NWL Top 20 List (Baseball America)

Here are the Giants questions:

Q:  Robyn Drever from Salinas, CA asks:
Was Will Thompson overlooked due to his season ending injury? Wasn't he leading the league in batting average when he was hurt?

 A:  Will Kimmey: No, Thompson certainly was discussed. He batted .380 before injuring his ankle. Managers loved how he stayed inside the ball and didn't try to do too much with it, but ultimately he misses out because for a first baseman who's about to turn 23 in six weeks, you want to see more power than two homers, and this is playing in a park that encourages extra-base hits because of its dimensions. Thompson's Mark Grace in the best scenario, and still is an interesting sleeper, but he'll really need to get on the fast track to make the majors in a reasonable amount of time.

Q:  Casey from Guilderland, NY asks:
Hi Will, Thanks for the chat. I am real excited to see Dan Griffin at #7 on your list - can you tell us a little more about him? Where do you see him starting next season, and is he for real, or was he just handling younger competition when he should have been in the Sally League? Granted, he is VERY young for a guy out of college (not even 21 yet). He was one of my buddies in High School, and we're all rooting for him back here in Guilderland. Thanks!

 A:  Will Kimmey: Guilderland, reminds me of the guilder, the form of currency in the Netherlands before the euro came to pass. Great name. Oh, you asked a question? I'd say Griffin was right where he needed to be this summer. He's a college draft, sure, but Niagara isn't quite the same as pitching in the Big 12 or SEC or Pac 10, plus being up North, Griffin's gotten less experience than the Sun Belters as well. That he led the NCAA in K's per nine this year was encouraging, but not as encouraging as the fact that he basically kept mowing guys down at a similar rate in the NWL. His power fastball and hard curveball make that possible. Low Class A seems realistic for 2006, because the Giants don't need to rush him now with what's in the chute ahead of him. Plus the org showed much patience with Matt Cain this year, letting him work at Triple-A nearly all season when they could have recalled him much earlier. For me, that's a good plan because it hurts to rush a young arm into struggles at the major league level.

Q:  tiffythetitan from Oakland, CA asks:
Why did Pablo Sandoval move from catcher to 3b? I don't recall the Giants having any other catchers with his ability (hitting at least) in the organization and Mike Matheny should hopefully be long gone by the time Sandoval is ready for the majors.  

 A:  Will Kimmey: It was a better fit for his skills. And after a year at third, there's certainly a consensus that he's better there than behind the plate. The move could also help unlock his offensive skills quicker, though that's more my inference than a stated fact. As for being short at catcher, look at the organization and third base is about as thin, so that part of he equation won't be a big deal. The Giants also moved another catcher, Todd Jennings, to the infield this year as well.

Q:  Dave from New York asks:
What's your take on the Giants placing four players on this list without a first, second or third round pick this past draft?

 A:  Will Kimmey: Three things: 1) Good drafting to nab Copeland and Griffin in rounds 4 and 5. 2) Thin league in talent. 3) Mooney and Sandoval weren't 05 drafts, so that's of no consequence.

Q:  Matt from Laguna Niguel, CA asks:
The Giants seem to have a lot of lower level prospects with tremendous upside. They've got 7 of the top 40 in the ASL and NWL. Aren't there some other names from the Giants that just missed being put on these lists also?

 A:  Will Kimmey: Sure, Dave McKae enjoed a very good year. I mentioned Thompson earlier. Joey Dyche can really rake. He batted .500 in 202 at-bats at Lewis-Clark State this spring but seemed a little run down by the time he reached Salem. Manager Steve Decker really liked Wayne Foltin out of the pen, with a lively, swing and miss fastball and a power slider.

Q:  Brad from Portland, Maine asks:
Who impresses you more Ben Copeland or Mike Mooney, why?

 A:  Will Kimmey: Their raw athleticism stands out the most. Mooney's got more power while Copeland could play more of a speedy game with flashes of power.

The session ended with this general comment about the difficulty of evaluating players in the low minors (the last line echoes slcgiant's opening comment here - does Kimmey read McCovey Chronicles too?):

 A:  Will Kimmey: This will be the last one, and it's a question more about the process of this list, so it's a fitting summation. Putting together prospect lists at the lowest levels often presents the most difficult jorb of any league because the age groups and experience levels vary wildly. Also, players are still adjusting to all that goes into professional ball, including playing everyday, the traveling, and even finding a new culture for foreign players and coping with culture shock for domestic ones adjusting to parts of the country they've never seen. These off the field factors can strongly color on the field performance. So stats aren't quite as important at these levels, while players are finding their way and making changes their ne organizations have suggested. Dominant years for very young players will stand out more positively, while giant struggles for much advanced players tend to hurt. In general, big tools are favored because they can lend to star potential. Polished command pitchers like Jeff Gilmore, Robert Rohrbaugh, Mike Madsen, Trey Shields, Brent Carter often show well at these levels, but their stuff won't lead to as large an impact if they make the majors as a guy with even one dominant tool. It's the nature of the game. And by that nature, these lower-level lists are often very boom or bust, hit or miss. Check the five years ago future for evidence in that regard.