Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Dr B's 2014 Giants Top 50 Prospects: #27 Jarrett Parker

Jarrett Parker, OF.  B-L, T-L.  6'4", 210 lbs.  DOB:  1/1/1989.

AA:   .245/.355/.430, 18 HR, 13 SB, 60 BB, 161 K, 444 AB.
AFL: .300/.366/.333, 8 BB, 19 K's in 60 AB.

We've talked quite a bit about Parker.  He's a classic 3 True Outcomes hitter as almost half of his PA's resulted in a walk, K or HR.  That has been his pattern so far in his pro career.  He was drafted in the second round in 2010 after Gary Brown which gave them 2 college CF's in the first 3 picks of that draft.  They were teammates in San Jose in 2011 where Brown outshone Parker by a wide margin.  Brown moved on to AA in 2012 and AAA in 2013 with increasing struggles at each level.  Parker went back to San Jose for 2012 and put up pretty much the same numbers he's had ever year as a pro.

The numbers stayed the same in AA, but the higher level and tougher hitting environment made them look a whole lot better.  I kind of have this feeling that is just the way the math falls out when you factor in the K's, BB's, dingers and BABIP and that's what he's going to be more or less what his career line will be wherever that ends up.  An OPS of .785, heck, an OPS in the low .700's, from a good defensive OF will play in the majors.

We'll see where he goes in 2014.  I don't see any point in sending him back to Richmond so he should rejoin his old draft mate and teammate in Fresno where I would project him to put up similar numbers which won't look quite so good in that environment.  His future in the major leagues probably depends on some GM who likes 3 true outcomes guys asking for him in a trade package or claiming him off waivers at some point in the future.  The Giants have historically not shown much of an inclination to sacrifice BA for the other components of a batting line.

News and Notes:

Todd Linden has been named as a hitting coach for the Augusta Greenjackets this year.  Oh the irony that the kid who didn't like to be coached will now be one himself!

We could learn the outcome of the Tanaka sweepstakes today or tomorrow.  The deadline for him to sign with a MLB club under posting rules is Friday.  The Cubs are reported to be the highest bidders, but lots of contradictory stories coming out of Chicago.  I remain convinced that the Dodgers will not be outbid if they really want him and they seem to be seriously interested.  The Yankees remain in the mix and probably have the biggest immediate need for him.  The Hot Stove has pretty much frozen over waiting for the Tanaka decision.  It should get fired up again as there are several moderate profile FA pitchers still on the market.

20 comments:

  1. They got something for Gilaspie last year.

    They got something for Monell this year

    Maybe they could have gotten something for Peguero.

    If they don't like Parker's BA, I hope they can get something for him.

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    1. The Baltimore GM seems to be quite high on Frankie Pegs. It will be interesting to see how he does there.

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  2. Yay! Unfreeze the FA market! Very curious to see who lands Jimenez. Tanaka goes without saying.

    Say, how about that 2010 draft? The Giants pick up Brown and Parker in the first and second rounds, and the Dodgers pick up Joc Pederson in the 11th round. Go figure.

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    1. 2010 was probably our worst draft, recently. Even that can produce a future closer in Hembree, and some more.
      2007 had Bumgarner and Noonan + 2 trade chips, 2008 brought Posey and Crawford, 2009 brought Belt and 2 trade chips. 2011 includes Crick, Susac, Panik, and Blackburn. It is too early for the others. Overall, we are doing good.

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    2. Exactly! You can run through almost any team's recent drafts and find some lower round player that is doing better than your higher round player. Overall, the Giants drafts have blown the Dodger draft out of the water ever since the Kershaw pick and I think the Giants got somebody pretty good that year.

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    3. 2006. Dodgers drafted Kershaw #6 overall. Giants drafted Timmy at #10. The Dodgers may win a WS or three with Kershaw. The Giants have already won two with Timmy.

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    4. "The Dodgers may win a WS or three with Kershaw and a budget that's nearly $200 million larger than the next highest. The Giants have already won two with Timmy, and an organization developed with class."

      There, fixed it for you Doc.

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    5. What's fun about my Joc Peterson comment is that he was drafted out of Palo Alto HS, right under the Giants nostrils.

      What is it with the Giants and scouting outfielders? If Mac Williamson crashes and burns in EL, it's here we go again.

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    6. Scary thing about the Dodgers in addition to the bottomless coffers, is that although they may not have the depth of arms the Giants have, they have a few upper tier talents on the farm which they can plug in or trade. They've two solid positional prospects with Pederson & Seager, plus Lee and Urias for arms. As far as top 100 prospects, the Giants have Crick and the Dodgers may have 4 ahead of the next Giant on the list.

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    7. Not sure I agree with that analysis. I think you may be overrating Da Bums here and underrating what the Giants have.

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    8. BTW, what's with the sudden love for the Dodger's prospects?

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    9. It's not my ratings. Wait till you see the top 100 lists roll around. Ever take a gander at the prospects on rival teams?

      It's frustration really. I figure they probably come away with Tanaka. They have an outfielder to trade. They have prospects to move and salary to pick up at the deadline.

      How do you like the Giants chances with the rotation constructed as it is and most of the prospects coming out of A ball?

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    10. Top100 lists are important, but not the be-all, end-all of prospect evaluation or organizational strength. Yes, I do look at other organizations. Maybe you haven't been paying attention to my series of posts on Fantasy prospects? I happen to believe some of those Dodger prospects are overrated. I also believe the Giants have one of the best and certainly the deepest group of pitching prospects in all of baseball with some interesting and underrated position prospects sprinkled into the mix.

      The Giants continue to be well positioned for the future. Don't get your dauber down!

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    11. OK, take a deep breath, Ryan. Tanaka goes to the……Yankees!!! Don't get your dauber down!

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    12. I wonder if the Dodgers offered more money?

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    13. My guess is the Dodgers were not serious bidders.

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    14. Prospects picked up in the 11th round have very low odds of making it to the majors. And really, anything beyond the the first 5 to 10 picks overall is really lottery tickets, you go with your gut and wish for the best, and see what you got once they become pros. As DrB notes, you can find examples of this example you gave all over for any team, particularly if you want to denigrate a specific team.

      And think of it this way: Pederson could have been drafted by any team, on average, 10 times, before LA picked him up, so if LA really knew what they had with him, why would they wait until the 11th round and risk another team selecting him away from them? If they knew he was going to be such a top prospect, why risk losing him to another team by not selecting him sooner?

      Or how about this: they selected Ethan Martin with the 15th pick of the 2008 draft. The 16th pick? Brett Lawrie.

      Top 100 lists are nice, but if you follow them over a number of years, you'll find that a lot of the prospects wash out of the majors quickly - or worse, never make it that high. Sandoval was never on any Top 100 list, heck, he didn't even make his own team's Top 30 the year he made the majors and proved an instant natural. Meanwhile, Andy Marte was the consensus top prospect a number of years, and Delmon Young was considered by some as a future Hall of Famer. Neither has reached any level of stardom, Marte barely got any chances in the majors.

      In general, I find that the prospect rankers seem to over rate Dodger prospects while under rating Giants prospects. For years, I kept on reading about how this prospect or that pitching prospect for the Dodgers was so great, and how great Logan White is, while Cain was not that highly rated at all, he was always second rate in the comparatives I read on each. Yet he kept on rising up the ladder, kept on performing, while each hot Dodger pitcher would either flame out or not do as well as Cain has done. Billingley was the last toe-to-toe comparison I can recall, and Cain has had a much better and significant career than Chad has.

      From my reading of the overall rankings, during the 2000's, the Dodgers and White were all dat, while the Giants were always considered mediocre at best. Meanwhile, the Giants in that 8 year period of 2002-2009, drafted Cain, Wilson, Sanchez, Romo, Lincecum, Bumgarner, Posey, Crawford, Wheeler, Belt, most of whom were core contributors to two world championships. Most of the talent the Dodgers have right now they bought or traded for (or both).

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    15. Again, I agree with almost all of this. You're on fire, ogc!

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  3. Yes! Tanaka to the Yankees. The Dodgers will have a less formidable rotation. Do they go with Zach Lee and Fife and whoever or sign up Bronson Arroyo?

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