The back and forth discussion about Mac Williamson in some of the comments got me to thinking about the in-house corner OF options for the future. They have not shortage of in-house options from which to choose and those choices will not be easy. They could impact the future of the team well into the 2020's(Whoa! Am I actually writing 2020's?). I thought it might be fun to do a compare and contrast smackdown to help us and the Giants sort it out. I'm not going to do an exhaustive review of all of their minor league stat lines. Most of you already are familiar with them. I'll just do a brief capsule summary of each then rank them in several categories. Here we go!
Jarrett Parker, 28 yo, B-L, T-L, 6'4", 210 lbs. Second round draft pick in 2010 out of college(Virginia). 5 tools. Tall, lean, athletic. Generates impressive power from his long levers which can also make his swing get long. Minor league hitting profile is relatively low BA, high BB, high K, average power and speed.
Mac Williamson, 27 yo, B-R, T-R, 6'4", 240 lbs. 3'rd round draft pick in 2012, college(Wake Forest). 4-5 tools. Tall, muscular, athletic. Massive strength. King of Exit Velocities. Raw power is blunted by flatness in his swing that produces more groundballs and line drives. Minor league hitting profile is average BA, average BB, High K's, average power, below average speed.
Austin Slater, 24 yo, B-R, T-R, 6'2", 215 lbs. 8'th round draft pick in 2014 out of college(Stanford). Strong but compact build. 5 average to above average tools. Hit tool is probably his best which may be his trump card. Above average raw power is blunted by a flat swing(Stanford?). Minor league hitting profile is high BA, average BB's, average K's, below average power, average speed.
Chris Shaw, 23 yo, B-L, T-R, 6'4", 235 lbs. 1'st round(Supplemental) draft pick in 2015 out of college(Boston College). 2-3 tools. Despite similar size numbers, looks shorter and heavier than Mac. Defense is highly suspect, negative in most scouting reports. Rivals Mac for raw power and swing path makes it more accessible. Minor league hitting profile is average BA, Average BB's, Average K's, plus power, poor speed.
Steven Duggar, 23 yo, B-L, T-R, 6'2", 195 lbs. 6'th round draft pick in 2015 out of college(Clemson). 5 tools. Build is lean and athletic, similar to Parker but more compact. Has CF potential which may elevate him out of the corner OF competition. Swing had a lot of extraneous movements which have quieted down since turning pro. Minor league hitting profile is above average BA, high BB's, average K's, below average power, above average speed.
So, let's rank 'em:
Hitting: 1. Slater 2. Duggar. 3. Shaw. 4. Williamson. 5. Parker.
Raw Power: 1. Williamson/Shaw. 3. Parker. 4. Slater. 5. Duggar.
Game Power: 1. Shaw. 2. Williamson. 3. Parker. 4. Slater. 5. Duggar.
Running/Speed: 1. Duggar. 2. Parker. 3. Slater. 4. Williamson. 5. Shaw.
Throw/Arm: 1. Parker/Williamson. 3. Duggar/Slater. 5. Shaw.
Catch: 1. Duggar. 2. Parker. 3. Slater. 4. Williamson. 5. Shaw.
I can see a future Giants OF of Mac Williamson in LF, Steven Duggar in CF, Austin Slater in RF with Jarrett Parker as 4'th OF. Chris Shaw could be the LF if his defense proves to be better than most analysts seem to think, but I tend to believe his future is at 1B. Parker might have an edge over Slater in RF in his arm. Giants desperately need a power masher in LF who can play adequate defense. I think Mac gives the best potential for both offense and defense while Shaw has a clear edge on offense alone. AT&T Park requires a lot of range for the RF. Duggar might have the edge there if he is not quite up to the defensive demands of CF. Slater just might give you the best all-around game for LF.
How do you break it down?
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I just see a whole lot of white guys in the outfield haha
ReplyDeleteRamos should take over in right before long, but baseball has a dearth of African American players right now.
DeleteWilliamson RF. If he can get his hitting up. I think he's faster than many believe and as 26-5 in SB attempts in the minors and he has a big-time arm.
ReplyDeleteDuggar CF. He's the only one we have.
Slater LF. He's been a very accomplished hitter at each level. Has good wheels. Seems to be a good defender. And he's working on swing changes to get more loft and HRs.
Parker 4th OF/platoon. I really like Parker, but he's LH and LH power isn't a premium at home.
Shaw 1B/5th OF. I think he'd make a good relief 1B and 5th OFer. But not until later in 2018 when he's more time to work on his OF fielding.
John Shea:
ReplyDelete"Mark Melancon will have season-ending surgery Tuesday (pronator release). Bochy said he'll be fully recovered long before spring training."
I don't know why but something about Mac reminds me of Nate. Parker streaks are too maddening. Both of them are getting long in the tooth. Duggar seems like a good 4th OFer type. Slater is probably the best all around but Shaw has the most legit power. I think the real choice is between Slater and Shaw and the winner is dependent on who the other two outfielders are. I do believe that at least one of the three outfielders next year are not on any Giants roster currently so a trade and or a FA signing are very likely.
ReplyDeleteBilly Baseball
Lots of tough decisions in the Giants future. All 5 of these guys have some strong points and all 5 have significant flaws. If Shaw can handle LF, he's a no brainer, but I don't thing that is a lock.
DeleteAnd further in the future there's Reynolds and Ramos. Maybe Ziegler and Fabian.
ReplyDeleteHopefully Duggar can come up next year to shore up CF, but by the time there's an opening in the OF, Mac and Parker will be too old. It's probably Reynolds, Duggar, Slater left to right in 2019 with Ramos taking over for Slater in 2022. I like Jebavy as a 4th OF in the future because he may be able to hit like blanco but he can flat out play CF.
ReplyDeleteSlade Heathcott, 26 yo, B-L, T-L, 6'1", 205lbs. First round draft pick in 2009 (NYY) out of high school.
ReplyDeleteRated Best Defensive OF in the New York Yankees system after the 2010 season
Rated Best Outfield Arm in the New York Yankees system after the 2012 season
Rated Best Defensive OF in the South Atlantic League in 2011
Ranked Baseball America #63 prospect after the 2012 season
NYY prospect rating 2009-2015: 4, 9, 10, 2, 2, 18
ML: 8 games CF, 9 games RF
Formerly considered 5 tool but has had arm injuries
"The scouting report on Heathcott is the same as ever. He's an above-average defender in center field, has an above-average arm, remains a plus runner and can spray the ball around the park with more than a little bit of power. He's the prototype grinder, too, and plays with an all-out style that has lent itself to his injurious past"
Troubled childhood, troubled career
Giants have given him a chance and he has been spotty, elevated to AAA. Seems like he's as good an option as anyone on the list plus he can play CF.