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The San Francisco Giants will be our next stop on the farm to evaluate the best prospects on each MLB team. Once the 2020 MLB season begins, it may turn out that Minor League systems will be more important than usual. Franchises are losing money during the pandemic layoff, so many teams will be looking for sources of cheap production. It might also take older players longer to rebound from a long layoff meaning we could see more injuries and more roster moves. We might even see expanded rosters, at least in the early going.
One important question to ask is: How will a long layoff affect prospects? One has to assume the more advanced prospects prior to the work stoppage will be at an advantage, while the more “toolsy but raw” type could be hurt with the lack of repetition and in-game action; throwing or hitting in simulated environments just doesn’t match up to the real thing. Many prospects will have to work jobs during the pandemic just to make ends meet, while players who signed for large bonuses will have an advantage. Other prospects that lack strong discipline and commitment to their craft could struggle to stay in shape.
We won’t really know what the layoff impact will have on baseball in general until things start ramping up. But we do know that a strong prospect pool will continue to be an important element for a successful baseball franchise. We're looking at the Top 10 (or more) dynasty prospects in each organization with an eye to discovering which organizations are best positioned to succeed with their player development when games resume. Make sure to check out all of our prospect content, including Top 50 for 2020 and Top 250 for Dynasty Leagues.
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Quick Synopsis
The Giants system has slowly been building up depth over the past few years and now has many more intriguing prospects than it did three to five years ago. It features some promising, high-ceiling talent sprinkled throughout the system with Joey Bart and Heliot Ramos leading the way as the likely first wave to arrive in 2020/21.
1. Marco Luciano, SS
Dynasty Prospect Rank: 27
2020 LEVEL: A-
MLB ETA: 2023
Luciano’s immense potential was evident in 2019. At the age of 17, he slugged 10 home runs in just 47 games while hitting well above .300. He showed a mature approach for his age with a solid BB-K of 32-45 and the ample number of walks suggests he’ll have additional value in on-base leagues. Luciano has plus raw power and looks like a future middle-of-the-order hitter.
2. Joey Bart, C
Dynasty Prospect Rank: 34
2020 LEVEL: AA
MLB ETA: 2020
A gifted hitter, Bart reached Double-A in his first full pro season despite missing significant time with an injury. His power was also on display and he slugged 16 home runs in 79 games. The biggest concern with Bart’s offence is that he has an aggressive approach at times and had a modest BB-K of 21-71, which could lead to issues against better pitching. Still, it’s not common to find catchers with 20+ home run potential.
3. Heliot Ramos, OF
Dynasty Prospect Rank: 51
2020 LEVEL: AA
MLB ETA: 2021
The 19th overall selection of the 2017 draft, Ramos entered pro ball as a very talented but very raw player. He started to figure things out in 2019 and saw his patience improve noticeably — with a walk rate that jumped up by three percent and close double-digits. Unfortunately, his strikeout rate remains very high at more than 28%. He also hits too many balls on the ground for such a strong hitter but he still managed to go deep 16 times.
4. Hunter Bishop, OF
Dynasty Prospect Rank: 54
2020 LEVEL: A+
MLB ETA: 2022
I don’t tend to favor raw college players, which is exactly what the ultra-powerful, ultra-athletic Bishop was when he was drafted. The Giants had no qualms about selecting him 10th overall in 2019 in hopes of receiving a five-tool player. Bishop is a big guy with long arms so his swing gets long and leads to high strikeout rates. But he also has at least 20-20 (HR-SB) potential if he can make enough contact. He also took a ton of walks in his debut, suggesting future on-base-league value.
5. Mauricio Dubon, 2B
Dynasty Prospect Rank: 100
2020 Prospect Rank: 35
2020 LEVEL: AAA
MLB ETA: 2020
If given an opportunity to play every day — a big question given the modest veteran second base depth the Giants brought in this spring — Dubon has a chance to surprise some people. He has 20 stolen base potential and showed surprising pop by hitting 24 home runs with the juiced balls in Triple-A and the Majors. He’s also consistently shown the ability to hit for a high average.
6. Sean Hjelle, RHP
Dynasty Prospect Rank: 137
2020 LEVEL: AA
MLB ETA: 2021
Tall pitchers usually take much longer to develop — especially with their control — but Hjelle is a bit of an anomaly. He posted an impressive K-BB of 139-37 in 143.2 innings over three levels. He could develop into more than a No. 4 if he can improve his secondary offerings and develop a more reliable swing-and-miss offering.
7. Seth Corry, RHP
Dynasty Prospect Rank: 138
2020 LEVEL: A+
MLB ETA: 2022
Corry had an outstanding season but somewhat questionably spent the entire year in Low-A ball. He’s difficult to hit but he also struggles to find the plate — although he significantly improved in this area during the season. He held batters to a .171 batting average and struck out 172 in 122.2 innings. In time, Corry could have three better-than-average offerings.
8. Luis Toribio, 3B
Dynasty Prospect Rank: 156
2020 LEVEL: Short-season
MLB ETA: 2023
Toribio opened some eyes during his 2018 debut in the Dominican Summer League when he slugged 10 home runs in 64 games. He didn’t show the same over-the-fence pop when he reached North American in 2019 but he still racked up the doubles and hit close to .300. Toribio has swing and miss to his game but he also takes a ton of walks as witnessed by his BB-K of 45-54 in 51 Rookie ball games. He could be a strong contributor in on-base leagues given his willingness to walk and plus raw power.
9. Will Wilson, SS
Dynasty Prospect Rank: 216
2020 LEVEL: A-
MLB ETA: 2022
The 15th overall selection in the 2019 draft, I felt Wilson was a massive overdraft by the Angels, who then traded him to the Giants in the winter. He showed some power with metal bats in college but it remains to be seen how well his offense will play in pro ball with an aggressive approach. I see a future .260-.270 hitter with 15-20 home runs if he reaches his ceiling. He’s also a modest defender and will likely spend more time at second base by the time he reaches the Majors.
10. Alexander Canario, OF
2020 LEVEL: A-
MLB ETA: 2023
Canario has some of the best raw power in the Giants system but he struggles to get to it consistently due to his swing-and-miss tendencies. He hit .300 in 2019 but he did it with a .419 BABIP and 32% strikeout rate suggesting he’s in for significant regression without improving in his approach (BB-K of 18-71 in 49 games). He has 30-homer raw power but will struggle to hit .200 with this kind of aggressive approach.
More Prospect Analysis
