It is never too early to look towards the possibilities that lie ahead.
For baseball fans, their team’s future is gently weaved into a farm system possessing a variety of players from the past several MLB amateur drafts.
While some names are more known than others, most of the players that produce decent numbers down in the minors get lost in the shuffle. Unless he wears the name of the next, potential game-changing star, a minor-league masher often gets thrown to the side because it is hard to put any serious stock into the numbers tallied in these lower leagues.
However, the stat junkie in almost every sports fan can’t help but peruse the daily box scores and get excited about a budding star emerging from the depths of the forgotten.
The San Francisco Giants are no strangers to drafting well and quickly advancing any high-potential players that are consistently producing.
This has created a fanbase that is (for better or for worse) well versed in the language of minor league baseball. The Black and Orange Faithful are constantly keeping their collective eye out for the next big name that can put them on his shoulders and march them closer to the coveted crown.
Hitting has always been a sore subject for the Giants, especially in this post-Bonds/post-steroids era. San Francisco seems to lack the swagger, the fear, the looming doom that many excellent lineups posses.
At the same time, San Francisco does have several young bats in their lineup that still have not reached the peak of their true talent. Parlay this with a handful of decent bats in the minors and the future sparkles with the brightness of potential.
But potential and reality are two completely different things, and living a life in potential almost always leads to real disappointment.
With that said, let’s take a look at the San Francisco Giants’ Top 5 Minor League Hitters so far this season and see if there is anyone worth latching onto.
No. 1: Buster Posey, C – Fresno Grizzlies (Triple-A)
Buster Posey has had fans latching onto him as a possible offensive savor from the minute he was drafted.
Posey is without a doubt the Giants brightest shining star still in the minors. But, with the current ebbs and flows of the Giants offense, he could be months away from leaving these prospect ranks and playing daily with the big boys.
While we patiently wait for this star to permanently emerge, he is putting on a show in the Pacific Coast League.
Through Fridays’ games, Posey ranked second in hits (22), seventh in on-base percentage (.451) and runs (12), and eighth in batting average (.367) amongst all PCL batters.
His stats scream “I’m Ready!”, but this slugger will have to put in a little more time in the minors.
There have been talks about moving Posey to first (as he has been spotted playing that position with the Grizzlies) but another position move may not be in his best interest. However, the lack of performance by the current right fielders in San Francisco may force Bruce Bochy and company to think out of the box, and juggle the depth chart to fit Posey's bat somewhere in the Giants’ streaky lineup.
No. 2: Brandon Belt, 1B – San Jose Giants (A-Advanced)
A fifth-round selection in last year’s draft, Brandon Belt’s decision to make the leap to the pros is paying off in the early going.
Belt led all Texas Longhorns last season in several offensive categories, spearheading his team’s return to the CWS Championship.
He is currently crushing the ball for the San Jose Giants, posting the second best average (.441), on-base percentage (.524), and slugging percentage (.647) in the entire Giants’ minor league organization.
No. 3: Joe Borchard, OF – Fresno Grizzlies (Triple-A)
At the ripe age of 32, Joe Borchard is well into the back-9 of his baseball playing career, but this dog still has a ton of fight in him.
Originally drafted 12th overall by the Chicago White Sox in the 2000 Draft, Borchard struggled mightily during his tenure in the Bigs, posting a miserable .205 AVG and 77 RBI in 301 games.
In the first 15 games of this season, Borchard is doing his best to make people forget his horrid past.
Borchard leads the Grizzlies with 11 RBI, looking extremely sharp to start off 2010.
No. 4: Conor Gillaspie - Richmond Flying Squirrels (Double-A)
After making his major league debut the same year that he was drafted (2008), Conor Gillaspie played the entire 2009 season with the San Jose Giants.
Although his stats with San Jose didn’t rank that high on the wow-mometer (.286 AVG, 67 RBI), his advancement to Double-A ball was inevitable.
Gillaspie still isn’t hitting for average (.226), but he does lead the team with 11 RBI and three homeruns. While it is good to see him drive in some runs, his lack of consistent hitting can be quite worrisome.
No. 5: Jackson Williams, C – Richmond Flying Squirrels (Double-A)
Jackson Williams was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the first round of the 2007 amateur draft.
Since then, Williams has done little to impress down on the farm, collecting a measly .217 AVG and 73 RBI in 742 AB.
However, this season, things are starting off well for the high draft pick, beginning the year with an outstanding .412 AVG, also leading all of the Giants minor league players in SLG (.676) and OPS (1.20).
Five More Hitters on the Bubble
....
If you enjoyed this article, please check out more from me here on Bleacher Report and at MTRmedia.com
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
- Login to post comments