SF Giants High-A affiliate roster includes top outfield prospect and intriguing pitching prospect

The SF Giants published the Opening Day roster for its High-A team on Tuesday. Included on that list is a top outfield prospect in Grant McCray and an intriguing young pitcher in Eric Silva.

SF Giants High-A affiliate roster includes top outfield prospect and intriguing pitching prospect

The full roster is below:

If you are looking for players to watch on this year's roster, there is plenty of talent. McCray and Silva are joined by Aeverson Arteaga, Luis Toribio, Carson Ragsdale, and José Cruz. And, if you are looking for which player may debut for the Giants the soonest, that would likely be Cruz, who currently occupies a spot on the 40-man roster.

McCray enters the 2023 season as the top outfield prospect in the organization. Originally a third round pick in 2019, the 22-year-old did not really find his footing as a pro until last season. He slashed .291/.383/.525 with 21 home runs, 69 RBI, and 92 runs in 507 plate appearances for Low-A.

The left-handed bat earned a late-season promotion to High-A where he posted an .810 OPS in 62 plate appearances to finish the season. McCray is an excellent defender with a good chance of sticking in center field and flashes above-average speed as he swiped 43 bags in 53 opportunities last year.

He will be joined by Eric Silva, who was a high school pick in the fourth round of the 2021 draft. The 20-year-old prosect posted a 5.88 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, and a 2.54 SO/W ratio in 22 appearances in Low-A in 2022.

The young righty flashes a fastball that sits in the mid-90's that he pairs with a quality slider. His changeup and curveball are still developing, but he has the potential to feature a solid four-pitch mix. Silva struggled a bit with control but that is to be expected for a pitcher of his age. He had a nice and full first season as a pro and looks poised to take another step this year.

Eugene will also have Arteaga, who is a sure-handed and athletic middle infielder. The right-handed bat recorded a .777 OPS last year in Low-A while showing off plenty of gap-to-gap power. Ragsdale recorded 167 strikeouts in 24 starts for the San Jose Giants in 2021. He missed most of last season as he recovered from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) surgery.

The Emeralds became a feeder for the Double-A team last year as a handful of top prospects earned midseason promotions including Casey Schmitt and Kyle Harrison. This year's team is a little more on the younger side, but there is plenty of quality talent.