Friday, February 13, 2015

DrB's 2015 Giants Top 50 Prospects: Honorable Mention Part I

First a couple of notes:  1.  These are listed in no particular order.  I quite sure there will be prospects in the last installment who I like much better than the ones in the first.  2.  A couple of early dropouts as Chris Dominguez and Mike Kickham were in the original list, but were both released and are now with other organizations.

Jarrett Parker, OF.  DOB:  1/1/1989.  B-L, T-R.  6'3", 190 lbs.
2014 AA:     .275/.370/.463, 12 HR, 11 SB, 10.7 BB%, 24.6 K%, 419 PA.
2104 AAA:  .278/.360/456, 3 HR, 1 SB, 10.1 BB%, 25.8 K%, 89 PA.

Parker was drafted in round 2 the same year Gary Brown went in the first.  Like Brown, he is a bit of an enigma, but in a different way.  3 true outcomes all the way.  His BA fluctuates but everything else is steady as she goes.  He puts up about the same OPS no matter the level and no matter the environment.  He's a decent defender who can play CF in a pinch.  Given the state of OF offense around MLB, there's gotta be some team who could use a guy like this.  Looks like he's start in Sacramento and wait for an opportunity or a trade.

Chris Heston, RHP.  DOB:  4/10/1988.  6'4", 185 lbs.
2014 AAA:  12-9, 3.38, 173 IP, 2.65 BB/9, 6.50 K/9, GO/AO= 1.41.
2014 MLB:  0-0, 5.06, 5.1 IP, 5.06 BB/9, 6.75 K/9, GO/AO= 1.20.

AAAA pitcher who might give you an emergency start or two.  Knows how to pitch, but just does not quite have the stuff for MLB.

Jake Dunning, RHP.  DOB:  8/12/1988.  6'4", 190 lbs.
2014 AAA:  0-3, 4.57, 65 IP, 3.60 BB/9, 7.06 K/9.

Dunning has had a couple of short MLB gigs out of the bullpen.  Has been strictly a reliever in college and the minors.  Giants think his pitch mix would work as a starter and he got 4 starts at the end of the season in 2014.  Maybe we'll see him in the Sacramento rotation in 2015?

Brett Bochy, RHP.  DOB:  4/10/1987.  6'2", 200 lbs.
2104 AAA:  4-4, 3.83, 54 IP, 4.50 BB/9, 7.83 K/9, GO/AO= 0.47.
2014 MLB:  0-0, 5.40, 3.1 IP, 5.40 BB/9, 8.10 K/9, GO/AO= 0.75.

The kid we affectionately call Melonhead Jr, son of the Giants Future Hall of Fame Manager(FHOFM for short).  Let's see here.  Soft tossing RH reliever with an extreme flyball tendency?  That is generally no bueno in MLB.  Might be able to get away with it in AT&T if you don't allow walks.  Yeah, I don't really see it working either.

Austin Fleet, RHP.  DOB:  4/17/1987.  6'2", 205 lbs.
2014 AA:     8-1, 2.78, 97 IP, 3.34 BB%, 7.14 K%, GO/AO= 0.69.
2014 AAA:  4-2, 3.95, 43.1 IP, 2.70 BB%, 6.85 K%, GO/AO= 0.65.

I have no idea what this guy throws.  He's kind of a jack-of-all-trades swingman type who puts up decent numbers wherever he goes.  Again, not sure that extreme flyball tendency works without plus velocity, which maybe he has, but I doubt it.

Kelvin Marte, LHP.  DOB:  11/24/1987.  6'0", 180 lbs.
2014 AA:  8-3, 3.83, 87 IP, 2.38 BB%, 5.69 K%, GO/AO= 1.87.
2014 AAA:  1-2, 5.45, 36.1 IP, 1.98 BB%, 5.20 K%, GO/AO= 1.86.

Marte has been around forever as he started out in the organization as a young international signee.  His  progress in the system has been slowed by multiple injuries over the years.  I saw him hitting 91-92 MPH a few years ago in the Cal League.  Don't know if he still throws that hard.  A low walk rate and a near-elite GB rate just might play, but the extremely low K rate works against him big time.

3 comments:

  1. Both Parker and Dunning seem likely to have, at a minimum, modest major league careers, more than just a cup of coffee. Not a bad showing for the system to have players like that after the top 50 and only honorable mentions.

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    1. Marte looked good when in the Cal league game I attended. He then was out a year with injury. With another year removed from that, I hope he will have a good year in 2015.

      Agreed on Parker and Dunning and with the Giants management being people oriented (treating players as human beings), if they can't find places for them, hopeful trades can be made with teams that can use them and get us something useful back as well.

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  2. This seems like your "Cup o Coffee" list, Doc. Parker, Heston, Dunning, Bochy plus Dominguez and Kickham, all have sniffed the Bigs. Doesn't look any of them have the right stuff to stay there. However, the Sactown Giants should finally have some upside talent in AAA that might stick in 2016 and beyond.

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