Down On The Farm

[77smbg9177]

Excellent Prospects
1. Tim Lincecum, rhp

Very Good Prospects
2. Angel Villalona, 3b
3. Jonathan Sanchez, lhp

Good Prospects
4. Emmanuel Burriss, ss

Average Prospects
5. Eddy Martinez-Estevee, lf
6. Sharlon Schoop, ss
7. Fred Lewis, lf/cf
8. Nate Schierholtz, lf
9. Billy Sadler, rhp
10. Mike McBryde, cf

Tim Lincecum, rhp
DOB: 6/15/84
Height/Weight: 5-11/160
Bats/Throws: L/R
Drafted: 1st round, 2006, University of Washington. In the end, Lincecum fell to No. 10, apparently the victim of concerns about his size and unorthodox delivery and training methods. The Giants snapped him up, planning to make him a starter, and Lincecum became the first UW player in history to be picked in the first round. He got a $2.025 million signing bonus, the biggest San Francisco had ever given an amateur.
What he did in 2006: 0.00 ERA at Short Season (4-1-0-10), 1.95 ERA at High A (27.2-13-12-48)
The Good: Best pure stuff of any 2006 draftee. Despite looking like a 13-year-old on the mound, Lincecum's unorthodox mechanics and the fastest arm action you'll ever see allow him to unleash 92-96 mph fastballs while touching 98-99 and maintaining that velocity throughout the game. Lincecum has hit 100 mph on the radar. But he has more than a fastball, also featuring a slider, changeup and two different curveballs. The curveball is an even better offering, grading out by many scouts as a pure 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale. Slider and changeup are there and usable. Despite size and delivery, arm was remarkably resilient in college, as he often closed 1-2 days after racking up a high pitch count without ever having problems with arm soreness. Lincecum has a freakishly resilient arm. There were reports he was throwing long toss the day after a 190-pitch outing. But despite his heavy workload and the fact he doesn't even ice his arm (which is unheard of), he's never had an arm injury.
The Bad: Control can be a problem at times. Lincecum walked 216 in 342 college innings, and while he made significant improvements this year, his rate was still a relatively high 4.52 per nine innings.
The Irrelevant: The three highest single-season strikeout totals in Washington history are Lincecum's junior (199), freshman (161) and sophomore (131) seasons.
In a Perfect World, He Becomes: An all-star starter or an all-star closer.
Gap Between What He is Now, And What He Can Be: Low – Lincecum could have pitched out of the Giants bullpen at the end of 2006, but the team decided against it for a variety of reasons. He'll likely start 2007 at Double-A, and could be in the majors as early as the All-Star break.

Readyflow's take on Lincecum... Tim is easily the best pitching prospect in the minors. He throws an exceptional fastball that has been spotted at 101mph in his pre-draft days. He will likely start proving himself to be the "Chosen One" during spring training, where he could earn himself a spot on the Giants roster in 2007. If Tim doesn't secure that spot in STraining, we'll see him in brief relief occassions throughout the year when Bochy calls upon him for testing purposes. Tim has everything you want in a starter. Tim also has everything you'd like in a closer. He has pitches that are hard to track and each pitch never has the same look. After watching TIm in person, you'll see how disgusting his pitches are and it becomes completely intimidating to batters knowing that even if they guess a pitch, they still have no clue how to approach it. To go along with his abilities physically, Lincecum is a mature guy that almost is as confident as any MLB starter. His pitching style involves his entire body as he reaches back in a gorgeous wind-up that he learned from his father as a kid. In summary, "The Chosen On" will be our next big star and it's only a matter of time, so I'll keep everyone posted on his progress.

Angel Villalona, 3b
DOB: 8/13/90
Height/Weight: 6-3/210
Bats/Throws: R/R
Signed: 2006, Dominican Republic
What he did in 2006: Signed a contract three days after his 16th birthday that included a $2.1 million bonus.
The Good: Absolute man-child and the top international prospect of the year. Already has plus-plus power to all fields and advanced pitch recognition. Good fielder with soft hands and a plus arm. Even an above-average runner.
The Bad: Um, he's 16! There will obviously be some weaknesses in his game, but we won't know what they are until they are exposed. At his age and his size, he could easily outgrow third base, but he's athletic enough where the backup plan is right field instead of first base.
The Irrelevant: International scouts saw Villalona hit a 400-foot home run with a wooden bat . . . when he was 13.
In a Perfect World, He Becomes: The sky is the limit, though Villalona is still on the ground. Whispers of the next Miguel Cabrera are understandable at this point.
Gap Between What He is Now, And What He Can Be: Very High – Again, he's 16. The Giants won't reveal their plans for Villalona, but all signs point to either a slow introduction to professional baseball with a year in the Dominican Summer League, or a half season in the Arizona Rookie League.

Readyflow's take on Angel... This was a brilliant pick-up for our team. This guy is 16 yrs old, and he becomes 17 this next year and would have required an easy 1st pick to get him. Instead of him waiting for the draft he opted to take the faster course, and the Giants didn't outbid 4 or 5 other teams for his services. The Giants actually offerred less than the Mariners and the Yankees, but out scouts made him feel much more special. He signed with us for 2.1 mil instead of the 3 mil possibly offerred by Seattle. Because we got him before the draft, we essentially gave ourselves two 1st round picks. Angel is only 16, but the sky is the limit for this latin player. He is a big boy with a man's attitude toward the game. He is slick with the glove and he has a beautiful swing. He will take about 2 years to make it to the big leagues, so we'll be talking about him for a long time to come. He has been compared to Miguel Cabrera and he will be our future 3rd baseman.

Jonathan Sanchez, lhp
DOB: 11/19/82
Height/Weight: 6-2/165
Bats/Throws: L/L
Drafted: 27th round, 2004, Ohio Dominican University
What he did in 2006: 1.15 ERA at AA (31.1-14-9-46); 3.80 ERA at AAA (23.2-13-13-28); 4.95 ERA at MLB (40-39-23-33)
The Good: Strong-armed lefty was moved to the bullpen in order to accelerate his progression, but moved back to the rotation and ended up making big league debut as a starter. 91-93 mph fastball is a plus pitch for a lefty, and changeup features excellent arm action. Goes after hitters with aggressive style that serves him well.
The Bad: Has tendency to overthrow breaking ball which causes it to lose break and get elevated, leaving it highly hittable. Has problems throwing strikes at times.
The Irrelevant: Sanchez's dominating four-year career at tiny NAIA Ohio Dominican included four no-hitters.
In a Perfect World, He Becomes: A No. 3 starter.
Gap Between What He is Now, And What He Can Be: Low – The signing of Barry Zito makes things a little more difficult for Sanchez, but he'll likely beat Brad Hennessey out for the final slot in the Giants rotation.

Readyflow's take on Sanchez... Giants fans all love Jonathan Sanchez. At least those of us that watched him pitch for us last season. He is dominating and can either be astarter or a relief pitcher. He loves to compete with each batter and that has also been his downfall too. He has a brilliant fastball and change-up, but even in an obvious count, he will approach the hitter without fear of the outcome. Sometimes that's great, but he definitely has the mentality for life in the big leagues. He's fearless and confident. Let's just hope he can keep his change-ups down and he'll take the 5th spot in the rotation... (unless Lincecum becomes an option).





Please let me know if i missed anyone please

[77smbg9177]

Emmanuel Burriss, ss
DOB: January 17, 1985
Height/Weight: 6 foot/170
Bats/Throws: S/R
Drafted: 33rd pick overall, 2006, Kent State University
What he did in 2006: Debuted with Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, hitting .307 with 35 stolen bases and 50 runs scored in 65 games.
The Good: Burriss' game is based around his speed. And the switch-hitter makes ample use of it from the left side, slapping balls to the left side of the infield while running out of the batter's box. His base stealing is only going to get better and his power number have gone up every year he has played. He has the bat of Ichiro with equal speed.
The Bad: He can't seem to stay healty for an entire season and he is still a work in progress defensively. He has a below-average arm strength with a handful of errors that he is learning to bring down as well.
The Irrelevant: In college he turned his dorm room into a batting cage using wiffle balls and a net
In a Perfect World, He Becomes: The next Giants' version of Jose Reyes.
Gap Between What He is Now, And What He Can Be: Medium, he has to be able to stay healthy and the switch-hitter lacks in the upside department. Still, he has a chance to become a decent regular at shortstop.

Readyflow's take on Emmanuel... He has the heart for the game, but some of us fans that have followed Emmanuel, know that he has a long way to go in taking over at shortstop. If he stays healthy, he could put together a season that should show us what we can expect from this somewhat unproven prospect

Eddy Martinez-Esteve, lf
DOB: July 14,1983
Height/Weight: 6-2/215
Bats/Throws: R/R
Drafted: 2nd round, 2004, Florida State University
What he did in 2006: AVG .272, 92 AB, 25 H, 2 HR, 11 RBI
The Good: Martinez-Esteve stands out as the Giants’ most polished hitter, with a fluid, efficient swing and a discerning eye at the plate. His bat is quick enough to hit good fastballs, and he’s an excellent breaking-ball hitter. He has power to all fields.
The Bad: Being a DH suited Martinez-Esteve too well, considering he’s in a National League organization. He lost life in his lower body after a college hamstring injury and has lost arm strength because of his shoulder problems. His lessened athleticism and lack of desire to be a good defender means his entire value stems from his bat.
The Irrelevant: Martinez-Esteve surprised San Francisco by having offseason shoulder surgery on his own. He was healthy enough to start the 2005 season but didn’t play in the outfield until mid-June.
In a Perfect World, He Becomes: Eddy takes a page straight from the book of Manny Ramirez if he’s in the outfield and Cecil Fielder over at first base. In a perfect world, the San Francisco Giants move to the American central league. That’s the only way this situation blossoms.
Gap Between What He is Now, And What He Can Be: Medium, fortunately for Martinez-Esteve, he really can hit. This guy needs to dedicate his time to learning defense and if he does that, he may be able to over-take Bonds in LF.

Readyflow’s take… This guy is another injury worry. He did however, take control in 2005 and have that offseason surgery to be ready in time for his season. Maybe if he learns to be enough of a team player, he can make the necessary changes and learn to use a glove correctly and stay healthy.

Sharlon Schoop, ss
DOB: 4/15/87
Height/Weight: 6-0/160
Bats/Throws: R/R
Signed: 2004, Curacao
What he did in 2006: .310/.437/.405 at Rookie Level (160 PA), .286/.500/.286 at Short Season (10 PA)
The Good: Exciting young infielder already has plus defensive skills, and bat is making quick progress. Very good instincts, above-average arm and smooth actions make him a pure shortstop. Smooth swing and impressive hand-eye coordination give him excellent contact skills, and good pitch recognition helps the cause. Above-average runner.
The Bad: Differentiating opinions on power potential. Some see him as a slap hitter, others seeing him adding some juice as his wiry frame fills out. Tendency to get out of control defensively, leading to silly errors.
The Irrelevant: Flipped primarily between first and third in the AZL Giants lineup, Schoop hit .500 (21-for-42) in the leadoff role, but just .214 (12-for-56) out of the three hole.
In a Perfect World, He Becomes: An every day shortstop.
Gap Between What He is Now, And What He Can Be: Very High – Schoop is one of the few young, toolsy high-ceiling prospects in the system, and his full-season debut will be one to keep an eye on.

Readyflow's take on Sharlon... This guy is out of the Omar Vizquel mold when it comes to batting. His defense isn't much to admire, but it could be if he can be more consistant. He's not a big fellow, but could fill into an bigger guy as his age goes up too. He's currently working on allof the above.

Fred Lewis, lf
DOB: 12/9/80
Height/Weight: 6-2/190
Bats/Throws: L/R
Draft: 2nd round, 2002, Southern University
What he did in 2006: .276/.375/.453 at AAA (517 PA); .455/.455/.545 at MLB (11 PA)
The Good: Excellent athlete has at least average tools across the board. Has some patience and enough power to sting mistakes into the gap. Above-average speed.
The Bad: Can still be fooled into chasing breaking balls outside the zone. Limited in center field because of below-average instincts. Still learning how to convert his speed into stolen bases.
The Irrelevant: Fred's cousin is 12-year veteran and two-time All-Star Matt Lawton.
In a Perfect World, He Becomes: A very good fourth-outfielder/occasional starter.
Gap Between What He is Now, And What He Can Be: Low – Lewis lacks that one over-the-top skill to make him an every day player, but he can do so many things that he should carve out a nice career for himself. The Giants have too many outfielders right now for it to start in 2007, however.

Readyflow's take on Fred... Basically Fred is the guy that can only hope his chance to make a starter role. With Todd Linden sitting in front of Fred, his chances to make waves are limited. he'll have to blow up big to make his break.

Nate Schierholtz, rf
DOB: 2/15/84
Height/Weight: 6-1/215
Bats/Throws: L/R
Draft: 2nd round, 2003, Chabot JUCO (California)
What he did in 2006: .270/.325/.443 at AA (510 PA)
The Good: Plus-plus raw power finally began to show up in games with eight of his 14 home runs coming in the last month of the season. Good athlete for his size who runs well and has plus arm strength.
The Bad: The Giants worked on eliminating, or at least limiting Schierholtz's ridiculously long bat-wrap, and while he reduced his strikeout rate in 2006, his still adjusting to finding his power with a shorter swing. Drafted as a third-baseman, his jumps and routes in the outfield are still a work in progress.
The Irrelevant: Despite setting a Chabot single-season record with 18 home runs, Schierholtz was a relative unknown entering the draft to teams other than the Giants. Team Vice President Dick Tidrow is a graduate of Chabot and knows how to keep a secret.
In a Perfect World, He Becomes: A low-average/high-power corner outfielder who bats fifth or sixth in the lineup.
Gap Between What He is Now, And What He Can Be: Average – Schierholtz goes to Triple-A in a strange position – at the cusp of the big leagues, but not really as ready as most at that level.

Readyflow's take on Nate... This guy has the right tools for a prospect and could someday fill into the Giants plans or a starter or maybe trade bait. I hope all of our prospects tun out to blossom, but I'd say Nate is on the top of my list because I'm a fan of the more complete player. This guy could turn into that guy.

Billy Sadler, rhp
DOB: 7/21/81
Height/Weight: 6-0/190
Bats/Throws: R/R
Draft: 6th round, 2003, Louisiana State
What he did in 2006: 2.56 ERA at AA (45.2-23-29-67); 1.80 ERA at AAA (10-5-2-12); 6.75 ERA at MLB (4-5-2-6)
The Good: Undersized reliever blossomed in third year at Double-A, working his way up to majors by missing plenty of bats with a 92-95 mph fastball that features tailing action and a plus curve that also adds some horizontal fade to make him equally effective against lefthanders.
The Bad: Because of his height, Sadler doesn't get a lot of downward plane on his pitches. He has a tendency to have trouble controlling the curveball, putting him behind in the count and forcing him to throw fastballs.
The Irrelevant: Sadler has shared a locker room often with fellow farmhand Brian Buscher at multiple stops on the Giants chain. Buscher hit a game-tying single off Sadler in the righthander's final college game, an 11-10 loss to South Carolina that eliminated the Tigers from the 2003 College World Series.
In a Perfect World, He Becomes: A right-handed setup man.
Gap Between What He is Now, And What He Can Be: Low – Sadler was outstanding in the Arizona Fall League, striking out 22 in 14 innings, which should give him a leg up as he competes for a job in a crowded Giants bullpen.

Readyflow's take on Billy... This guy is awesome and he has loads of upside, but in reality, he's still a huge gamblefor a club that's loaded with "potential" relief guys. He could make it in 2007 to SF, but it willtake an amazing Spring Training.

Mike McBryde, of
DOB: 3/22/85
Height/Weight: 6-2/170
Bats/Throws: R/R
Draft: 5th round, 2006, Florida Atlantic University
What he did in 2006: 276/344/400 at Short Season (255 PA)
The Good: After playing just three games in the college season due to a torn hamstring, McBryde quickly shook off the rust in his pro debut. He's a plus-plus runner with tremendous range in center field and a rocket arm. Athletic frame is compared by one scout to that of Rocco Baldelli.
The Bad: McBryde is a raw hitter who isn't very good now, but has big upside. Power potential and bat speed are there, approach and fundamentally sound swing mechanics are not.
The Irrelevant: While a hamstring limited him to just three games as a junior, McBryde doubled as Florida Atlantic's closer in college, striking out 55 in 41.1 innings with good command of an average fastball and truly plus curve. How cool is that?
In a Perfect World, He Becomes: A good hitter andgreat glove center fielder.
Gap Between What He is Now, And What He Can Be: High – The Giants feel they got a steal in McBryde, as few got a chance to see him at all this year. They think he'll thrive at Low-A in 2007. I think he'll have to in order to make his name more widely known.

Readyflow's take on Mike... I had a hard time putting this one together. This guy doesn't have a lot of spotlight on him now. But i scraped enough information together for an idea of who he is. I don't have anything else to report on this guy. Sorry.

[77smbg9177]

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