The 2020 draft was just 5 rounds due to the pandemic. I'm not sure why the pandemic shortened the draft but probably mostly to save money on signing bonuses. Anyway, we already saw how first round pick Patrick Bailey was arguably the best pick in the draft. How did the Giants do in the other 5 rounds? BTW, they had two extra picks at the end of round 2 due to losing Madison Bumgarner and Will Smith to free agency.
1. Patrick Bailey C, College.
As we have discussed extensively, Bailey was an excellent first round pick in an extremely weak draft, possibly the best player in the entire draft.
2. Casey Schmitt 3B, College.
We all know Casey's story too. He's at a crossroads in his career. He has shown flashes of star potential or at least a solid MLB regular. The main thing holding him back is a severe lack of plate discipline. He was noticeably better after a late season return to the active roster. Will he get a chance to show that wasn't a fluke in 2025?
2C. Nick Swiney LHP, College.
2024(AA): 4-2, 5.25, 72 IP, 9.88 K/9, 4.13 BB/9.
Those are not the kind of numbers to make you think Swiney is going to reach the big leagues anytime soon.
2C. Jimmy Glowenke 2B, College.
2024(AA): .199/.300/.309, 7 HR, 5 SB, 8.2 BB%, 22.4 K%, 392 PA.
Also not the kind of numbers to make you think he will reach the majors anytime soon.
3. Kyle Harrison LHP, HS.
2024: 7-7, 4.56, 124.1 IP, 8.54 K/9, 3.04 BB/9, 0.8 fWAR.
Pretty solid rooking campaign for Harrison. He seemed to tire in the second half or maybe the league got a book on him? Finished the season on the IL with "mild" shoulder inflammation. Many analysts were calling for him to be shut down for the season anyway. Strong candidate for a breakout in 2025 just due to normal development and added experience.
4. R. J. Dabovich RHP, College.
Hard throwing college Closer. Was on fast track to majors as a reliever but underwent hip surgery in 2023 and spend most of 2024 on the IL due to an undisclosed condition.
5. Ryan Murphy RHP, College.
2024(AA): 1-4, 3.35, 43 IP, 9.63 K/9, 2.93 BB/9.
Pitched well before going on IL after June 1. I was not able to find the nature or his injury. Google search for Ryan Murphy injury showed his name but description of injury clearly referring to Tom Murphy C. Ryan Murphy spent time on the IL in 2022 with elbow inflammation.
Summary:
FWIW, the White Sox are signing Forever Giant Austin Slater to a major league deal, reported in MLBTR.
ReplyDeleteAn unnecessary personal note, Slater was born in Jacksonville Florida and graduated high school there as did I, different school different time, and his family was close friends to friends of mine, often filling me in during the early years of Slater's career.
Farhan really whiffed with those extra picks from losing Bumgarner and Smith. Badly whiffed. Like the kind of whiff where your batting helmet falls off and the bat goes flying
ReplyDeleteThe extra 2nd round picks were essentially low balled to have the money to over-over pay Harrison in the 3rd to get him to forego his college scholarship and sign.
DeleteWith a mid-August 2001 birth day, his baseball age was just 19 his first year right out of high school and he pitched 98 innings his first year (plus whatever he threw in HS).
The very last thing you want to do with a young pitcher is rush him too fast.
Exactly, the two supplemental picks were a bonus cap maneuver. Criticize it if you will but if that's what it took to sign Harrison, I'm not complaining. Agree about not piling innings on a young pitcher in the minors too quickly.
DeleteFarhan babied Harrison too much in the minor leagues by giving him an extreme pitch count limit to prevent from injury. Farhan had no idea what he was doing with the minor leaguers. Harrison did not build up his arm strength, stamina and pitch count in the minors. So he’s all of a sudden on the majors and he’s unable to go long into games and into the season because his minor league career didn’t prepare him for any of that. And now he has mild inflammation. Anyone else not surprised?
ReplyDeleteThat reminds me somewhat of how the organization treated Kurt Ainsworth, back in the day.
DeleteHow does it remind you of how they treated Ainsworth? And BTW, points for even remembering Ainsworth. That was a LONG time ago!
DeleteCan we move on from focusing on taking shots at FZ? To me this is an excellent draft. 3 major leaguers despite injuries to 2 solid prospects. What more do you want? There will be times we will criticize FZ, but I don't think this is one of them.
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree. Getting 3 MLB players out of one draft is considered a good draft even if it was 20 or 30 rounds long.
DeleteMike Krukow on the KNBR morning show has repeatedly stated that mlb teams are doing a disservice to young pitchers by limiting their pitch count so much in the minors. He says when they do get called up to the majors and they are expected to go even five innings, that they are not ready. From my layman's POV, that makes sense. I wonder if the injuries are due to young pitchers straining their arms in the bigs. There is a hypothesis that sliders and curveballs are the most damaging pitches to throw. (Change-ups are the least damaging).More fastballs and change-ups, fewer sliders and curves and increase pitch counts.
ReplyDeleteKrukow is very old school. I could be wrong but it's my understanding that there is no evidence to support Krukow's assertion. In fact, the available evidence points 180 degrees opposite. What is true is if a pitcher's innings increase from one year to the next by more than about 20% the injury rate goes way up. The question then becomes is it better to keep a pitcher who can contribute at the MLB level in the minors longer to ramp up their innings or to bring them up and limit their innings in the majors. I remember when Nolan Ryan tried Krukow's approach with the Rangers minor league pitchers. How did that go?
DeleteRule 5 deadline day!
ReplyDeleteJudgement day is December 11.
It's also QO decision day for the 13 offers. MLBTR says only Nick Martinez will accept.
Here is Nolan Ryan's record as president of baseball operation:
ReplyDeleteFirst year:2008: Finished third in the division
2009: Finished second in the division
2010: Finished first in the division and advanced to the World Series, where they lost to the San Francisco Giants
Of course, like most systems in life success usually comes from a variety of reasons. Ryan, Mike Maddux and Jose Vasquez implemented lots of running, long toss and stretching their minor's pitchers out more. Again, like anything, every pitcher is different in how they should be brought along. (Nolan Ryan in the minors and in the majors was an outlier). Yes, bringing along a pitcher is not an either or. At the end of the day I would say Krukow is more right than wrong.
I was referring to the development of minor league pitchers. The first 3 years of his regime are irrelevant to that question.
DeleteI am not trying to get in a tit for tat argument, but you wrote," I remember when Nolan Ryan tried Krukow's approach with the Rangers minor league pitchers. How did that go?" I honestly don't know how that went in the minors during Nolan Ryan's time. I would like to know as it pertains to this discussion. Thanks.
DeleteIt didn't go well.
Delete