DrB's 2018 Giants Midseason Top 20 Prospects

Here is the final list. I am not going to go into the kind of detail as in the offseason with the Top 50's. You can look up the bios and stats for yourself on either Fangraphs or milb.com.  I'll just list the top 20 with a few comments.  As always, please don't get too hung up on the exact order.  In any organization, once you get past the top 2 or 3, they all have about the same odds, slim, of having a significant MLB career.

1.  Joey Bart C.  You never know what the future holds.  We have to make a judgement based on currently available information.   Per Covechatter, the odds of success for a top draft pick are greatest for college hitters.  Early returns on Bart have him living up to every expectation for a #2 overall draft pick.  I don't recall when a top Giants draft pick showed this kind of power out of the gate. That's why he's #1 on this list.

2.  Heliot Ramos OF.  Ramos' stock has not fallen IMO.  He is quite young for the SAL, a very tough hitting environment.  So far, he's performing better there than prior Giants HS draftees Chrisian Arroyo and Ryder Jones.  It's just that Bart has a comparable ceiling and is in position to reach it a lot faster than Ramos.

3.  Marco Luciano SS/OF.  Luciano was ranked by most analysts as the #3 international prospect for the current cycle.  The Giants were long rumored to be in on him and they got him signed just as expected.  Massive strength in a compact but athletic frame.  The frame is comparable to Gustavo Cabrera and Heliot Ramos which just might be a Giants "type".  Can't wait to see this kid play, but we'll have to wait until next summer to see his name in boxscores.  Rounds out a clear top tier of 3 among Giants prospects.

4.  Steven Duggar OF.  Athletic rangy OF reputed to be a plus defender in CF, a premium position.  Hit 27 doubles in AAA in 300 AB's.  Now hitting doubles in a Giants uniform.  Has been compared favorably to Steve Finley.

5.  Ray Black RHP.  Very old to be a prospect but has had to fight his way back from numerous injuries over his career.   When healthy, he has electric stuff with triple digit velocity.  Had a rough MLB debut but in his next 3 appearances was all but unhittable.

6.  Sean Hjelle RHP.  Giants 2'nd round pick in he 2018 draft.  They had been rumored to have him targeted for that slot and got their man.  Feels like a first round talent.  At 6'11", he'll be tied with Jon Rauch for tallest player in MLB history if he makes it which seems likely.  Rough pro debut but has been excellent since against appropriate competition in the NWL.

7.  Melvin Adon RHP.  Doesn't have the most impressive numbers for SJ Giants but SP's who can hit triple digits with regularity and hold upper 90's velocity deep into games don't grow on trees.  Still time to iron out the command kinks.

8.  Jacob Gonzalez 3B.  Has held his own at the plate in a very tough environment.  Has hit a little better than Heliot Ramos but questions remain about what position he is eventually going to play, so gets ranked lower.

9.  Gregory Santos RHP.  Very young, high ceiling pitcher who is more than holding his own against older competition in the NWL.  Has an advanced repertoire for his age which could help him move fast.

10.  Chris Shaw LF.  A bit disappointing season for Shaw who is the Giants premiere power hitting prospect, or at least he was until they drafted Joey Bart.  Strikeouts have held him back this season but he is still showing the light-tower power.  Still a lot of questions about whether he can play an adequate defensive LF or even 1B.

11.  Ryan Howard SS.  So far, Ryan Howard is meeting the challenge of hitting in the AA EL, although the grind of the season may be starting to wear him down.  Ceiling is probably a utility IF, but he's still playing mostly SS in the minors.

12.  Heath Quinn OF.  He was hampered by injuries last year and has missed some time this year too.  The difference is he is mashing the ball for San Jose this year.  The bat seems real enough.  He just needs to stay healthy and be able to handle defensive duties at least in LF.

13.  Jalen Miller 2B.  Miller is repeating the Cal League but he's still young for the league at age 21.  He's hitting much better this year and has sustained it deep into the season.

14.  Logan Webb RHP.  Today's scouting report posted on Covechatter's Twitter feed is FB 94-96 MPH with a sharp breaking ball and solid changeup.  Giants are severely limiting his innings this season post TJ.  Can't wait to see him next season, hopefully with AA Richmond.

15.  Seth Corry LHP.  3'rd round draft pick in 2017.  Ran hot and cold last with with bouts of severe wildness.  He's been more steady this year while repeating rookie ball.  Still seems to have a high ceiling and time to reach it.

16.  Alexander Canario OF.  Athletic and speedy enough to play CF and steal bases.  The bat seems to be for real with some power potential.  Sneaks ahead of Sandro Fabian due to his projected ability to stick in CF.

17.  Sandro Fabian OF.  Has had his struggles in the Cal League where he is playing against mostly much older competition.  Will likely take the Jalen Miller route and repeat next year where I expect him to mash.

18.  Diego Rincones OF.  Underrated hitting prospect.  The bat seems real.  Raking the NWL. It's going to have to play in a corner OF role.

19.  Shaun Anderson RHP.  Workhorse RHP with pedestrian numbers in the EL.   Had a mostly successful AAA debut tonight which will be the big test for him.  If you can pitch in the PCL, you can pitch in the major leagues.

20.  Jose Marte RHP.  High ceiling arm who has been a bit uneven for low A Augusta this season.