Wow! Judging from the spirited discussions of the Community Prospect List over on mccoveychronicles.com, interest should be building for the 2011 version of my Giants Top 50 Prospects. Go check it out!
#27 Steve Edelfsen, RHP. AAA: 7-2, 2.38, 64.1 IP, 34 BB, 50 K's, GO/AO= 3.19, 6 Saves. VWL: 1-0, 1.69, 15 IP, 8 BB, 7 K's, GO/AO= 2.00.
Steve Edlefsen gets the job done with unimpressive K and BB numbers, but makes up for it with an extreme ground ball rate which he has been able to maintain throughout his pro career. The PCL tends to be tough on ground ball pitchers because sinkers don't sink in some of the hot, dry, high altitude settings. Edlefsen has an abrupt sidearm delivery a lot like former Giants prospect Adam Cowart, but he gets much more velocity than Cowart. He combines the sinker with a slider that was once rated best in the organization by BA. The abruptness of his delivery makes it very difficult for batters to time his pitches. The Giants thought highly enough of his performance that they added him to the 40 man roster in preference to Joe Paterson to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. It would be nice to see his walk rate come down, but if the ground ball tendencies hold up in the PCL, they should also hold up in the coastal ballparks of the NL West. He should be one of the first in line for a callup if the Giants need help in the bullpen in 2011.
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Edlefsen offers an interesting dilemma in putting a prospect list together. I put a quick top-10 list together about a month back, and I had Edlefsen #5 because he is expected to graduate this year. Most people who saw my list called me crazy, but how can you not rate a guy who is EXPECTED to be a MLB contributor THIS SEASON high on your list?
ReplyDeleteAny idea how you will treat him on your 2011 version?
CSS,
ReplyDeleteIt all depends on how you weigh ceiling vs proximity to the majors. I tend to weigh ceiling more heavily. Edlefsen has a good chance of having a MLB career, but he'll never be more than a middle reliever/setup man. I will probably rank Dan Runzler, who has a high 90's fastball and still has a chance to eventually be a closer or starter, in the top 10. Edlefsen will likely be higher than #17, but most likely not top 10.
There are some really good exchanges going on over at McCoveychronicles. This year, extreme opposites have contended for various spots and it has brought out some fantastic analysis.
ReplyDeleteEdlefsen is good enough to make the majors. He's not good enough to make the staff of a good team, and the Giants have one of the best pitching staffs 1 through 12 in all of baseball. So Steve's probably not going to pitch much for the MLB team unless the situation and timing are right when someone goes down to injury. Honestly, I could see him in Fresno putting up very good numbers for the first half of the year and then finding himself part of a trade package for a mid-season upgrade.
Oops! I meant to say Edlefsen will likely be higher than #27! I'm not sure he gets higher than 17 though there is a chance.
ReplyDeleteDave,
ReplyDeleteI agree about the Giants pitching staff 1-12. I really think it IS the best in baseball 1-12! The Giants seem to have decided they don't want to concede any spot in the staff. I bet if they could, they'd be looking to upgrade #5 starter, but they are kind of stuck there for at least 3 more seasons. Ugh!!
I like Zito in our rotation.
ReplyDeleteI feel that if Zito were judged by his performances and not his salary, he would be considered good as a mid-rotation starter on most good teams, after his performances the past couple of years for the Giants. That he's our 5th best starter is a good thing, as I think he can be pretty good when he got things going.
Yeah, Zito is OK. He had something like 20 QS's last year, which is a whole lot more than you might expect out of a #5 starter. To get an equivalent #5 on the market, you'd have to pay, well, Ted Lilly is a very similar pitcher and look what the Dodgers just paid for him. Zito actual cost above market value is only about $8-10 M. Not a negligable amount, but not as bad as if he was not playing at all or if he was released or if he was traded and the Giants had to pay most of his salary.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing about Zito is he never gets injured and you can just about bank on 180-200 IP per year -- which is a very valuable (undervalued) trait in a starting pitcher.
ReplyDelete