The first two rounds in the cage, his swing looks slow and late, the balls looping lazily into right field. This is the top prospect in the Giants organization? The guy just named to the Futures team?

The third time he steps into the box, something's different. He's striding through the ball with authority, driving it into the left-center field gaps. The fourth and final time up, he forgets the gaps and goes successfully for the fences. Again and again.

This is the No. 1 prospect in the Giants organization. And don't forget, he's only 17 years old.

Sure, Angel Villalona doesn't exactly look like he's 17. Then again, nobody looks 17 when they suit up in a Minor League uniform and bat in the middle of the order on a nightly basis. Villalona's 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame has a way of masking the youthful face that still retains a little bit of its baby fat.

And then there are the home runs.

Villalona, a first baseman, has hit 10 of them this season for the Class A Augusta GreenJackets of the South Atlantic League. He's added 35 RBIs while batting .239.

"He's a very young kid in a very fast league, so we're proud of the fact that he's been able to keep his head above water and really contribute," said Augusta manager Andy Skeels. "He's been getting better each month."

Villalona has indeed showed steady improvement at the plate as the season has progressed. He got off to a rocky start in April, hitting .213 with a lone home run. A lot of that had to do with the transition from the short-season leagues -- where he spent 2007 -- to his first full year of pro ball.

"This league has been somewhat of an advanced league the last five years in terms of age, so he's playing against guys who have a lot more experience than he does and frankly are a lot older than he is," Skeels said of the Sally League's youngest player. "The things he's been able to accomplish to this point are exceptional."

One of those accomplishments was nabbing an SAL Player of the Week award in May. Villalona earned the prize by hitting .385 with three homers and eight RBIs in a six-game stretch before Memorial Day. He hit .250 for the month of May, matching that in June.

However, Villalona's placement on the Futures team is a reminder that, for the precocious 17-year-old, it isn't all about the here and now. Giants fans are already counting down to his Major League debut, which they predict to be around 2011.

Villalona has his eyes on a different appearance in a Major League park: his first-ever trip to Yankee Stadium July 13.

"I'm very happy," Villalona said through his Augusta hitting coach, Lipso Nava. "It's something I never expected, but I've been working really really hard. It's a gift from God to let me be there and actually play in Yankee Stadium."

The native of the Dominican Republic has struggled at times adjusting to life in the United States. It's already the longest he's ever been away from his family, but he knows this is the best way to support them long-term.

Nava, himself a native of Venezuela, seems to have taken the young slugger under his wing. In his first season with the GreenJackets and just two years removed from manning the hot corner for the independent Atlantic League's Newark Bears, Nava recognizes Villalona's immense potential.

"He's a special kid," Nava says, emphasizing the adjective. "He's got talent, he's got tools. He's a model for his age."

Nava has worked with Villalona recently on staying back on the ball and keeping his head still -- part of the reason his early batting-practice swings to right field look so perfunctory. The adjustment appears to be working, as Villalona is hitting over .300 in his last nine starts, including two long balls.

Skeels is quick to point out, though, how far the first baseman still has to go. And it all starts with developing a professional approach to the game.

"For most players at this level, this is their first full year or maybe their second, so there's a lot of adjustment to how to act and work like a professional," Skeels said. "Applying the things we work on in practice and in BP and in extra work, carry them over, concentrate, and apply them in the game -- that's difficult for a lot of players. And that's something he needs to continue to work on."

If his work with Nava is any indication, Villalona is showing adeptness beyond his years. But don't be surprised if the 17-year-old in him reemerges next Sunday, when he strides onto the fabled field at Yankee Stadium for the first time. Villalona smiles widely just thinking about it. Language barrier or not, the message is clear.

His future -- near and far -- is bright indeed.

-Minor League Baseball

According to ESPN , the Giants have agreed to terms with 16-year old outfielder Rafael Rodriguez.

Comment: To many, he is a duplicate of Vladimir Guerrero because of his size and power with the bat. Rodriguez can work the entire outfield and drive the ball anywhere. He has reportedly accepted an offer from the San Francisco Giants worth $2.5 million.

Wow.  Looks like we might have struck gold.  Now I need to get to 75 words . . .ok, good.

Five-Star Prospects
1. Angel Villalona, 3B/1B

Four-Star Prospects
2. Henry Sosa, RHP

Three-Star Prospects

3. Tim Alderson, RHP
   
4. Madison Bumgarner, RHP
   
5. Wendell Fairly, OF
   
6. Nick Noonan, SS/2B
   
7. Nate Schierholtz, OF

8. John Bowker, OF
   
9. Pablo Sandoval, C
   
10. Clayton Tanner, LHP
    
11. Charlie Culberson, SS/2B

From the San Francisco Chronicle today:

John Bowker, an outfielder from Sacramento who hit 22 homers with 90 RBIs for the Giants' Double-A team last year, is taking groundballs at first base.

I like it.

A nice little gift from Mr. John Sickels over at Minor League Ball.

Angel Villalona, 3B, San Francisco Giants
Bats: R    Throws: R     HT: 6-3     WT: 210    DOB: August 13, 1990

OK, first I have to get something out of the way. I get email from Giants fans asking me why I don't rate Villalona as among the top ten prospects in baseball. One email went so far as to say he was the best prospect in the game, and that I was a moron for not admitting that. I think what is happening here is that Giants fans are so hungry for a young impact hitter that they are falling head-over-heels for Villanona a bit earlier than they should. Please, don't listen to media propaganda. Just look at the facts yourself. Villalona is just 17 years old. He's huge, big, strong, muscular. He should hit for great power in the future, but right now his strike zone judgment is very mediocre. This is not a damning flaw by any means. He's just 17, he has time to figure that out, but he needs to do it. His defense is also an issue, and he is unpolished in most non-hitting phases of the game. There is also concern that his body may max out at a young age, and that he will add fat, not muscle, as he gets older. Now this may sound like I am denigrating Villalona. I am not. Far from it. He IS one of the best power-hitting prospects in the game, and a year from now he will probably be in the top twenty overall. But he is not Albert Pujols or Miguel Cabrera yet. He is not in the Jay Bruce or Justin Upton or Colby Rasmus category yet. Even at his best, he won't be a complete player, lacking the defense and speed to be a Seven Skill guy. This doesn't mean he can't be a terrific slugger, an All-Star, or MVP candidate down the line, but we need to take it easy and not create unrealistic expectations just yet. Let's give the kid some time to get used to North America, to figure out the strike zone, to polish up his defense. Understand that a Grade B+ is extremely high praise for a player in rookie ball. Settle down, enjoy the show, it should be interesting.

Happy New Years, Giants fans!

Baseball America had a short article on the first basemen in this upcoming draft.  For those of you who'd like to go to the direct source, you can find it here.

Here's the information for others, since it's not subscriber material:

-Brett Wallace and Andy Dykstra are more sandwich picks than true first rounders.

-Smoak is a candidate to go #1 overall, while Yonder Alonso will most likely go in the middle of the first round.

-Eric Hosmer is the top HS first baseman, and could go ahead of Smoak.

Justin Smoak:

Based solely on performance, Smoak would not have cracked the list. After collecting three doubles and three home runs during Team USA's six-game tour of the New England Collegiate League, Smoak went 20-for-102 without any more homers, finishing with paltry .223/.291/.380 numbers. The performance was atypical for Smoak, who tore up the Cape Cod League last summer and batted .315/.434/.631 as a sophomore at South Carolina. He has plus raw power from both sides of the plate and a swing that has leverage.

Changeups gave him fits this summer and he didn't adjust quickly, often lacking balance, spinning off the ball and failing to recognize pitches consistently. He's a poor runner but has good hands and playable arm strength and footwork at first base.

"I couldn't pick out anything mechanically in his swing that was an obvious concern," an American League scout said. "We expect the world from this guy because he set the bar so high. In the end, it's one summer and I think you can give that type of player a pass because he's done so much."

Yonder Alonso:

Alonso was the consensus choice as the Cape's top all-around hitter. He had the best approach in the league, and it was tested when the Whitecaps lost all of their other power threats to injuries and early departures. Alonso remained patient and continued to use the whole field, finishing with league highs in walks (36) and on-base percentage (.468) while hitting .338.

"He's more than a power bat," a second NL scouting director said. "He's a hitter with power, so that's all the better. He's pretty advanced."

Alonso has a loose, compact stroke and excellent balance, and most of his current power comes in the form of line drives to the gaps. He should become more of a home run threat once he turns on and lifts more pitches. He's a below-average athlete who could work harder on his conditioning and defense, and even then he probably still will be limited to first base.

Brett Wallace:

The Pacific-10 Conference Triple Crown winner and a first-team All-American as a sophomore, Wallace knows how to handle the bat. He spent most of the summer batting behind Pedro Alvarez and Smoak, and made consistent contact, posting a .312 average and .345 on-base percentage. He joined the team after Arizona State was eliminated in the College World Series and homered in his first at-bat, but managed just one more homer and four doubles the rest of the summer.

He's a mature hitter who drives balls to both gaps and has mastered the backside single. He'll show above-average bat speed and average raw power in batting practice, but it didn't translate to games with wood. All his value lies in his bat, as Wallace is a below-average runner and lacks the mobility to play the outfield as a professional, so he's likely locked into a role as a first baseman or designated hitter. As a result, the development of his power will dictate his draft stock.

Alan Dykstra:

Dykstra also was back for his second stint on the Cape, and though his home run total dropped from seven to five, he was more impressive this time around. He improved his batting average 76 points to .308 and started hitting the ball to the opposite field with authority. He's a huge (6-foot-5, 230 pounds) lefthanded hitter with lots of raw strength and lift in his swing. His bat will have to carry him because he's limited to first base.

I never thought I'd see a title like this, let alone type it myself.  But, what the hell.

Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News wrote an article speculating that Dan Ortmeier could very well be the next Matt Holliday.  I'd post the link, but it's insider access, and hell, I'm not even subscribed to them.  So I did some looking into it and found some very startling comparisons between the two players, stat-wise.  I've only highlighted some statistics, you can look up the others if you'd like.

Matt Holliday:

.275/.348/.424 (.772 OPS), 1 HR/36 AB, 32% H XBH, 1.7 K:BB

Dan Ortmeier:

.271/.342/.433 (.775 OPS), 1 HR/36 AB, 36% H XBH, 2.3 K:BB

I'm pretty sure Baggarly's just blowing hot air, but it makes for an interesting discussion.  What are the odds of Ortmeier becoming the next Matt Holliday?  The athleticism is there, the tools . . .maybe, maybe not.

My personal opinion is he won't.  But for the optimists and the Ortmeier lovers out there, there ya go.  I don't know if the Ortmeier-Holliday comp is an apt one, but it sure got me wondering.

Looking on the MLBTraderumors site, I noticed that Omar Vizquel has officially cleared waivers.

Does anyone believe he will be dealt?  And if so, where and for who?

The Giants' official site makes it sound like another trade might be made soon:

"The Giants didn't announce the move until shortly before gametime, generating speculation that Sabean was trying to engineer a trade involving a veteran such as Ray Durham or Ryan Klesko.

"There were a couple of scenarios," Sabean admitted. But he noted that he ran out of time to complete a deal -- "We had to get it in before the game" -- besides the simple fact that the Giants re-evaluated Aurilia's condition during pregame drills."

The rest of the article can be found here.

I wonder what Sabean has got going on . . .

The Padres signed Shea Hillenbrand and it looks like he'll be assigned to AAA Portland.

Suck for the Pads, Shea!  We know you can do it.  Give them hope that you can be adequate in the field and at the plate, then rip out their hearts with your suckiness.

I don't understand that move by Towers, honestly . . .