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It's one of the best times of the year for Giants nerds, as Baseball America has released their Giants top-10 prospect list. Who will be the Joe Fontenots of tomorrow? Who will be the Matt Duffys? It's been too long since the Giants hit on one of their prospects -- months, by now -- so let's dig in. Here's the BA top-10 list for the Giants:
- Christian Arroyo, SS
- Tyler Beede, RHP
- Phil Bickford, RHP
- Lucius Fox, SS
- Chris Shaw, 1B
- Sam Coonrod, RHP
- Aramis Garcia, C
- Clayton Blackburn, RHP
- Jarrett Parker, OF
- Adalberto Mejia, LHP
Our resident prospect expert Roger took a guess at what the final BA list would be here, and that's a great way to figure out what the surprises are. Mejia ranking #10 and Mac Williamson getting bumped for Jarrett Parker are the big ones, with Chase Johnson likely just missing the BA list.
The most surprising thing for me isn't just that Christian Arroyo is described as someone who can stick at shortstop, but that he was named the best defensive infielder in the system, too. It's not like the Giants will be looking for a new shortstop over the next three years, but at the very least, it increases Arroyo's trade value. It also hints that he has the defensive acumen to move wherever the Giants might need him.
Overall, it's the kind of system that looks ... normal? Yes, normal, if a little lacking in SUPER-MEGA PROSPECTS at the top. There aren't any relievers, like last year, for one. And the players in the middle look like they could fit in the middle of more than a few prospect lists around the league, especially if you remember that Williamson would be a more traditional pick than Parker.
Before getting too giddy, note that when a team's #2 prospect is a 22-year-old who walked someone in about half of his Double-A innings, it's certainly not an ideal system. But it's improving. The addition of a top international free agent and some developmental steps forward will do that.
The best part is the player who isn't on the list that will make the even year dreams come true. I'll go with Derek Law getting out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the NLDS. Happy prospect day!