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SB Nation's John Sickels is one of the O.G. prospect gurus. When he agreed to join the network, it was a huge "WAIT, WHAT?" moment for the small network that is now a new-media force. You will put down your coffee and give this man the proper respect. Plus, he's kind of bullish on Giants prospects. He gave the Giants six of the top prospects in his 150-player list on Thursday, including four in the top 100. Those players:
#36, Kyle Crick, RHP
#79, Edwin Escobar, LHP
#83, Andrew Susac, C
#97, Clayton Blackburn, RHP
#115, Chris Stratton, RHP
#126 Adalberto Mejia, LHP
Crick is striking out 10.7 batters for every nine innings he's pitched so far in Double-A, with a 2.84 ERA. He's also WAIT DON'T LOOK AT THE WALKS, DON'T LOOK AT THE aw, you looked at the walks. He's walked 14 in 12⅔ innings. He is probably not coming up this year. Call it a wild guess. Pun.
Escobar had a rough spring, and he's currently sporting a 4.88 ERA in Fresno, though his strikeout-to-walk ratio is a solid 4.67 (28 strikeouts, 6 walks). He hasn't allowed a homer, either, so his FIP is a fantastic 2.39. FIP ain't gonna get you to the majors, though, Edwin.
Susac is hitting .291/.391/.455 with two homers in Fresno, which is basically Punxsutawney Phil telling us to expect two more years of "MOVE POSEY TO THIRD." Brrrrrrrr. There were more than a few folks telling us that Susac was underrated coming into the 2014 season. They're looking pretty smart right now.
Blackburn is doin' his thing in Double-A, in which "his thing" is defined as command-shaming hitters back to the dugout. He has four walks and 16 strikeouts in 20 innings, with a 1.80 ERA. That's probably good for a 100 ERA+ in the Eastern League in April (though the entire league has a 3.94 ERA right now, so maybe that joke is outdated.)
Stratton is a polarizing prospect, considering he doesn't have top-notch velocity, and he's scuffling in San Jose right now, with a 5.04 ERA and four homers allowed in 25 innings. His 26/10 strikeout-to-walk ratio is nice, but he's not exactly young for the league. He's a year younger than Madison Bumgarner, for comparison.
Mejia has a 4.50 ERA in four starts for Richmond, walking three and striking out 18 in 18 innings. He was a solid sleeper pick before the season; he's still a solid sleeper pick.
The six in the top 150 is more than most prospect pundits have given the Giants, so I'm choosing to believe this list. This is a good list. All praise this list.