FanPost

Way-too-Early Report Cards for The First 10 Giants Draftees So Far

The Giants are in the midst of a five-game losing streak. Grant Brisbee has given up, opting to go with the title "Giants Lose 5th Straight" instead of coming up with a lively title because, quite frankly, his bank is out of f*cks to give. Brandon Belt and Buster Posey's bat went the way of Ol' Yeller. So it's up to me, and solely me, to create a relatively positive fanpost about the glory that was our 2016 draft. Because the only positive thing right now is our farm system. Kind of.

With the Giants' earliest pick residing at 59, there wasn't much excitement. While there was still formidable talent to be had, a first round pick would have, seemingly at the time, injected a lot of promise into the draft. It wasn't like the Giants needed a strong draft. They were gearing up for a championship run, having signed Samardzija, Span and Cueto, drafting Shaw and Bickford for trade assets and once again getting a clear bill of health from Bumgarner. Regardless, the Baseball Gods (who are being complete, utter bitches right now, but weren't back then) smiled upon us, leaving Reynolds and Quinn open for the taking. The Giants signed 28/40 draftees. Now, it's my job to provide a report card for the first ten of them as a sacrifice to get us out of this slump.

Bryan Reynolds, Round 2, 59th Overall

321/.433/.482, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 164 wRC+.

Bryan Reynolds was a pleasant surprise. Despite being ranked 32nd overall by Baseball America and 23rd overall in the draft by MLB.com, he was available for swift taking at 59. Talent-wise, BA ranked him just two spots below 1st overall pick Mickey Moniak. Expectations were high for Bryan Reynolds, and it's suffice to say he's met them insofar.

Hitting: A- Bryan Reynolds has swung through Salem-Keizer. Just days after being signed, he slugged his first two career home runs and has adjusted quicker than any San Francisco outfield prospect in recent memory. Over 67 plate appearances, Reynolds has already gotten on base 27 times, and rounded them an additional two times. Looking deeper, Reynolds' hitting may not be as promising as one thinks. Only 5 of his 67 plate appearances have resulted in extra bases or home runs. He's swinging to the tune of a .410 BABIP while hitting the majority of his balls on the ground. He's hitting excellent currently, but it's not incorrect to expect a drop-off in his offense presently. Good thing we're not in the future yet.

Most worrisome stat: .410 BABIP/1.60 GB/FB

Heath Quinn, Round 3, 95th Overall

.333/.408/.471, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 135 wRC+

Heath Quinn was arguably the biggest steal of the draft, even more so than Reynolds. BA pegged him at the 48th overall prospect in the draft. After just nine plate appearances in AZL, it became apparent that Quinn was on the level of Bryan Reynolds, and he subsequently got promoted to Salem-Keizer. Since, he and Reynolds have been tearing up pitches and working in the clutch. For a third rounder, Heath Quinn has performed extraordinarily.

Hitting: A- Heath Quinn relied heavily on his power at Samford. He blew the ball over the wall 21 times while amassing an astounding 55 walks. As a third round pick, Heath Quinn has adjusted rather nicely entering pro ball. He's hitting for a reasonably high average and getting the ball in play when he needs to. While he did not enter with a power impact like Shaw, he's shown power to the gaps, albeit while hitting only one home run. More importantly, he's only struck out sixteen times across nearly 100 Plate Appearances. However, his walk rate has taken a dip, which is out of the ordinary if not slightly concerning.

Most worrisome stat: 3.2 K/BB (was 2.10 at Samford)

Matt Krook, Round 4, 125th Overall

1.69 ERA, 5.29 FIP, 6.75 K/9

Matt Krook is yet another player to slide down the draft boards. Pegged as a top-100 draft prospect by both BA and MLB.com, Krook slid down to 125th, into the hands of the pitcher-developing Giants. Krook's fall was the first of the three draftees that can be easily explained. He has a track of injury history, the most recent of which significantly downgraded his velocity and movement. Since he's been drafted, he's been a mixed bag, keeping Short Season A-Ball hitters quiet, but also posting worrisome numbers across the board.

Pitching: C- This is a relatively harsh grade, seeing as how Krook has posted a sub-2.00 ERA across 3 starts, albeit short starts. But much like a student who has lucked through three Social Studies exams just by picking "B," Matt Krook is subject to dropoff. Krook's velocity sits at 88-92 with sinking action. Much like Kyle Crick, however, he has no idea where the fucking ball is going to go. He's walked ten batters and plunked an additional three. This means he has issued 13 free passes to just 10 strikeouts. When batters do swing, however, the ball tends to go on the ground, similar to a Mike Leake type of pitcher. He's posting a 3.75 GO/AO so far, and that's certainly promising given the Giants' tendency to have a Great Wall of China for their infield.

Most Worrisome Stat: 6.75 BB/9 at Salem-Keizer.

Ryan Howard, Round 5, 155th Overall

.276/.301/.356, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 86 wRC+

A shortstop who can arguably hit? So far, Ryan Howard has just about met expectations. At least as far as hitting extends. Howard has a nice, sweet swing that makes contact at a solid rate. Howard was the first Giants selection that wasn't a "steal," for he barely cracked the Top 200 as ranked by Baseball America. Regardless, the Giants saw something in him, despite the fact that he's unlikely to stay at shortstop, and selected him 155th overall. Insofar, could be worse.

Hitting: B- Howard is a contact hitter that typically hits singles 85% of the time. In Salem-Keizer, he's kept up to that narrative, going for extra bases just five times over 100 PA. Howard was likely selected for his tendency to walk and great overall eye. In his predraft year, Howard walked more than he struck out- 21/20 over 217 at bats. So far, Howard has been having some trouble keeping up with that, walking just four times (relative to 10 strikeouts) in Salem-Keizer. He'll definitely adjust at some point, but it's something to keep an eye on. Furthermore, an ISO of .080 and a BABIP of sub-.300 is not the best combination to have.

Most Worrisome Stat: .295 BABIP/.080 ISO

Gio Brusa, Round 6, 185th Overall

.315/.354/.493, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 138 wRC+

Gio Brusa has been fun so far. He's shown pop and a bat similar to that of a first rounder so far, which is exciting given that he was picked 185th overall. Once again, the Giants get an above-average player for their pick; Brusa was expected to go in Round 5 by Baseball America. Eyes were predomiately resting upon outfielders Heath Quinn and Bryan Reynolds, who ironically ended up in SK after Brusa started hitting.

Hitting: A For a sixth rounder, Brusa has been hitting the ball exceptionally. He's the first Giant to get a straight A, but this isn't necessarily to say that he's without flaw. Rather, he's without flaws that are unexpected. He's struck out 19 times over 73 at bats and has only walked five times. This would be more concerning if he wasn't an XBH hitter. However, Brusa has homered thrice over 18 games since joining pro ball, doubling an additional five times and posting an ISO of .178. Brusa has always been an extra-bases hitter, and not a home run hitter, so this could be something to watch going forward. Another fun stat: he's only grounded into a double play once. His production has dropped off over the past three games and he hasn't started walking like he normally does, but I'll give him the benefit of being a sixth-rounder and give him an A grade.

Most Worrisome Stat: 24.1% K/0.26 BB/K

Garrett Williams, Round 7, 215th Overall

4.50 ERA, 3.97 FIP, 9 K/9

Talk about a small sample size. This is why I called this "Way-too-Early." Garrett Williams has pitched a grand total of 4.0 innings, blowing a save in the process. Williams projects as a below-average MLB reliever if most things go correct. This is why Baseball America expected him to go 411th overall, and is also why this pick was not exactly intelligent.

Pitching: N/A

Most Worrisome Stat: 95/61 K/BB in College

Stephen Woods, Round 8, 245th Overall

1.84 ERA (7.07 RA,) 5.77 FIP, 7.98 K/9

Stephen Woods is another project undertaken by the Giants. Woods is an intriguing prospect, striking out 88 over 65 innings in his final year at college. But of course, there's a reason a person with that statistic was selected in the eighth round. Woods walked 41 in the aforementioned year. The Baseball Cube's statistics indicate that out of 100 pitchers, only three (3) will have worse control than Stephen Woods. Since his draft day, he's performed just about how we'd expect.

Pitching: D+ Stephen Woods technically has a sub-2.00 ERA. He technically has only allowed 11 real hits. Unfortunately, he's fallen victim to eight unearned runs, including five in his last two starts. However, Woods probably deserved the majority of those runs, having walked 8.75 batters per nine innings. Two very promising statistics offer a silver lining, despite his clear struggles with location. First, he's struck out a healthy 13 batters over 14.2 innings. Second, he's allowed no home runs, limiting his ability to be hit significantly. He's performed just about how you'd expect so far, but that's nowhere near close to saying there's no promise in him.

Most Worrisome Stat: 14 BB over 14.2 Innings

Caleb Baragar, Round 9, 275th Overall

4.19 ERA, 3.85 FIP, 7.91 K/9

There hasn't been a bigger sleeper than Caleb Baragar. Nowhere to be seen in BA's Top 500 rankings and quietly performing solidly throughout college, Baragar was nabbed at 275th overall. Since then, he's performed well in AZL but has garnered no recognition. He's the first pitcher in this Giants draft that knows where the ball is going. He's the first pitcher who can perform relatively consistently. He hasn't been anywhere close to an ace, but he's quietly promising.

Pitching: B Baragar gets an above-average grade solely because he can locate his pitches. Over 19 innings, he's struck out 17 while walking just three. He's also kept his home run rate to a miniature 0.45/9. On the flip side, he's allowed 23 hits and has stranded just 65% of runners, allowing a .385 BABIP in the process. He projects as nothing more than a durable body, but it would be wise to keep an eye on him to see if he can crack the Giants' bullpen. Out of 100 pitchers, no pitcher is more durable than him (per BaseballCube.) The ninth rounder has met what little expectations he was given in AZL, and has a Sub-4.00 ERA if you discount his erratic start vs L.A.

Most Worrisome Stat: 21 Hits/65% Runners Stranded

Alex Bostic, Round 10, 305th Overall

5.06 ERA, 5.03 FIP, 9.56 K/9

Alex Bostic is a pitcher out of Clemson who has no idea where the ball is going. Sound familiar? He's walked two or more batters in four of his five starts so far. He was projected to be drafted at 310th overall by Baseball America, making this the first pick that was "expected." Bostic walked 45 batters relative to 58 strikeouts in his college career, and has largely kept true to that statistic since his debut in A-ball.

Pitching: C- Bostic has been pitching like he should be. His FIP and ERA are mainly the same, he's striking out more than a batter per inning, and is walking ~1.5 batters every two innings. Unfortunately, he's allowed at least one run every time he's taken the mound, working his way to allowing 13 runs over 16 innings. He's also stranding just 54.7% of the runners he allows, which is definitely not a formula for success in the pro leagues. The tenth-rounder has performed as expected: crappily with a miniature hint of promise.

Most Worrisome Stat: 5.63 BB/9/54.7% Stranded

Ryan Kirby, Round 12, 365th Overall

.263/.355/.375, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 110 wRC+

Ryan Kirby is the batter's version of Caleb Baragar. Nowhere to be seen on Baseball America and quietly performing solidly. Kirby is slightly below average around the board, having 45-55 batters (out of 100) better than him in any given statistic. This, however, is as expected for a 12th rounder. Kirby also has a great eye, walking roughly as much as he struck out in his final year of College. Unfortunately, that went down the drain this year.

Batting: C Ryan Kirby has performed average. Purely, unbelievably average. He's average in everything except for one promising, promising statistic so far: he's hit seven doubles over his nineteen hits. He's also tripled, showing an eye (albeit below-average power) to the gaps and solid speed on the basepaths. He's walked nine times, but he's struck out 21- a figure that's well worse than his college numbers. Since he's not a power hitter and was likely selected due to his ability to draw a walk per strikeout, this is concerning and something to keep an eye on.

Most Worrisome Statistic: 21/9 K/BB in Salem-Keizer

Jacob Heyward and Brandon Van Horn, two other notable selections, were omitted from this list due to being selected outside the top 10 by the Giants. One gets an A+ and the other has shit the bed, respectively.

Which prospect has been the most concerning relative to your expectations?

This FanPost is reader-generated, and it does not necessarily reflect the views of McCovey Chronicles. If the author uses filler to achieve the minimum word requirement, a moderator may edit the FanPost for his or her own amusement.

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