Throughout the course of my spring coaching protection (particularly proper on the finish), I bumped into the Giants associates a few occasions as I trailed the Brewers and Dodgers farm methods. I noticed sufficient to make just a few tweaks to the Giants prospect record, which I’ve transient notes on under. You may see the whole up to date record over on The Board. I’ve additionally included notes on just a few current trades.
Toolsy Outfielders With Strikeout Danger Who Have Moved Up
Dakota Jordan’s swing has modified (largely his posture all through the swing), and I believe it offers him a greater likelihood to hit. I used to be method out on him making any sort of viable contact earlier than final 12 months’s draft, however he has loud showcase instruments (energy/pace) and now we’ll see if the proactive adjustments make a distinction for his contact potential. He has additionally regarded good in heart area, together with spotlight reel play through which he collided with the wall at Papago Park, however then forgot what number of outs there have been and spiked the baseball:
I, for one, admire the trouble stage and depth on what was one of many final days of minor league camp, and will care much less in regards to the fake pas.
Outfielder Bo Davidson got here to camp wanting even stronger than he was final 12 months and has one other gear of energy. This group of 40+ FV Giants (together with Rayner Arias) remains to be very unstable, and any of them would possibly strike out a 3rd of the time. However their instruments and bodily talents give them a few of the greatest upside among the many place gamers within the system, and their new FVs mirror that.
Again From Damage
Gerelmi Maldonado and Liam Simon (each 40 FVs) have been on numerous components of the Giants record earlier than, however each struggled with some mixture of damage and wildness over the past couple seasons. Maldonado was peaking round 98 mph just a few years in the past however missed 2024 recovering from TJ. Final season, Simon had a 60-day IL stint attributable to a balky elbow, and when he rehabbed from it on the advanced, his stuff was method down and he couldn’t throw strikes. Each of them are again and throwing 100. Even when they solely maintain a few of this early-season uptick, they’re each in place to be good center relievers. In the event that they maintain all of it, their ceilings reside in higher-leverage conditions.
Carlos Gutierrez broke out taking part in for Workforce Mexico throughout WBSC U18 play within the fall of 2022; he signed with the Giants the next January, then raked within the 2023 DSL. Although he regarded hitterish throughout 2024 prolonged spring coaching, a again damage compelled Gutierrez out for all however just a few video games of the common season final 12 months. He’s again, and appears wholesome and stronger than earlier than; the energy piece is vital contemplating Gutierrez is a possible nook outfielder. He broke camp with San Jose and is certainly on the radar. Let’s see how his hit software traits throughout 2025 since he’s successfully skipping a stage.
Small-Faculty Arms
Hunter Dryden’s (40+ FV) stuff isn’t higher a lot as he carried his 2024 instructs look into 2025. The previous D-III two-way participant is maybe one of the best on-mound athlete within the Giants’ total system, his mid-90s fastball has vertical journey, and he mixes in two shapely breaking balls that play properly off his heater. He’s on the smaller facet, however he’s a premium athlete and would possibly nonetheless be scratching the floor of his ability as a hurler.
Niko Mazza (35+ FV) was final 12 months’s eighth rounder out of Southern Miss, the place he sat 92-94 as a starter for many of his closing two years with the Golden Eagles. I noticed him simply earlier than camp broke and he was 94-96 with a plus, laterally-oriented slider. He’s a robust low-to-the-ground athlete with a drop-and-drive model supply that creates uphill angle on his fastball, and his slider has a lot size that at occasions it’s onerous for Mazza to regulate it. This can be a good two-pitch center aid basis, and Mazza appears to be enhancing fairly quick.
The identical is true of Drake George (35+ FV), who got here out of NAIA Lewis-Clark State in Idaho (they’re the Warriors) however was largely seen on Cape Cod within the lead as much as the 2024 draft. There, he was sitting 93 and confirmed a promising breaking ball. At the beginning of his first full professional season in 2025, he’s sitting 94-96 with a hammer upper-70s curveball. His supply is pretty violent and he has aid projection though it appears like he’ll be developed as a starter for at the very least a short while.
Stuff Is Up
Jacob Bresnahan’s secondary pitches – a slider and changeup – have been tweaked final 12 months previous to the Alex Cobb commerce through which he was acquired from Cleveland. Neither is particularly nasty by itself, however they at the very least power hitters to consider each side of the plate, whereas earlier than Bresnahan was solely succeeding by way of elevated fastballs. He’s additionally throwing more durable this spring, extra usually 93-96, which is up two to a few ticks. His fastball already had thrilling non-velo traits, so now we wait to see if the added arm energy will be sustained all through the complete season.
Lastly, I need to level out Helcris Olivárez and Joel Peguero. Olivárez (as a Rockie) and Peguero (as a Ray) have been prospects earlier than and have modified organizations a number of occasions throughout the previous few years as they’ve both been injured or plateaued. Each are throwing extremely onerous this spring. Olivárez remains to be 24 and sitting 96, whereas Peguero has been as much as 102. Each of them have struggled badly with command (largely Olivárez) or poor fastball form (Peguero) previously, sufficient that they haven’t been added to the record, however they’re price noting on this area.
Quinn Priester Commerce Ideas
This morning, the Purple Sox flipped Quinn Priester, who they acquired from the Pirates final July (in change for Nick Yorke, scouting report right here), to the pitching-starved Brewers in change for outfield prospect Yophery Rodriguez, a excessive 2025 draft choose (Comp Spherical A, thirty third total), and a participant to be named or money.
Priester (who graduated from rookie eligibility in 2023) was as soon as a High 100 prospect thanks largely to the standard of his curveball, however at the same time as he had stretches when his fastball sat 95-98 or so, its airplane and lack of motion not solely created points with its playability, but additionally for the efficiency of Priester’s curveball, which was nasty however simple to ID out of his hand. The Purple Sox augmented a few of Priester’s pitch utilization after they acquired him, as he used a cutter and curveball combine in opposition to lefties and sinker/slider combine in opposition to righties. To say his changeup took a again seat to the opposite pitches could be an understatement — it’s within the trunk at this level. It has put Priester in higher place to succeed and be workforce’s no. 4/5 starter.
Is that sufficient to cough up a late first spherical choose, which is basically what Milwaukee did right here? There are considerably disparate opinions in regards to the upcoming draft class. I believe it’s barely higher than common within the 50-75 vary; the tier of participant you’d discover in a typical second spherical extends into the third. That type of depth doesn’t actually have an effect on choose 33, however the Brewers’ draft picks are priceless to them as a result of they’re in a smaller market and have to develop their very own expertise, and their dev group is sweet at doing precisely that. That’s additionally a part of why this commerce ought to excite Purple Sox followers. Boston’s dev group has been sensational since Craig Breslow arrived and now they get to use that magic to a different first spherical expertise within the close to future.
Rodriguez is a fantastic lower-level outfield prospect. He isn’t tremendous toolsy or projectable though he’s very younger, however he has superior really feel for the strike zone and good (if awkward wanting) plate protection. He can spray pitches from foul line to foul line together with his punchy all-fields swing, and he tasks as a complementary nook outfielder (he’s quick however isn’t a talented heart area defender) with roughly 45-grade contact and energy. The principle return on this commerce is totally the draft choose. Rodriguez’s full scouting report has been added to The Board.
Esteury Ruiz Commerce Ideas
Late final week, the Dodgers despatched righty Carlos Duran to the Athletics in change for woebegone outfielder Esteury Ruiz. Ruiz isn’t rookie eligible anymore, however he’s is in a type of “prospect limbo,” as he’s been unable to grab maintain of a constant large league function and spent most of 2024 injured with wrist and knee issues. I used to be a Ruiz skeptic towards the top of his prospect lifetime, however even nonetheless, he’s monitoring south of my 45 FV grade from his time of commencement. At peak, it regarded like he’d hook sufficient doubles and homers down the left area line to be a productive hitter regardless of fairly severe points in opposition to sliders, and that his pace would result in significant affect on protection or on the bases.
None of that has transpired. His swing modified in 2023, with the addition of a leg kick occurring round that point. For no matter cause, he appeared higher capable of entry energy when his decrease physique was extra stationary, and his swing was extra handsy again in 2022. Monitoring his early look with the Dodgers for mechanical adjustments or enchancment in bat pace shall be vital. We’ve got a baseline for Esteury’s bat pace from the final couple of years (a mean of 72 mph in 2023, then solely 70 mph final 12 months, probably impacted by his wrist), which might give us the uncommon alternative to quantify extra than simply the on-field efficiency outcomes attributable to the developmental adjustments the Dodgers would possibly make.
Duran has been added to Oakland’s prospect record; you may examine him over on The Board.
Different Stuff
Rule 5 Draft picks who didn’t make their membership have been moved again to their unique workforce’s prospect record on The Board. That’s Eiberson Castellano (again to the Phillies from Twins), Evan Reifert (again to the Rays from the Nationals), and Juan Nuñez (again to the Orioles from the Padres).