 | CMD 40/45

PV 40 | FV 45

It was a roller-coaster 2021 season for Doval. After a dominant big-league debut, Doval struggled to keep the ball in the yard in his first stint as a Giant. He got demoted to Sacramento and was never better, battling with his strike-throwing issues in the first three-and-a-half months of the season.

After a mid-August cup of coffee against the Rockies, though, things turned positive as he found the strike zone more often and was pitching on the corners more consistently. He was an integral part of the Giants’ bullpen in September and was handed the closer role in the final two weeks of the season and never looked back.

Doval has one of the highest average fastball velocity and fastball spin rates in all of baseball, with 98.6 MPH and 2575 RPM, respectively. It is below-average in terms of movement, but its sheer velocity and his slinging low-¾ release point combined with his plus extension make his fastball a present plus-plus offering. His slider is a plus pitch that Doval has a late, bat-missing movement that he is not afraid to throw against any hitter in any count.

Doval’s success hinges on how well he can throw strikes with his high-maintenance delivery that has a big slinging arm action similar to Madison Bumgarner but with twice the tempo. It is tough to bank on him duplicating what he did during the end of September in a full season and there would be rough patches that could cause him to get demoted out of his closer role at any point in the upcoming season. However, when he is on, he is as unhittable as anyone in all of baseball and the closer role is his at the start of the 2022 season as the head of a deep bullpen corps.

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 20-11

12. Adrian Sugastey

Position: C
Age: 19
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 170 lbs.
Projected Level: San Jose (Low-A)
MLB ETA: 2025

Tool Grades: (Present/Future)

Hit 30/60 | Raw Power 55/55 | Game Power 20/45 | Speed 30/30 | Arm 55/55 | Field 40/50

PV 20 | FV 45

One of the bigger signees by the Giants in the 2019 international free agent cycle, Sugastey was one of the highly ranked prospects in the 2021 Primer because of his impressive feel for the barrel. He’s proved that convincingly after winning the Arizona Complex League batting title where the distance between him and second-best is the same as the distance between second and the eleventh-best.

Sugastey has one of the most impressive hand-eye coordination from a teenager, let alone from someone who plays catcher. Sugastey also has a good eye at the box, a promising approach, and has clean swing mechanics and bat path. Even though Sugastey can hit baseballs north of 110 MPH as an amateur, he preferred to dink and dunk instead of hitting with more authority his way this season.

Defensively, Sugastey is still learning the nuances of framing and utilizing a one-knee set-up with no runners on base. Sugastey is only a decent athlete with well below-average speed but flashes good reaction time, effort, and agility to corral pitches in the dirt. Sugastey could benefit in using the one-knee set-up even with runners on base as he often drops his left knee when framing with runners on base using the conventional squat to put less pressure on his knees.

Overall, Sugastey is a bat-first prospect with promising hitting ability, raw power, and offensive peripherals that could move him out of the crouch if his defense does not catch up. If Sugastey hits with more authority while keeping his peripherals in check, he has the chance to be at least a .280 hitter with at least 15 homers’ potential while playing catcher or first base.

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 20-11

11. Ryan Murphy

Position: RHP
Age: 22
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 190 lbs.
Projected Level: Richmond (AA)
MLB ETA: 2023

Tool Grades: (Present/Future)

FB 50/55 | SL 45/55 | CB 45/50 | CH 40/50 | CMD 45/55

PV 40 | FV 45

Considered as a pool-saving selection, Murphy easily exceeded expectations this season, often being seen at the top of the Minor League strikeout leaderboard during the heat of summer and if he did not hurt his back in a mid-September start, he would have finished the season at the top of the strikeout leaderboard.

Murphy was head-and-shoulders ahead of the low-Minors competition because his pitchability and control are one of the best, if not the best, in the organization. He only throws his fastball in the low-90s but it has plenty of life from a high-¾ arm slot and he has a great feel for the pitch, showing plenty of aggression and toying with hitters at the top of the zone often.

His best secondary pitch is his low-80s slider that does not have a high spin rate but prides itself with a late, bat-missing vertical break that he also has a great feel of throwing in the outer edge of the zone against righties and inside against lefties. His spike curveball is often thrown early in the count against both lefties and righties as a different look and he rounds out his repertoire with his changeup that he only throws sparingly against lefties but has promising fading action.

His up-tempo mechanics have plenty of crossfire that Murphy looks to reduce a bit to better direct his momentum towards home plate. Even if Murphy did not improve his stuff, his present ability gives him a high floor as a middle reliever and could very well end up in Sacramento at season’s end. Once Murphy refines his mechanics and adds a tick or two in his fastball as well as improving his secondaries, particularly his changeup, he has mid-to-backend starter potential.