Giants Depth Chart: 2b
Continuing our journey, position by position
Ummm….could we start again, please? One day into my position analysis and I’m already having second thoughts about my order! This doesn’t augur well for my ability to produce a Prospect Top 40, I’ll say that. After starting off our position by position system look with a crop of 1b options who piqued my interest at least enough to look up their ages, I’m moving on to check out the system depth at 2b. And to be perfectly honest, this turned out to be something of a struggle.
The keystone has never been an over-much loved prospect position to begin with, as major league 2b frequently result from prospects who played SS or 3b coming up. As a general rule of thumb if a player’s athleticism limits him to 2b early on, it’s not a great sign for his chances of successfully surviving the leap into the warp speed of the major league game. Of course, counter-argument: Mookie Betts was a 2b prospect. It’s not all a science, you know!
As we saw with 1b, this is another area where the Giants turned a lot of ground over in the last 12 months. Consider all the players who saw time at the position in San Jose in 2019:
Kyle McPherson, 105 games
Brandon Van Horn, 17 games
Orlando Garcia, 8 games
Jett Manning, 7 games
Peter Maris, 5 games
Two of those five players (Garcia and Manning) were released during the 2019 season and a third (McPherson) was just released last month. Peter Maris was a selection in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft (and a reminder here is due that Eugenio Velez is in the Minor League Portion of Rule 5 Draft Hall of Fame). Again, we’ve got a position undergoing a sea-change in the organization.
Ultimately, I chose to push 2b above 1b in my list based, in large part, on the presence of one man, one very likable man, in fact: Mauricio Dubon (who was, of course, primarily a SS coming up). Dubon is certain to have a role on the next Active Roster that the Giants field and though he won’t necessarily be tethered to 2b, it’s a position that makes a lot of sense for the majority of his time. Beyond Dubon things get awfully thin awfully fast.
Top Tier
Mauricio Dubon 25 yrs old, .302/.345/.477 in AAA; .279/.312/.442 in 28 games w/ SF
I feel like I have to talk about Dubon in two different scales. First off, is the adorable scale — there’s no doubt that Dubon grades out as an 80 Adorbs.
80-watt personality, lifetime Giants fan, first major league player from his native country of Honduras…I mean, what is there to not love about this guy? He brings energy to the field that the Giants have been sorely lacking for the last several years and a smile that will light up the Oracle nights. This is a kid who is going to connect with Giants fans once he (and the team) gets on the field. All of which is to say that there’s the enticement of some honest to God entertainment value here, and after the slog of the last three years of Giants baseball, that’s not something to take for granted!
Very very lovable! Now, having said that, the question of what kind of impact he is likely to have on the Giants roster — and where on the field that impact will come from — are not easy to answer. Dubon has long been a prospect of note. He’s now been featured in six different Baseball America Prospect Handbooks as a member of three different organizations. And he’s the type of player who has always had fans who thought he was slightly underrated, in no small part because of the those darned intangibles — the confidence, the work ethic, the way he carries himself. Things that are impossible to grade but sneak their way into scouting reports nonetheless. “The good face” in the old and not entirely reputable Scout-speak terminology. Dubon strikes (some) observers as the type of player who seems likely to get the most out of his abilities.
On the other hand, unlike most people who have been acquired under Farhan Zaidi’s watch, Dubon has not historically shown a great control of the strikezone. There’s a reason why projection systems see him struggling to manage a .300 OBP in 2020. And there have always been questions about his power potential. His HR totals spiked in the PCL in 2019 — but in that Bugs Bunny offensive environment it’s hard to tell the signal from the noise. So is this a Guy or is this a guy going forward? Joe Panik or Joe Pettini?
The timing of Dubon’s acquisition and the disappearance of Panik gave a vague impression that Dubon might be lined up as 2b heir apparent. But over the winter organizational talk swirled about Dubon filling out all the up-the-middle spots: playing some 2b, some SS, and some CF. If super-utility usage succeeds (the Kike Hernandez Gambit), it’s a canny way of using him. The value of the versatility filling other value gaps if some areas of his productivity come up lacking.
The smart money — and smart money always bets on a conservative outcome — is that he’s probably going to add value as a utility player but it’s questionable whether he can solidify a spot as an average or above average major league starter. I lean towards a more optimistic view on Dubon (which is not historically my posture!) — I think the athleticism will play in different spots around the field, the power is sneaky to the pull side, and his energy will be a boon to the team even if the OBP drags lower than you’d ideally like to see. Most of all, this is a vote of faith in Pro Scouting Director Zack Minasian’s judge of talent. Minasian was part of Milwaukee’s front office pro scouting group that acquired Dubon from Boston, and he obviously played an important role in the Giants zeroing in on Dubon as their primary trade acquisition of the 2019 deadline. Minasian’s familiarity with the player and clear desire to re-acquire him speaks highly that this is a player who will help this club in some role going forward. That thought makes me happy — and right now we all need some happy.
Top Tier II: The Wild Card
Will Wilson, 21 yrs old, .275/.328/.439 in debut in Rookie Level Pioneer League
I totally lied. There were actually two players driving up my ranking of the 2b position but I cannily held one of them up my sleeve like the cheating dog I am! Since money laundering Wilson into the organization as the transaction fee for swallowing Zack Cozart’s remaining year, there’s been a lot of chatter that the Giants seriously considered taking Wilson with the #10 pick they ultimately used to acquire Hunter Bishop. (Wilson would go the Angels with the 15th pick)
If true, they could hardly have focused in on two more dissimilar draft prospects. Bishop is a ceiling-to-floor-length toolbox with a spotty history of turning those tools into game production, while Wilson is a classic “greater than the sum of the parts” type player without any standout tools or projectable body, but a long history of steady performance. The comparison is admittedly lazy, but there is something to calling Wilson a right-handed Joe Panik. He has a short, simple right-handed stroke that he repeats well, and his skills tend to play up. Now before you wag your finger at me to point out the flaw in my Panik comp, yes I admit the caveat — the strikeout totals. While Wilson hit well throughout his career at North Carolina St. he never exactly controlled the strike zone the way you’d like to see an advanced college hitter do (now that he does have in common with Bishop). A 17% K rate for a middle infielder in ACC ball isn’t normally the calling card of a 1st round college player.
The total package could end up going, like Dubon, the way of a utility player whose flexibility makes him useful. But if he ends up having a permanent home, my guess is that home is 2b, where his surprising pop (that’s for you CQ) could fit well. Wilson was a college pick, but was extremely young for his class, not turning 21 until last July, so he has time on his side to develop.
Major League Depth Pieces
Jalen Miller, 23 yrs old, .216/.287/.332 in AA Richmond, .188/.212/.313 in AFL
Ryan Howard, 25 yrs old, .227/.277/.316 between AA Richmond and AAA Sacramento
Kean Wong, 24 yrs old, .307/.375/.464 in AAA International League, 42 BB, 112 K
I have carried a Love in the Time of Cholera-length torch for Jalen Miller and I still believe that his athleticism, defense, and bat speed that can square up premium velocity will allow him to see the majors at some point — even if only as an up and down type. But at a certain sample size, you are who the numbers say you are, and Jalen now sports a career .290 OBP and .235 batting average over nearly 2300 PA in his minor league career. It’s been a persistent trouble with the curve (a terrible movie, but a surprisingly useful title!) for Miller and it undermines a lot of other admirable skills in his game. Here’s hoping that the light bulb goes on soon as the opportunities will not last long.
Speaking of opportunities gained of missed — Ryan Howard had the attention of the organization a year ago at this time and might well have already seen his major league debut come and go had he not suffered a total faceplant of a 2019. Seriously — artist’s sketch of Howard’s 2019 as follows:
Howard is a familiar prototype for Giants fans — middle infielder whose game plays above his tools. But he’s been a very average-dependent offensive player so far, who hits for well below average power, swings just a tad too freely, and doesn’t have a lot of pluses elsewhere in his game to make up for it.
A lot of fans had their eyes on Wong this winter as a potentially useful platoon piece for the Opening Day* infield. The LH-hitting Wong has consistently shown a solid sense of the strike zone and gives a tough AB. However, word that the major league coaching staff found him noticeably slower a-foot than his teammates gives some insight into why he keeps slipping off the back edge of teams’ 40 man. If he sticks around the org, we’ll likely see him make an appearance or two.
Two Fast Guys and a Yorlis
Anyesber Sivira, 20 yrs old, .229/.337/.298 in A ball Augusta
Simon Whiteman, 23 yrs old, .274/.386/.313 with 31 SB in 69 games in debut
Yorlis Rodriguez, 20 yrs old, .256/.305/.333 in short season Salem-Keizer
To be honest, at a stronger position I wouldn’t be mentioning any of these guys. But the diminutive Sivira posted elite speeds in 2018 in the AZL, and Whiteman has blazed a trail between 1b and 2b in every league he’s ever played in. Between his Senior year at Yale and his pro debut Whiteman stole 65 bags in 76 attempts (while posting OBP in the .380s). The great likelihood is that these are organizational types who don’t hit enough and never see AA. But speed and defense can play in the middle infield. Besides, Kelby Tomlinson (who once hit .224 in the Sally as a 22 year old) taught me not to give up too quickly on a player with a carrying tool.
Rodriguez was a star SS on Cuba’s 15U in 2014 where he hit .366/.453/.530 in international play with just 9 strikeouts in 161 PA. The defection and signing processes would keep him out of regulation games for the next two and a half years. But after signing with the Giants for their penalty-incurred international maximum $300,000 bonus in 2017 they aggressively pushed Yorlis to the AZL in 2018 and then on to the college-laden Northwest League as a 19 year old last season. Scouts don’t see much power projection in him and thus far he’s shown no interest in letting Catchers get involved in any pitch thrown his way, but he has impressive bat to ball skills and offers versatile infield defense. And that’s worth keeping in the back of your head for a bit. He’s played mostly 3b as a pro, but 2b might end up being a better option for him.
…
At the end of the post, I still feel ok about placing 2b above 1b. It’s tissue-thin depth, but the certainty of production from Dubon and the solid potential of Wilson places it a notch above for me. What say you? Who’s your guy at the Keystone?
On this day in history
Guess the team and the year:
McBryde, CF
Frandsen, SS
Guzman, 1b
McClain, DH
Rohlinger, 3b
Bowker, RF
Downs, 2b
Horwitz, LF
Whiteside, C
Pucetas, SP
Yesterdays lineup came from the 2005 Norwich Navigators, who suffered a 1-0 shutout on April 13 in New Hampshire. Congratulations to reader Frank Novak who not only correctly identified the lineup — he came close to working the game as well!
2008: Garrett Broshuis picked up the tough luck loss allowing two runs in the 7th inning for the Connecticut Defenders who dropped a 3-2 game in Portland. Broshuis was beginning his third consecutive season in Connecticut at the time. The year before he had also started a side hustle: blogging on his own and writing a regular column for The Sporting News called “Life in the Minors.” In 2009, he would be moved down to San Jose to start the season, and though he worked his way back to Connecticut for a fourth campaign by the end of the year, that would be enough of pro life for Garrett. The former Academic All American would head to law school at St. Louis University and then begin to trailblaze an extraordinarily influential career advocating for minor league player rights.
2009: Buster Posey continued to wreak havoc on the California League going 3 for 3 with 2 BBs. The three hits included his 3rd HR of the year which came off Texas Rangers 2007 1st round pick Michael Main. Main would pitch just 60 innings that year before succumbing to arm woes that ended his Rangers career. In 2010, after spending the first half of the year on the DL he was traded to the Giants as part of the return for Bengie Molina. That deal freed up the Catcher spot for the Posey Era to begin in earnest in San Francisco.
2013: Hunter Strickland closed out San Jose’s 12-6 victory with a perfect inning. Strickland, who had been DFA’d by Pittsburgh in the final week of Spring Training, was already opening eyes on the San Jose coaching staff. He had appeared in 5 games, allowing just 1 hit and 1 BB, while striking out 7. By mid-May, San Jose officials were openly talking about the chance that he could climb into the San Francisco bullpen by year’s end, but on May 23rd he’d tear his UCL and be lost for the year to Tommy John surgery.
LAST WORD
Same, Hunter. Same.
I said on Monday that I wasn’t a big sim fan, but for those of you who are getting into it, the Sacramento RiverCats aired a simulated home opener last night (which was VERY well attended!). Simulated Jaylin Davis crushed his first homer of the year and simulated Reyes Moronta is apparently making an incredible recovery from surgery!
Meanwhile Augusta is going to host an opening day with all the (virtual) festivities but none of the baseball or crowds. While Richmond is working to support the community. The passion, inventiveness, and community spirit of these minor league front office teams is really extraordinary, folks — as worthy of admiration as the players!
That lineup has to be the '09 Fresno Grizzlies. HAS TO BE.