2023 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List No. 37

Note: Today is nomination day, so head to the comment section to not only cast your vote for today’s CPL, but nominate the next group of prospects.

We’re moving right along in our 2023 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List, as we get closer and closer to ranking the top 44 prospects in the San Francisco Giants organization.

Coming in at No. 36 is the third member of last July’s draft, and one of the best-named prospects in the system: right-handed pitcher Hayden Birdsong.

Birdsong, who won’t turn 22 until late in the upcoming season, was a sixth-round pick out of Eastern Illinois University. Like most recent draftees, he played sparingly in his debut season, spending just 5.2 innings in the Arizona Complex League and then 6 innings with Low-A San Jose. But he impressed mightily during his short stay at each stop. Birdsong’s numbers were stellar — he faced 48 batters across those levels and struck out 23 of them, with just 3 walks — and he reportedly turned heads with some people in the organization.

That was enough to get him to jump over a few of the Giants other draft picks in this CPL, as Birdsong joins first-rounder Reggie Crawford (No. 9) and second-rounder Carson Whisenhunt (No. 8) as 2022 draftees on the list.

Now let’s add another name.

The list so far

1. Kyle Harrison — LHP
2. Marco Luciano — SS
3. Casey Schmitt — 3B
4. Luis Matos — CF
5. Vaun Brown — OF
6. Grant McCray — CF
7. Aeverson Arteaga — SS
8. Carson Whisenhunt — LHP
9. Reggie Crawford — LHP/DH
10. Patrick Bailey — C
11. Mason Black — RHP
12. Heliot Ramos — OF
13. Eric Silva — RHP
14. Jairo Pomares — OF
15. Cole Waites — RHP
16. Keaton Winn — RHP
17. R.J. Dabovich — RHP
18. Tyler Fitzgerald — INF
19. Ryan Murphy — RHP
20. Landen Roupp — RHP
21. Will Wilson — INF
22. Adrian Sugastey — C
23. Trevor McDonald — RHP
24. Tristan Beck — RHP
25. Will Bednar — RHP
26. Nick Swiney — LHP
27. Rayner Arias — OF
28. Carson Seymour — RHP
29. Hunter Bishop — OF
30. Sean Hjelle — RHP
31. Ryan Reckley — SS
32. Randy Rodriguez — RHP
33. Brett Wisely — INF
34. Blake Sabol — C
35. Jose Cruz — RHP
36. Hayden Birdsong — RHP

Note: Clicking on the above names will link to the CPL where they were voted onto the list.

On to No. 37!

No. 37 prospect nominees

Brett Auerbach — 24.6-year old C/UTIL, 94 wRC+ in AA (425 PA)
P.J. Hilson — 22.6-year old CF, 138 wRC+ in Low-A (45 PA), 151 wRC+ in ACL (210 PA)
Gerelmi Maldonado — 19.2-year old RHP, 3.86 FIP in the ACL (39.2 IP)
Nick Zwack — 24.7-year old LHP, 4.17 FIP in Giants High-A (29.1 IP), 2.65 FIP in Mets High-A (63.2 IP), 1.23 FIP in Mets Low-A (12.2 IP)

Note: Each player’s first name links to their Baseball-Reference page, and their last name links to their Fangraphs page.

Reminder: voting (and nominating!) is now in the comments!