Second base may actually be a bigger relative organizational need for the Giants than third base. Pablo Sandoval looks like the third baseman for a few more years at least. Freddy Sanchez has one more year left on his contract and is always an injury risk. Second base is Emmanuel Burriss' best position, but will he ever hit well enough? Charlie Culberson is holding his own in AA after last year's breakout in San Jose, but there are still questions about his fielding and whether the bat will translate to the majors. Nick Noonan could move back to 2B, but his bat looks a lot better at SS than at 2B. I love Carlos Willoughby's combination of on-base skills and speed, but he's got a ways to go from low A ball. There is room for another 2B prospect in the system. Here's a breakdown of what's out there in the draft:
First Round:
Kolton Wong, Hawaii- .378/.492/.560, 7 HR, 23 SB, 7 CS. He's small at 5'9", 180 lbs, but a real dynamo on the field. He's a 5 tool player with a highly developed bat that is more gap-to-gap than HR power. Still, he should hit more than well enough for a middle infielder. He is also versatile and has played games in CF, at SS and catcher. There is a good chance of him being available at #29 and if the Giants selected him, he would immediately go to the head of the line for second baseman of the future.
Supplemental Round: None. Wow, that's surprising!
Second Round: None. Wow, that's even more surprising!
Third/Fourth Rounds:
Ryan Wright, Louisville- .346/.426/.598, 12 HR, 16 SB, 2 CS. Don't have a scouting report but the numbers look good.
Dante Flores, HS- No info.
Fifth/Sixth Rounds:
Phillip Evans, HS- I'm surprised to see him ranked this low by BA. I've seen mock drafts with him going to the Giants at #29. This may be a tools vs skills thing. Evans is reputed to have the most highly developed skills of any HS position player in the draft but pedestrian tools. BA has always heavily favored tools.
Christian Lopes, HS- I'm surprised to see Lopes this low too. He's got nice size for a middle infielder and a projectable bat. May not be a terrific fielder.
Mookie Betts, HS- no info.
It looks like Wong or else find a couple of organizational college guys down in the draft.
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Its been fun watching Kolten Wong for the past 3 years. Hawaii fans will be very proud once he's drafted. He put up those offensive #'s despite being pitched around all season. Some of the 7 CS was due to pickoffs. The TV color analyst for the Hawaii games, who used to be a scout, commented that it will be interesting to see what position Wong ends up playing in pro ball. He played an impressive CF his entire freshman year. He's just a good baseball player...
ReplyDeleteI would not be disappointed if the Giants drafted Kolton Wong at #29. I think the latest BA mock has him going higher though.
ReplyDeleteDrB, thanks for posting these rankings of draft prospects. Since the draft is only 7 days away, I'd be interested if you have any preferences on who the Giants might pick for their 1st couple of picks? It might be tough to pinpoint with the Giants draft position.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind the Giants Drafting Wong in the first round and going after a High School Pitcher with the 49th pick.
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind while there may not be many 'true' second basemen in this draft class most players seem to end up there if they don't have the range or arm for third or short.
Then again finding a good SS is like finding a needle in a haystack.
Anon,
ReplyDeleteI'm planning to post my own Giants draft board just before the draft. I'd be OK with several different directions, but the biggest organizational need is to restock the pitching. Best Player Available in rounds 1 and 2, but if there is no clear cut BPA, the biggest and best pool of players likely to be available are high school pitchers which happens to dovetail with what the organization needs.
Stephen B,
True about the shortstops. The only surefire SS that's highly ranked is Lindor and he'll be long gone by #29. I love a kid named Kenneth Julius Gaines Jr. in rounds 5-7 range.