Giants Depth Charts: Designated Hitter

Joc Pederson had the most starts at DH for the Giants last season with 72.  Wilmer Flores was second with 36.  Pederson is a free agent and almost certainly won't be back after he was ratted out by teammates for being the ringleader of the Pusoy Posse in the clubhouse.  Wow!  Whoever did that delivered a verbal b****  slap way more devastating than anything Tommy Pham every thought of!  Anyway, I am pretty sure Pederson won't be back at any price which leaves room for upgrade.  

MLB:

Wilmer Flores:  See 1B Depth Chart.  Wilmer makes a fine RH DH platoon partner but probably should not be the full time DH on a good team.  

J. D. Davis: See 3B Depth Chart.  Davis is listed on the MLB Giants Depth Chart but his primary position is 3B where he was a slightly positive defender in 2023.  

Michael Conforto:  See RF Depth Chart.  I will add Conforto to the list as he could slide into the LH DH role if the Giants add a true CF with YtY and Slater platooning in RF.  Problem is Conforto's SLG% was an identical .384 in 2021 and 2023, his last two seasons which is way subpar for a DH.  He also may opt out, which FZ has to be hoping he does just to help break up the OF roster logjam, if nothing else.

AAA:

Armando Alvarez, Yoshi Tsutsugo, Trenton Brooks:  Profiled in previous posts.  I am most intrigued by Brooks but if he's the LH DH out of spring training it's a sure sign of failed offseason.

AA:  

Sean Roby, Victor Bericoto

A+:

Luis Toribio, Jairo Pomares

A:

None

With Pederson's likely departure, DH is an obvious position to upgrade with no great internal options.  As we all know, there is an elite lefty-hitting DH available through free agency.  Is Bob Melvin's reputation for working with Asian players enough to get Shohei Ohtani to sign with the Giants all else being equal?

Other possibilities on the free agent market include J. D. Martinez, Andrew McCutchen, Brandon Belt.  I could get behind a 1 year deal for Belt to be the left-side DH platoon partner.  

Giants Depth Charts: Right Field

The elephant in the room here is whether Michael Conforto will opt out of the second year of his 2-year contract.  If he does, RF becomes an obvious position for upgrade through free agency or trade.  If he stays, then it becomes more difficult and we have to hope a year of mostly playing sharpened him up to get back to what he was in......2020?  Yikes!  

MLB:

Michael Conforto:  .239/.334/.384, 15 HR, 4 SB, 11.3 BB%, 22.6 K%, 470 PA, fWAR= 1.1.  Conforto's line was almost identical to his 2021 line which is not particularly comforting to those who are hoping for a bounceback season.  He has a player option on the second and final year of his contract for $18 M.  Will he exercise it?  By the end of the season Conforto's body language was as bad as it comes.  Playing baseball for the Giants appeared to be the last thing in the world he wanted to do.  Is that the reason the word among the scribes is he could opt out of his contract and become a free agent?  Will naming Bob Melvin make a difference in that decision?  In reviewing his 2021-2023 record, it's hard to see any team out there giving him a multi-year contract and he almost certainly won't get $18 M in AAV.   Seems like a no-brainer for him to exercise his option and stay for 2024.  If he does, the Giants have to hope he's healthier and happier  and gets at least part of the way back to his pre-2021 production as it will take an opportunity for a position upgrade off the table.  

Mike Yastrzemski:  See CF and LF.  FZ just named acquiring a "true center fielder" one of his top 3 offseason priorities.  YtY could slide over to RF if Conforto leaves or he could move down to 4'th OF which is where he should be on a good team.

Luis Matos:  See CF.  Ideally, Matos comes to camp 10-15 lbs of muscle heavier and those warning track drives start carrying over walls.  If so, he could be a RF option if Conforto leaves and if the upgrade is a true CF.  

Heliot Ramos:  FZ expressed remorse at not giving Heliot more of a look last season.  Hard to see how that happens in 2024 if FZ is serious about upgrading the OF in the offseason.

AAA:  

None.

AA:  

None.  Victor Bericoto has played some RF but I don't think there is any reason to think he has the speed to cover Triples Alley in Oracle Park.

A+:

None.  Grant McCray and Carter Howell could slide over from CF.  

A:

Bryce Eldridge:  ACL:  .294/.393/.647, 5 HR, 14.8 BB%, 26.2 K%, 61 PA.  A:  .293/.406/.379, 1 HR, 1 SB, 15.9 BB%, 26.1 K%, 69 PA.  Eldridge had a power outage after a late season promotion to San Jose, but overall his first pro lines look very encouraging for the future.  Drafted as a 2-way player, he did not pitch after being drafted due to predraft workload.  He should start out 2024 back in SJ working on both sides of the plate.  He appears to have the bat and arm for RF.  Does he have the footspeed to cover Triples Alley?

State of the Giants: FZ Extended

Not only did the Giants announce the signing of Bob Melvin to a 3-year contract to manage the Giants, they extended President of Baseball Operations, Farhan Zaidi, through 2026 to give him the same security Melvin has.  We discussed what Melvin brings to the team in yesterday's post so let's focus on FZ.  

No matter your opinion of FZ and and his tenure so far, leaving him in a "lame-duck" state while giving Melvin a 3-year deal was not the right way to approach the situation.  Essentially telling FZ he has to win in 2024 or be fired creates perverse incentives that could endanger the long term future of the team.  They had to either fire him at the end of the season so a new POBO could hire a new manager or they needed to extend him.

I am OK with the extension.  Although I think FZ is party responsible for the chaos at the end of last season, I think the farm system, and thus the longterm future of the team is headed in the right direction and am willing to give FZ more time to see if he can continue to build it up.  Hopefully Melvin is respected enough to help attract better free agents to Oracle Park for a short term boost too.

State of the Giants: Bob Melvin To Be New Manager

 Once we heard the Padres granted permission for the Giants to interview Bob Melvin for their Manager vacancy, we had to know the die was cast.  15 years ago, another Padres field manager fell out of favor with their front office and jumped to the Giants.  We all know how that turned out.  Hopefully history will repeat itself.  

To be sure, Bob Melvin has his detractors.  The Padres were almost as much of a mess as the Giants last year with, at least on paper, was a far more talented roster.  We have friends who are big Padres fans who are convinced Melvin's management was the reason they went, what, 1-11 in extra-inning games?  They blamed his refusal to try to advance the designated runner with no outs.  Not sure the numbers support that notion but they are definitely convinced of it.  

And look, yes, Gabe Kapler had to go.  His deployment of players on the field was increasingly chaotic and it wasn't just due to Openers and bullpen games.  I mean, there were several games later in the season where arguably their best player, Thairo Estrada, was batting ninth!  There also seemed to be chaos in the clubhouse with several players spending more time on a Filipino card game than on their MLB baseball job.  On the other hand, would Bob Melvin have won more games with that roster?  I still maintain the root cause of the chaotic lineups and pitching schemes was injury and poor performance from players the Giants expected more from.  

FZ hit big on a handful of short-term investments in players with injury histories.  But the single biggest predictor of future injury remains an injury history and that blew up in his face in 2023.  On top of that, multiple players who the metrics said should have a positive regression actually had a negative regression.  

So what does Bob Melvin bring to the table?  He can't keep injury-prone players from getting injured and he probably can't wave a wand and get positive regressions from players coming off down seasons.  What he can do is bring a return to defining roles and managing the clubhouse much of which is dependent on the respect of the players for a manager with 21 years of mostly successful managing.  

There may be one more factor which has been mentioned in beat writer reports:  The Giants are rumored to be in on at least 2 and possibly 3 Asian free agents including potential ace pitcher Yamomoto.  Melvin has a long history of good relationships with multiple asian players including Ichirio Suzuki and Yu Darvish who are believed to be extremely influential in advising Asian players where they will be most comfortable in MLB.  I'm still a bit skeptical the Giants are going to sign any of those players.  There has to be some reason why Asian players have avoided the Giants like COVID, but the CW is Melvin gives them a leg up.

So here's to Bob Melvin as the new Giants Manager.  May he once again prove the Padres upper management to be a bunch of chumps.  

Giants Depth Charts: Center Field

Perhaps the Giants 2024 roster dilemma is most glaring in the outfield where, if Michael Conforto does not choose to opt out of his $18 M guaranteed contract and if nobody is traded, 4 of their OF's will be holdovers from a mediocre and underperforming roster:  Haniger, Conforto, Yastrzemski and Slater.  That does not leave a lot of room for upgrades.  In his somewhat bizarre end-of-season press conference conducted in the home dugout at Oracle Park, Farhan Zaidi talked like Tyler Fitzgerald will get a chance to win the starting CF job outright which would mean that 2 of the 4 veterans would be relegated to 4'th and 5'th OF roles which would likely mean a huge drop in playing time under a new manager who will almost certainly not be as free with his platoons and substitutions as the peripatetic Gabe Kapler.  On top of that it wouldn't leave room for a big upgrade through free agency or trade.

With that said, lets break down where the center field depth chart stands going into the Hot Stove League season. 

MLB: 

Mike Yastrzemski:  .233/.330/.445, 15 HR, 11.8 BB%, 26.0 K%, 381 PA, UZR/150(CF)= 9.7(351.1 innings), fWAR= 1.8.  AGE 33.  Arbitration Eligble.  FA 2026.  When I watch him play CF on TV, I'm just not that impressed, but UZR says YtY is a plus defender at the position over the past 3 seasons in spite of being hobbled this by a recurrent hammy strain in 2023.  In fact, he ranked #6 in MLB in UZR/150 among those who played more than 300 innings at the position.  So, if CF seems like an obvious place for FZ to upgrade, it's not as easy as it may seem.

Tyler Fitzgerald:  AAA:  .287/.358/.499, 20 HR, 29 SB, 9.7 BB%, 23.8 K%, 466 PA.  MLB:  .219/.265/.469, 2 HR, 2 SB, 5.9 BB%, 29.4 K%, UZR/150(CF)= 4.0(71.1 innings), 34 PA, fWAR= 0.2.  After being ignored all season when there was a need at SS, his primary position in the minors, Fitz was finally promoted in the final 2 weeks of the season when the Giants were all but eliminated from the Wild Card race and.....played mostly CF.  He played it well and flashed his intriguing power/speed combo.  He seems to be an example of the drafting strategy that if you take shortstops, you can eventually plug them in anywhere.  Is Tyler Fitzgerald the Giants CF of the future, as FZ seemed to suggest in his postseason press conference?

Austin Slater:  .270/.348/.400, 5 HR, 9.7 BB%, 28.0 K%, 207 PA, UZR/150(CF)= -10.7(180.2 innings), fWAR= 0.9.  Age- 30.  No Options.  Arbitration Eligible.  FA 2025.  Slater is a very good hitter against LHP's but he has brutal L/R splits and is a defensive liability in CF which severely limits his on-field utility.  Can the Giants continue to carry a player with that profile on a 26-man roster? Oh, and Slater underwent elbow surgery about a week ago.

Luis Matos:  AA:  .304/.398/.443, 3 HR, 9 SB, 12.8 BB%, 9.0 K%, 133 PA.  AAA:  .353/.404/.626, 9 HR, 6 SB, 7.2 BB%, 7.2 K%, 152 PA.  MLB:  .250/.319/.342, 2 HR, 3 SB, 7.9 BB%, 13.0 K%, 253 PA, UZR/150(CF)= -19.7(438 innings), fWAR= -0.4.  Age- 21.  Options 2.  Arbitration Eligible 2027?  Matos has been a highly ranked prospect for several years and was tearing up AA and AAA and he was already on the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft so perfectly reasonable to call him up.  The results were mixed.  There is a lot to like in his game and he's still very projectable.  He made some good looking plays in CF making it look easy in the process, but took terrible routes and looked clueless at other times.  His UZR/150 is brutal and Gabe Kapler publicly voiced his frustration.  On the hitting side, he has solid K/BB numbers and hit a lot of balls hard that died on the warning track and acknowledged that he has to work on getting stronger.  Added strength should also come just from maturity when we are talking about a 21 yo player.  So here's another dilemma:  with FZ on the hot seat, can he afford to let Matos finish his development at the MLB level or does he get optioned to AAA where he seems to have run out of challenges?

Wade Meckler:  A+:  .456/.494/.633, 2 HR, 2 SB, 6.9 BB%, 10.3 K%, 87 PA.  AA:  .336/.431/.450, 2 HR, 4 SB, 14.4 BB%, 16.7 K%, 174 PA.  AAA:  .354/.465/.500, 2 HR, 7 SB, 17.6 BB%, 19.6 K%, 102 PA.  MLB:  .232/.328/.250, 9.4 BB%, 39.1 K%, 64 PA, UZR/150(CF)= -16.1(119 innings), fWAR= -0.1.  Age- 23.  Options- 2.  Arbitration Eligible 2027?  Meckler had a whirlwind season raking through 3 levels before what in retrospect was a premature promotion to MLB level.  He is small of stature for a ballplayer and appeared to be physically overmatched.  On top of that, his offensive game profiles as a CF but he does not appear to have the tools to handle the position in the majors.  Now he's on the 40-man roster and must be exposed to waivers if he's ever dropped.  Now he looks like he could be a casualty of the chaotic promotions that took over the 2023 season.

Heliot Ramos:  AAA:  .300/.382/.546, 12 HR, 9 SB, 10.3 BB%, 25.1 K%, 263 PA.  MLB:  .179/.233/.304, 1 HR, 6.7 BB%, 33.3 K%, 60 PA, UZR/150(CF)= 43.3(13 innings), fWAR= 0.4.  Age- 24, 1 Option.  Not Arbitration Eligible.  Former first round draft pick who appeared to be deep in FZ/Kap's doghouse as he was repeatedly passed over for obvious promotion opportunities.  At this point there is not clear path out of the roster logjam with the Giants.  Will he blossom with another organization or will he become a AAAA player like his bro, Henry?

AAA:  

None.

AA:  

Vaun Brown:  .221/.284/.421, 8 HR, 15 SB, 6.3 BB%, 37.5 K%, 208 PA.  Age- 25.  Rule 5 Eligible Dec. 2024.  10'th round pick in the 2021 draft, Brown caught fire in 2022 hitting 23 HR and stealing 44 bases over 2 levels.  As we all know, the A+ to AA jump tends to be big and Brown got off to a delayed start due to what was described as minor knee surgery.  After coming back he continued to show flashes of both power and speed but never really found traction at the plate and eventually went back on the IL with an undisclosed injury.  2024 looms as a big season for him as it will test whether he is fully recovered and whether he can handle higher level pitching.  Still a legit CF prospect.

Hunter Bishop:  DNP in 2023.  Age- 25.  Rule 5 Eligible.  The Giants first, first-round draft pick of the FZ era.  Bishop's career has been completely derailed so far by a series of injuries and poor performances.  Missed all of 2023 with an torn UCL and Tommy John surgery.  Should be finally fully healthy in 2024, likely his last shot at finding traction on his pro career.  

A+:

Grant McCray:  .255/.360/.417, 14 HR, 52 SB, 12.3 BB%, 29.3 K%, 584 PA.  Age- 22.  Rule 5 Eligible.  Former third round draft pick from 2019.  Tooled up legit CF prospect.  Got off to a very slow start in A+ ball but recovered to hit quite well over the second half of the season.  When you draft a raw HS prospect like him you have to be willing to see the project through.  I would add him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft even if it means dropping or trading a Wade Meckler or Heliot Ramos.  I can easily project McCray to be an impact MLB player after 3 years of continued development through use of options.

Carter Howell:  A:  .337/.398/.500, 4 HR, 8 SB, 8.6 BB%, 19.8 K%, 197 PA.  A+:  .270/.353/.408, 6 HR, 6 SB, 354 PA.  Age- 24.  Rule 5 Eligible Dec. 2025.  Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022, Howell put himself on the prospect radar screen with a solid 2023 season across 2 levels.  He was rewarded with an AFL assignment where he is raking and impressing.  Has some power and speed but more of a contact/average hitter which will play if he can cover CF.  

A:

Turner Hill:  .287/.374/.370, 0 HR, 27 SB, 10.7 BB%, 8.9 K%, 347 PA.  Age- 24.  Rule 5 Eligible Dec 2026.  Another undrafted free agent signing.  Hill showed tremendous contact and on-base skills for the SJ Giants with some speed albeit with absolutely no power.  Will have to gain some pop to maintain the walk rates at higher levels.

There is also Rayner Arias who played exclusively CF in the DSL but profiles more like a corner OF bat.

In summary, FZ created what can only be described as a cluster**** on the 40-man roster which will have to be sorted out.  There are intriguing possibilities throughout the organization but no outstanding CF prospects.  The key will be identifying the keepers and letting the others go by release or trade.

Giants Depth Charts: Left Field.

Outfield depth charts are complex due to increasing reliance on versatility and platoons but we'll try to sort out where the Giants currently stand at the 3 OF positions.  The players are listed where I see their primary position while acknowledging that others can slide over and cover it.  

MLB:  

Mitch Haniger:  .209/.266/.365, 6 HR, 6.6 BB%, 28.4 K%, 229 PA, fWAR= -0.2.  Age 32.  No Options.  No arbitration. Under contract through 2025 @AAV of $14.5 M(can opt out after 2024).  Haniger has one of the weirdest injury histories of all time and bad luck struck again in 2023.  Haniger was supposed to hold down a full time gig in LF while providing a power bat in the middle of the order.  Instead, he started the season almost a month late due to an oblique strain then suffered a right arm fracture from a HBP on June 13 and missed most of the rest of the season.  At no time did he look comfortable at the plate and his swing timing seemed to be way off. Given his contract situation and history of producing when healthy I am putting him at the top of the Giants LF depth chart.  He and the Giants have to hope he escapes the injury bug and gets settled back in at the plate in 2024.

Mike Yastrzemski:  .233/.330/.445, 15 HR, 11.8 BB%, 25.3 K%, 381 PA, fWAR= 1.8.  Age- 33.  3 Options.  Arbitration Eligible(2'd year?).  YtY tends to play wherever needed in the OF and ideally is a 4'th OF on a good team.  He would likely be the first lefty-hitter option for LF if the Giants platoon Haniger or if Haniger were to be injured again.  

Austin Slater:  .270/.348/.400, 5 HR, 9.7 BB%, 28.0 K%, 207 PA, fWAR= 0.9.  Age- 30.  Arbitration eligible(final year).  No Options.  Slater hits quite well against LHP's but has brutal splits which severely limits his ideal playing time.  Can play all 3 OF positions.  Ideally a 5'th OF on a good team.

Blake Sabol:  .235/.301/.394, 13 HR, 7.0 BB%, 34.0 K%, 344 PA, fWAR= 0.7.  Age- 25.  3 Options.  Arbitration Eligible 2026.  Now that he is out from under the Rule 5 Draft restrictions, Sabol has 3 minor league options.  There is toonder in the bat but he needs experience to harness it.  Most likely MLB future is behind the plate.  Best situation for him would be to use option year polishing his catching game in Sacramento but his lefty bat and positional versatility(such as it is) might win him the back up catcher job again in which case he is also a reserve LF option.

Luis Matos and Wade Meckler are also potential options but I think a lot would have to happen for them to move into any significant role.  Conforto could also slide over from RF if he does not opt out of the second year of his contract.

AAA: 

Trenton Brooks:  AAA(Sacramento):  .233/.382/.465, 6 HR, 18.9 BB%, 15.3 K%, 111 PA.  AAA(Las Vegas):  .299/.405/.529, 16 HR, 5 SB, 13.8 BB%, 14.6 K%, 412 PA.  Age 28.  Rule 5 Eligible.  I think he is eligible for minor league free agency but is still listed on the AAA Sacramento roster.  Similar profile to many others who have passed through The Churn.  To my eye his power and K/BB numbers profile better than most.  I would love to see him get a MLB shot but hard to see how he breaks through the chaos of the 40-man roster.  Could gets lost the The Churn.

AA:  

Ismael Munguia:  .282/.356/.391, 6 HR, 16 SB, 7.2 BB%, 13.4 K%, 335 PA.  Age- 25.  Rule 5 Eligible.  The high contact/low power profile does not fit LF but that seems to be his preferred defensive position.  

A+:  

Jared Dupere:  .246/.313/.428, 12 HR, 11 SB, 7.4 BB%, 38.0 K%, 392 PA.  Age- 24.  Rule 5 Eligible Dec 2024.  13'th round draft pick in 2021.  Has some pop in his bat but also a lot of swing and miss.  

Matt Higgins:  A:  .309/.400/.492, 9 HR, 9 SB, 11.0 BB%, 20.9 K%, 301 PA.  A+:  .204/.289/.327, 3 HR, SB, 7.8 BB%, 26.6 K%, 128 PA.  Age- 24.  Rule 5 Eligible Dec. 2025.  Undrafted FA from 2022.  Higgins hit well in a conservative placement in A ball.  More challenged after promotion to A+.  Later season promotions are tough because the players at the higher level are more experienced as the season progresses.  I see late promotions as a chance to be exposed to the higher level of competition to give the prospect a head start on the next season.

Jairo Pomares:  ACL:  .308/.419/.385, 16.1 BB%, 29.0 K%, 31 PA.  Age- 23.  Rule 5 Eligible.  Pomares was part of the "big 3" international signings of 2018 along with Marco Luciano and Luis Matos.  Pomares might be the best pure hitter of the three but is defensively limited to LF and essentially lost all of 2023 apparently due to injury.  

A:  

Scott Bandura:  ACL:  .400/.524/.667, HR, 23.8 BB%, 28.6 K%, 21 PA.  A:  .241/.364/.405, 2 HR, 3 SB, 15.2 BB%, 26.3 K%, 99 PA.  Age 22.  Rule 5 Eligible Dec. 2026.  22 yo.  Giants 7'th round draft pick out of Princeton in 2023.  Intriguing size at 6'4", 190 lbs.  I expect him to start next season back in SJ but move up quickly with a strong performance.  Fun fact:  Scott was the catcher on the Little League World Series championship team that Mo'ne Davis pitched for.

P. J. Hilson:  .247/.283/.420, 10 HR, 12 SB, 3.9 BB%, 17.6 K%, 307 PA.  Age- 23.  Rule 5 Eligible.  Tooled up but raw prospect drafted in the 6'th round in 2018.  Starting to look like a player but is it too little too late?

Alexander Suarez:  .245/.310/.353, 6 HR, 22 SB, 5.4 BB%, 27.2 K%, 404 PA.  Age- 21.  Rule 5 Eligible.  Another prospect with tools but will he ever hit enough?  I read somewhere he is Luis Matos' cousin.

Giants Depth Charts: Shortstop

Brandon Crawford, the Giants starting shortstop since 2011 is a free agent and likely has played his last game as a Giant and possibly in his career.  Interestingly, one of the Giants top 3 prospects for the past several years appears to be ready to start a new era.  

MLB:

Marco Luciano:  AA:  .228/.339/.450, 11 HR, 6 SB, 14.9 BB%, 29.8 K%, 242 PA.  AAA:  .209/.321/.418, 4 HR, 12.8 BB%, 35.9 K%, 78 PA.  MLB:  .231/.333/.308, 13.3 BB%, 37.9 K%, 45 PA.  Age- 22 yo.  2 Options.  Tremendous raw power he is still learning to reach.  In his very odd postseason press conference, FZ all but named Luciano as the starting SS for 2024.  I imagine the new Manager might have something to say about that.  Luciano has been considered a top prospect since he was signed to a 7-figure bonus.  The position is open for the taking.  I think you have to give him that opportunity.

Casey Schmitt:  See 3B chart for stat lines.  Ability to play SS probably propelled him to the majors as much as his bat.  The Giants probably want him to be a back up at 3B, SS and 2B but he could hold down the SS position defensively if they need him to.  Did not hurt his stock with 2 HR's in the season finale against the Dodgers.

Tyler Fitzgerald:  AA:  .324/.410/.588, 2 HR, 3 SB, 11.5 BB%, 28.2 K%, 78 PA.  AAA:  .287/.358/.499, 20 HR, 29 SB, 9.7 BB%, 23.8 K%, 466 PA.  MLB:  .219/.265/.469, 2 HR, 2 SB, 34 PA.  Age- 26.  3 Options.  Drafted and developed as a SS.  Played a few games in CF in the minors, played some more after his late-season MLB callup and all of a sudden, he's FZ's CF of the future!  Yet another rather bizarre pronouncement from FZ amidst the chaos of the end of the season.  Intriguing power/speed combination.  Took him awhile to find traction on his pro career.  

Brett Wisely-  See 2B Chart for stat lines.  Tough to see him staying on 40- man roster after Rule 5 cutdowns.

Thairo Estrada can also play the position but the Giants would prefer he be the regular 2B.

AAA:  

Donovan Walton:  .208/.278/.354, 4 HR, 109 PA.  Age-29.  Rule 5 Eligible.  On the IL most of the season.  Strictly a deep depth option at this point.  Came in on The Churn, may leave on The Churn.

AA:  

Will Wilson:  .234/.304/.408, 13 HR, 9.1 BB%, 25.0 K%, 340 PA.  Age 25.  Rule 5 Eligible.  Spent first half of season on IL.  Has some pop but struggles to reach it.  I could see a team selecting him in the Rule 5 draft, but I don't think the Giants should add him to the 40-man roster.

A+:  

Aeverson Arteaga:  .235/.299/.410, 17 HR, 8 SB, 7.3 BB%, 24.2 K%, 546 PA.  Age 20.  Fangraphs lists as Rule 5 Eligible.  I say not.  Much like Luis Matos last season, Arteaga struggled out of the gate in A+ ball but put up solid numbers over the final 2 months of the season.  He's gotten over 1100 PA's over his last two seasons so may be poised to make a big move at higher levels.  Scouting reports remain high on his D.  I think the bat will play.  

A:  

Cole Foster:  ACL:  .333/.355/.700, 3 HR, 3.2 BB%, 32.3 K%, 31 PA.  A:  .230/.306/.390, 4 HR, 2 SB, 7.2 BB%, 31.5 K%, 111 PA.  Age 22.  Rule 5 Eligible Dec. 2026.  2023 third round draft pick out of Auburn.  Bat started to come around after slow start in San Jose.  Will probably start out back there in 2024.  

Diego Velasquez:  .298/.387/.434, 8 HR, 6 SB, 517 PA.  Age- 20.  Rule 5 Eligible Dec. 2025.  My MVP of the SJ Giants.  MI who can play both SS and 2B.  Seems to have a bat.  High hopes for this kid.