Everything SF Giants fans need to know about the Low-A San Jose Giants

Everything SF Giants fans need to know about the Low-A San Jose Giants

Position players (continued)

Cole Foster

Foster was one of the many middle infielders that the Giants drafted last year that comes with great potential. He is a smooth defender at both shortstop and second base with good footwork and solid arm strength though he can look a bit rough at the more premium position. He has power potential on both sides of the box as a switch hitter with more loft in his swing as a lefty. He has improved his patience in his junior college but was back to his free-swinging ways when he turned pro so that is the most important thing to monitor throughout the year.

Javier Francisco

Francisco stood out the most among his peers because of his all-around ability to hit for contact, power, and plate discipline in both the Papago backfields and in San Jose last season. He’s shown good under-the-hood data in Papago though some, particularly his power production, did not carry over in San Jose. If he can improve as well as show his versatility on defense, he can certainly make a name for himself in the upcoming season.

Ty Hanchey

Hanchey was brought onto the Giants as an NDFA and was interestingly slotted as a two-way player. Hanchey has a great arm behind the plate so the intrigue of him as a pitcher is there even if he has yet to pitch in pro ball. He has shown good patience at the batter's box though it might be hovering towards being passivity. He is a bit lanky for a catcher so the power potential is not great but he could be a reliable extra base hitter at peak.

Nadir Lewis

Lewis has suffered many injuries throughout his college career and the Giants scooped him up with their final pick in last year's draft. He has good intrigue though as he is a well-built athlete with good raw power and speed potential as he's shown when he hit for the cycle in his second career pro game. He's had good numbers against inferior competition in college but was a bit overwhelmed by pro pitching.

Cesar Quintas

Quintas exploded last season in the Complex League where he's showed a combination of contact ability and plate discipline. There are times when he struggled with breaking balls but his right-handed swing is aesthetically pleasing to watch. Do not also expect much power from him though as he has yet to hit above two home runs in a season, and is also only an average runner with a fringy base-stealing acumen.

Elian Rayo

Rayo has posted nearly identical numbers in the Complex League for the past two seasons and he's getting his shot at full-season ball this year. He is a stocky athlete who already looks fully baked since the time he was a teenager. It does give him raw power but his right-handed swing is more conducive to gap-to-gap contact than over-the-fence ability. He's a good contact hitter that tends to chase, limiting his on-base potential. His speed is below average or worse which limits where he could play. He has been a third baseman but expect him to move to first base or as a DH as he gets older.

Luke Shliger (#34 prospect)

Shliger will receive plenty of playing time as a lefty backstop option in the organization. He displayed his good approach at the box last season with good patience and bat-to-ball ability. He can also choose to be aggressive if he gets the pitch that he wants early in the count. There is not much power where he fits more as a doubles hitter. He is a solid defender behind the plate with an average but accurate arm.

Jean Carlos Sio

Sio was solid last season in the Arizona backfields where he posted great peripherals. He looks like a guy who has an idea of what he's going to do in the batter's box. His lefty swing is smooth with a pretty big leg kick. Do not expect much power from him though as he will likely top out at a handful of homers in a full season. He's played shortstop in the Complex League but that will change given the middle infield talent the team has.

Guillermo Williamson

Williamson was one of the more notable standouts in the ACL last season, nearly hitting double-digit home runs as well as solid overall offensive numbers. His lefty swing packs quite a punch as he takes vicious hacks in the batter's box. It can lead to strikeouts but also lead to average or better power numbers. He has shown enough patience in the box to draw out walks to make it a quite rounded profile. He plays in the outfield and his ability extends from fringy to solid but he could fare well as a DH down the line.