With camp starting tomorrow, get ready for a flood of reports on some of the Giants’ top prospects. (Not to mention the requisite “He’s the in the best shape of his life!” stories.) Buster Posey is in major-league camp, so we’ll probably see a fair amount of him in exhibition games.
Brian Sabean said this week that Madison Bumgarner was “on the fast track,” and there’s chatter he might start the year in Double A Connecticut. His 2008 pitching coach Ross Grimsley was transfered there in December. If so, I selfishly say bummer, as we won’t be able to pop down to San Jose to see him pitch for the Little Giants. Maybe the Giants will give him a little taste of the big-league mojo in Arizona. How about a spring-training debut against Jim Thome or Ken Griffey, reportedly soon to sign with the Mariners? Wouldn’t that be fun?
Baseball Prospectus just named its top 100 prospects, and behold, Bumgarner is third, Posey ninth. Other Giants on the list are Angel Villalona (47th) and Tim Alderson (60th).
Four of 100. Not bad, but not the best. The Rays have five, with last year’s post-season phenom David Price at #2 and two others in the top 30. The Braves have five, including the #10 and #12. The Rangers have six. Top prospect in the land is the Orioles’ stud catcher Matt Wieters.
You probably knew this, but it never hurts to repeat. The Giants’ top four prospects, plus other promising kids like Conor Gillaspie, Nick Noonan and Kevin Pucetas, aren’t likely to help the big club until at least 2010, more likely 2011 and beyond.
It’s theoretically possible the Giants could have Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez, Bumgarner and Alderson in the rotation in 2011, but if you count on five young professional pitchers to be healthy and productive, let alone still on the same team’s roster three years down the road, it’s called magical thinking. Besides, all five of these guys in the rotation wouldn’t leave room for Barry Zito.
Kidding! Sort of.
One young guy to keep an eye on, and sleeper doesn’t begin to describe his status, is Eddy Martinez-Esteve. Once a high draft pick who mashed in college, he’s suffered injury and attitude adjustment for three years. He finally regained his batting stroke in 2008 but not his power, hitting .298 / .387 / .381 in nearly 400 Double-A at-bats. In what seems like a use it or lose it assignment, he’s slated to start in AAA. He might be this year’s Travis Ishikawa, or he might be out of the organization by July.
Which young whippersnapper are you most eager to see in spring training? Sorry, Josh Phelps doesn’t qualify. Me, I can’t wait for the clandestine cell-phone video of Angel Villalona hitting 450–foot bombs from one of the back practice fields into a 7–11 parking lot across the street.
