Phil Bickford, RHP. DOB: 7/10/1995. 6'5", 205 lbs.
Rookie AZL: 0-1, 2.01, 22.1 IP, 12.9 K/9, 2.42 BB/9, GO/AO= 1.29.
Bickford is tall and wiry strong. He has been on scouting radars since the 2013 draft when he was taken #10 overall out of HS by the Toronto Blue Jays. He did not sign and pitched the 2014 season for Cal State Fullerton where he put up very respectable numbers as both a starter and reliever. That summer, he wowed scouts at the Cape Cod League with a 98 MPH fastball while pitching in relief. He also decided to withdraw from Cal State Fullerton and transfer to College of Southern Nevada, a JC that plays in a wood bat league. You may remember a guy named Bryce Harper attending there. Pitching in JC ball made him eligible for the 2015 draft a year earlier than if he stayed at CS Fullerton.
The Giants made him their first round selection in the draft, #18 overall. They took it slow with him as he pitched just 22.1 innings with no appearance lasting longer than 3 IP. Although his overall numbers are impressive enough, he really dominated over his final 3 appearances recording 18 of his 32 strikeouts against just 2 BB's in 8.1 innings of pitching. Baseball America, in it's end of season draft report, ranked his fastball #3 in the entire draft. It does not have as much velocity when he is starting, but he commands it well with excellent movement making it a swing and miss pitch.
It will be interesting to see how the Giants handle Bickford in 2016. I could see them being aggressive and assigning him to San Jose, but they generally do that with pitchers who see post-draft action in Salem-Keizer. They could also continue to take it slow and assign him to Augusta. Between the two FA signings and a farm system stacked with quality arms, there is no need at upper levels to rush him.
His ETA for the majors is probably 2018 at the earliest with 2019 more likely. His ceiling is #1 SP with #2 or #3 being his most likely peak.
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Would it be disappointing if Bickford starts in the Sally in 2016 since Stratton started his 1st full season there..
ReplyDeleteLG
What was disappointing about Stratton was his performance in Low A, not so much that he was assigned there. For one, Bickford has 1 less year of college experience than Stratton did and 2 less years of major college experience, so it might be reasonable to be a bit more conservative with his first full season assignment. Second, if he does go to Augusta and performs well there, then I don't see any problem with it. It would be a bit disappointing if he is assigned to Augusta and then struggles there.
DeleteI would add that Augusta is an extremely pitcher-friendly environment, so you would expect a first round draft pick, even out of HS to perform well there. A college first rounder should dominate.
DeleteI am most excited about this arm than any other one in the system. I hope he is not included in a trade
ReplyDeleteBilly Baseball
There are several comparable arms in the system, but I agree, Bickford is an exciting prospect.
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