(All ages are as of 4/3/17. Last Teams are the last team the players played more than one consecutive game with, to avoid a couple of confusing callups. Prospect Ranks are their ranking on the McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List.)

Sacramento River Cats

Top Hitting Prospect

Roger: I’d like to mix it up here a little bit and not say Christian Arroyo, but uh, it’s Christian Arroyo. If Steven Duggar weren’t opening up on the DL he could give Arroyo a run for his money. With Arroyo, the two things I’ll be looking at most is where he plays (and how often he plays there) and also his approach. It’ll be easy to look at HR totals in the PCL and assume offensive improvement, but I’d like to see him learning to hone his natural aggressiveness a bit and not getting himself into so many pitchers’ counts this year. He’s deadly when hitting ahead in the count; he needs to get better at putting himself there.

Kevin: It’s Arroyo. Maybe only Duggar or Hwang could match Arroyo, and even then, it’s not likely. There’s not much discussion here.

Top Starting Pitching Prospect

Roger: Ok, this roster makes for some boring commentary. It’s Tyler Beede by a lot. Coming off a season in which Beede had tremendous success in his very pitcher-friendly home park, the PCL will provide Tyler with a big challenge. If he adjusts quickly his stay there might be short. He’s the best pitching prospect in the system and it’s not remotely close for me.

Kevin: This one is less close than best hitting prospect: It’s Beede. I’m just not even going to spend the time explaining this.

Top Relieving Prospect

Roger: Ah finally, room for some disagreement! The surprise demotion of Steven Okert makes him an obvious candidate, but I’m going to opt for Chase Johnson. His power arm gives him a chance to be a real weapon in the Giants pen in the not so distant future. His fastball should play up into the upper 90s now that he’s focusing on relief appearances again, and he can really miss bats with it.

Kevin: Well, if Roger won’t take Okert, I will. Okert has the kind of stuff that can play well against both righties and lefties, although his splits last year look rather LOOGY-ish. He’s got a mid-90’s fastball, and a ridiculously slow slider that he can work off effectively. I won’t say he’s got true closer potential, but I think he could be the 8th inning guy, regardless of match-up questions.

Most Surprising

Roger: Steven Okert is the call here, and it can’ have been a pleasant surprise. But he’s first guy up when the first RP DL stint hints. Shouldn’t be that long. I’d also say Ian Gardeck (assuming he gets through waivers and stays in the org) is pretty surprising as his last action came in the Cal League and he’s never appeared in AA.

Kevin: I have to go with Ryder Jones. Jones didn’t have the best season in AA, and with the signings of Hwang and Calixte and the promotion of Arroyo, the left side of that infield is pretty crowded for playing time here in Triple-A. I thought he would be kept in Richmond for playing time at third. Instead, I guess we’ll see him at first base a lot in Sacramento

Promotion Watch

Roger: There’s a lot of options here. I’ve already mentioned Beede and Okert, but the guy I’m watching most closely for a call has got to be Jae-Gyun Hwang. I’ll admit I’m curious and excited to see what he can do with a major league challenge and I hope we don’t have to wait too long to get an answer. One thing I love to see is opposite field power, and Hwang showed a lot of that in Scottsdale. A jolt of power would certainly not hurt the Giants lineup.

Kevin: This is an easy one for me: The bullpen lefties of Osich and Okert are the most likely non-injury promotions to watch for. I still can’t believe the move. I get the why, still can’t believe it. Otherwise, I’m watching Beede like a hawk. If the other lefties aren’t up, Beede would be the Cain replacement, rather than the bullpen’s only lefty in Ty Blach...right? (I have been wrong before)

Most Intriguing

Roger: I’m going to say Wynton Bernard here. The athletic CF floundered in the lower levels of the Padres’ system for several years, but showed up in 2014 in the Tigers’ system reborn and has been a dynamic offensive player for the last three years. Is he a late bloomer, or minor league vet? His first shot at AAA didn’t go so well (46 games), but he really hit in his two years in the pitcher friendly Eastern League. Could he be Gorkys v2?

Kevin: Isn’t Gorkys 1.0 kind of the Gregor v2? Anyways, if you’ve been reading me the past month, this won’t be a surprise: Hwang is my most intriguing. He’s easily the most unknown high-level guy just by the situation, and his excellent spring only adds to it. Seeing how well he handles the switch to America, not being at the top level, and his ability to keep pushing through the long season will be fascinating.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: No, Gorkys 1.0 is JCP v2 or possibly Calvin Murray v3]

Richmond Flying Squirrels

Top Hitting Prospect

Roger: This isn’t the most exciting group of hitters but Chris Shaw gives them a little touch of star quality anyway. Owner of the system’s best pure power swing, he needs to show better all around feel for hitting than he did in his second half in the Eastern League in 2016. But he can put a jolt into a baseball like nobody in the org this side of Madison Bumgarner.

Kevin: There’s really only two hitters worthy of mention. My choice would be Shaw, for all the reasons mentioned by Roger. But a very close second is Miguel Gomez. Gomez isn’t the most predictable prospect, and his performance has been not predictable at all. His defensive home remains a question, but the 24 year old is getting a push after just a half-season at San Jose, and it will be interesting to see how he responds.

Top Starting Pitching Prospect

Roger: This is the most intriguing rotation in the system I think, all in all, with a strong group that includes Sam Coonrod, Andrew Suarez, Jordan Johnson, and Cory Taylor. This is really a “Pick ‘Em” category, but (based on the assumption that Kevin will take Andrew Suarez) I’m going to go out a limb and say Jordan Johnson. His 2016 was really an up an down affair. He gave up an incredible league leading 24 HRs, but he stayed healthy through it all while piling up more innings than he’d thrown since his Freshman year in college combined. This is the year he needs to show he can stay healthy AND perform. His four pitch mix and (sometimes) strong command is one of the most appealing repertoire’s in the system.

Kevin: Roger knows me so well. I agree with him about the mix of starters here, but Suarez gets the nod from me because he may be the most polished of the group. Although the lefty isn’t particularly young, Suarez comes with an excellent draft pedigree and a lot of room to grow into this game. Suarez doesn’t have the hottest stuff to compete with some of these guys, but it’s more than good enough with a low-90’s fastball and plenty of secondary pitches to work off of.

Top Relieving Prospect

Roger: This is also probably the best bullpen in the system, and certainly the one with the most octane. Rodolfo Martinez, Reyes Moronta, Tyler Cyr and DJ Snelten bring a lot of heat to the Squirrels late innings. I like Moronta a lot and think he’ll get to the big leagues quicker, but I’ll say Rodolfo here. He needs to work on mechanics and guard against over-throwing, but that’s a lightning fast arm with a lot of power behind it.

Kevin: I could go either way between Martinez and Moronta, and since Roger picked Rodolfo, I’ll go Reyes. While Rodolfo is younger and has a tick more velocity, Moronta performed with much more consistency last season. Although he did it at a lower level than Martinez after the latter’s promotion, I think he comes into 2017 with a little less controversy over his future.

Most Surprising:

Roger: I’ll go with Matt Winn here, and ironically, this is the second year in a row that Matt’s been the most surprising inclusion on Richmond’s opening day roster. Last year his time in AA only lasted 15 games before he was dropped back down to the Sally league, where he ended up being an All Star. Winn’s defensive prowess and some HR pop certainly make him an interesting prospect, but it’s genuinely surprising to me to see him leap over Aramis Garcia and skip the Cal League. I wonder if we’ll see the two switch places at some point in the year (a la Brian Bocock/Manny Burriss!)?

Kevin: I’m going to go with Ryan Lollis. He got a cup of coffee in San Francisco in 2015 after a great season, but then had a rather pedestrian 2016 at Triple-A. Still, it’s not very common to see someone in his position get pushed down a level. It’s probably mostly a squeeze of Triple-A outfielders, including what’s expected to include up to three free agents. But let’s be honest, Richmond’s outfield (which includes two free agents as well) needs the help.

Promotion Watch

Roger: Andrew Suarez spent just a month in the Cal League last year before moving up to AA for the final four months of the year. I don’t think he’ll leave AA behind quite as quickly in 2017, but I’d be pretty shocked if we don’t see him join the RiverCats rotation before the year’s out. He’s a polished lefty who is moving quickly and should continue to do so.

Kevin: Chris Shaw spent a good chunk of 2016 at Richmond, and though he wasn’t rocking the world, he wasn’t too bad. If he gets off to a hot start, I could see the power hitter getting a push to Sacramento, where there may be some playing time available at first base, depending on Michael Morse.

Most Intriguing

Roger: Slade Heathcott is a former 1st round pick for the Yankees and former Top 100 prospect who’s career has had more detours than straightaways. He’s suffered from a plethora of issues both off the field (alcohol, guns, family drama) and on (name a body part, Slade’s had surgery on it) that have derailed a potentially thrilling career. He’s tremendously athletically gifted, and throws his body around the field with abandon (often to disastrous results). There’s little chance he’ll ever stay healthy or realize his potential, but he is a career .400/.429/.720 hitter in his major league career.

Kevin: How could I not go with Dan Slania here? Slania’s 2016 was intriguing enough with his move from reliever to starter midseason, the first time he’d done the switch, and he went from mediocre performances to amazing, moving up and down the system filling in as a starter. I’ll be intrigued to see if he can keep performing, but I’m also curious whether he starts or relieves this season.

San Jose Giants

Top Hitting Prospect

Roger: I’m really trying to be original and interesting here, but the Giants just aren’t giving me much to work with (especially since Heath Quinn is another of the opening day DL victims). Clearly the answer here is Bryan Reynolds, the Giants top pick in last year’s draft and many pundits’ call for the biggest steal of the draft. A switch-hitter with decent power from both sides, Reynolds is a big part of this sudden new wave of OF prospects. So far in his amateur (and pro) careers, Reynolds has combined big strikeout totals with high Batting Average. We’ll see if that can continue as he rises up the system. Also, keep an eye out for which position he plays; does he stick in CF?

Kevin: As Roger notes, it’s all Reynolds here. You could make a case for Jalen Miller (who got pushed to be the youngest player on the San Jose roster) or for Aramis Garcia (who stayed behind to make up time after losing much to injury), but neither have either the expectations nor performance of Reynolds.

Top Starting Pitching Prospect

Roger: The San Jose roster features two of my very favorite opening day assignments in the system, and one of them qualifies for top SP prospect: Matt Krook is a former 1st round Supp pick whose deal with the Marlins fell through when they didn’t like his physical. A dominant Freshman year at Oregon ended in surgery rather than triumph. Coming back in his Junior year his stuff varied and his command abandoned him completely. Another potential steal for the Giants in the 2016 draft, Krook can show three plus pitches at times and his sinking fastball earns comparisons to Zack Britton’s. A return to his pre-TJ level of acceptable control could earn him a fast-track ticket to the top.

Kevin: San Jose does not have the strongest group of pitchers, and Matt Krook clearly is the most talented of the group. Krook also comes in as the 2nd-youngest of the SJ staff (behind only 21-year old Connor Menez), and he by far has the highest roof of all the hurlers.

Top Relieving Prospect

Roger: Split decision here for me. LHP Caleb Smith is on the old side, and has shown difficulty finding the strike zone in his career, but he’s also a strikeout machine and can be particularly dominating against lefty hitters who he can overwhelm with a hard, low to mid 90s fastball. But I suspect the star of this bullpen is going to end up being Ryan Halstead. Halstead was throwing very hard in Spring Training this year and unlike Smith, Halstead runs up big K totals while walking almost no one. Over 81 pro innings this year, he’s struck out 94 and walked just 13. Halstead is the rare 3-time draftee (he was drafted by the Astros and Twins prior to the Giants) who was never drafted above the 20th round. David Owen and Caleb Simpson also looked good in camp.

Kevin: I’m going to go with Smith. As Roger noted, Smith is a bit older than a lot of prospects, but relievers sometimes can be found late and move up quickly. Caleb found his strikeout stuff last year, likely the cause for his big jump in performance, and San Jose has been a spot for relievers to dominate. So I think he’ll thrive in San Jose.

Most Surprising

Roger: Jalen Miller’s a certified Rog’s Favorite! But he was really overwhelmed in the Sally last year as a 19 year old, hitting under .200 the final three months of the season. He reportedly came back with a great Fall Instrux camp and kept the momentum going with a tremendous Spring, and the Giants challenged him with this promotion. Hopefully, this is the year that Miller turns the tools into steady production on the field. He can be an electric player at his best, but his best needs to show up a little more frequently.

Kevin: Daniel Carbonell is here again. He just can’t seem to move up consistently, and considering the strong outfield in San Jose (especially when Quinn comes back) and a weak one in Richmond, I’m surprised we’re not seeing Carbonell get one last chance to push himself.

Promotion Watch

Roger: When Aramis Garcia was promoted to the Cal League back in August, 2015, he probably didn’t think be enjoying his second Cal League opening Day in 2017. Unfortunately a face-to-knee collision while breaking up a double play turned his 2016 into a lost year. He’s also never shown the offensive ability, particularly the power, that gained him a promotion from Augusta in the first place. A hot first half could allow him to finally escape the Cal league.

Kevin: Reynolds is the guy here. Between positional availability in Richmond, and a guy who seems like he has a mature, easy-going approach that underlines his value, I think Reynolds could be someone on track for a mid-season promotion up the system.

Most Intriguing

Roger: Christoph Bono, along with Michael Bernal, gets the big jump assignment from the rookie league AZL to SJ. The 24 year old son of former 49ers QB Steve Bono was showing some legit left-handed power in spring training. There’s no obvious position in the lineup for the former UCLA Bruin, but he could play an important role off the bench for a team that could have some offensive challenges.

Kevin: I’ve got to go with Miller here. Miller has an incredible season, but he struggled (not unexpectedly) in Augusta. The Giants clearly believe in him, as he is the youngest hitter in San Jose, but seeing how well he responds to the push will be very interesting.

Augusta GreenJackets

Top Hitting Prospect

Roger: It’s Sandro time! Fabian’s leap up to full-season ball is clearly the most exciting element of the Augusta roster for me. The youngest of the emerging OF prospects in the system, he’s got a chance to be the best. As an 18 year old Fabian was among the league leaders in the AZL in BA (.340), SLG (.522) and extra base hits (20). He’s a corner guy so the bat will need to carry him. Hopefully his challenge assignment to the Sally goes more smoothly than the many teenagers the Giants sent to Augusta in 2016.

Kevin: Since a lot of the top drafted hitters from the 2016 draft passed right by Augusta (unless Quinn comes here after his DL stint), Sandro Fabian is the most exciting hitter here. He comes into Augusta as the youngest hitter on the team, but don’t be surprised (like Miller and Fox last season) if he struggles his fair share here.

Top Starting Pitching Prospect

Roger: Melvin Adon is probably not going to be a starter long term, but while he is, he’ll pique the interest of prospect watchers by flirting with 100 mph several innings into his starts. He’s incredibly raw for his age, and his motion and overall game need a ton of refinement, but his starts will be appointment TV for the Greenjackets this year. Runner Up goes to Stephen Woods, following a star-crossed career at SUNY Albany, the strong-armed Woods could really benefit from Giants’ pitching instruction. One of may low risk/high reward, hard-throwing “project” picks the Giants made in the 2016 draft.

Kevin: Adon is the team’s only pitcher ranked on our 45-man Community Prospect List here at McCoveyChronicles, so that should tell you what you need to know about the prospects in this list. As Roger says, the 22-year old Adon is likely not a starter long-term, but he should be one here. And if nothing else, he has the most interesting arm.

Top Relieving Prospect

Roger: This is a tough one, without knowing exactly who’s in the pen. Alex Bostic would likely be the answer here, if he relieves, but the Giants were working him as a starter in camp. This is probably the least interesting group of relievers the Greenjackets have fielded in several years at first glance but I think I’ll go with Sandro Cabrera here. He could use a little more oomph on his fastball but the lithe lefty has a whippy motion and a sharp breaking ball and has a history of missing bats.

Kevin: Patrick Ruotolo had an excellent start to his career in 2016, posting a 1.13 ERA in 19 appearances at the two short-season affiliates. He does it with a mid-90’s fastball and a potentially plus curveball, and at least at the short levels, he dominated with that. Between those pitches and a deceptive delivery, he had 42 strikeouts in 24 innings. He probably won’t keep that pace going in a full season, but the 27th round draft pick will be very interesting to watch this season.

Most Surprising

Roger: Skyler Ewing returns to the Sally for the third consecutive year but with a twist! This time the erstwhile 1b/DH is going back Catcher, where he spent some time at Rice University. The 24 year old’s bat has really stalled after a strong debut in the NWL in 2014, so this may be his last best path to advancement.

Kevin: I’m going to go with a non-assignee, Gustavo Cabrera. The highly-talented Cabrera got a push to Augusta last year coming back from his hand injury, and not surprisingly struggled and eventually moved back to Salem-Keizer. That said, I was hoping he would get a second chance with Augusta to see what he can do and push his return. I hope his absence is just the Giants trying to give him more time to prepare in extended spring training, and not another injury setback.

Promotion Watch

Roger: Kelvin Beltre has been enticing Giants’ officials (and fans) for three years now with his flashes of power and athleticism. Unfortunately the flashes have most often come in short stints between lengthy visits to the DL. Beltre managed just 22 games in his pro debut in the DSL in 2014. A potential Opening Day assignment to the Sally in 2015 was ended by a thumb injury, and he lasted just 14 games in the AZL that summer before a leg injury ended his second year. In 2016 it was a fastball to the hand that limited him to just 55 games. That’s a grand total of 98 games over three years and a lot of lost reps for the player who got the org’s highest bonus on the IFA market in 2013. Is this the year he plays a full season? If it is, a portion of it will likely come in SJ

Kevin: I honestly don’t see any guys here that I’d think of as being on the promotion fast-track. But if I had to pick one, I’d say Shawon Dunston Jr. Dunston has a fair amount of experience over the past two seasons as high as High-A ball. While his performance has not yet pushed the issue, a good start to the season for him might push the Giants to get him up to San Jose, where he went to high school.

Most Intriguing

Roger: Jacob Heyward spent most of last summer tearing up the rookie league AZL, which he was far too advanced for and it’s interesting that he’s again at the lower level Augusta while other 2016 draftees make their ways west. Jason’s little brother is only 21 but he’s a veteran of two College World Series appearances at UMiami. An excellent athlete with a good looking RH swing, Heyward makes a lot of hard contact and could hit his way to SJ before 2017 is done.

Kevin: Tyler Brown got lost in injury and a highly competitive infield to start the season in Augusta last year. The 26th round draft pick is a very athletic player, an the had a good first half-season in 2015, with a .348/.413/.528 line (mostly in the AZL). Still only 22, even after a lost season, Brown could explode on the scene with more playing time and, of course, good health.

Who’s Missing

Roger: One of the big stories of the system’s opening day rosters is the guy’s who didn’t make it out of camp. The promising OF prospects took a particularly hard hit with Mac Williamson, Steven Duggar, Heath Quinn, Dylan Davis and (as Kevin notes) Gustavo Cabrera all starting the year nursing ailments of some kind. CJ Hinojosa and Trevor Brown also joined the Lost Brigade. The Augusta pitching staff is another area of disappointment for me with Raffi Vizcaino, Victor Concepcion, and Garrett Williams all MIA (Raffi looked excellent when Conner Penfold and I saw him pitch a couple of weeks ago). Hopefully all of the above will surface before too long.