Sunday, October 27, 2013

Down on the Farm: Giants 2013 Draft Review Rounds 31-40

The Giants only signed 4 players drafted in rounds 31-40 bolstering the argument that the MLB amateur draft could be reduced to 30 rounds without jeopardizing farm systems.  The guys they did sign are interesting.  All of the unsigned players were coming out of HS.  Here's the list:

31.  John Riley, C:  AZL  .200/.321/.292 in 65 AB.  Drew some walks, but struck out about 35% of his PA's. I really like his swing on video I found on Youtube.  Giants sprang for a $400 K+ signing bonus to land him.

32.  Nick Cieri, C:  Unsigned

33.  Craig Massoni, 1B:  AZL  .272/.401/.384, 2 HR, 19 BB, 29 K in 125 AB.  Massoni raked in college from a second tier program at Austin Peay St.  AZL is probably too low a level for him, but there was no room at higher levels.  He did well in the situation he found himself in which is all you can ask for.

34.  Rayan Hernandez, RHP:  0-1, 8.31, 8.2 IP, 6 BB, 8 K's.   Jumbo kid at 6'4", 230 lbs who did not turn 18 until  9/24.  Extremely small sample size.  We'll see what happens and where he pitches after an instructional league under his belt.  He will likely return to the AZL after extended spring training.

35.  Aubrey McCarty, 1B:  Unsigned.

36.  Grand Goodman, RHP:  Unsigned.

37.  Will Callaway, 2B:   AZL  .271/.345/427, 10 BB, 19 K's in 96 AB.  College Senior out of a second tier program at Appy St.  Hit well at this low level, but the Giants have 2B prospects coming out their ears.  Will have a tough time finding a place to play next year.

38.  Osvaldo Garcia, RHP:  Unsigned.

39.  Chris Vail, RHP:  Unsigned.

40.  Ryan Kirby, OF:  Unsigned.

7 comments:

  1. I thought that I read somewhere that either Massoni or Callaway was drafted and signed partly before he is a good friend of John Riley, and it was added inducement to get Riley to sign. Anyone else heard of this?

    Anon #1

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  2. Riley had a higher pre-draft ranking than Ryder Jones, and I'd heard somewhere that the Giants had their eyes on him even in the 2nd round. Is it crazy to call him a Top 25 prospect in the system for this? I really think he's got solid upside, but isn't as polished right now as Arroyo and Jones. Among the 5 young position player prospects drafted this year (Arroyo, Jones, Fargas, Arenado, Riley), I feel they got a very nice crop of talent, each offering different tools... Riley is the sleeper of this high school group, in my opinion.

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  3. I was just thinking, if the Giants really want to improve this offseason I have 2 moves for them that have nothing to do with the draft. Trade for Braun and Samardja. Sure, it would take most of our best prospects and even then that might not be enough but those 2 guys could get us back to the world series right quick.

    I think it is worth debating, Braun I had been thinking about for a while but just saw Samardja's name on mlbtraderumors and it made sense. Samardja for the next 3-4 years or Crick maturing in 3-4 years? Braun has baggage but he is a beast with or without juice and the Brewers would love to get rid of him and get some of our top 10 prospects along with a corner infielder that reminds them of a former 1B they used to love???

    If most of our talent in the minors is in the low A's than what are we really giving up if we have to part with 7-8 of them? We would have a really good team for the next 4 years giving us plenty of time to rebuild the farm system. There is also as good a chance that we keep a few of the low A guys that actually make it to the big leagues instead of hoping that we hit on 2-3 of the 15-20 top prospects. Aside from Crick I don't see too many untouchables on the top 50 list but guys like Arroyo, Panik, Brown, Blackburn, Williamson, Stratton and Hembree might package well.

    So something like:

    Pablo, Blackburn, Brown, Susac, and Stratton for Braun??? - Pablo helps them right away and Khris Davis fills in for Braun. They get 2 good pitching prospects and a catching prospect as well, seems fair??

    Crick, Arroyo, Williamson, and Hembree for Samardja??? - Crick is the center piece obviously and maybe it doesn't even take this much.

    Sorry to change the subject but I couldn't wait for your next post on offseason moves to comment! Seriously though, this could have a ton of potential. We would still have plenty of young talent in the minors like your boy Oropesa, Mejia, Agosta, Panik, Cabrera, and Kickham. If you look at the Giants prospects after Crick, there really isn't a huge difference between talent when you throw out age and level so Milwaukee and Chicago would have just as good a chance on those prospects actually panning out than they would any others in our farm system! Lastly, if we don't trade for these guys there is a good chance the Dodgers will.

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    Replies
    1. Crick MAY be ready for some MLB action as early as 2015.

      Arroyo cannot be traded, even if we wanted to, until after the 2014 draft.

      Williamson does not have enough trade value at this point to part with him.

      Hembree is already slated for a key-role in the bully this coming year.

      For the Braun proposal, the Giants are still raw in regards to the PED issue, so there is NO WAY they trade for Braun.

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    2. Personally, I would not be against trading the farm for the right pieces. For example, I would be willing to part with a package that included Kyle Crick if the return was David Price and his 2 controlled years of contract.

      Samardijza would be an interesting acquisition, but for a lesser package than Crick/Hembree.

      As for Ryan Braun, the Brewers have given no indication of wanting to trade him. He had a hand/wrist injury this last year that you have to worry about too. I don't see the Brewers wanting to trade him and I don't see the Giants wanting to acquire him.

      Sabes and Bobby Evans have all but said they are not going to trade away the young pitching they have accumulated in the low minors, so it's probably pointless to speculate on possible trades involving them.

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    3. Price would take more than Crick. If they got Will Myers for Shields they won't settle for less than a top 5 prospect to start the conversation. The Rays seem more interested in quality over quantity so I doubt the Dodgers will have what it takes to get him either but they could probably pull off a deal with the cubs for Samardja.

      They also seem like they could very easily pull of a trade for Braun by sending over someone like Ethier and some of their mediocre prospects. Somehow they were able to acquire an all-star team in multiple trades with garbage prospects so it isn't that far fetched. The reason why they were able to get Hanley and Crawford and Gonzalez and Marmol and Nolasco and League and Volquez and Young were because they weren't afraid to let some other team gamble on their prospects when they knew they could get proven talent if they were willing to give enough of it up.

      It doesn't really matter which prospects or how many of them we give up. This is a move that a team looking to compete over the next 4 years does. You don't hold grudges about steroids, you take the high road and preach forgiveness and second chances while Braun wins another MVP. Any injury concerns should be put in perspective, he has had a head start on the offseason and even if he isn't ready to go right away he is a long term investment.

      Samardja is one of those borderline great pitchers who just needs a big ball park and some confidence and he could be worth twice his salary. I like the formula of turning a reliever into a starter and Samardja is right up there with Chris Sale and CJ Wilson he has just been on a crappy team his entire career.

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    4. I don't think the Giants have the firepower to acquire Price either. I was just putting his name out there as an example of the type of player I would be willing to blow up the farm for. In that sense, I was actually agreeing with you that Crick and the farm system should not be untouchable. Since I don't think the Giants have any intention of making any kind of blockbuster trade, The discussion is academic anyway. On the other hand, lesser trades can be made and can make a huge difference as the Pagan and Melky trades prior to 2012 showed.

      The main reason the Dodgers were able to accumulate all that talent had nothing to do with what prospects they were willing or able to trade. They were willing to take on enormous amounts of salary. It still remains to be seen whether that willingness will ultimately pay off or not.

      As for Braun specifically, I just don't see that the Brewers are anxious to trade him and I don't see him as being a target for the Giants. Like I said, Samardz is an interesting name. I like him as a pitcher. I don't think the Cubs are going to trade him unless someone is willing to overpay by quite a bit. He would be a piece to add to the rotation though.

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