2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 30-21

A Friendly Reminder Before You Start Reading

Just a friendly reminder before reading the top 30 rankings that RANKINGS ARE ALL BS. Rankings are subjective, meaning it is all according to my evaluation. “Oh, this guy ranked this prospect only at #30??”, or “You ranked this guy way too high!” are common remarks by readers regarding rankings. Remember that you also have your rankings in your mind. However, it does not mean that these prospects were ranked nonchalantly. A couple of questions were asked, such as for pitchers:

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 30-21

“Can this pitcher be a rotation piece in the big leagues in the long run?”

“If this pitcher is a full-time reliever, is his stuff enough to blow away other starter-type prospects who will probably be back-end rotation guys?”

Or with a position player:

“Does this position player play a difficult position defensively, and can he play the position at a high level?”

“If a player is a liability defensively, is the player’s offensive projection strong enough to overcome other players who might be worse offensively, but will play adequate defense in the big leagues?”

Other factors that in play are age, their playing level, expectation from them before the season vs. their actual performance during the season, progress in their development curve, the rarity of their position based on value (legitimate left-handed starting pitcher prospects are way more valuable than second baseman prospects), and the front office's 40-man decisions. The front office’s 40-man decisions are included because they can indicate how the organization views a prospect based on their performance.

Those questions are difficult to answer and will always never be perfect, but that’s the beauty of it. The imperfection of the rankings creates a talking point. However, imperfections are the reasoning tool grades are much more important than rankings. REMEMBER: TOOL GRADES ARE A REFLECTION OF THE PLAYER; RANKINGS ARE A MEANS OF DISCUSSION. The prospect's tool grades and its corresponding scouting report are a much better reflection of how good the player can be rather than what the rankings tell.

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 30-21

30. Grant McCray

Position: OF
Age: 21
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 170 lbs.
Projected Level: San Jose (Low-A)
MLB ETA: 2025

Tool Grades: (Present/Future)

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

PV 30 | FV 40

San Francisco drafted McCray in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft as one of the many over slot Day 2 prep selections that the club did. After a strong Arizona League stint in 2019, it would have made sense if McCray would start his 2021 season in San Jose. However, an undisclosed injury scratched those plans, and he started his season in the Arizona backfields. He proved that he’s too advanced for the level and it prompted the Giants to promote him to San Jose, where he held his own offensively.

McCray underwent massive strides in terms of his physique and his swing. McCray was rail-thin when he was playing a couple of years ago in Arizona. This year, he’s looked thicker, but his weight gain was well-distributed. His swing also went through a drastic change as he is currently using an open stance compared to the even stance a couple of years ago, his hands were positioned lower towards the letters, he is using his back leg better, and he is swinging with more authority with a top-hand swing. The result is a more uphill swing that takes advantage of McCray’s quick and strong wrists that can hit balls up to the mid-110s.

Even though McCray improved his strength, it did not come with a loss of speed, as he still has a plus range in the outfield and on the bases. He has also improved his base-stealing technique and is still a solid at-worst defender in center. McCray can still bulk up a bit, but his prevailing issue is now tied to his over-aggression at the plate that needs to be toned down.

The lanky outfielder is proving to be the best out of the over slot 2019 prep class with a chance to be a second-division regular at the very least. Once he tones down his aggression at the plate and starts laying off the pitches that he cannot drive, McCray has everyday potential and has a higher chance than most because of his great makeup.

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 30-21

29. Hunter Bishop

Position: OF
Age: 23
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 210 lbs.
Projected Level: Richmond (Double-A)
MLB ETA: 2024

Tool Grades: (Present/Future)

Hit 30/40 | Raw Power 70/70 | Game Power 30/45 | Speed 60/60 | Arm 40/40 | Field 45/55

PV 30 | FV 40

It has been a very unfortunate 2021 season for the 2019 first-round draft choice. In the final days of the 2020 Instructional League, Bishop felt some discomfort in his left shoulder but shrugged it off. When he reported back to prepare for the season, the pain came back, and after just three games into the regular season, Bishop was on the shelf with a labrum strain and mild separation.

He was supposed to come back in late June to early July, but he re-aggravated it was on the shelf again. He came back in late July and after a couple of weeks of reps in the Arizona backfields, Bishop was back in a full-season ball for San Jose. However, after just two games and not looking like himself physically, the Giants brass pulled him out to focus on his health. He made a comeback in the Arizona Fall League to get much-needed competitive reps.

When healthy, Bishop has as tantalizing tools as anyone in the entire farm system. His frame is strong and athletic, with lightning-quick wrists that can hit baseballs that top out in the high-110s. He has holes in his swing that can be attacked by sequencing, but he has a good feel for the strike zone. His plus speed gives him excellent range in the outfield where he flashes the ability to make spectacular catches, but his below-average arm strength limits his positional versatility.

Bishop only playing just five full-season games over the past two years has been a bane to his development and his evaluation. He has to play well in 2022, but for a guy as talented as he is, he does not need to blow up the stat sheet to move up the ranking during the season. He projects as a power-over-hit outfielder with hard three-true-outcomes traits that play solid to above-average defense in center or left field.

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 30-21

28. Manuel Mercedes

Position: RHP
Age: 19
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 162 lbs.
Projected Level: Arizona (ROK)
MLB ETA: 2026

Tool Grades: (Present/Future)

FB 50/70 | SL 40/50 | CH 30/45 | CMD 20/45

PV 20 | FV 40

Mercedes was not one of the top international FA signees by the Giants in the 2019 IFA cycle but he is certainly the most intriguing out of anyone as he opened eyes during the quarantine when he was reported to have a mid-90s velocity with the chance to touch triple digits. He began his baseball journey Stateside and while the numbers were not there for him, he certainly passes the eye test.

The Dominican has all the ingredients of a future big leaguer. His frame is perfect for a starting pitcher and his athleticism is plus or better. His athleticism is evident in his mechanics, a slinging motion that results in him throwing from a low-¾ arm slot with electric arm speed, reminding some of Jacob deGrom. His fastball sits in the mid-90s with plenty of tailing life and some sink because of his low arm slot. His slider flashes above average but is more of an average pitch with a late break. His feel for his changeup is still raw, but there’s potential for the pitch to be average or better.

It should not come as a surprise that Mercedes is as raw and volatile as they come in the farm system loaded with power arms. His potential is as high as anyone in all of baseball, as his combination of athleticism and sheer stuff has endless possibilities. However, he is as raw as they come in terms of feel for his arsenal and his mechanics.

The expectation for Mercedes heading to this season is that the Giants coaches will be aggressive on him and place him in a full-season ball, but going back to Arizona is a safer and more logical choice. The Mercedes of last season and the Mercedes a year from now should be completely different and hopefully, he takes the necessary steps to fully realize his ace potential.

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 30-21

27. Ricardo Genoves

Position: C
Age: 22
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 190 lbs.
Projected Level: Richmond (AA)
MLB ETA: 2024

Tool Grades: (Present/Future)

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

PV 30 | FV 40

It felt like there were two different Ricardo Genoves that played in 2021. Genoves was considered being the best overall hitter in the loaded San Jose squad in the first two months of the season but all of his momenta came to a screeching halt when he struggled to put up the numbers that were expected from him when he got promoted to Eugene in the second half of the season.

Genoves’ swing has always been driven more by his strength than his twitch. However, he’s done a good job of tapping more to his power by adding loft to his swing. He hit well for average and power and showed maturity in his plate discipline in San Jose. But when he got promoted to Eugene, however; he looked like a completely different hitter as he struggled to make contact and was prone to whiffing, but still managed to tap into his power and work the count.

His offensive slump after his promotion is not the biggest issue surrounding Genoves. It was his defense behind the plate that was his biggest asset before, is now a liability. He’s looked comfortable framing using a one-knee set-up but his legs and agility were completely affected more by his athleticism rather than his new set-up, particularly in terms of blocking where he looked lazy all season long. His arm is still strong and accurate, but base stealers have tested him far too often this season to question his athleticism behind the plate.

Genoves entered the season as a defense-over-offense prospect behind the plate. After the season, he has looked more of an offense-first prospect based on his regression behind the plate. There are also swing and miss questions that need to be answered and if Genoves cannot stay behind the plate long-term, his value drops drastically as his bottom-of-the-scale speed only limits him to play first base as a fallback option.

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 30-21

26. Prelander Berroa

Position: RHP
Age: 21
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 170 lbs.
Projected Level: Eugene (High-A)
MLB ETA: 2024

Tool Grades: (Present/Future)

FB 60/70 | SL 45/50 | CH 40/45 | CMD 30/45

PV 30 | FV 40

After getting traded to San Francisco at the 2019 trade deadline, Berroa had his first full-season experience this year in Low-A San Jose. He’s off to a solid start and then put the pedal to the metal in July, where he was one of the best performing pitchers in the month. However, he did not finish the season with a high note as he struggled to throw strikes and gave up crucial long balls in the final two months of the season.

Berroa is one of the best fireballers that the farm system has to offer. His fastball sits in the 95-99 MPH and has shown the ability to hold his velocity deep to his starts as he still hit 98 MPH in his sixth inning of work. He can easily overpower hitters with sheer velocity but the pitch also has good tailing life and has a good feel for spotting the pitch at his best, particularly in June and July, even though he is throwing with maximum effort for most of the season. However, his control wavered in August and September but has kept the life on his fastball, particularly at the top of the zone.

His best secondary pitch is his slider that has more vertical than horizontal break because of his over-the-top release point. It flashes above-average, but his pitch utilization leaves more to be desired as he often leaves it hanging in the upper half of the zone. His changeup that flashed promise early in his career is now a distant third pitch with two-seam movement but without a big velocity difference to his fastball.

With an overpowering fastball, developing secondaries, and a max effort motion, it might make sense to put Berroa in the pen where he can sit in the triple-digits with his heater. He’s worked on throwing his slider more consistently at the bottom of the zone during the final couple of months, but his heater got away from him to make his adjustment as effective. He should continue to start in 2022 and possibly 2023, but all the signs point towards a power reliever role in the big leagues.

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 30-21

24. Ryan Reckley

Position: SS
Age: 17
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 165 lbs.
Projected Level: Arizona (Rookie)
MLB ETA: 2027

Tool Grades: (Present/Future)

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

PV 20 | FV 40

San Francisco made Reckley their top target in the 2021 international free agent cycle and signed the Bahamian to a signing bonus worth over two million dollars. Reckley is the first big Bahamian signing by the Giants since they blew over their bonus pool over six years ago to sign Lucius Fox.

There are a lot of similarities between Reckley and Fox. Reckley oozes athleticism and quick-twitch that is clear in all facets of his current game. He has at least plus speed that gives him terrific range in the dirt where he is fundamentally sound at the position with the ability to flash some spectacular plays. His arm strength is only solid, but it projects to improve in terms of arm utility. His plus speed also reflects on the bases as he flashed good instincts on the base paths and as a base-stealing threat.

The one thing that separates Reckley and Fox is their offensive potential. A switch-hitter like Fox, Reckley’s bat path does not look as clean unlike other top Giants’ hitters but he has a better-looking swing at the right side with a compact stroke and good bat speed while his lefty stroke is draggy at times and needs some cleaning up. He has a loft on both sides that bodes well to tap into his raw power with better leverage on the right side and he has an advanced strike-zone knowledge that should only improve.

Reckley has top-of-the-order potential, but he could have at least five average tools when it’s all said and done. The loft in both of his strokes and the projection in his frame gives Reckley a chance to hit at least double-digit homers annually with solid peripherals and batting average. He has the defensive chops to stick in the dirt even after he matures in his frame, but there is a possibility that he moves off the dirt but stays up-the-middle as a center fielder. The current FV reflects the risk associated with a teenager who has yet to have his first swings as a professional, but he has the ceiling of at least an everyday big-leaguer.

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 30-21

23. Ismael Munguia

Position: OF
Age: 23
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 158 lbs.
Projected Level: Richmond (Double-A)
MLB ETA: 2023

Tool Grades: (Present/Future)

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

PV 30 | FV 40

Munguia entered the 2021 season with little to no fanfare but is a favorite in the clubhouse with his energy and passion for the game. After the season is over though, Munguia has made himself a legitimate prospect as he won the High-A West batting title and tripled the number of home runs he hit this season compared to his previous four professional seasons combined.

A focus for Munguia during the quarantine was to improve his strength considerably and drive the ball with more authority. The result is a phenomenal season for the Nicaraguan native as he showed the ability to turn on inside pitches and put the ball over the fence while maintaining his trademark high-contact, low-whiff ability who can hit from line to line. Munguia has a small stature that results in a smaller strike zone that he fully takes advantage of, with impressive plate coverage and innate bat-to-ball skills. With Munguia gaining considerable amounts of muscle, he has lost a step, but he improved his base stealing and his reads in the outfield that allows him to do the fundamental and flashes some spectacular ability.

Even after a big jump in the power department, Munguia still projects as a hit-over-power outfielder who has to continue to hit to make it to the big leagues. Munguia is likely a second-division regular where he will get pinch-hitting and pinch-running opportunities while being a solid defensive replacement. However, he earns the respect of his teammates due to the high energy and passion that he brings to the field.

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 30-21

22. Kervin Castro

Position: RHP
Age: 22
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 185 lbs.
Projected Level: San Francisco (MLB)
MLB ETA: 2021

Tool Grades: (Present/Future)

FB 60/60 | CB 55/55 | CMD 50/50

PV 40 | FV 40

One of the three Latino pitchers that were protected in the 40-man roster last season, Castro proved to be the most consistent of the three as he’s had a relatively solid season in Sacramento facing hitters that were at least a couple of years younger than him. His consistent pitching earned him a spot in the big-league bullpen in September as he pitched frequently, being used in different spots of the game.

Castro focused on his two best pitches during the quarantine and earned great reviews during the Instructional League last year. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and peaks at 97 MPH. The pitch is as straight as an arrow, but it has good rising action because of his high-¾ arm slot. Its pitch utilization in the Majors is not currently excellent as he leaves it right down the middle instead of in the upper third of the zone based on his heat maps. His high-70s to low-80s curveball does not have a high spin rate, but its spin axis mirrors his fastball axis well and has bat-missing break. Castro works his curveball down in the zone, but there will be occasions he will hang it over the middle of the plate.

Castro throws plenty of strikes but there will be times where he lacks fine command of his pitches. He projects to be a part of a deep San Francisco bullpen corps in the upcoming season, but whether he has the stuff to become a full-time closer is still up in the air. His pitch characteristics only work vertically so there will be issues when his stuff is not at its best, but he throws plenty of strikes and he is nicely suited as a late-inning or a fireman in the middle innings like Dominic Leone.

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 30-21

21. R.J. Dabovich

Position: RHP
Age: 23
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 208 lbs.
Projected Level: Sacramento (Triple-A)
MLB ETA: 2022

Tool Grades: (Present/Future)

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

PV 40 | FV 40

The fourth-round draft choice by San Francisco a year ago, Dabovich is looking like the first prospect out of the Giants 2020 class to make it to the big leagues as he breezed through both the High-A and Double-A levels in 2021 with his stellar pitching in relief, serving as the primary closer for Eugene before splitting time between a set-up man and closer with Richmond.

After flashing a four-pitch mix in his draft-eligible season, Dabovich shelved his changeup and morphed his slider and curveball into a power knuckle curve. Dabovich can reach 100 MPH with his fastball, usually sitting in the 95-98 MPH range, which has plenty of ride and some late, tailing movement. His mid-80s knuckle-curve is mostly an above-average pitch, flashing plus with bat-missing break.

Dabovich hides the ball well behind his body and his pitching motion has a spine tilt and an open front leg that naturally results in him staying on top of the ball consistently with an over-the-top release point. His mechanics allow him to tunnel his fastball and curveball consistently, and repeat his arm slot enough to fill the zone but have issues with fine command.

It feels like Dabovich is a finished product that is ready to hit the big leagues whenever the front office ever needed him to. His overpowering pure stuff with enough strike-throwing and tenacity projects him as a dependable member of the bullpen for the next five years with the potential of being the next long-term closer for the Giants. The only hurdle that Dabovich has to get over is facing AAA competition in a hitter-friendly environment.