Here are the 10 most important young players for the SF Giants’ future

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The San Francisco Giants may have issues with their current roster especially with Thairo Estrada on the injured list, but that hasn't stopped them from hanging around in the National League West as the first half comes to a close. The Giants have gotten contributions from all over the roster to get to this point from the rotation to the lineup to the bullpen.

In particular, it has been contributions from the younger players on the roster that have kept the Giants afloat this year. Not only do they give San Francisco a chance to make the playoffs this year, but it also bodes well for the coming seasons that the Giants have the number of young guys ready to contribute in the big leagues that they do.

Who are the most important young players for the SF Giants' future?

That got us thinking: who are the young players that are the most important to the Giants' future? For some of these guys, it is going to be about keeping them in the organization for as long as possible. For others, it is going to be about getting them ready for the big leagues in the near future. Finally, for those that the Giants choose to trade away, it is going to be about getting proper value for them in return to fill the needs of the big league roster.

Lets take a look at the most important young players for the Giants future in no particular order.

Logan Webb

This is an easy one. When the Giants gave Webb a five year, $90 million extension before the season, they were locking up an arm that could be at the front of their rotation for a long time. Webb has not disappointed this season as he has posted a 3.38 ERA and 2.4 fWAR through 18 starts this season. This is one of the best young pitchers in baseball and the Giants have him locked up through the 2028 season. You love to see it.

Marco Luciano

Marco Luciano is a name that Giants fans know well at this point. Luciano jumped on to folks' radars after he was signed out of the Dominican Republic for $2.6 million in 2018 and then again in 2019 when he absolutely raked in rookie ball. Luciano has cooled down since then and is no longer a mortal lock to be the Giants' shortstop of the future. However, he is still really important because he remains one of the Giants' best prospects and could either contribute in the big leagues OR be the centerpiece in a trade that gives their roster a big boost.

Kyle Harrison

If you are looking for the prospect that could get called up in 2023 and make the biggest difference, look no further than Kyle Harrison. The lefty has wowed everyone with his ability to miss bats at every stop down in the minor leagues as a pro and is one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball despite some command issues. He was slated to play in the Futures Game and probably would have been called up soon, but he just suffered a hamstring injury ($) which could complicate the Giants' plans in the short-term.

Patrick Bailey

With Joey Bart looking more and more like his future is not with the Giants, it has been amazing to see Patrick Bailey step up in the big way this season. In 146 plate appearances this season, Bailey has put up a 127 wRC+ and 2.0 fWAR. It sure looks like San Francisco has found their catcher of the future which is great because catchers that can play the position well AND hit are very, very rare. It would not be surprising if the Giants' front office tried to get him extended sooner rather than later.

Luis Matos

Matos' first stint in the big leagues is off to a bit of a slow start, but make no mistake: Matos has all the makings of a lineup fixture for the Giants for years to come. All this guy does is hit including a .350/.415/.561 slash line in 55 games in the minor leagues this year. Combine that with strong defense in the outfield and you have a guy that should be a big league contributor for the Giants for the next several years at least.

Carson Whisenhunt

One of the pitches that very often makes or breaks a pitcher's ability to stick in the big leagues is a changeup, so it is highly fortunate that the Giants have Carson Whisenhunt. Whisenhunt's changeup may be the best pitch in the Giants' organization period at the moment. While he does have some issues throwing strikes at times, he is making a name for himself as a big time pitching prospect including getting an invite to the Futures Game this year. Worst case scenario here, Whisenhunt is a very valuable trade piece that could bring a significant return.

Casey Schmitt

Every team needs a potential defensive standout in the infield and the Giants have that in Schmitt who has a cannon of an arm and a ton of range in the infield. The issue so far has been that Schmitt has struggled to hit consistently as a pro and those struggles have carried over to the big leagues as he has just a 62 wRC+ with the Giants in 2023. One hopes that he can get those hitting issues sorted out because if he can, he could be a very valuable player for a long time.

Grant McCray

Grant McCray is an interesting case because while he has a ton of big time tools including his speed and raw power, his production in the minor leagues has been somewhat lackluster other than last season where he posted an .897 OPS. However, that is what makes him important because that potential value and upside could be what allows him to be a useful trade piece in the near future. The Giants could hold on to him to see if he figures some more things out, but the risk there is that he becomes a perennial quad-A player in an organization that already has a bunch of young outfield prospects.

Vaun Brown

On the other side of the outfield prospect coin, we have Vaun Brown who not only has a ton of physical tools at his disposal, but he has absolutely raked in the minor leagues. Brown was coming off back-to-back 1.000+ OPS seasons coming into 2023 and while he has cooled down a little bit, it hasn't been by much. Our best guess is that he spends a bit more time in Double-A before the Giants move him up to Triple-A. If he hits there as well, he could be in the big leagues in a hurry.

Camilo Doval

Finally, we come to another familiar face in Camilo Doval. It is hard to find reliable bullpen arms that you can put on the mound in any high leverage situation. Not only has Doval been reliable, he has excelled in those spots on his way to an All-Star appearance this season. Relievers are the most volatile young asset in baseball, but Camilo has all the makings of a guy that could anchor the bullpen for the next few years at minimum.

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