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SF Giants News: Top 3 non-roster minor league position players to follow in camp

By Jeff Young |
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The SF Giants published its list of non-roster invitees last week. While it includes a handful of the organization's top prospects, there are plenty of lesser-known intriguing players as well. We will be looking at the non-roster minor league position players.

SF Giants News: Top 3 non-roster minor league position players to follow in camp

Yesterday, we looked at some of the top non-roster minor league pitchers to follow this spring and we are going to follow that up with position players. The Giants did bring in some experienced veterans in Stephen Piscotty and Roberto Pérez this winter. Austin Wynns will be in camp as a non-roster invitee as well.

While none of the three currently occupy a spot on the 40-man roster, it would not be too surprising to see at least one of the three players make the Opening Day roster. That said, Piscotty, Pérez, and Wynns have some track record at the major league level, so they are excluded from today's list.

Why is it important to look at minor league depth? The 162-game season is a grind and teams will often exhuast their depth by the end of the year. The roster at the end of the season often looks much different than the Opening Day roster for a lot of reasons, so it is important to get to know some of the players.

1. Ronald Guzmán

Similar to Piscotty and Pérez, Ronald Guzmán has quite a bit of major league experience. He has appeared in each of the last five seasons, but he is coming into camp as a two-way player.

He was originally a power-hitting first base prospect for the Texas Rangers, but will try his hand on the mound as well. Per a report, Guzmán flashes a mid-90's fastball on the mound with a slider and a changeup.

The left-handed pitcher has tallied a total of 0.1 innings on the mound as a pro, so he has no track record to evaluate. He comes into camp truly as an unknown on the mound.

Becoming a two-way player is extremely difficult. Not everyone is a Shohei Ohtani.

However, the Giants are relatively thin in terms of left-handed-hitting first baseman. They enter camp with LaMonte Wade Jr., Joc Pederson, and Guzmán as the three top options. Pederson is taking ground balls at first base as a way to get him onto the field, but it sounds like he is getting work there in case of an emergency.

On the other hand, Guzmán does have plenty of experience at first base and a .767 OPS against right-handed pitching in the majors. That bat should not be an issue, but if he proves that he can be effective on the mound, Guzmán might just carve out a role on the Giants roster.

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SF Giants News: Top 3 non-roster minor league position players to follow in camp

2. Colton Welker

Colton Welker might be one of my favorite non-roster invitees in camp. The Colorado Rockies originally drafted him in the fourth round of the 2016 draft out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Parkland, Florida.

At one point, he was considered one of the top prospects in baseball, ranking as the No. 95 prospect according to MLB.Com prior to the 2019 season. However, his prospect status has dimmed quite a bit in recent seasons.

Of course, like many minor leaguers, Welker lost development time in 2020 due to the canceled minor league season. He was slapped with a PED suspension in 2021 and missed most of the 2022 season after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.

Similar to Sam Delaplane, Welker just needs to find a way to stay on the field. He has tallied a total of just 224 plate appearances as a pro since 2020, but he is still relatively young (25).

Across six minor league seasons, the right-handed bat has slashed .309/.364/.471 with a 7.9 percent walk rate against a 17.5 percent strikeout rate. His best season came in 2018 when he posted an .872 OPS with 13 home runs in High-A during his age-19 season.

That was a long time ago but he has still shown flashes of quality bat including recording a .936 OPS in 45 plate appearances in Triple-A last year before hitting the injured list. When he is in the batter's box, Welker is very hitter-ish in a way that reminds me of Donovan Solano.

If he performs in Triple-A this year, the 25-year-old could earn a midseason promotion. The question is what position will he play? He has experience at first base and third base. He does not hit for enough power to stick at first base and the depth chart at third base includes David Villar, J.D. Davis, and Casey Schmitt. All of them hit from the right side, so it is a tough position to crack.

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SF Giants News: Top 3 non-roster minor league position players to follow in camp

3. Ford Proctor

Giants fans saw a bit of Ford Proctor at the end of the season. The left-handed bat recorded three hits in 18 at-bats for San Francisco down the stretch. This included his first major league home run:

Proctor was removed from the 40-man roster early in the offseason. However, he remains an interesting option given his versatility that includes experience up the middle and at catcher.

The 25-year-old was not known as a power hitter at Rice University, but he has experienced a modest power spike in recent seasons, reaching 12 homers in each of the last two minor league seasons. He came over to the Giants in a minor midseason trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rays had a roster crunch on the 40-man roster, so the Giants swung a trade for a player who fits what they like in terms of at-bat quality and versatility. Proctor slashed .229/.348./349 with 12 home runs, 42 RBI, and 46 runs in 459 plate appearances split between the Giants and Rays Triple-A affiliate in 2022.

This includes a fantastic 14.8 percent walk rate but with a 28.9 percent strikeout rate. The overall slugging percentage and strikeout rate are alarming, but Proctor is one of the few left-handed-hitting middle infielders in the organization.

There is a role for him if his bat can show improvement. He has the plate discipline that the organization wants in its hitters, but he needs to hit with a little more consistency.

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