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Writer/Editor

Richard Dyer

Born in San Francisco, raised on the San Francisco Giants and Major League Baseball, Richard Dyer can often be found listening to the music of Raymond Scott, Antonio Vivaldi, Phish, or Thelonious Monk.

He is a member of ActiveBass.com and has published a history of organized crime in Chicago during Prohibition: www.HymieWeiss.com.

Do not disturb him when he's watching pre-Code Hollywood films or HBO's "The Wire".

Favorite quote:
"My loathings are simple: stupidity, oppression, crime, cruelty, soft music." --Vladimir Nabokov

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A radical new approach to design the best run-producing batting line-up.

-- Richard Dyer

Featured Posts

STOP THE PRESSES !
MLB BREAKING NEWS!
Baseball headlines from newspapers across the Nation

Baseball Headlines 2/14/12
"Dimitri Young Still A Big Threat"

Baseball Headlines 7/21/11
"Pittsburgh Pirates and the End of Times"

Baseball Headlines 6/3/11
"Barry Bonds Makes Nice"

Baseball Headlines 9/6/10
"Rob Dibble's Head = Rear End"

Baseball Headlines 7/18/10
"Improving the All Star Game"

Baseball Headlines 5/19/10
"Yankees Make Big Purchase"

Baseball Headlines 5/8/10
"Robin Roberts: Deadly Pitch Counts"

Surviving the Pittsburgh Pirates:
"I Don't Care If I Never Get Back"

Your New York Mets
"Switch in Mets Philosophy: Team to Explore the Possibility of Front Office Competency"

-- Richard Dyer

Giants Minor League Prospects

2012 - Top three draft picks
1. Chris Stratton RHP (R1 #20)
Notes: Mississippi State product originally pitched from the bullpen before he was converted to a starting role. At one point this year he had an eye-opening 115 SO/19 BB ratio. Working on developing a four pitch repertoire (fastball, slider, curve, change-up) and his fastball tops at 92-95 MHP. The 6'3" Stratton immediately became a top pitching prospect in the Giants farm system and should develop into a solid second or third starter at the big league level. Signed by the Giants in June 2012 for a reported $1.85 million; expect Stratton to move quickly through the lower minor leagues.

2. Martin Agosta RHP (R2 #84)
Notes: A Sacramento native and standout starter at St. Mary's, Agosta finished his college year with a 9-2/2.18 ERA line, striking out 95 batters in 103.1 innings. Agosta has three pitches: a 92-94 MPH fastball, a sharp cutter, and a work-in-progress curve. He is projected as a starter but may be a better longterm fit coming out of the bullpen.

3. Johnathan "Mac" Williamson RF (R3 #115)
Notes: Entered Wake Forest as a pitcher and was converted to the outfield where he become a dominant extra-base hitter who played all three outfield positions. Drafted in the 46th round of the 2011 draft by the Boston Red Sox, Williamson opted to stay at Wake Forest. The only position player selected by the Giants in their first eight picks, Williamson quickly signed then proceeded to put up a .971 OPS in 25 games at Single A Salem-Keizer with 21 RBI and 7 HRs.

Also in 2012:
See "Giants Drop Ball in 2012 Player Draft" for my critique of the Giants approach to the 2012 draft..
At a time when San Francisco was just starting to address the lack of quality position players in their minor league system, the team took a step backward in the 2012 draft.

Of their 40 picks, 21 (53%) were pitchers and 10 (25%) were either catchers or center fielders-- the two best represented positions throughout the Giants' organization. In the first round the Giants had a chance to select Clemson's powerful third baseman Richie Shaffer, who was grabbed by Tampa Bay five picks later.

There's a long way to go to determine which drafted players pan out, but Shaffer is batting .314 at low Single A Hudson Valley with an .842 OPS.

2011 - Top three draft picks
1. Joe Panik SS (R1 #29)
Notes: Played at St. John's University and considered the best college shortstop in the country, Panik throws right and bats left and is described as an excellent hitter with good range. He hit .398 with 10 home runs in 2011 and had a whopping .509 OBP. Panik, a twenty year old junior, suffered a serious injury in his freshman season which apparently limits his long throw from the hole. For that reason a number of scouts see him moving to second base when he hits the minor leagues.

2. Kyle Crick RHP (R2 #49)
Notes: A nineteen year old Texas high school senior, and a right hander who bats left. The Giants received the 49th draft pick as compensation for the Dodgers signing free agent former Giant Juan Uribe in the off season. Crick was 7-2 with a 1.11 ERA this year and expected to attend TCU, so it may be several years before he signs with any team. (Follow-up: signed by Giants 7/17/11).

3. Andrew Susac C (R2 #86)
Notes: A pure right handed slugger who needs to work on mastering the mechanics of catching. Rob Ozga of The Baseball Draft Report listed Oregon State sophmore Susac as the #1 college catcher in the draft. Had a hamate bone injury earlier this year but apparently it was not serious.

Also in 2011:
Efrin "Ricky" Oropesa 1B (round 3 #116). Bats left throws right. Originally drafted #742 by the Red Sox in the 2008 draft, Oropesa is a product of the University of Arizona. A former third baseman, he has classic first baseman bopper power. Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com commented in this article about Oropesa's bat, writing that he has "light-tower power".

2010 - Top three draft picks
1. Gary Brown CF (R1 #24)
Notes: Cal State Fullerton senior batted .438 with 31 stolen bases this year. Good contact hitter, great speed on the bases and in the outfield. Excellent defensive outfielder. Classic lead-off batter with high OBP. Ranked #24 in Baseball America's Top 50 overall prospects.

2. Jarrett Parker OF (R2 #74)
Notes: In 2009 Parker batted .355 with 16 home runs for the Virginia Cavaliers, and was projected to be a top ten draft pick. He has fallen off somewhat this year, but is still considered a potential five tool player. Parker plays center field and has blinding speed on the bases and in the field. Power potential makes him a possible first baseman.

3. Carter Jurica SS (R3 #138)
Notes: The Baseball Draft Report listed Jurica 2nd out of the top 30 college shortstop prospects for 2010. He batted .360 last year and his fielding and hitting skills are rated superior.

Also in 2010:
Seth Rosin RHP (4th round #138) University of Minnesota. Selected 28th by the Twins in the 2007 draft, but did not sign. Minnesota's ace, Rosin is a 6'7" strike thrower who can hit 95 MPH with his fastball.

Heath Hembree RHP (5th round) College of Charleston, South Carolina. Hembree has a blazing fastball and is human strike-out machine; on a career track to be a shutdown closer. Started 2011 with San Jose A and moved to AA Richmond. By mid-June 2011 Hembree had a 2.21 ERA with 62 SOs in 36.2 IP and 30 saves.

2009 - Top three draft picks
1. Zack Wheeler RHP (R1)
Notes: Georgia high school pitcher who can throw in the low 90s and is criticized for his unorthodox pitching motion (see Lincecum, Tim). Starting pitcher of the future.

2. Tommy Joseph C (R2)
Notes: Another high school pick; hit .494 as a senior and was Tim Alderson’s catcher at Horizon High School in Scottsdale, AZ. Could end up at first base.

3. Chris Dominquez 3B (R3)
Notes: University of Louisville senior who turned down a multi-million dollar offer in 2008 from the Colorado Rockies after they selected him in the fifth round. Signed with the Giants in June 2009.

Also in 2009:
Jeremy Toole RHP (R10), Brigham Young University.

2008 - Top three draft picks
1. Buster Posey C (R1)
Notes: Unlimited potential, amazing minor league stats, but 17 Major League at bats in 2009 illustrates why the Giants were anxious to sign a veteran starting catcher for one year to give Posey some development time. The team was lucky the free agent market folded under Bengie Molina and he was open to returning to the Giants for one year. Posey should be a mainstay in the middle of the Giants' line-up in 2010 and for the rest of his career. Can possibly play third or first.

2. Conor Gillaspie 3B (Comp A)
Notes: 2009 at San Jose- 126 games, 134 hits, .286 BA. Had 5 ABs in 2008 and looked to moved ahead fast until 3B Ryan Rohlinger emerged. Rohlinger is 26, Gillaspie is 22.

3. Roger Kieschnick RF (R3)
Notes: Fantastic 2009 in San Jose: .296, 110 RBI, 23 HRs. The 23 year-old outfielder is on the verge of moving up to AAA Fresno and could be a powerhouse at the Major League level.

Also in 2008:
Other names to track— Brandon Crawford SS (R4), great defense and potential to be a starting shortstop if he can hit; the same with SS Ehire Adrianza; RHP Edwin Quirarte (R5) pitched with Augusta and San Jose.

2007 - Top three draft picks
1. Madison Bumgarner LHP (R1)
Notes: 12-2/1.85/1.02WHIP combined AAA and AA. If he doesn’t falter during Spring Training 2010, Bumgarner should be the Giants’ fifth starter. Then he should knock the National League for a loop.

2. Tim Alderson RHP (R1)
Notes: see Emmanuel Burris, 2006. After Alderson was traded to Pittsburg in 2009, the Giants suggested that he lost some speed on his fastball (and, therefore, was not that great a loss). We shall see.

3. Wendell Fairley CF (R1)
Notes: described as being very athletic, 22 year-old Fairley has not yet lit up AA ball.

Also in 2007:
>SS/2B Nick Noonan (Comp A, 4th overall). Noonan, 20, developed as an above average hitter with speed before the Giants moved him to shortstop and he had a rough 2009 (see Emmanuel Burris, 2006).

>Craig Clark LHP (R14) was 16-2/2.86/1.13WHIP and 135 strikeouts for San Jose in 2009, and was named California League Pitcher of the Year— a tremendous performance.

2006 - Top three draft picks
1. Tim Lincecum RHP (R1)
Notes: Seems to be doing OK. Chances for a historic third Cy Young in a row: somewhere around 80-90% (until August 2010 happened).

2. Emmanuel Burriss SS (R1)
Notes: Burriss was caught up in a series of costly missteps by the Giants front office in setting up their shortstop and second base positions at both the Major and Minor League levels. Had the Giants simply put Burriss at shortstop to start the 2009 season, he would have backed up the team’s superb starting pitching with a great glove and excellent range at virtually no cost. Instead, the team gave Edgar Renteria, an aging hitter with incredibly poor defensive skills, $19 million for two years and told Burriss to start practicing at second base. Then the Giants told their outstanding Minor League second base prospect Nick Noonan to switch to shortstop and Noonan’s hitting dipped in 2009, perhaps in response to all the confusion. After Burriss was injured, the Giants traded their second pick in the 2007 draft, Tim Alderson, to rent the Pirates' Freddy Sanchez for two months. Sanchez then cost the Giants another $12 million over two years. With Burriss at short, and Noonan at second, the $31 million the Giants spent on Sanchez and Renteria might have gone towards signing a power hitting free agent at third or left field, the infield defense would be solid, and Tim Alderson would still a Giant.

Follow-up: Of course Freddy Sanchez helped lead the Giants through the 2010 playoffs and WS; Renteria's terrible 2 year contract was justified in one swing of the bat during Game 5 of the 2010 World Series, and after injuries and a tough start Tim Alderson was working his way through AA Altoona for the Pirates in 2011.

3. Clayton Tanner LHP (R3)
Notes: The 22 year-old Australian lefty went 12-6/3.17/1.25WHIP at San Jose in 2009. Not a hard thrower, but a pitcher to follow.

Also in 2006:
>The Giants signed 16 year-old Angel Villalona to a $2.1 million contract. The super hitting prospect and third baseman of the future soon ballooned into the first baseman of the future, then in 2009 was arrested and charged with homicide in the Dominican Republic (and currently out on bail).

>LF Thomas Neal, (R37 2005 draft) was .337, 90 RBI, 41 doubles, and a 1.010 OPS for San Jose in 2009. Neal has the potential to be an absolute off-the-chart ML power hitter.

>RHP Kevin Pucetas (R17) 10-6/5.04/1.40WHIP started hot at Fresno in 2009 and tailed off.

>RHP Waldis Joaquin, signed in 2003 as a non-draft free agent, was in 10 games with the 2009 Giants and is considered a top relief prospect.

-- Richard Dyer

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