Scouting the 2025 Draft: Tre Phelps

Tre Phelps 3B/OF, College.  DOB:  6/19/2004.  B-R, T-R.  6' 2", 197 lbs.  

2024(Georgia):  .353/.441/.699, 12 HR, 2 SB, 6.2 BB%, 9.3 K%.  

Draft eligible sophomore.  Phelps has the size, strength and contact skills to be a consistent power hitter at good enough to play at a corner IF or OF position at the MLB level.  There is some pressure on the bat due to limited defensive ceiling.  I do like his bat a little better than some higher ranked draft prospects and might rank him higher than MLB Pipeline's #19 on my board.

DrB's 2025 Giants Top 50 Prospects: #31 Manuel Mercedes

Manuel Mercedes RHP.  DOB:  9/21/2002.  6' 4", 190 lbs.  International Amateur Free Agent July 2019.

2024(A+):  4-9, 5.28, 116 IP, 6.91 K/9, 4.19 BB/9, 2.28 GB/FB.

Mercedes has the size and arm to be a big league SP.   He's a throwback who pounds the zone with a mid-90's power sinker inducing an elite groundball percentage.  His short term problem is limiting walks as he needs to keep them below 3.0/9 to make his approach work.  The longer term issue is the contact/GB approach just doesn't work as well as it used to prior to the launch angle era.  So the tools are there but he needs to refine his command and learn to use his secondar pitches earlier in counts and as K pitches. 

DrB's 2025 Giants Top 50 Prospects: #32 Onil Perez

Onil Perez C.  DOB:  9/10/2002.  B-R, T-R.  6' 1", 187 lbs.  International Amateur Free Agent July 2019.

2024(A+):  .236/.334/.303, 15 2B, 3B, HR, 20 SB, 11.1 BB%, 16.5 K%, 350 PA.

It is challenging to try to figure out what kind of a player Onil Perez is.  He looks like a big lumbering catcher who might hit for some power but his stat lines look like they're from an undesized, speedy shortstop prospect.  He's hit just 5 HR's in 4 years and almost 1000 PA's of pro ball. In that same span he has stolen 52 bases.  Yes, I know that's not all that many but it's way more than you would expect from a guy whose scouting report gives him a 20 for the speed tool.  He continued to show excellent plate discipline numbers in A+ but his BABIP was down his BA suffered as a result.  He's an intriguing, unusual prospect at a premium position but his ceiling is probably limited unless he can figure out how to make harder contact at the plate.

Scouting the 2025 Draft: Ike Irish

Ike Irish, C, College.  DOB:  11/26/2003.  B-L, T-R.  6' 2", 201 lbs.  

2024(Auburn):  .319/.403/.627, 14 HR, 5 SB, 10.6 BB% 13.4 K%, 217 PA.

2024(CCL):  .325/.438/.433, 2 HR, 8 SB, 13.9 BB%, 24.3 K%, 144 PA.

Irish is a hit-first catcher whose catching skills are improving.  Best tool is his arm but needs to work on releasing quicker.   He can hit for average and power and his numbers don't drop off too much with wood bats.  MLB Pipeline scouting report worries about stiffness in his swing and not enough loft.  Catchers who bat lefthanded and can hit for some power are quite valuable but it's a risky demographic at best.  He's an interesting prospect but ranking at #18 may be in indication of the general weakness of this draft.  I would probably consider him in round 2 or 3 more than in the first round.

DrB's 2025 Giants Top 50 Prospects: #33 Cesar Perdomo

Cesar Perdomo LHP.  DOB:  2/9/2002.  6' 0", 170 lbs.  International Amateur Free Agent July 2021.  

2024(A):  5-1, 1.26, 43 IP, 10.47 K/9, 2.30 BB/9,  13 G, 1 GS, 2 Saves. 

2024(A+):  3-6, 4.00, 54 IP, 9.74 K/9, 4.00 BB/9, 13 G, 13 GS.  

It's taken Perdomo awhile to reach the lower full-season minors.  I saw him pitch for the A San Jose Giants early in the season.  His FB did not light up radar guns(low 90's) but he mixed it effectively with a breaking ball and changeup which he seemed to have excellent command of.  There is a video on MLB from a 5-inning, no-hit outing with A+ Eugene where the announcer says his FB hit 95 MPH.  Again, he showed a nice mix of pitches in that video.  He was used mostly in relief in San Jose but was the SP in all 13 of his A+ appearances.  Seems like he should start 2025 season in AA.

DrB's 2025 Giants Top 50 Prospects: #34 Jonah Cox

 Jonah Cox OF.  DOB:  8/4/2001. B-R, T-R.  6' 3", 200 lbs.  Drafted 2023 Round 6(A's)

2024(A):  .297/.412/.384, 2 HR, 38 SB, 13.1 BB%, 22.5 K%, 2.78 GB/FB, .400 BABIP, 275 PA.

2024(A+):  .225/.324/.350, 3 HR, 20 SB, 11.9 BB%, 31.0 K%, 1.89 GB/FB, .333 BABIP, 185 PA.

Cox was acquired from the A's in Feb. 2024 for Ross Stripling which is better than the negative trade value I thought Stripling had.  Cox is a speedster who has the size to hit for power but has obviously geared his game to putting the ball on the ground and maintaining a high BABIP with his speed.  That approach can work but the player has to be really, really fast and it helps to bat lefthanded which Cox does not.  He has two years of development before he has to be exposed to the Rule 5 draft so has time to figure out if he needs to change his approach at higher levels.  His ability to draw walks helps.  For now, expect him to start the 2025 season in A+ ball.  Oh!  And how did the trade for Ross Stripling work out for the A's?  Not so good as Stripling went 2-11 with a 6.01 ERA.

Hot Stove League Update: Giants Sign Slate of International Prospects; Add to International Bonus Pool

It was a busy day for the Giants international scouting team.  As expected, they signed the consensus #1 Latin American prospect in the signing period, added two others rated in the top 50 plus multiple other international prospects.  The marquee name here is Josuar de Jesus Gonzalez SS.  He's lean, wiry strong, athletic, switch-hitting shortstop who some scouting reports comp to Francisco Lindor SS.  Looking at video footage he has plenty of room to fill out his frame and still remain mobile enough to play SS.  Joe Palermo, head of Giants international scouting stated that Josuar will be assigned to the DSL this summer to start his pro career.  Josuar signed for a reported $2.9 M which is a bit more than was projected leading up to signing day.  More on that later.  

The Giants also signed DJean Maceres CF,the top rated prospect from Aruba, for a reported $1 M and Yulian Barreto SS from Venezuela.  In all, the Giants signed 15 international prospects 6 countries including 8 from Venezuela where the Giants seem the most active of all the Latin American countries, just two from the Dominican Republic and two from Colombia, one each from Aruba, Panama and St Martin.  Perhaps the top signing for the name tool is Winkel Del Rosario LHP from the Dominican Republic.  He has nice size too at 6' 3", 180 lbs.

The Giants made two other transactions today, two of which acquired additional international bonus pool money which may have gone toward sweetening the offer to Josuar de Jesus Gonzalez. Per Roger in a comment on McCovey Chronicles, another team reportedly made a late run at trying to sign Josuar away from the Giants and they may have felt they needed to up their offer to make sure he didn't get away.  

Blake Sabol C/UT, who was DFA'd after the Justin Verlander signing was traded to the Red Sox for bonus pool money.  OK, I admit I didn't think he had any trade value.  

William Kempner RHP was traded to the Marlins, also for bonus pool money.  Kempner was a third round draft pick in 2022 but did not pitch much for the Giants due to injuries.  

Austin Warren RHP who was DFA'd last week when the Giants signed Sam Huff C, was claimed off waivers by the Mets.  

We wish these former Giants prospects the best with their new teams and welcome with excitement the new class of international prospects.  The Giants are rumored to be in on highly rated prospects for the 2026 and 2027 signing periods too.  If nothing else, the two trades for additional bonus pool money seems to be in indicator of Buster Posey's continued commitment to acquiring international talent which is a very good thing, in my opinion.