Game Wrap 5/31/2015: Braves 7 Giants 5

Not all losses are created equal.  There are losses you don't expect to win.  There are losses where you get blown out and seemed to have no chance at any point in the game.  Then there are the ones that hurt.  I've always believed 1-0 losses are devastating because you wasted a great pitching performance and you won't always get those.  Then there are come from ahead losses which your ace pitcher started. Those hurt pretty bad too.  If you had told any of us or any of the Giants that they would get 3 HR's in a game Bumgarner started, the overwhelming consensus would be to project an easy win.  Well, all those things happened, and Bumgarner even had a Quality Start and the Giants found a way to lose it.   Key Lines:

Joe Panik- 2 for 4, HR(4), BB. BA= .300.  Remember when folks were stressing out over Panik's BABIP last year?  My response was that, yes, the BABIP was not sustainable, but as he settled in, Panik was likely to increase his walk rate and his SLG%.  I used his Cal League numbers as a reference for something I though was sustainable.  Well, that's exactly what is happening this year as his walk rate is up from 5+% to around 10% and his ISO is up from a meager .063 to a respectable .131.  

Brandon Belt- 2 for 3, HR(7), BB.  ERA- .306.  Belt continues to be one of the hottest hitters in baseball, now for well over a month.

Brandon Crawford- 1 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .299.  Crawford continued his power breakout, but an error on a potential DP ball in which no outs were recorded, proved costly as it opened the door for the wining Braves rally.  

Matt Duffy- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .286.  Duffy refuses to go into a slump.

Madison Bumgarner- 6.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.12.  Wouldn't you know that Juan Uribe would be the guy with the key HR that set up the winning rally.  

Jose Casilla- 0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, BS(3).  ERA= 2.82.  Casilla had already given up his second 9'th inning HR to Freddie Freeman in 2 Save Opps in 3 days, so you know he wasn't at his best.  The Crawford error sank his ship, but it was taking on water fast anyway.  Casilla may need a few days off to collect himself.

The Loss kept the Giants 0.5 games behind the NL West leading Dodgers who lost to the Cardinals 3-1.  The Giants have a 1.5 game lead on the first Wild Card playoff spot.  

Ryan Vogelsong starts the first game of a series against the Bucs from Pittsburgh facing a hot starter in Gerrit Cole.

Down on the Farm: 5/30/2015

AAA  Sacramento River Cats edged out the Colorado Springs Skysox 4-3:

Darren Ford(CF)- 2 for 5, SB(10).  BA= .266.
Casey McGehee(3B)- 2 for 4.  BA= .250.
Juan Perez(RF)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(9).  BA= .233.
Carlos Triunfel(2B)- 2 for 4.  BA= .239.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 1 for 3, Sac, SB(3).  BA= .333.
Clayton Blackburn(RHP)- 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 7/1.  ERA= 4.32.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.57.
Cody Hall(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(1).  ERA= 3.86.

Casey McGehee had a better day.  It looks like Blackburn probably came out due to pitch count issues as he threw a total of 75.  Okert gets back on his horse after being thrown in his last appearance, although he flipped closer and setup roles with Cody Hall in this one.

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AA  Reading Fightin' Phils topped the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-3:

Mac Williamson(RF)- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .305.
Jack Snodgrass(LHP)- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 1 K, GO/AO= 12/4.  ERA= 4.14.
Aaron Nola(RHP, Phils)- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K's.  ERA= 1.81.

Big Mac continues to more than hold his own in the Big Bad Eastern League.  Aaron Nola is, of course, a name you probably all recognize from last year's draft.

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High A  Inland Empire 66'ers outlasted the San Jose Giants 6-4 in 13 innings:

Seth Harrison(CF)- 2 for 6, 2B.  BA= .286.
Christian Arroyo(SS)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .333.
Tyler Horan(RF)- 1 for 6, HR(4).  BA= .222.
Jeff Arnold(Catcher)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .500.
Hunter Cole(DH)- 0 for 3, 2 BB, SF.  BA= .328.
Tyler Beede(RHP)- 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 11 K's, GO/AO= 7/1.  ERA= 2.24.
Ian Gardeck(RHP)- 0.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 4.35.
Dan Slania(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.90.
Jason Forjet(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.20.

I attended this game with friends and family.  We had 2'nd row seats about halfway between the Giants dugout and home plate.  It was a huge honor to have Joe Ritzo come up and introduce himself before the game and tell me he likes my blog and reads it regularly.  I will treasure that the rest of my life!  Another member of the Giants traveling party was sitting across the row from us and gave us a nice magnetized Giants schedule.

As you can see, Christian Arroyo played in his first game coming off the DL and had 2 hits.  He hit a 3'rd ball hard for a line drive out to the OF.  Ryder Jones is the other young hitter in the lineup. He went 0 for 6 with an error.  The error was a muff of a high chopper he was trying to hurry on.  I'm not sure he would have gotten the runner if he had made a clean play.  Despite the 0 for 6, he had 2 line drive outs and a high drive that was caught on the warning track in Right-CF.  I think this was Jeff Arnold's first game since blowing out his knee in the first game last season.  I wonder if it was coincidence that Tyler Beede had his best game as pro with Arnold catching him?

OK, I know you all want a report on Tyler Beede.  He was absolutely dominant as you can see from the pitching line.  I only had access to the stadium radar gun. Unfortunately, it seemed to be quite inconsistent and unreliable.  Beede's max velocity reading that I saw was 94 MPH, but I only saw a handful of pitches that registered 90 MPH or above and Beede obviously threw a lot more FB's than  a handful.  I just think the stadium gun was squirrely!  I have read that Beede has been throwing almost exclusively 2-seam FB's and cutters. I have also read that the Giants were going to let him expand his repertoire soon.  I am not an expert at recognizing pitches and I was sitting a bit off to the side, but from my vantage point, I would say he probably broke out his full arsenal in this game.  I believe I saw both 4-seam and 2-seam FB's, cutters, a hard curve, a few slow curves and a few changeups.

Beede is big, with long arms, but looks well proportioned but with room to fill out a bit.  He has a very clean looking delivery with every movement giving him momentum directly to the plate.  He has a long stride which allows him to release the ball closer to home plate and give him more effective FB velocity.  He appears to be self assured but not cocky on the mound.  When runners got on base, he almost got a more confident body language on the mound.  He very calmly and methodically erased 2 of his 5 baserunners on GIDP's.

I have now seen Matt Cain, Merkin Valdez, Tim Lincecum, Zack Wheeler and Beede pitch in Cal League games.  In those 1 game samples, I would still rank Zack Wheeler's game in Lake Elsinore as the most dominant pitching performance I've seen at this level.  I would rank Beede's game last night as #2.  I think we have a good one here, folks!  A few more games like this one and I could easily see a promotion to AA by mid-season and possibly a September callup.

I will mention Ian Gardeck's inning, because it looks terrible, but he was victimized by some of the worst luck I've ever seen.  He walked a batter with one out, but then a dribbler to 1B caught Brian Ragira in no-man's land for the second time in the game to put 2 runners on.  The play at 1B was close and manager Russ Morman came out to argue, of course to no avail.  Ryder Jones then muffed the high chopper to load the bases.  The next batter hit what looked like a single between 3'rd and SS, but it hooked into the 66'ers bullpen and got stuck under the chairs.  I don't know if LF Jesus Galindo thought it had gone into the stands or what, but he came jogging in from LF with his hands up in a stop sign.  The ump made no call and the runners kept on running around the bases for an inside-the-park grand slam.  Yup, you read that right!  Gardeck went bonkers and was pulled away from the ump by his teammates while Morman came out and argued some more.  Things quieted down, but the next batter singled up the middle and Gardeck went nuts again.  I could hear him yelling from my seat above the crowd noise and I'm fairly hard of hearing!  Gardeck was ejected and was still really hot as he came down the dugout steps.  I don't blame him for being enormously frustrated, but I can't say the umps made bad calls.  I'll just say this.  I saw Brandon Crawford play up in High Desert one night when a ball did almost the exact same thing.  Crawford hustled all the way into the opposing bullpen from his SS position and in one motion threw a strike to home plate which almost got the runner.  That's when I knew Crawford had a chance to be a really good MLB SS!

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Low A  Asheville Tourists outslugged the Augusta Greenjackets 13-12:

Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 2 for 6, HR(1), SB(22).  BA= .307.
Travious Relaford(SS)- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(1), BB.  BA= .280.
Jonah Arenado(3B)- 2 for 6.  BA= .271.
Matt Pare(Catcher)- 2 for 5, HR(2), BB.  BA= .273.
Andrew Cain(LF)- 2 for 5, HR(2), SB(3).  BA= .206.
Carlos Diaz(LHP)- 2.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.87.

I've read that Asheville is one of 4 extremely live ballparks in the SAL.  I certainly lived up to that reputation in this game!

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DSL  Twins vs Giants suspended in top of the 9'th inning with the Twins leading 3-1:

Manuel Geraldo(2B)- 2 for 3, 2B, SB(1).  BA= .667.
Sandro Cabrera(LHP)- 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Jasier Herrera(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.

I really liked Geraldo last year and am somewhat surprised he is repeating the DSL.  I expect a big season from him.  Cabrera will turn 20 yo on June 22. He is 6'2", 170 lbs.  Herrera is 17 yo.  He is 6'5", 190 lbs.  Those numbers alone tell me he is someone to watch.

Game Wrap 5/30/2015: Braves 8 Giants 0

The Giants were facing a rookie pitcher they had never seen before and they were not able to figure him out while Tim Lincecum had a bit of a ragged performance on the mound ending the Giants 5 game win streak.  Key Lines:

Tim Lincecum- 4.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.00.  Not Timmy at his best.  No pickup from the offense.

Yusmeiro Petit- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.60.

Jean Machi- 2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 5.68.  Machi's struggles continue although it did not make a difference in this game.

Williams Perez(Braves)- 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 12/2.  ERA= 2.66.  Perez, lived up to his reputation as a super-sinkerballer.  These types of pitchers, especially if they have not seen them before, can sometimes tie up the Giants and he certainly did tonight.

Giants hitters had 8 batters get 1 hit each.  I guess that's what you call 8 scattered hits.

With the loss, the Giants fall back into 2'nd place in the NL West, 0.5 games behind the Dodgers who topped the Cardinals 5-1 with Frias outpitching Michael Wacha.  As Vin Scully would say, "go figure!"

Madison Bumgarner seems to be drawing the opposing teams' best pitchers so far and tomorrow he takes on Julio Tehran trying for a series Win.

Scouting the 2015 Draft: West Coast Conference

San Diego:

Kyle Holder, SS, Jr.  B-L, T-R.  6'1", 185 lbs.  .348/.418/.482, 4 HR, 5 SB, 19 BB, 19 K.  Holder is a true SS.  BA has him ranked in the 40's so could go in supplemental or early 2'nd round.

PJ Conlon, LHP, Jr.  6'0", 175 lbs.  6-4, 2.17, 91.1 IP, 25 BB, 85 K's.  No info.

David Hill, RHP, Jr.  6'3", 205 lbs.  9-3, 2.33, 100.1 IP, 35 BB, 115 K.  A serious prospect who could be drafted as early as the supplemental first rounds.  No scouting report.

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Pepperdine:

Hutton Moyer, 2B, Jr.  B-S, T-R.  6'1", 180 lbs.  .280/.393/.541, 13 HR, 13 SB, 26 BB, 57 K's, 207 AB.  BA is not impressive, but a switch-hitting MI with double digit HR's and SB's?  Not sure where, but I think he'll get drafted.

Jackson McClelland, RHP, Jr.  6'5", 220 lbs.  6-3, 2.42, 93 IP, 38 BB, 70 K's.  Got knocked around a bit in the opening round of the college playoffs.

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Loyola Marymount:

Colin Welmon, RHP, Sr.  6'3", 195 lbs.  6-6, 2.68, 94 IP, 28 BB, 96 K's.  Nice size and nice ratios.  Don't have a scouting report.

Trevor McGill, RHP, RSJr.  6'8", 245 lbs.  5-4, 3.60, 70 IP, 37 BB, 70 K.  Giants have been known to apparently draft pitchers on size alone.

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BYU:

Dillon Robinson, 3B/1B, Sr.  B-L, T-R, 6'3", 215 lbs.  .371/.453/.550, 5 HR.  Nice size and stat line, but location of home games could discount.  Touted HS prospect.  Battled injuries and illness early in his college career.  Those seem to be behind him and he has posted good numbers his last 2 seasons.

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San Francisco:

Christian Cecilio, LHP, Sr.  6'2", 183 lbs.  5-4, 2.05, 109.2 IP, 22 BB, 91 K.  Won academic honors.

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Gonzaga:

Mitchell Gunsolus, IF, Sr.  B-L, T-R.  .353/.449/.556, 7 HR, 33 BB, 32 K.  No scouting report.

Taylor Jones, 1B/DH, Jr.  B-R, T-R.  6'7", 225 lbs.  .358/.414/.545, 5 HR, 10 BB, 16 K, 134 AB.  Sleeper alert!  2-way player listed as a RHP on the Gonzaga roster but did not appear in a game on the mound.  Athletic looking.  Impressive video swinging the bat.

Andrew Sopko, RHP, Jr.  6'2", 220 lbs.  7-5, 3.55, 88.2 IP, 29 BB, 78 K.  No scouting report.

David Bigelow, RHP, Sr.  6'6", 225 lbs.  0-5, 2.08, 39 IP, 11 BB, 30 K's, 10 Saves.  Again, size comes into play here.

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Santa Clara:

Jose Vizcaino, Jr.  SS, Jr.  B-R, T-R, 6'3", 220 lbs.  335/.406/.588, 9 HR, 10 SB, 23 BB, 39 K, 194 AB.  I've profiled him already.  Son of Jose Vizcaino who had the best season of his career playing for the Giants.  Looking  at his size, he's probably a 3B in the pros, but appears to have enough power to play there.  He's my mid-late single digit wish pick for the Giants this year.

Reece Karalus, RHP, Jr.  6'3", 240 lbs.  3-6, 2.82, 60.2 IP, 10 BB, 68 K, 9 Saves.  College closer with nice size and ratios.

Jacob Steffins, RHP, Jr.  6'3", 203 lbs.  2-2, 3.51, 25.2 IP, 4 BB, 29 K's.  Steffins put up some impressive numbers early in the season then suffered some sort of injury.  Might be worth a flyer in  later round.  He could elect to return to school to try to boost his draft stock for 2016.

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St. Mary's:  No scouting reports.

Anthony Villa, IF, Sr.  B-R, T-R.  6'2", 200 lbs.  .343/.415/.488, 4 HR.

Conner Hornsby, IF, Jr.  B-R, T-R.  5'9", 184 lbs.  .349/.417/.386, 11 SB, 17 BB, 18 K.

Collin Ferguson, 1B, Sr.  B-L, T-L.  6'2", 216 lbs.  .337/.463/.577, 8 HR, 6 SB, 43 BB, 47 K.

Anthony Gonzalez, RHP, Jr.  6'2", 179 lbs.  2-2, 3.14, 48.2 IP, 21 BB, 46 K, 7 Saves.

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Pacific:

Gio Brusa, OF, Jr.  B-S, T-R.  6'3", 220 lbs.  .291/.400/.527, 4 HR, 20 BB, 31 K, 110 AB.

Preseason first round talent per BA.  Stock has dropped.  I am not sure if injury played a role in the low number of AB's.  Still, he is a switch-hitter with size and athleticism and these numbers are not terrible. Giants are known to jump on talent whose stock has slipped.  Brandon Crawford is the prime success story with that approach.  Would the Giants take him as high as round 2?  Will he still be on the board in round 3?

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Portland:

Turner Gill, OF, Sr.  B-L, T-R.  6'3", 215 lbs.  .294/.386/.495, 9 HR, 25 BB, 29 K, 194 AB.

Big OF with some pop and pretty good peripherals.

Down on the Farm: 5/29/2015

AAA  Colorado Springs Skysox defeated the Sacramento River Cats 8-3:

Casey McGehee(3B)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB, 2 Errors.  BA= .188.
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 2 for 3, BB, SB(10).  BA= .282.
Juan Perez(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .225.
John Bowker(1B)- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .252.
Ty Blach(LHP)- 6 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 10/3.  ERA= 3.82.

11 hits is a lot to give up, but it seems like maybe Blach should have had 13 GB outs instead of 10?

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels topped the Reading Fightin' Phils 5-2:

Kelby Tomlinson(2B)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB, 2 SB(12).  BA= .331.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 2 for 5, HR(7).  BA= .275.
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 3 for 4.  BA= .259.
Chris Stratton(RHP)- 8 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.14.
Josh Osich(LHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(10).  ERA= 1.64.

This is the deepest Stratton has gone in a game since 8/2/2013.  What is a Phil or a Phillie?  I've never quite figured that one out.

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High A  High Desert Mavericks overran the San Jose Giants 10-5:

Hunter Cole(RF)- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .336.
Brian Ragira(1B)- 4 for 4, 2B.  BA= .205.
Martin Agosta(RHP)- 4.2 IP, 14 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 5.55.

Hopefully this is the start of some good hitting for Brian Ragira.  In Agosta's 2 worst starts of the season, he has a 12/0 total K/BB.

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Low A Augusta Greenjackets beat the Asheville Tourists 5-1:

Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 2 for 4, BB, 2 SB(21).  BA= .306.
Will Callaway(2B)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .266.
Matt Pare(Catcher)- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .167.
Jose Reyes(RHP)- 5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.36.
Raymundo Montero(RHP)- 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 1.44.

Between Raymundo Montero, Reyes Maronta and Rodolfo Martinez all pitching out of the Greenjackets bullpen, it gets hard to tell the players without a program!

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Notes:

Erik Cordier opted for free agency after passing through waivers, but then signed a deal with the Giants.  The reason why he refused assignment and went the FA route is he was able to add in some opt out language to the FA contract.  Kevin Correia has an opt out due on June 1.  Casey McGehee has an opt out due on June 5.

The Giants signed OF Engel Beltre and IF Jeff Kobernus to minor league deals.  Not sure where they are going to put them as all positions at all levels seem to be quite crowded.

DSL season starts today. It's always a challenge to get the all highlights documented after the short season leagues kick in.

San Jose Giants start a 3 game series in San Bernardino tonight against the Inland Empire 66'ers.  I am planning to go out there tonight to see Tyler Beede pitch.  I plan to wear my Matt Cain #43 shirt if anyone else happens to be there and wants to stop by and say hi.

Game Wrap 5/29/2015: Giants 4 Braves 1

Buster Posey had a big night at the plate and Tim Hudson became the latest Giants pitcher to step up and get the best of a pitching duel.  Key Lines:

Joe Panik- 1 for 3, BB, SB(2).  BA= .297.  Panik scored ahead of Posey's HR in the first inning then again ahead of Buster's ground rule double in the 8'th inning to tack on one of two insurance runs.

Buster Posey- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(8).  BA= .301.  For awhile it looked like Buster's 2-run dinger in the first inning might be the only scoring in the game.   He added a 3'rd RBI in the 8'th for an insurance run that was critical to winning the game.

Brandon Crawford- 2 for 4, SB(13).  BA= .301.  I've said it before, Crawford looks like he's swinging a tennis racket up there and serving the ball just about wherever he wants.

Tim Hudson- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 13/2.  ERA= 4.62.  Huddy had the sinker working tonight.  With the way the Giants infielders are playing, that is a recipe for success.

Hunter Strickland- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.  Strickland was lights out again.  Tough to see him going down after the 4'th of June or whenever the Giants have their next day off.

Santiago Casilla- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K, Save(15).  ERA= 1.66.  Casilla gave up a bomb to dead CF by Freddie Freeman and walked two other batters.  Good thing the Giants tacked on those 3 insurance runs in the 8'th inning!

The Win puts the Giants in first place in the NL West by 0.5 games over the Dodgers who lost to the Cardinals 3-0.  The Giants lead the Padres and D'Backs by 6.5 games and the Rockies by 8 games.  The Dodgers are 2 games ahead in the race for the first Wild Card playoff spot.

Tim Lincecum tries to extend the Giants current win streak to 6 games facing rookie Williams Perez, a sinker ball specialist tomorrow evening.

Scouting the 2015 Draft: New Mocks

A couple of big new mock drafts came out today with Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs doing his Mock Draft 2.0 and BA putting out their Mock Draft 4.0.  Jonathan Mayo of mlb.com has a new mock draft up too.  At the top of the draft, everybody seems to think Dansby Swanson is the dude for Arizona.  Kiley says there is at least a 50% chance Swanson is #1 overall.  He then says Houston will choose between HS SS Brendan Rodgers or LSU SS Alex Bregman.  BA says it will be Bregman.

Here are a few other nuggets of info from Kiley who seems to have very good inside sources:

Kyle Funkhouser's stock is dropping dramatically due to a sudden unexplained loss of velocity.  His agent, who Kiley lets you guess the identity of, won't release any medical info to teams on "principle".  Uh-huh!

There are several teams who will not draft any presently injured player.  While those teams have not been identified, the Giants are not believed to be in on any of those players.  Personally, I hope the Giants stay far away from injured players as the most reliable predictor of future injury is previous injury.

The Dodgers seem to be one organization believed to be willing to draft an injured player and everybody seems to think they are going to draft Brady Aiken.

Ian Happ's stock is not dropping and Kiley has both him and Benentendi coming off the board long before #18.

The draft is deepest in HS pitching so teams in the top half of the first round are looking at other positions thinking they will be able to take their HS pitcher later in the draft.  This is creating opportunity for a team like the Giants who kind of likes HS pitchers to grab a premium talent at #18.

Which brings us to the Giants:

Kiley says they are scouting Mike Nikorak heavily and in Kiley's scenario, Nikorak should be available at #18.  Enter another HS pitcher, Nolan Watson, out of Indiana who is said to have serious helium and who the Giants are believe to be in on.  Watson has serious helium.  The Giants may decide they like him better than Nikorak and believe Watson won't be there at #31 and just take him.  I've seen video of Watson and he looks very similar to Nikorak, so I'm going to call it a coin flip and trust the Giants.

The Giants have also been tied to multiple college pitchers including James Kaprielian of UCLA.  Mayo actually has them taking Kaprielian at #18.  Nothing wrong with Kaprielian, who I like a lot, but I just think there are several HS pitchers with more upside.

The Giants have also reportedly scouted HS hitters Nick Plummer, Cornelius Randolph and Tyler Stephenson.  They are also believed to be interested in LHP Justin Hooper who Kiley acknowledges has an enormous ceiling.  For his part, Hooper seems to be scaring off a lot of teams with contract demands and there is an emerging consensus that he will go to college at UCLA, but is he just trying to control where he is drafted?  I would think the Giants would be a team any young pitcher would want to sign with.

In summary, Kiley has the Giants taking Nikorak at #18 which I would be very down with.   BA has them taking Watson at #18 and Nick Plummer at #31 which would also be A-OK with me.  Mayo has them taking Kaprielian at #18 and Watson at #31 which would be OK too although maybe not quite as exciting as Watson or Nikorak plus Plummer.  Kiley seems to think Hooper will still be around at #31 and the Giants have $$$ to play with, so my dream scenario would be a 1-2 of Nikorak/Watson plus Hooper at #31.

On last thought: Kiley reports the Giants are one of the team heavily scouting big, flame throwing RHP Cody Ponce of Cal Poly Pomona.  I could see them popping him at #31 if he is still on the board.

Down on the Farm: 5/28/2015

AAA  Nashville Sounds topped the Sacramento River Cats 3-2:

Jarrett Parker(LF)- 2 for 2, HR(9), BB.  BA= .294.
John Bowker(1B)- 1 for 3, HR(2).  BA= .252.
Kevin Correia(RHP)- 7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.58.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 02. IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 3.80.
Mike Broadway(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.21.

Parker is one of the hottest hitters in the organization right now.  Obviously no room to move up to the MLB club.  A hiccup for Okert.  Another lights out appearance for Broadway.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels edged out the Harrisburg Senators 3-2 in 10 innings:

Kelby Tomlinson(2B)- 2 for 5.  BA= .327.
Rando Moreno(SS)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .326.
Devin Harris(LF)- 1 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .301.

Moreno seems to be the starting SS for Richmond now and continues to be one of the bigger stories of the minor league season so far.  Stay hot!

*********************************************************************************

High A  High Desert Mavericks stampeded the San Jose Giants 12-2:

Ryder Jones(3B)- 2 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .297.
Ben Turner(Catcher)- 2 for 2, BB, HBP.  BA= .271.
Tyler Rogers(RHP)- 3 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.24.

A week ago, Jones looked like he was fading again after his hot start, but now seems to be back on track for a strong season.

*********************************************************************************

Low A Asheville Tourists defeated the Augusta Greenjackets 7-3:

Travious Relaford(2B-SS)- 3 for 4, BB.  BA= .278.
Cristian Paulino(LF)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(11).  BA= .326.
Jared Deacon(Catcher)- 2 for 4, 3B.  BA= .192.
Rodolfo Martinez(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 3.95.

Paulino seems to be emerging as a 5-tool player.  This was the 4'th consecutive appearance without issuing a walk for the fireballing Martinez.  He also has just 4 BB's against 11 K's in 10.2 IP over his last 10 appearances.

Game Wrap 5/28/2015: Giants 7 Braves 0

This game was a lot  closer than the final score would indicate.  Brandon Belt broke up a scoreless pitching duel between Atlanta starter Shelby Miller and Chris Heston with a 7'th inning HR.  The Giants added on a 6 run rally in the 8'th for the final runaway win.  Key Lines:

Norichika Aoki- 2 for 4.  BA= .326.  It seems like you can pencil in 2 hits for Aoki every game.   I think he now has 11 hits in his last 17 AB over 4 games.  He helped fuel the 6 run rally with a perfectly placed bunt down the 3B line with runners on first and second that forced a rushed throw that pulled the 1B off the bag for a bunt hit.

Joe Panik- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= Panik followed Aoki's bunt single with a  bases loaded double that drove in 2 runs.

Hunter Pence- 1 for 4, 3B.  BA= .294.  Pence followed Panik's double with a triple that drove in 2 more runs and the route was on.

Brandon Belt- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(6).  BA= .305.  This is a sustained hot streak for Belt who is hitting .330 over his last 30 games.  He started out hitting for average but has now turned on the HR power with all 6 of his blasts coming in his last 15 games.  His dinger tonight broke a scoreless tie in the 7'th inning and came off one of the hottest pitchers in baseball, Shelby Miller.

Brandon Crawford- 2 for 4.  BA= .296.  Crawford's excellent season marches on.

Matt Duffy- 0 for 3, BB.  BA= .293.  OK, this is the guy I really want to talk about here.  It doesn't look like much of a line, but Duffy led off the 8'th inning against reliever Brandon Cunniff, who has an above average fastball and a nasty looking slider.  Cunniff made a huge mistake by starting Duffy off with his strikeout/wipeout slider which Duffy swung at and missed by about a foot.  He showed Duffy his best pitch right out of the gate, and Duffy, was we all know, is a fast learner.  Duffy swung and missed at another wicked slider for a 1-2 count.  He then spit on 3 straight sliders that were not easy takes and drew the leadoff walk that started the 6 run rally.  Now, how great is THAT?  Matt Duffy!!

Chris Heston- 7.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 12/2.  ERA= 3.82.  This is what makes watching baseball such a joy.  On paper, Heston and the Giants had no chance in this one, but there is a reason why they play the games.  It's not like we didn't know Heston was capable of a game like this.  It's just that we've seen a lot of rookie pitchers have a few good games then a couple of bad ones then it snowballs and the next thing you know they are back in the minors.  On the other side of the field was Shelby Miller who might be the hottest pitcher in baseball right now.  Heston matched him pitch for pitch, and it was Miller who finally cracked first.  Just a tremendously inspiring performance from Hesto Presto on a night where it would have been reasonable to mentally check the game off as a loss and hope to win the next two.

And how inspiring is it to watch a couple of young players like Matt Duffy and Chris Heston, who we've all followed through their drafts and the minor league portion of their careers, see them improve with experience and then watch them perform on a night like this?  Add Joe Panik and Brandon Belt into that group too.

The Win improved the Giants record to 29-20. They are now 25-10 since hitting their nadir at 4-10 on April 19.  The Giants are now just 0.5 games behind the NL West leading Dodgers and are 1.5 games ahead in the race for the first Wild Card playoff berth.

This was also the Giants 9'th shutout of the season and 4'th home shutout in a row.  Can we say the pitchers are stepping up?

Tim Hudson tries to keep it going against the fireballing Mike Foltynowicz tonight.

Down on the Farm: 5/27/2015

AAA  Nashville Sounds blasted the Sacramento River Cats 11-4:

Ronny Cedeno(SS)- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .276.
Jake Peavy(RHP)- 4.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 11.57.

Gotta wonder how healthy Peavy really is after a start like this, even in the PCL.

*********************************************************************************

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels crushed the Harrisburg Senators 12-0:

Kelby Tomlinson(2B)- 2 for 4.  BA= .325.
Mac Williamson(RF)- 2 for 5.  BA= .313.
Devin Harris(LF)- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .303.
Mitch Delfino(3B)- 2 for 4.  BA= .252.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .269.
Joe Biagini(RHP)- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 8/2.  ERA= 1.53.
Phil McCormick(LHP)- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.38.

15 hit attack with 13 singles and 2 doubles helps pad the stat lines.  Biagini was effectively wild.

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High A  San Jose Giants pounded the High Desert Mavericks 10-5:

Seth Harrison(CF)- 2 for 5.  BA= .316.
Jesus Galindo(LF)- 2 for 5.  BA= .269.
Tyler Horan(RF)- 2 for 5.  BA= .224.
Dylan Davis(DH)- 2 for 4, HR(3), BB.  BA= .253.
Ben Turner(Catcher)- 2 for 5.  BA= .250.
Brandon Bednar(SS)- 2 for 5.  BA= .213.
Keury Mella(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.05.
Jason Forjet(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 2.51.

Davis' HR was the only XBH out of 15 hits.  Seems like the Giants must be teaching that keep the line moving thing at all levels!  Mella came out after 3 IP due to pitch count issues.  LHP Mason McVay has been placed on the voluntarily retired list.

*********************************************************************************

Low A Game 1  Augusta Greenjackets defeated the Greenville Drive 5-2:

Cristian Paulino(LF)- 1 for 2, 2B, BB.  BA= .316.
Sam Coonrod(RHP)- 5.2 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 3.24.

Best part of Coonrod's line is the 0 BB's.

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Low A Game 2  Greenville Drive beat the Augusta Greenjackets 3-1 in 8 innings:

Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 1 for 3, 2B, SB(19).  BA= .309.
Cristian Paulino(LF- 2 for 3, SB(10).  BA= .329.
Mark Reyes(LHP)- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.53.
Jake McCasland(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA=  0.00.
Yoan Moncada(DH, Drive)- 0 for 3, HBP.  BA= .286.
Michael Kopech(RHP, Drive)- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K's.  ERA= 2.76.

This was Moncada's first game in several days due to a hammy.  Kopech was one of my favorite draft prospects last year.  I said it looked like he had tons of projection.  Boston drafted him #33 overall.  They made some adjustments in his delivery and he is not sitting in the high 90's with the FB and touching triple digits.  He has 38 K's against 11 BB's in 32 IP.  Of course, we now await the seemingly inevitable TJ surgery.

Game Wrap 5/27/2015: Giants 3 Brewers 1

Joe Panik hit a 2-run homer in the 5'th inning and that was all the offense Ryan Vogelsong and the Giants bullpen needed to secure a sweep of the BrewCrew and a happy flight home with a 5-2 road trip to brag about.  Key Lines:

Norichika Aoki- 2 for 5.  BA= .322.  Aoki went something like 9 for 13 for the series in his return to the city where he started his MLB career.  Was Aoki the most undervalued FA of this past offseason?

Joe Panik- 2 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .297.  Panik is showing flashes of power to go with his high contact approach.  And what a 1-2 punch of on-base goodness at the top of the Giants lineup with him and Aoki!

Angel Pagan- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .310.  Bochy shook up a lineup that didn't seem to need shaking up, moving Pence into the 3 spot and moving Pagan down to the 7-hole.  Personally I like the a 3-7 of Pagan, Posey, Belt, Pence, Crawford, but Boch seems to have the pulse of the team at his fingertips.

Ryan Vogelsong- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.24.  Another stellar start for Vogey.  He is now 4-1 with a 2.66 ERA over his last 7 starts.

The Giants return home trailing the NL West leading Dodgers by 1.5 games pending the outcome of tonight's Dodgers-Braves contest.  The Giants lead the Mets by 1 game in the race for the first Wild Card playoff spot.

Chris Heston goes up against a red hot Shelby Miller in the opening game of the homestand and opening game of a 4 gamer against the surprisingly strong Braves.

Down on the Farm: 5/26/2015

AAA  Nashville Sounds blanked the Sacramento River Cats 3-0:

Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 2 for 3, BB, SB(2).  BA= .352.
Robert Coello(RHP)- 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 6 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 3.45.
Barry Zito(LHP, Sounds)- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.72.

6 BB's in 5 IP is not going to get Coello back to the majors.  Maybe he needs to try to the two-seam/cutter approach that seems to be working for Tyler Beede?  Gotta respect Barry Zito laboring in the minors to try to get back to the majors.  This was a good game, but that ERA doesn't look too promising.

*********************************************************************************

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Harrisburg Senators 6-3:

Devin Harris(LF)- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .291.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .268.
Daniel Carbonell(CF)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .170.
Matt Lujan(LHP)- 5.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 5.10.
Josh Osich(LHP)- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, Save(9).  ERA= 1.71.

*********************************************************************************

High A  San Jose Giants were idle.

*********************************************************************************

Low A  Augusta Greenjackets vs Greenville Drive postponed.

Game Wrap 5/26/2015: Giants 6 Brewers 3

Madison Bumgarner was not at his best, but he can be pretty far off his best and still be quite good.  He was good enough tonight and the Giants offense backed him with 3 homers and typically solid relief pitching.  Key Lines:

Norichika Aoki- 3 for 5.  BA= .320.  Aoki now has 7 hits in 9 AB on the series.   In the process he is exhibiting tremendous bat control, basically serving the ball to wherever the defense isn't.  Amazingly, his 3 hits from the top of the batting order resulted in no Runs or RBI's.  

Hunter Pence- 1 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .326.  This was one of Pence's monster shots to an elevated walkway above the left-centerfield wall.  It was estimated to travel over 430 ft.

Brandon Belt- 1 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .301.  Belt looked bad in 3 AB's against Brewers SP Matt Garza with 2 K's and a pop up.  He apparently was able to pick up reliever Cory Knebel's pitches better and took him deep in the 7'th for an insurance run.

Brandon Crawford- 1 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .299.  Crawford had a fine day at the plate, but his biggest contribution was on a leaping, diving catch of a Hector Gomez line drive into the hole which would have driven in the Brewers 4'th run.  Be sure to look up the videos of that play!

Matt Duffy- 1 for 4, HR(3).  BA= .300.  Duffy took Garza deep with a runner on base to dead CF.  I mean, now we are talking Buster Posey power!  The best part of it was the dinger capped a frustrating series of events for Carlos Gomez who had flied out in the bottom of the previous inning after he and Bummy got into some extra-curricular activity.  After Duffy's dinger, the TV camera close up on Gomez who was visibly working his jaw muscles while grinding his teeth.  He was not a happy dude!

Madison Bumgarner- 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.00.  Bummy didn't have his best stuff.  I was not counting, but it seemed like he would get 2 strikes OK, but then start nibbling for the K and next thing you knew it was a 3-2 count which cost him his count leverage.  

The sequence with Gomez was Gomez swung and missed a pitch and let out some sort of yell that Bummy and presumably Buster Posey did not appreciate.  Next pitch grazed Gomez' hands and Bummy stepped forward to give him a stank eye which prompted Gomez to throw up his hands and say whattheheck, or something similar to that.  Next pitch, he almost came out of his shoes but got under the ball for a harmless flyout to LF.  Gomez flipped his bat, but in disgust.

Sergio Romo- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.94.  The K was a huge one of Gomez to get out of the 7'th inning without any further damage done.

Santiago Casilla- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(13).  ERA= 1.37.  Casilla caused some anxiety by allowing the two baserunners.  The second hit was a blooper, so hardly Casilla's fault.   That brought the revenge-minded Carlos Gomez to the plate representing the tying run.  He hit the ball hard, but lined it right to Hunter Pence in RF for the final out.  As Vin Scully would say, "go figure!"

The Win enables the Giants to remain 2 games behind the NL West leading Dodgers who blanked the Braves 8-0 behind Clayton Kershaw.  The Giants also remain 1 game up in the race for the first Wild Card playoff slot.

Ryan Vogelsong tries for a series sweep tomorrow in a day game facing Brewers RHP Mike Fiers.

This is a bit convoluted, but apparently Casey McGehee still has an option, but as a 5 years MLB player, he can decline it, but apparently he has 10 days to decide whether to accept or decline it, and he is allowed to play in the minors during that 10 day waiting period.  So, Casey McGehee is reporting to Sacramento where he will remain on the 40 man roster and play until June 4, when the Giants might not need to carry 13 pitchers anymore.  Got that?  Seems like maybe Bobby Evans is a wizard at roster rules.  He also seems to have some powers of persuasion.

Down on the Farm: 5/25/2015

AAA  Nashville Sounds blanked the Sacramento River Cats 5-0:

Clayton Blackburn(RHP)- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 6/3.  ERA= 5.06.

*********************************************************************************

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Bowie Baysox 6-1:

Kelby Tomlinson(2B)- 2 for 4, BB, SB(10).  BA= .321.
Rando Moreno(SS)- 3 for 5, SB(3).  BA= .337.
Mac Williamson(RF)- 2 for 3, 2B, HBP.  BA= .316.
Devin Harris(DH)- 2 for 2, 2 BB.  BA= .293.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 1 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .259.
Kyle Crick(RHP)- 6.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.10.

This was Ricky's 5'th dinger in the month of May so far.  Cricky had his deepest start since 8/29/2013 which was his only other start since 2012 longer than 6.0 innings.

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High A  San Jose Giants beat the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6-2:

Hunter Cole(DH)- 2 for 4.  BA= .350.
Austin Slater(2B)- 3 for 4.  BA= .323.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 3 for 4, 2B.  BA= .289.
Dylan Davis(RF)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .241.
Nik Turley(LHP)- 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.50.
Dan Slania(RHP)- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(10).  ERA= 2.14.

Nik Turley was a spring training invitee on a minor league deal.  He had one start early April for Sacramento before an extended stay on the DL.  He was plagued by arm stiffness last year in the Yankees organization.

*********************************************************************************

Low A  Greenville Drive topped the Augusta Greenjackets 5-3:

Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 2 for 5, SB(17.  BA= .313.
Cristian Paulino(RF)- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .312.
Rodolfo Martinez(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 4.26.

Thanks to David Lee via Covechatter for reporting that Martinez hit 101 MPH on the radar gun.  Martinez also seems to be slowly getting his walk rate down.  This was his 3'rd consecutive appearance without a BB.  He has 2 BB's against 8 K's in 7 IP over his last 6 appearances.

Game Wrap 5/25/2015: Giants 8 Brewers 4

The Giants looked like they were headed for another the snooze game you might expect in a day game after an early morning arrival after a brutal 4 games in Denver until a 7-run 6'th inning overcame a ragged performance by Tim Lincecum and 3 dingers by the BrewCrew.  Key Lines:

Norichika Aoki- 4 for 4, HR(2), BB, SB(11).  BA= .312.  Wow!  5 times on base in 5 PA's!  This is what a lot of people were expecting of Aoki after his first season in the USA with these same Brewers. Not just an on-base machine but a do everything player.  Is he the best Giants leadoff hitter since Brett Butler?  I'm thinking yes!  It's probably too early to be thinking about this, but Aoki has a team option for $5.5 M for next year that becomes a mutual option with 550 PA's, which he is way ahead of the pace to make.  Do the Giants try to sign him to a long-term deal?  Do they just let him go?  Would he be worth a 1 year Qualifying Offer?  I'm thinking even if he ends up being a 1 year rental, it's a heckuva rental!  Historically, the Giants would be better off letting players who have breakout seasons on 1 year deals go when the contract is up.

Hunter Pence- 3 for 4, 2B, BB, SB(1).  BA= .342.  Giants don't have to worry about Pence's contract status for several years.  So far, he's been well worth the investment despite starting this season with a fractured arm, which was in no way his fault or at all predictable.

Matt Duffy- 2 for 5.  BA= .302.  Duffman had a key hit in the 7-run 6'th, a first- pitch single up the middle that drove in a run and led to another run scoring on an error when Carlos Gomez bobbled the ball in CF.   Duffy later came around to score his own run in the inning.

Andrew Susac- 2 for 4.  BA= .227.  Susac also contributed an RBI and Run scored in the big 6'th.  The 2-hit game has to feel good for him and hopefully gets some confidence at the plate back.

Tim Lincecum- 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 4 K's, 3 HR's.  ERA= 2.56.  A letdown start after his gem against the Dodgers.  Timmy is at a stage of his career where he has little margin for error.  2 solo dingers to Khris Davis and a enormous 2-run shot to Ryan Braun.  The first inning HR to Davis was interesting in that both Susac and the home plate ump though Davis missed home plate when he showboated a skip step a across it.  This led to a prolonged discussion between Bochy and the entire umpire crew, an appeal in which Davis was called out, and then a prolonged video review in New York.  The out call was eventually overturned and Davis was credited with a HR.  That was disappointing, not so much because the 1 run made such a huge difference at that point, but how much fun would it have been if the out call stood?

Jeremy Affeldt- 1.2 IP, 0 H 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 5.65.  The Giants needed a shutdown inning after their 7 run uprising and Affeldt came through with that an more.  No K's, but he got 5 GB outs.  Hopefully the disaster appearance in Coors Field was his nadir for the season.

Hunter Strickland- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.  Strickland brought it home with a dominant performance over multiple innings including a huge K of Ryan Braun.  Bobby Evans has his work cut out for him when Jake Peavy is ready to come back and the Giants don't need 13 pitchers anymore.

The Win cut the Dodgers lead in the NL West to 1.5 games pending the outcome of their game against the Braves tonight.  The Giants also sit 1 game up in the race for the first Wild Card playoff spot.

The Giants now get a bit of a break as tomorrows game is a night game with Madison Bumgarner taking the mound against Matt Garza.

Scouting the 2015 Draft: Big West Conference

Cal State Fullerton:

David Olmedo-Barrera, 1B/OF, Jr.  B-L, T-R.  6'1", 205 lbs.  .310/.414/.540, 8 HR, 12 SB, 22 BB, 51 K, 174 AB.  A bit of power, a bit of speed, quite a few walks, lots of K's.

Thomas Eshelman, RHP, Jr. 6'3", 210 lbs.  8-5, 1.57, 114.1 IP, 6 BB, 111 K's.  Great college pitcher.  Does he have enough stuff for the pros?  Could be a nice pick for somebody starting in round 2.

Justin Garza, RHP.  5'11", 170 lbs, Jr.   4-3, 3.05, 65 IP, 14 BB, 53 K.  Obvious rap on Garza is his size.

Tyler Peitzmeier, LHP, Sr.  6'2", 210 lbs.  2-3, 2.44, 44.1 IP, 8 BB, 48 K, 16 Saves.  Lefty specialist who was promoted to closer for this season and performed well in the role. The Giants love their lefty specialists.

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UC Santa Barbara:

Dillon Tate RHP, Jr.  6'2", 200 lbs.  8-4, 2.08, 95.1 IP, 27 BB, 100 K.  Hard throwing RHP.  Possible #1 overall pick.  Stock seems to have slipped a bit late in the season due to durability concerns.

Justin Jacome, LHP, Jr.  6'6", 230 lbs.  7-4, 2.53, 110.1 IP, 24 BB, 91 K.  Big lefty overshadowed by Teammate Tate, but has put up good numbers himself.  I'm thinking rounds 4-10?

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Cal Poly SLO:

Mark Mathias, INF, Jr.  B-R, T-R.  6'0", 200 lbs.  .356/.424/.436, 9 SB, 23 BB,  19 K, 202 AB.  Quite a few high contact college infielders in this draft.  Mathias might give you the same value later in the draft.

Casey Bloomquist, RHP, Jr.  6'3", 185 lbs.  8-2, 2.85, 98 IP, 29 BB, 78 K's.

Danny Zandora, RHP, Sr. 6'1", 195 lbs.  1-4, 2.95, 39.2 IP, 17 BB, 63 K's, 7 Saves.  Look at those K's!

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Hawaii:

Tyler Brashears, RHP, Jr.  6'2", 170 lbs.  8-5, 1.86, 101.2 IP, 19 BB, 68 K's.  Thin build might make him a long reliever in the pros.

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Long Beach State:

Kyle Friedrichs, RHP, Sr.  6'1", 190 lbs.  6-4, 2.79, 100 IP, 12 BB, 109 K's.  Great college numbers.  Does he have enough stuff for the pros?

Tanner Brown, RHP, Jr.  6'4", 181 lbs.  4-3, 3.45, 73 IP, 14 BB, 52 K's.  JC transfer.  Started out hot.  Apparently faded a bit later in the season?

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Cal State Northridge:

Calvin Copping, RHP, Sr.  6'3", 180 lbs.  6-7, 3.05, 88.2 IP, 29 BB, 86 K's.  Good size, nice K rate.

Jerry Keel, LHP, Sr.  6'6", 240 lbs.  5-7, 2.66, 91.1 IP, 22 BB, 80 K's.  Jumbo sized LHP.

Rayne Raven, RHP, Jr.  6'2", 200 lbs.  7-4, 2.18, 86.2 IP, 28 BB, 73 K.

Down on the Farm: 5/24/2015

AAA  Memphis Redbirds defeated the Sacramento River Cats 5-4:

Brett Jackson(CF)- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .297.
Ty Blach(LHP)- 6 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.07.

PCL is a tough league on pitchers with Blach's type of stuff, but Sacramento is actually a pitcher friendly field.  Not a particularly inspiring start for Blach.

*********************************************************************************

AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Bowie Baysox 5-2:

Kelby Tomlinson(SS)- 1 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(6).  BA= .316.
Blake Miller(2B)- 2 for 3, 2B.  BA= .254.
Jack Snodgrass(LHP)- 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 10/4.
Pedro Rodriguez(RHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 2.14.
Josh Osich(LHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(8).  ERA= 1.86.

Blake Miller's return from the DL pushes Rando Moreno to the bench.

*********************************************************************************

High A  San Jose Giants topped the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6-4:

Hunter Cole(LF)- 1 for 4, HR(2).  BA= .345.
Chase Johnson(RHP)- 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 9 K's.  ERA= 2.68.
Tyler Rogers(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.38.
Dan Slania(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(9).  ERA= 2.29.

Second HR in 2 games for Cole.  Big strikeout game for Johnson.  Big Dan Slania has made 8 scoreless appearances in a row.

*********************************************************************************

Low A Augusta Greenjackets edged out the Asheville Tourists 2-1:

Pat Young(RHP)- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.80.
Jake McCasland(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Raymundo Montero(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.65.
Reyes Maronta(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(3).  ERA= 2.37.

Pat Young and Jake McCasland make their 2015 debuts.  Presumably they were held back in extended spring training to either rehab injuries or work on some things.

Game Wrap 5/24/2015: Rockies 11 Giants 2

This will be short.  The Giants basically punted this game, the 4'th of 4 games in the series to be delayed by the weather.  Hard to blame them as it must have been a miserable experience.  Tim Hudson has never had much success in Coors Field and he got shelled today.  The Giants offense got a leadoff single by Nori Aoki then nothing until the top of the 8'th inning when it was 11-0.

The Giants do not lose ground to the Dodgers who lost to the Padres.

The road trip now moves to Milwaukee where Tim Lincecum faces Kyle Lohse in game one in a early Memorial Day game tomorrow.

Oh, and as we all now know, Casey McGehee was DFA'd to make room for Hunter Strickland on the roster while Matt Duffy was named the starter at 3B.

Down on the Farm: 5/23/2015

AAA  Memphis Redbirds defeated the Sacramento River Cats 6-4:

Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 3 for 5.  BA= .350.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 2 for 4, SF.  BA= 325.
Travis Ishikawa(1B)- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .310.
Jarrett Parker(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .263.

Parker is hitting .293 over his last 10 games.  He continues to be a fairly extreme 3 true outcomes player, sporting an OBP of .371 with a 15% BB rate and a 34% K rate.  That approach is definitely not where the Giants as an organization are going as they are all about contact right now, and who's to argue?  Parker might get more of an opportunity in an organization like the A's or Astros or Padres.

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AA  Bowie Baysox edged out the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-2:

Kelby Tomlinson(2B)- 2 for 5.  BA= .315.
Rando Moreno(SS)- 1 for 3, 2 Sac.  BA= .321.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 1 for 4, HR(5).  BA= .267.
Myles Schroder(CF)- 2 for 4, SB(4).  BA= .259.
Jackson Williams(Catcher)- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .194.
Chris Stratton(RHP)- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 4.50.

This may have been Stratton's best start of the season.  He actually pitched a shutout for 6 IP, then put 2 runners on to start the 7'th and they both scored after he left the game.

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High A  San Jose Giants destroyed the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 11-0:

Seth Harrison(CF)- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .600.
Hunter Cole(RF)- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(1).  BA= .348.
Austin Slater(2B)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .311.
Dylan Davis(LF)- 2 for 4, SF.  BA= .234.
Ben Turner(Catcher)- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .230.
Tyler Beede(RHP)- 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.58.
Luis Ysla(LHP)- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 10.29.

Seth Harrison gets the promo from Augusta.  Jesus Galindo DH'd this game.  If the Giants goal for the season was to improve Beede's command, it would appear their strategy is working.  He has given up just 2 BB's in his last 24 IP, over 4 starts.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets blanked the Asheville Tourists 2-0:

Jonah Arenado(3B)- 2 for 4, HR(6).  BA= .274.
Jose Reyes(RHP)- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.32.

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Yoan Moncada Watch:  Moncada pulled a hammy last night legging out a triple for the Greenville Drive.  No word on severity or if he'll miss playing time.

Game Wrap 5/23/2015 Game 2: Rockies 5 Giants 3

Whether it was the law of averages catching up or fatigue from a ridiculously long day or both, the winning streak came to an end in Game 2 of the doubleheader.  The Giants made some loud outs and played some sloppy baseball which all contributed to the loss.  Key Lines:

Norichika Aoki- 1 for 4.  BA= .288.  Aoki's single should have driven in 2 runs, but a sloppy slide by McGehee as the trailing runner got him thrown out at the plate for the final out of the inning and took away an opportunity for Aoki to score from 2B on a possible subsequent hit.

Brandon Crawford- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .301.  Crawford had a couple of line outs as did Brandon Belt, who ended the game 0 for 3 with a BB.  Crawford should get a rest today, but I'll bet he talks himself into the lineup again.

Gregor Blanco- 2 for 4.  BA= .270.  Blanco is a talented player and might be the best 4'th OF in all of baseball, but he can make some really bad decisions on the field.   He tagged up at 2B on a long flyball out to CF which did not appreciably increase his chances of scoring on a base hit, then came in standing up and got thrown out for the 3'rd out of the inning.  Maybe Roberto Kelly gave the slide sign too late or maybe Blanco didn't see it or maybe Kelly assumed Blanco would be sliding?  In his postgame comments, Bochy put the blame squarely on Blanco, both for running and for not sliding.

Casey McGehee- 2 for 4.  BA= .200.  Good to see 2 hits from McGehee, but when he slid home with what looked like the tying run, he was initially called safe by the ump, but kept his front foot in the air and the replay clearly showed him being tagged out before his left knee hit the plate.

Yusmeiro Petit- 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 3.86.  Petit did a decent job as a spot starter.  I mean, going 6 innings in that ballpark is a feat in itself for any pitcher and I don't think Petit had gone longer than 3 innings prior.  Add in the interminable waiting through 2 rain delays and he did his job.  It might have turned out better had the Giants been successful in turning a 3-6-3 DP just prior to the HR.  I'm not sure if Belt double clutched on the first throw because he had to wait for someone to cover the 2B bag, or if it was just a hesitation, but if he had been able to unload the throw immediately, they would have gotten the runner on the return throw.  Just one more example of how little things can make a huge difference in a game.  Fortunately, the Giants have done way more of those little things right than wrong over the past 5 seasons.

The doubleheader split dropped the Giants 0.5 games further behind the NL West leading Dodgers who blanked the Pathetic Padres 2-0.  The Giants deficit is now 2 games.  They trail the Cubs, who beat the D'Backs 9-6, by percentage points in the race for the first Wild Card playoff spot, and they lead the slumping Mets for the second spot by 1 game.

Tim Hudson tries to pitch another great game in Coors Field after breaking the spell in his last start.  He will face Chad Bettis who was a second round draft pick a few years ago, but has struggle to break into the majors.  Bettis' last start was a QS, though.

Game Wrap 5/23/2015 Game 1: Giants 10 Rockies 8

Once again, the Giants built a big lead then had to hang on in Coors Field.  Every player in the starting lineup, including the SP, got at least 1 hit either scored a run or drove one in.  Key Lines:

Joe Panik- 3 for 4, HBP.  BA= .303.  Panik was a line drive machine all day and a vacuum at 2B.  I think it's fairly safe to put Panik into the success column for Giants first round draft picks.  Remember all those snickers on draft day a few years back?  Oh, and Keith Law can go to Hades.  Utililty player at best?  LOL!

Brandon Belt- 2 for 5, 2B.  BA= .320.  Belt is hitting everything on the nose right now, even the outs.

Hunter Pence- 2 for 5.  BA= .310.  Pence is more than an inspirational addition to the lineup.  No accident the Giants scoring got a big boost upon his return.

Brandon Crawford- 2 for 5, 3B.  BA= .303.  When you look at Crawford's swing from the CF camera angle, it looks like he is swinging a tennis racket with a two fisted backhand.  I'm sure the bat feels like it's that big to him.  It's just like he's taking tennis practice and swatting balls from the machine.  People like Baggs and Fleming are starting to call him the best shortstop in baseball.  They may well be right.  He might also be the best SS in Giants history.  I'll definitely say best SS the Giants have had in my lifetime and go back before Chris Speier.

Chris Heston- 5.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 2 K, GO/AO= 12/1.  ERA= 4.33.  At one point, Heston looked like he was settling into a nice rhythm of groundball outs which also kept his pitch count down.  Then the Rockies started hitting dingers.  It's just a really, really tough park for sinker ball pitchers.  Fortunately, the Giants had a big lead and were able to hang on.

I'll just add that they might not have scored many runs in this game were it not for Rockies SP Jordan Lyles spraining his left big toe about the 3'rd inning.  The trainer kept coming out to check on him, but with the DH, I'm sure they felt they needed the innings out of him if at all possible.  He still had velocity, but couldn't follow through on the toe which led to elevation of his pitches.  It also affected a wild pickoff throw to 1B that allowed Brandon Crawford to score from 3B.  You could see him keeping the front of his foot elevated on that throw.

Hunter Strickland- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 0.00.  Wow!  Strickland has been working on some things!  Since we last saw him in the postseason, he's added a nice two seamer, a cutter and improved his changeup.  Of course, we've seen him look dominant before, only to give up another dinger, but he did look like a much improved pitcher yesterday  Those 2 shutout innings were huge and may well have been the difference in the game right there.  Gotta think we'll see him back again before the summer is over and it will be to stay.

Scouting the 2015 Draft: Pac 12 Draft Prospects

Thought I would try something a bit different here and look at players from different college baseball conferences who might be draft prospects.  These will include potential first round prospects as well as players who may be taken down in the draft or not drafted at all.  The Giants always seem to draft their share of Pac 12 and players from other west coast conferences so we'll start there.  I don't know how many of these I will get to before the draft, which is coming right up, but we'll do as many was we can.

UCLA:

Kevin Kramer, 3B, RS Jr. B-L, T-R. 6'0", 194 lbs.  .329/.430/.475, 5 HR, 31 BB, 32 K, 227 AB.

Ty Moore, OF, Sr. B-L, T-R.  6'0", 190 lbs.  .350/.425/.485, 5 HR, 17 K, 24 BB, 213 AB.

James Kaprielian, RHP, Jr.  6'4", 200 lbs.  9-4, 1.94, 92.2 IP, 27 BB, 105 K.  Potential mid-late first rounder who has raised his stock late in the college season.  9 innings of no-hit ball in one game.

Grant Watson, LHP, Sr.  6'0", 181 lbs.  8-4, 2.02, 84.2 IP, 18 BB, 54 K.  Finesse lefty with decent stuff.  

David Berg, RHP, Sr.  6'0", 194 bls.  6-1, 0.79, 57 IP, 5 BB, 54 K, 12 Saves.  I don't have a scouting report on his stuff, but dominating numbers as a college closer.

Cody Poteet, RHP, Jr. 6'1", 188 lbs.  6-1, 2.62, 65.1 IP, 25 BB, 62 K.  Smallish RHP who has had a decent college career. 

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Oregon State:

Andrew Moore, RHP, Jr.  6'0", 185 lbs.  5-1, 1.70, 68.2 IP, 14 BB, 56 K.  For some reason I was only able to bring up Pac 12 stats for 2015.  I'm thinking rounds 4-10?

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Cal:

Devin Pearson, OF, Jr.  B-R, T-R.  5'11", 205 lbs.  .370/.431/.602, 4 HR, 6 BB, 17 K, 108 AB.

Chris Paul, INF/OF, Jr.  B-R, T-R.  6'3", 210 lbs.  .335/.418/.555, 8 HR, 23 BB, 35 K, 173 AB.

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Arizona State:

Johnny Sewald, OF, Jr.  B-L, T-R.  6'0", 160 lbs.  .328/.441/.400, 20 SB, 30 BB, 27 K, 11 HBP.  

Ryan Burr, RHP, Jr.  6'4", 224 lbs.  6'4", 224 lbs.  8-2, 2.90, 40.1 IP, 21 BB, 68 K, 13 Saves.   Has been discussed as a potential supplemental first rounder.

Ryan Kellogg, LHP, Jr.  6'5", 225 lbs.  8-1, 3.45, 101.2 IP, 17 BB, 78 K.  Giants love big lefties.  Kellogg has been a starter for ASU for at least 2 seasons.

Brett Lilek, LHP, Jr.  6'4", 194 lbs.  4-2, 3.10, 72.2 IP, 33 BB, 62 K.  

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USC:

Dante Flores, IF, Sr.  B-L, T-R,  5'10", 185 lbs.   .317/.410/.450, 4 HR, 28 BB, 27 K, 189 AB.

Bobby Stahel, OF, B-R, T-R.  5'10", 190 lbs.  .377/.414/.516, 3 HR, 9 SB, 12 BB, 26 K, 218 AB.

Garrett Stubbs, Catcher, Sr. B-L, T-R.  5'10", 165 lbs.  .335/.404/.425, 1 HR, 19 SB, 23 BB, 26 K, 200 AB.  I wonder if we'll see a trend toward smaller catchers with the new anti-collision rules?

Timmy Robinson, OF, B-R, T-R.  6'1", 225 lbs.  .291/.383/.412, 4 HR, 19 SB, 27 BB, 36 K, 199 AB.

AJ Ramirez, OF.  B-R, T-R.  6'0", 190 lbs.  .273/.329/.503, 8 HR, 8 SB, 9 BB, 58 K, 183 AB.

Kyle Twomey, LHP, Jr.  6'3", 175 lbs.  7-2, 2.77, 81.1 IP, 31 BB, 63 K.  

Tyler Colbert, LHP.  6'3", 195 lbs.  3-2, 2.83, 60.1 IP, 24 BB, 59 K.  

Kyle Davis , RHP.  6'0", 200 lbs.  3-1, 3.72, 38.2 IP, 13 BB, 37 K.  

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Oregon:

Mitchell Tolman, INF.  Jr.  B-L, T-R.  6'0", 190 lbs.  .332/.467/.488, 3 HR, 10 SB, 41 BB, 34 K, 205 AB.

Garrett Cleavenger, LHP.  6'0", 220 lbs.  4-2, 1.75, 36 IP, 16 BB, 63 K, 9 Saves.  Lefty closer with a tremendous K rate.

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Washington:  

Austin Rei, Catcher.  B-R, T-R.  6'0", 183 lbs.  .346/.454/.691, 6 HR, 10 BB, 27 K, 81 AB.

Brandon Choate, RHP, Sr.  6'4", 223 lbs.  1-3, 2.36, 49.2 IP, 25 BB, 57 K.

Tyler Davis, RHP, Sr. 5'10", 182 lbs.  7-6, 3.21, 106.2 IP, 26 BB, 88 K.

Trey Rellings, RHP. 6'2", 200 lbs.  3-4, 2.10, 68.2 IP, 11 BB, 51 K. 

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Kevin Newman, SS, Jr.  B-R, T-R.  6'0", 183 lbs.  .365/.422/.475, 1 HR, 22 SB, 20 BB, 14 K, 219 AB.  Possible late first rounder.

Riley Moore, Catcher, Sr.  B-L, T-R.   6'3", 190 lbs.  .305/.399/.425, 3 HR, 32 BB, 36 K, 200 AB.  I remember when he was a HS catching prospect.  His college career never really took off.  

Scott Kingery, 2B, Jr.  B-R, T-R.  5'11", 175 lbs.  .393/.424/.568, 5 HR, 11 SB, 9 BB, 17 K, 229 AB.  Possible supplemental first round prospect.  

Tyger Talley, RHP, Jr.  6'2", 230 lbs.  5-1, 3.56, 60.2 IP, 18 BB, 49 K. 

Cody Hamlin, RHP, Jr.  6'3", 188 lbs.  6-3, 4.14, 95.2 IP, 12 BB, 54 K.  

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Washington St:

Ian Sagdal, OF, B-L, T-R.  6'1", 175 lbs.  .311/.402/.518, 6 HR, 13 SB, 28 BB, 45 K, 193 AB.

Sam Treice, RHP, Sr.  6'2", 210 lbs.  5-0, 2.81, 48 IP, 22 BB, 56 K.  

Joe Pistorese, LHP, Sr.  6'2", 177 lbs.  8-4, 2.34, 96.1 IP, 21 BB, 60 K's.  

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Utah:

Duke Brock, RHP.  6'2", 200 lbs.  2-5, 3.95, 43.1 IP, 15 BB, 43 K, 4 Saves.

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Stanford had a terrible season.  I don't see any likely draft candidates just perusing their roster and stat sheet.  Maybe Marcus Brakeman or Cal Quantrill, but they were both injured and will likely return to school.

Down on the Farm: 5/22/2015

AAA  Memphis Redbirds came from behind with 4 runs in the final 2 innings to beat the Sacramento River Cats 8-6:

Adam Duvall(1B)- 2 for 5, HR(12).  BA= .321.
Travis Ishikawa(LF)- 2 for 5.  BA= .302.
Hector Sanchez(Catcher)- 2 for 5, HR(1).  BA= .400.
Kevin Correia(RHP)-  6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.40.

Travis' rehab stint is going to be up soon, not sure exactly when, but soon.  1B and LF are probably the 2 positions where the Giants have the least need, but his LH bat off the bench would be a nice add.  With Duffy appearing to be taking control of the starting 3B job, do the Giants really need Casey McGehee?  Joaquin Arias has pretty much disappeared from the field.  With Adrianza playing well for Sacramento I'm not sure the Giants need Arias for depth preservation even if he gets claimed by another team, which is doubtful. And, does Duvall ever get another shot?  Again, not sure what the Giants will do, but it would seem like Arias might be the most expendable at this point.

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Bowie Baysox 5-4:

Rando Moreno(SS)- 3 for 5, BB.  BA= .320.
Devin Harris(DH)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .283.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .268.
Josh Osich(LHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(7).  ERA= 1.96.

So, who is Rando Moreno?  He is a 22 year old(turns 23 yo on 6/6) switch-hitting SS out of the Dominican Republic.  This is his 5'th pro season.  He spent the first two year in the DSL where he struggled in his first pro season but improved to a .267 BA in his second season.  He then hit .344 between the AZL and Augusta in 2013 and looked like a very promising prospect at age 20/21.  Last year, he struggled mightily to a .202 BA between Augusta and San Jose, so his assignment to AA Richmond was surprising to say the least.  Was the assignment due to organizational need, or did the Giants know something about him that did not show up in last year's numbers?   At this point, his numbers are looking a lot more like 2013 and he is putting up some very prospecty looking numbers!

Ricky Oropesa is hitting .351 over his last 10 games and .360 for the month of May.  Stay hot, Ricky!

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High A  San Jose Giants edged out the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6-5:

Hunter Cole(LF)- 3 for 4, BB,  BA= .346.
Ty Ross(Catcher)- 2 for 4.  BA= .214.
Brandon Bednar(SS)- 2 for 4.  BA= .202.
Jake Peavy(RHP)- 3.1 IP, 1 H 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 0.00.
Jeff Soptic(RHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 1.72.
Dan Slania(RHP)- 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(8).  ERA= 2.41.

Ty Ross is hitting .360 over his last 7 games with 4 2-hit games in that span.  Jake Peavy's rehab gets off to a strong start.  He will move up to Sacramento for his next appearance.  Jeff Soptic has allowed just 1 BB against 11 K's in 8.1 IP over his last 4 appearances.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets topped the Asheville Tourists 7-6:

Cristian Paulino(LF)- 2 for 3, 3B, BB, SB(8).  BA= .324.
Travious Relaford(SS)- 2 for 3, 2B, Sac.  BA= .258.
Randy Ortiz(RF)- 1 for 2, 3B, SF.  BA= .192.
Nick Gonzalez(LHP)- 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 5.73.
Raymundo Montero(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.71.

Peripherals look good for Gonzalez.  Paulino has shown flashes of being a 5-tool prospect in the past.  He needs to keep this up for a full season to get some traction on his career.

Game Wrap 5/22/2015: Giants 11 Rockies 8

The Giants outlasted the Reeling Rockies in a marathon game made longer by a lengthy Rain Delay in the bottom of the 9'th inning.  Every player in the Giants starting lineup, including Ryan Vogelsong got on base at east once and scored at least 1 run, so Key Lines will not include everybody who contributed:

Buster Posey- 2 for 4, 2B, BB.  BA= .311.  Buster is on one of his prolonged hot streaks.  He has a 14 game hit streak if you don't count one game where he drew a walk as a PH.  He is hitting .366 for the month of May.  He has reached base in every game he has appeared in for the month.  He has just 2 appearances in the month without a base hit, one of which was the game where he drew a walk as a PH and was not charged with an AB.

Brandon Belt- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(2).  BA= .317.  OK, this is the Brandon Belt we've all been waiting for since he tore up the minor leagues in 2010.  If he stays healthy, this could be his breakout year!  The dinger was crushed and landed in the upper deck down the RF line.  Estimated distance, 475 ft.!  Oh, and have I said that being able to slot his left-handed bat between Posey and Pence fronted by the switch-hitting Pagan and backed by the left-handed Crawford makes this a killer lineup!

Matt Duffy- 3 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .301.  OK, forget about depth preservation.  I officially don't think Matt Duffy is going anywhere and may well be in the process of taking over the starting 3B job.  He may not quite have the arm to make the throw to first from behind the bag, but he has a lot more range than McGehee and hits a whole lot more than  either McGehee or Arias.  I don't know who's going to be the odd man out between Ishikawa, Arias and McGehee, but I'm pretty sure Matt Duffy  is here to stay.  Matt Duffy!

Ryan Vogelsong- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K's.  ERA= 4.60.  Vogey did what I've always said you have to do in Coors Field.  Throw fastballs to all 4 quadrants of the strike zone, especially the upper half.  Forget avoiding dingers by keeping the ball on the ground.  Sinkers don't sink and breaking balls don't break in Coors.  You have to pound the zone with the FB, move it around to different locations, and don't be afraid to give up a solo HR here and there.  As Kruk said, Vogey put on a clinic on how to pitch with the fastball.  It doesn't have to go mid 90's or above, but it does have to have something on it and it absolutely has to command the entire strike zone.

Santiago Casilla- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(11).  ERA= 1.47.  Casilla came into the game after Affeldt had given up 5 straight hits separated by a long rain delay and shut off the spigot.  He did give up a double to Ben Paulson which Pence played perfectly off the wall to hold it to just 1 inherited run driven in.  Casilla then calmly struck out Hundley to finally end it.  

As for Affeldt, I am going to give him a Mulligan on this one.  The first 3 hits he gave up were in a driving rainstorm.  The 3rd one would likely have been a DP ball if not for the rain as it as a hard, but fairly routine grounder that skidded past Duffy.  The last 2 hits were after he came back out to the mound after the long rain delay.  We'll chalk it up to the demons and ghosts of Coors Field.

The Win enabled the Giants to keep pace, 1.5 games behind the NL West leading Dodgers.  It also gained them a 0.5 game lead for the first Wild Card playoff spot as both the Cubs and Mets lost.  The Dangerous D'Backs topped the Cubs to move into 3'rd place in the NL West, 5 games off the pace.  The Pathetic Padres lost to the Dodgers 2-1 to slip into 4'th place, 6 games of the pace while the Reeling Rockies sank further into last place, 9 games behind.

The Giants and Rockies now play a split doubleheader today, a regularly scheduled game and a makeup of a previous rainout.  There is still a threat of rain, so no guarantees they get both of them in.  Christ Heston starts the first game facing Jordan Lyles while Yusmeiro Petit starts the evening game facing David Hale.  Both teams get to carry an extra player on the active roster for the doubleheader.  The Giants have called up Hunter Strickland to be an extra arm in the bullpen.

Down on the Farm: 5/21/2015

AAA  Memphis Redbirds defeated the Sacramento River Cats 4-2:

Darren Ford(CF)- 2 for 4, HR(4).  BA= .291.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .338.
Robert Coello(RHP)- 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.44.
Steven Okert(LHP)- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's.  ERA= 2.89.
Hunter Strickland(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.66.

It's not looking like there will be a need in the Giants bullpen anytime soon, but Okert and Strickland seem ready to help whenever needed.  Stay hot, Ehire Adrianza!

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AA  Richmond Flying Squirrels were idle.

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High A  San Jose Giants topped the Modesto Nuts 3-2 in 10 innings:

Jesus Galindo(CF)- 1 for 5, HR(2).  BA= .272.
Dylan Davis(RF)- 1 for 3, HR(2), BB.  BA= .217.
Martin Agosta(RHP)- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 4.35.
Jake Smith(RHP)- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 1.88.
Ray Black(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.

Black got credit for the W.

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Low A  Augusta Greenjackets blanked the Asheville Tourists 6-0:

Johneshwy Fargas(CF)- 1 for 4, SB(16).  BA= .325.
Seth Harrison(DH)- 1 for 2, 2 BB, SB(6).  BA= .253.
Sam Coonrod(RHP)- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 3.75.

Fargas returns from the DL.

Game Wrap 5/21/2015: Giants 4 Dodgers 0

Not only did Madison Bumgarner out pitch Clayton Kershaw for the 3'rd time this season, but he also took him deep for a HR that gave the Giants the first run of the game.  In the process, the Giants completed sweep of the Hated Ones, and how sweet it is!  Key Lines:

Norichika Aoki- 2 for 3, BB.  BA= .297.  Aoki got on base 3 times but did not figure in the scoring.  I still think the Giants best lineup is a 1,2,3 of Aoki, Panik, Pagan, but that's just me.  I do think Aoki needed a rest a few games ago, but seems like he's rejuvenated now.

Angel Pagan- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .325.  Another fine game for Pagan.  I noticed that Fangraphs still has him listed as a negative defender, but that catch he made in last night's game was about as good as it gets.  He made it look fairly easy too!

Hunter Pence- 2 for 4.  BA= .300.  Pence has added a new dimension to this offense.  When the Giants can put 3 on-base guys in the top 3 slots and push the Posey/Pence/Belt triumvirate all down a slot then back them up with Brandon Crawford.  Well, that is a serious lineup!  Maybe one of the top 10 in all of baseball!

Madison Bumgarner- 1 for 4, HR(1).  BA= .105.  Bummy likes to air it out on the first pitch and Kershaw hung a fastball out over the plate.  Gone!!  Man, that had to hurt on Kershaw's end!  First HR by an opposing pitcher off of Kershaw in is career so far.

Madison Bumgarner- 6.1 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 2.84.  Between the last postseason and these 3 H2H's with Kershaw, I think you have to say Bumgarner is the best right now.  If you had one game you had to win right now, and you can choose any pitcher in MLB to start, think you have to pick Bummy.  Oh, and these matchups between Bummy and Kershaw?  I was around for Marichal vs Koufax and this is every bit as good, maybe better!

This was the first time the Giants have swept the Dodgers in back-to-back home series since 1961.  The Giants also have the best record in MLB since April 21.

The Win cut the Dodgers lead over the Giants in the NL West to just 1.5 games.  The Giants remain 0.5 games behind in the race for the second Wild Card slot as the Cubs and Mets both won today.

The Giants now travel to Colorado to take on the Rockies in a  4 game Memorial Day weekend series with Ryan Vogelsong facing Kyle Kendrick in game 1 tomorrow evening.

Down on the Farm: 9/20/2015

AAA  Sacramento River Cats were idle.

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AA  Erie Seawolves defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 5-2:

Joe Biagini(RHP)- 6 IP,  8 H, 5 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 10/3.

As you can see from the secondaries, Biagini pitched well.  The Squirrels defenders made 4 errors in the game.  BTW, there is a nice story on Biagini linked on Covechatter's Blogroll.  It talks about the Giants scout who signed him and how that scout came to believe in him.  In short, it was pretty much based on one observation in which Biagini did not have good results, but the scout noticed that he threw hard, despite no radar gun being available that day.

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High A  San Jose Giants edged out the Modesto Nuts 3-2:

Jesus Galindo(CF)- 1 for 3, Sac, SB(8).  BA= .274.
Ty Ross(Catcher)- 2 for 4, 2 2B.  BA= .202.
DJ Snelton(LHP)- 6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 4.59.
Ian Gardeck(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.21.

Best start of the season for Snelton who I think is another sleeper in the system.  First start over 5 IP.  First start with 0 BB's.

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Low A  Savannah Sand Gnats blanked the Augusta Greenjackets 2-0:

Jonah Arenado(3B)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .278.
Mark Reyes(LHP)- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's, GO/AO= 10/2.  ERA= 1.71.
Reyes Maronta(RHP)- 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.50.

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Yoan Moncada Watch:  3 for 4 as DH hitting RH.  He has reportedly looked much better from the right side of the plate in a very small sample size so far.  BA= .333.

Game Wrap 5/20/2015: Giants 4 Dodgers 0

Tim Lincecum rolled back the years and for one more game, at least, was Big Time Timmy Jim, holding the Dodgers scoreless for 7 innings.  It was the Dodgers pitching that cracked first as the Giants broke open a scoreless game in the 6'th and 7'th innings.  Key Lines:

Joe Panik- 1 for 4.  BA= .287.  It doesn't look like much, but Panik's 2-out single with Casey McGehee on 3B tacked on an insurance run in the 7'th, then Buster Posey put the game away with a 2 run blast to CF.

Buster Posey- 3 for 4, HR(7).  BA= .308.  Buster singled in the bottom of the 6'th, advanced to 3B with 2 outs and scored the first run of the game on Brandon Crawford's 2 out single.  He then put the game in ice with a 2 run blast to cap the 3 run 7'th inning rally with a blast to CF of Yimi Garcia.

Brandon Crawford- 3 for 4.  BA= .298.  The Giants stacked their lineup with RH batters against the LHP Anderson, but their two LH batters, Crawford and Panik got 4 of their 7 hits.

Tim Lincecum- 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's.  ERA= 2.08.  This was Timmy's second Win against the Dodgers this season against 1 Loss.  This was also the 4'th game in which he has not allowed a run.  In this one, he had to match zeros with Anderson for 6 innings before the Giants finally broke through.  Just a big time performance by Big Time Timmy Jim!

Javier Lopez- 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  BA= 1.74.  Here's why you need lefty specialists in the bullpen and why they are undervalued.  Lopez came in with 2 outs in the 8'th inning with his team leading by 4 runs, but there were runners on 2'nd and 3'rd and the best hitter in baseball so far this season at the plate, who just happens to bat LH.  You have to get that out to keep the Dodgers from getting back in the ballgame!  Job done!  It was just one out in a non-save situation, but it was probably the single biggest out of the game made possible by a guy who is Kryptonite against lefty hitters.

Jeremy Affeldt- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 3.00.  Non-Save situation, but the Dodgers lineup is dangerous and you don't want to risk a messy inning that can snowball on you.  Affeldt did not let that happen.

The Win cut the Dodgers lead over the second place Giants in the NL West to 2.5 games.  The Padres lost to the Cubs 3-2 to remain 5 games behind the Dodgers in 3'rd place.  The D'Backs beat the Marlins 6-1 to pull up to 6 games off the pace while the Rockies lost to the Phillies 4-2 to remain 9 games back in last place.

Madison Bumgarner faces Clayton Kershaw in a battle of aces for the 3'rd time this season.  The Giants won both prior confrontations with Bumgarner getting the W in one.  Another Win for the Giants would complete the second sweep of the Dodgers this season and cut their lead to just 1.5 games.

Down on the Farm: 5/19/2015

AAA  Albuquerque Isotopes outslugged the Sacramento River Cats 10-7:

Darren Ford(CF)- 3 for 5, HR(3).  BA= .283.
Adam Duvall(3B)- 2 for 4, HR(11), BB.  BA= .321.
Jarrett Parker(LF)- 2 for 3, 3B, BB.  BA= .258.
Clayton Blackburn(RHP)- 5.1 IP, 10 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 0 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 9/1.  ERA= 5.51.

Albuquerque is a tough place to pitch for anybody.  It's worse for pitchers with Blackburn's stuff.  Sinkers don't sink and curves don't curve!

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AA Richmond Flying Squirrels outscored the Erie Seawolves 8-5:

Kelby Tomlinson(2B)- 2 for 4, BB.  BA= .319.
Rando Moreno(SS)- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .294.
Mac Williamson(DH)- 2 for 3, HR(4), 2 BB.  BA= .317.
Devin Harris(RF)- 2 for 4, 2B.  BA= .288.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 3 for 5, 2B.  BA= .261.
Kyle Crick(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.28.
Joan Gregorio(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 3.48.
Josh Osich(LHP)- 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(6).  ERA= 2.08.

Rando Moreno's emergence as a starting SS at the AA level may end up being one of the bigger stories of the minor league season for Giants affiliates.  Big Mac is just crushing it in the EL, a huge story in itself.  If he keeps this up, I don't see how he does not become at top 50 prospect, at least.  Ricky Oropesa stays hot.  He is hitting .314 over his last 10 game and .358 for the month of May.  No altitude excuses for Cricky.  Just a very bad outing.  Osich has been consistently good.  He and Steven Okert give the Giants two promising hard throwing left reliever prospects who can get RH batters out.

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High A  San Jose Giants blanked the Modesto Nuts 2-0:

Hunter Cole(LF)- 3 for 3, BB.  BA= .351.
Ryder Jones(3B)- 1 for 4, 2B.  BA= .287.
Keury Mella(RHP)- 6.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 7/1.  ERA= 3.06.
Ray Black(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 0.00.
Dan Slania(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(7).  ERA= 2.12.

Mella has the best start of all the Giants top SP prospects in the current round of starts and it's not close.

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Low A  Savannah Sand Gnats stung the Augusta Greenjackets again 4-0:

Matt Gage(LHP)- 3.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 3.41.

No apparent reason for Gage to come out of the game early or in mid-inning.  Always wonder about injuries in those situations.

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Yoan Moncada Watch:  1 for 5.  BA= .125.

Game Wrap 5/19/2015: Giants 2 Dodgers 0

The Giants offense managed to scratch out 2 runs while Tim Hudson and the bullpen throttled the vaunted Dodgers lineup to grab Game 1 of this potentially pivotal 3 game series.  Key Lines:

Joe Panik- 2 for 3, 2B, BB.  BA= .288.  Panik doubled with 1 out in the first inning, but was left stranded.  He then got the first of a string of three 2-out singles in the 3'rd to score the Giants first run of the night, the only run they would need.

Buster Posey- 1 for 3, BB.  BA= .295.  A relatively quiet night for Buster, but he got the key hit to drive in the go-ahead run with 2 outs in the 3'rd inning.

Tim Hudson- 6.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K, GO/AO= 10/4.  ERA= 4.01.  Huddy is a competitor and he held the Dodgers at bay into the 7'th inning.

Sergio Romo- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 3.55.  No K's but Romo came in to get the last out of the 7'th after Lopez walked two batters to load the bases, then got through the 8'th with the 1-0 lead intact.

Santiago Casilla- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(10).  ERA= 1.65.  Casilla gave me some anxiety as he appeared to lose control of the strike zone in the top of the 9'th after a single by Juan Uribe on what looked like a good pitch, then a walk to Joc Pederson.  Fortunately, he was working with an insurance run the Giants got in the bottom of the 8'th when Brandon Belt scored on a wild pitch.  Casilla calmly got Jimmy Rollins to ground out.  Ballgame!

The Win by the second place Giants cuts the Dodgers lead in the NL West to 3.5 games.  They are also 0.5 games behind in the race for the second Wild Card playoff spot.  All 3 of the other NL West teams won leaving the Padres, D'Backs and Rockies 5, 7 and 9 games behind the Dodgers respectively.

Tim Lincecum tries to keep the chances for a series sweep alive tomorrow night facing LHP Brett Anderson.

On April 19, the Giants record stood at 4-10 after they had lost 9 of 10 games.  They then swept the Dodgers in AT&T Park and went on to post a record of 17-8 since that low point in their season so far.

Scouting the 2015 Draft: BA's Mock Draft 2.0

BA has a new mock draft up along with what appears to be some intelligence regarding specific interests from teams.  They have the Giants taking HS OF Nick Plummer at #18.  Their comment includes "….they(Giants)…..have conviction in his left-handed bat."  I wrote up a short profile on Plummer on 12/8/2014 and said he is "….probably the top 5-tool player in the 2015 draft."  Kiley McDaniel's comment is "….quick twitch athlete with plus bat speed, above average raw power and lots of hard contact."

The Giants are also rumored to be in on another HS athlete, Cornelius Randolph so they may be serious about finally going after 5 tool ceiling here.  The Giants are in pretty good shape at the MLB level and have depth in both hitting and pitching in the organization, so are in a nice position to take a bit of a risk on ceiling here. BA has both Randolph and college 2B/OF Ian Happ going after #18, so if they are looking for a hitter here, they should have their pick of several good ones.

Andrew Benentendi seems to have passed Ian Happ in most draft boards, but I looked up Happ's numbers from this season and he has hit in the .330 range with 14 HR's, so it's not like Happ has had a down season or anything.  I would still be pleased if the Giants drafted him at #18.

BA has HS RHP Mike Nikorak being taken just ahead of the Giants at #17.  He and Justin Hooper are the two pitchers in the draft I would be happy with at #18.  Hooper's stock seems to have slipped into the supplemental first round for some reason.  He may be on the rise again after dominating a H2H matchup against another highly ranked HS pitcher, Joe Demers.

BA has the Giants taking HS RHP Ashe Russell at #31.  I've seen Russell ranked as high as top 15 on some draft boards, so this would seem like a steal.  They have HS RHP Beau Burrows going next at #32 with Hooper going to the Dodgers at #35.  I'll be honest here, I think Hooper is the kid with the highest ceiling here and it's not real close.  If all 3 of these HS pitching prospects are available to the Giants at #31, I would be rooting hard for Hooper.  Between Burrows and Russell, I think Burrows would be the fastest riser but Russell may have a slightly higher ceiling due to a size difference.

If it does play out according to BA's scenario and the Giants ended up with Nick Plummer and Ashe Russell as their first two picks, I would be happy as a clam, but would cringe when the Dodgers took Justin Hooper.