In the tumble of the busy work week I missed BP prospect dude Kevin Goldstein’s organizational rankings. Subscription required, but I’ll give you a sneak peak: The Giants are #6, a huge jump from #25 last year. Goldstein’s takeaway is that the farm is top-heavy. The first four guys you know and love — Bumgarner, Posey, Alderson and Villalona — are bluest of blue chip, but the system falls off fairly quickly after that.
I take issue with Goldstein’s assertion that the four elites are likely to arrive in the majors in 2010. It also contradicts what he wrote in January. Not counting how-do-you-do cups of coffee, Buster Posey is the most likely because he’s the oldest of the four and this spring, before he starts the year in High-A San Jose or Double-A Connecticut, he is giving no one any reason to doubt his skills. Madison Bumgarner and Tim Alderson, maybe one of them, but both on the roster by the end of 2010 at the ages of 21 and nearly 22, respectively? And I think it would take a miracle for Angel Villalona, likely to start this year at High-A as an 18–year-old, to see the majors by the end of next year.
Still, it’s nice to dream of a mid-year 2010 homegrown lineup along these lines:
SS Burriss
3B Sandoval
LF Lewis
1B Villalona
C Posey
RF Schierholtz
CF Rowand (how’d he get in there?)
2B Frandsen
May I suggest the official poster?
