If you’ve spent any time at all reading my writing, then you know I’m a big fan of tools. I don’t know if any enterprising readers of my work have created a drinking game out my repeated use of phrases like “big league tools” or “tools play at the top,” but if any of you had, please let me know so that I can send help.
It’s not a surprise, then, that one of my favorite dates on the Prospect Calendar is the unveiling of Baseball America’s annual “Best Tools” Lists. Every year, the editorial staff of BA canvasses all the managers in every minor league, asking which players in their league were the supreme representative of a wide range of baseball tools.
I can’t say the Giants prospects exactly dominated the lists this year, but they got a few plum nods along the way. Here’s the full list of league best Giants’ tools for 2023!
Kyle Harrison: PCL Best Pitching Prospect, Best Fastball
Casey Schmitt: PCL Best Infield Arm
Luis Matos: PCL Most Exciting Player (that’s a good one!)
Carson Whisenhunt: Eastern League Best Changeup, NWL Best Changeup, Cal Lg Best Changeup
Adrian Sugastey, NWL Best Defensive Catcher
Aeverson Arteaga, NWL Best Defensive SS
Grant McCray, NWL Best Defensive OF
Diego Velasquez, Best Defensive 2b
Jeremiah Knackstedt, Best Manager Prospect
Not a bad showing. Triple A level Best Pitching Prospect and Most Exciting Player (which tends to be a pretty high profile catch all — Elly de la Cruz was the representative for the other Triple A league) are pretty great places to have your prospect capital invested! I’ll even toss in an anonymous scouting quote from the BA story on Matos for your reading pleasure:
“He’s still very aggressive, which will likely get exploited (at higher levels). He can really run and really play center field. He’s a classic up-the-middle guy.
HITTER of the NIGHT: Bryce Johnson (Sac) 3 for 3, HR (8), 1R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB
PITCHER of the NIGHT: Ryan Murphy (Rich), 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
Alright, let’s dive in to see what the night brought us — like, for instance, this reminder to never, ever give up on a play, courtesy of Ismael Munguia.
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