Saturday, November 5, 2016

Giants 2017 Depth Charts: Centerfield

It was not too long ago that outfield was the thinnest position if the Organization.  That is not the case anymore as the Giants are loaded with legitimate OF prospects from top to bottom.  The lines between LF, CF and RF get a bit blurry, but we'll try to at least differentiate between OF's capable of playing CF and those who are destined to be Corner OF's.  We'll start with CF:

MLB:

Denard Span, 33 yo- .266/.331/.381.  Span looked worn out by the first of September and he got just 3 hits in the first 14 days of the month.  He seemed to benefit from getting some days off in a platoon  with Gorkys Hernandez and hit .325 from 9/15 on.  That may be a model for keeping him healthy and productive all season as he enters his mid-30's.

Gorkys Hernandez, 29 yo- .259/.298/.463.  It was a small sample and Hernandez has a long history of struggles to hit. On the other hand, he hit well all season for Sacramento before his callup, so maybe he's turned a corner?  The upgrade of defense was quite noticeable.  I'm rooting for a Gorkys/Span R-L platoon all season for 2017!

AAA:

Austin Slater, 24 yo- .305/.393/.500, 18 HR(AA/AAA).  Slater may ultimately be a corner OF, but he did play 48 games in the middle between Richmond and Sacramento.  Love the bat!

AA:

Steven Duggar, 23 yo- .302/.388/.448, 10 HR(High A/AA).  Tremendous season for Duggar and remember, it was his first full pro season!  The power may have sagged a bit in Richmond, but hitting .321 there in his first full pro season is impressive, at leas to me!  He also may be more of a corner OF, but he played 59 games in CF, mostly after his promotion to AA.

HIGH A:

Ronnie Jebavy, 23 yo- .247/.305/.385.  The fact that he got the not to play CF in San Jose over Duggar likely tells you something about his defensive chops, but will he ever hit enough?  Double digits in HR's and SB's is intriguing.

LOW A:

Johneshwy Fargas, 22 yo- .275/.340/.354, 32 SB.  Fargas started the season playing LF for San Jose and was completely overmatched.  Will he do better when he gets another chance?

SHORT SEASON:

Bryan Reynolds, 22 yo- .313/.363/.484.  Reynolds is the presumptive Giants CF of the Future until proven otherwise.  5 Tools, but is any single tool outstanding?  Scouts divided on whether he can play CF in the majors.  If he can, he's an exciting player to dream on.

Ashford Fulmer, 23 yo- .245/.355/.339, 15 SB.  Hit .298 for Salem-Keizer.  Fulmer is a late round draftee from 2015 who is a project, but seems to have some tools, particularly speed.

ROOKIE AZL:

Woody Edwards, 22 yo- .287/.368/.319, 10 SB, 94 AB.  Final pick of the 2015 draft.  Another project.

Malique Zeigler, 20 yo- .290/.384/.419.  Zeigler kind of got lost in the scrum of OF's the Giants drafted in 2016 and he's a project, but I love his size and apparent athleticism.  A bit old for rookie ball, but those are nice numbers.

DSL:

Jose Patino, 19 yo- .278/.365/.327.  Second season in the DSL.  Is it enough to get him to Arizona?

2 comments:

  1. Hi Doc, Before you get to your corner outfielder post I just thought I'd toss a name out for discussion. Eric Thames is a South Bay kid who has starred in the KBO for the past 3 seasons and has seemingly improved his plate discipline during his time in Korea. Not sure of his defense since he has played more 1B in Korea but from my recollection of him while stateside I think he was around average defensively. He's looking to return to MLB for 2017 and I'm curious about your thoughts on the possibility of the Giants signing him.

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    1. I remember Eric Thames from all the way back when he was in college. I really liked him before the draft and he showed flashes of being a 5-tool prospect but never gained traction in the majors. Was he slowed by some injuries? I guess I'd be down with a minor league deal.

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