Saltzman Says...Meet the 2011 Fresno Grizzlies

Meet Your 2011 Fresno Grizzlies:

C Jackson Williams and Chris Stewart will platoon along with Dashenko Ricardo from the Rule 5 draft
1B Brett Pill will be the everyday 1st baseman
2B Emmanuel Burriss will be the everyday 2nd baseman
SS Brandon Crawford should start in AAA, but Ryan Rohlinger might get some AB's at Short in case of a call-up to the Big Leagues
3B Conor Gillespie should get some start, but Ryan Rohlinger will get a lot of AB's here too, especially if Pablo Sandoval struggles or gets hurt.
LF Thomas Neal will be the everyday Left Fielder
CF Darren Ford will be the everyday Center Fielder
RF Ben Copeland and Tyler Graham should platoon in Right Field

SP Josh Banks and Matt Yorkin should lead a promising staff, but the talent is in the bullpen.
RP Marc Kroon, Waldis Joaquin, Henry Sosa and Alex Hinshaw all have Major League Experience, and Steve Edlefson was added to the 40 man this off-season.

To see the full roster, CLICK HERE

Marc Kroon, right, will close games for Fresno

Warszawski Says...Predicting the 2011 Fresno Grizzlies

Catchers (2)

Jackson Williams (Decker calls him the best defensive backstop in the system)

Chris Stewart (Hit .248 in 85 games last season for Triple-A Portland)

Infielders (6)

Brandon Belt (Top prospect likely will spend a couple months in Fresno before heading to the majors.)

Brock Bond (Hard-nosed gamer who works the count, sets the table)

Brett Pill (Needs to re-establish himself at crowded 1B position)

Emmanuel Burriss (Slick fielder still hasn't shown he can hit, stay healthy)

Edgar Gonzalez (Adrian's older brother adds depth, versatility)

Conor Gillaspie (Has not lived up to college and draft hype)

Outfielders (5)

Tyler Graham (Opened eyes last season by hitting .343)

Thomas Neal (Performed well enough at Double-A to earn promotion)

Terry Evans (Ex-Angels farmhand swatted 15 homers at Triple-A Salt Lake)

Justin Christian (Ex-Yankees farmhand hit .356 with .452 OBP this winter in Mexican Pacific League)

Brad Eldred (Slugger banged 30 homers in 106 games last season at Triple-A Colorado Springs)

Starting pitchers (5)

Matt Yourkin (At times last season, lefty was Grizzlies' most consistent starter)

Brian Lawrence (Former 15-game winner for Padres turned in solid 2010 at Triple-A New Orleans)

Shane Loux (Journeyman owns career 4.77 ERA over eight Triple-A seasons)

Henry Sosa (Maturity, experience all this hard-throwing righty is lacking)

Clayton Tanner (Lefty went 9-9 with 3.68 ERA last season at Double-A Richmond)

Relief pitchers (7)

Steve Edlefsen (Stingy sinker specialist still looking for first call-up)

Ryan Vogelsong (Look who's back. Ex-Giant farmhand once traded for Jason Schmidt)

Casey Daigle (12-year pro looking to wear third major-league uniform)

Alex Hinshaw (Lefty can be wild, and at times wildly effective)

Waldis Joaquin (Hard thrower re-joins Giants after rejecting White Sox waiver claim)

Dan Runzler (Lefty might also get stretched out to start if the Giants need rotation depth)

Marc Kroon (ex-Yomiuri Giants closer reportedly touches triple digits, but he's 38)

Other possibilities: IF Brandon Crawford, IF Ryan Rohlinger, RHP Felix Romero, RHP Osiris Matos
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Saltzman Says...

Brandon Belt and Dan Runzler may make Opening Day Roster for San Francisco.
Brandon Crawford should start at SS for Fresno.
Darren Ford should get promotion to AAA as well and play CF.
Ryan Rohlinger will start in AAA as well.

Saltzman Says...21 Giants back in the minors

Eight players were optioned out: pitchers Jose Casilla, Alex Hinshaw, Henry Sosa and Clayton Tanner; infielders Ehire Adrianza and Conor Gillaspie; and outfielders Thomas Neal and Francisco Peguero.

Thirteen players were reassigned: pitchers Waldis Joaquin, Wilmin Rodriguez, Jason Stoffel, Ryan Verdugo and Matt Yourkin; catchers Tommy Joseph and Hector Sanchez; infielders Brandon Crawford, Charlie Culberson and Nick Noonan; and outfielders Gary Brown, Juan Perez and Terry Evans.

When the Giants Come to Town Says...Top 50 Prospects: 2011 Edition

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Down on the Farm: DrB's 2011 Giants Top 50 Prospects

OK team, it's that time of year again to reveal DrB's 2011 Giants Top 50 Prospects. We've been doing this since about 2003 and a lot of people really seem to appreciate it. We'll post the list here along with Honorable Mentions and "Dominican Dandies" and then give a short scouting report on each one leading up to the start of the season. In researching the list, I am struck by how much younger, deeper and more athletic the Giants farm system is than just a few years ago. You will find that the Honorable Mention list is quite lengthy with quite a few names that you might think should be in the Top 50! One area of mild concern is the relative lack of strong pitching prospects in the upper minors. Luckily, the strength and relative youth of the Giants pitching at the MLB level gives them some time to correct this imbalance. As always, this list and the scouting reports to come are just one fan's opinion. As always, please don't get too hung up on the exact order. The most important part of the exercise is getting to know some of the players the Giants have in their farm system. On with the list!

1. Brandon Belt, 1B/OF.
2. Zack Wheeler, RHP.
3. Thomas Neal, OF.
4. Gary Brown, OF.
5. Francisco Peguero, OF
6. Dan Runzler, LHP.
7. Chuckie Jones, OF.
8. Ehire Adrianza, SS.
9. Brandon Crawford, SS.
10. Charlie Culberson, 2B.
11. Jarrett Parker, OF.
12. Conor Gillaspie, 3B.
13. Tommy Joseph, C.
14. Rafael Rodriguez, OF.
15. Nick Noonan, 2B.
16. Seth Rosin, RHP.
17. Mike Kickham, LHP.
18. Kendry Flores, RHP.
19. Heath Hembree, RHP.
20. Jose Casilla, RHP.
21. Ryan Verdugo, LHP.
22. Steve Edlefsen, RHP.
23. Johnny Monell, C.
24. Chris Dominguez, 3B.
25. Carlos Willoughby, 2B.
26. Jose Valdez, RHP.
27. Jorge Bucardo, RHP.
28. Jacob Dunnington, RHP.
29. Jake Dunning, RHP.
30. Hector Sanchez, C.
31. Carter Jurica, SS.
32. Dan Burkhart, C.
33. Reiner Roibal, RHP.
34. Matthew Graham, RHP.
35. Brandon Allen, RHP.
36. Roger Kieschnick, OF.
37. Clayton Tanner, LHP.
38. Craig Westcott, RHP.
39. Eric Surkamp, LHP.
40. Jason Stoffel, RHP.
41. Ryan Cavan, 2B.
42. Chris Lofton, OF.
43. Edwin Escobar, LHP.
44. Austin Fleet, RHP.
45. Wendell Fairley, OF.
46. Leonardo Fuentes, OF.
47. Marvin Barrios, RHP.
48. Juan Perez, OF.
49. Caleb Hougheson, 3B
50. Tyler Graham, OF.

Honorable Mention: Ryan Rohlinger IF, Brock Bond 2B, Jackson Williams C, Mike McBryde OF/RHP?, Darren Ford OF, Henry Sosa RHP, Waldis Joaquin RHP, Matt Yourkin LHP, David Mixon RHP, Wilmin Rodriguez LHP, David Quinowski LHP, Michael Main RHP, Drew Biery 3B, Michael Sandoval 1B, James Simmons OF, Justin Fitzgerald RHP, Kelvin Marte LHP, Ari Ronick LHP, Aaron King LHP, Nick Liles OF, Luke Anders 1B, Ydwin Villegas SS, Christopher Heston RHP, Brian Irving RHP, Jeremy Toole RHP, Andy Reichard RHP, Craig Whitaker RHP, Chris Gloor LHP, Chris Wilson RHP, Jason Jarvis RHP, Ryan Scoma OF, Devin Harris OF, Edward Concepcion RHP, Shawn Sanford RHP, Stephen Shakleford RHP, Carlton Salters OF, Joe Staley OF, Ryan Bean RHP, Jose De La Cruz OF, Sundrendy Windster 1B, Wes Hobson 2B.

"Dominican Dandies": Fernando Pujadas C, Christian Paulino 3B, Jesus Galindo OF, Shurendell Mujica SS, Luis Angeles RHP, Joan Gregorio RHP, Ariel Hernandez RHP.

Saltzman Says: Top 25 Prospects (San Francisco Giants)

2011 Top 25 Prospects (2010 Rankings):
1. (NR) Brandon Belt
2. (3) Zack Wheeler
3. (4) Thomas Neal
4. (20) Chris Dominguez
5. (5) Rafael Rodriguez
6. (19) Ehire Adrianza
7. (23) Jose Casilla
8. (40) Charlie Culberson
9. (8) Tommy Joseph
10. (10) Francisco Peguero
11. (6) Brandon Crawford
12. (27) Steve Edelfsen
13. (17) Darren Ford 
14. (16) Clayton Tanner
15. (7) Roger Kieschnick
16. (9) Nick Noonan
17. (11) Hector Sanchez
18. (12) Edward Concepcion
19. (15) Jason Stoffel
20. (18) Conor Gillaspie
21. (22) Henry Sosa
22. (29) Joe Paterson
23. (30) Brock Bond
24. (36) Eric Surkamp
25. (39) Wendell Fairley