Known for developing an abundance of major league arms and a minimal amount of major league bats, the Giants have some of both in their rejuvenated farm system. San Francisco is coming off its second-worst season since 1985, which means it's in line for a high pick in the 2008 Draft - 5th to be exact. A team that has been laughably old for the last three years, the Giants could easily be on the opposite end of the age spectrum within the next three years.
| Our Top 5 San Francisco Giants Prospects at the end of the 2007 Season | ||||||||||
| No. | Player | Pos | Notes | Age | Level | |||||
| 1 | Angel Villalona | 3B | High-ceiling power hitter who has a good chance of opening '08 in Low-A | 17 | SS | |||||
| 2 | Madison Bumgarner | LHP | Raw but projectable power pitcher; the 10th pick in '07; young for his class | 18 | HS | |||||
| 3 | Tim Alderson | RHP | Polished control freak who still has some question marks as far as SP vs. RP | 18 | R | |||||
| 4 | Nate Schierholtz | RF | Converted 3B with solid athleticism and enough power to stick in right field | 23 | MLB | |||||
| 5 | Nick Noonan | 2B | The 32nd overall pick in 2007, Noonan went .316/.357/.451 in his pro debut | 18 | R | |||||
| * Ages are as of 10/4/07 | ||||||||||
| ** Level is the highest level the player has reached | ||||||||||
| *** Our rankings combine a player's ceiling with the odds that he'll reach it and favor recent production | ||||||||||
| <<< Discuss these rankings | ||||||||||
1. Angel Villalona, 3B (8/13/1990)
Last year the Giants made a splash by spending $2.1 million on the then 16-year-old Dominican third baseman. That could turn out to be a bargain. In his first year of professional ball, Villalona hit for a .794 OPS for the AZL Giants, earning a call up to short-season Salem-Kaiser. He has soft and powerful hands and projects to be an elite power hitter. The organization has said it plans to take it slow with Villalona. It will probably take him at least another two years to develop into a major-league-ready player. But with the Giants in a rebuilding phase and no one in front of him, it might be hard to wait.
2. Madison Bumgarner, LHP (8/1/1989)
Bumgarner (photo to the right) is a very raw, high-ceiling talent who could someday be a top-of-the-rotation starter. The commanding 6-foot-5 inch lefthander owns a mid-90’s fastball but needs to establish his secondary pitches - his dad didn't allow him to throw a breaking ball until he was 16 and he was 17 when the Giants drafted him. There’s certainly a chance that he’ll go through some rough patches on his way to the majors. But Bumgarner is such a great athlete that once it all clicks he won’t be in the minors for very long, giving San Francisco, along with Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, a fearsome young trio of flamethrowers.
3. Tim Alderson, RHP (11/3/1988)
The 22nd overall pick from the 2007 draft, Alderson gives the Giants another potential top-of-the-rotation starter. Much like other pitchers of his size (6-foot-7), to be successful he needs to be both deceptive and mechanically sound. His windup is expectedly unpolished - Alderson's high school coach didn't allow pitchers to throw from the windup until their senior season - but he's very comfortable from the stretch. He played several positions in high school, most notably first base, third base, and even shortstop. Alderson demonstrated exactly how polished he is by striking out 12 and walking none in 5.0 rookie-ball innings. Due to his lack of experience out of the windup, some evaluators think Alderson would be a natural fit in relief, where he could shred through the minors in no time. We think the Giants will hold out from him to blossom as a starter.
4. Nate Schierholtz, OF (2/15/1984)
There’s really no excuse for Bruce Bochy to have played Schierholtz as little as he did during the final third of the season. Schierholtz isn’t a future all-star, but his ceiling is higher in the short term and especially in the long term, than established veterans Randy Winn and Dave Roberts. He's still more of a gap hitter than a power hitter, and at this point he looks a little overmatched in the pitchers paradise of AT&T park, but you can’t argue with his success (.925 OPS in 441 PA in Triple-A Fresno) or his ability to improve from season-to-season. With the Giants going into full rebuilding mode, Schierholtz will likely see more playing time in 2008.
5. Nick Noonan, SS (5/4/1989)
Another 2007 draftee (32nd overall), Noonan wants to play shortstop, though early indications show second base is likely his destination. Described as a student of the game, Noonan plays both sides of the ball well, though it’ll take a full season in the minors before we have a good idea of of what type of player he’ll turn into. Judging by his first year in Rookie ball, Noonan has stolen-base potential (18 in 21 attempts), and his .808 OPS and 8.9% strikeout rates are nothing to scoff at either. He’s been compared at least once to Chase Utley, though that’s certainly nothing to take to the bank. If he comes anywhere close to that he could be an above-average big leaguer.
Honorable Mentions
Clayton Tanner is an extreme-ground-ball pitcher who, coming from the left side, could develop as a decent No. 3-5 starter or a solid bullpen arm. Henry Sosa has an electric fastball but a long ways to go. His 25+ K% over the last two seasons shows his promise. His 2.28 K/BB rate as a 22-year-old in the lower minors shows why it's still way too early to get too excited about him. Wendell Fairley, the Giants' third first rounder in 2007, didn't sign in time to get his feet wet in rookie ball. He is an excellent athlete with as high of a ceiling as any Giants outfield prospect. Charlie Culberson may be the Giants shortstop of the future. He was selected 51st overall out of Calhoun High School (Georgia) in the 2007 Draft.
Pat Hennessey can be reached at theblacktornado@gmail.com.