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Madison Bumgarner     Nick Noonan               Angel Villalona                  Pablo Sandoval               Tim Alderson               Darren Ford

  Here are some of the top prospects currently in the Giants farm system to look out for besides top picks from the 2008 Draft, catcher Buster Posey (assuming he signs) and third baseman Conor Gillaspie:

C/3B Pablo Sandoval-Connecticut Defenders (Double-A) : This 21-year old switch-hitting catcher has moved up to Double A Connecticut this year and has been raking the cover on the ball. He is projected the next top catcher in this farm system that could be major-league ready very soon. Buster Posey obviously is the top catcher and would be projected to be the top player in the Giants farm system once he signs.  Sandoval, however, should be ready sooner rather than later to supplant Bengie Molina behind the plate once Molina’s contract runs out after 2009 season.  Sandoval’s current numbers are: he is hitting .339 Avg. 8HR 37RBI’s in 43 games with the Connecticut Defenders. 

1B Angel Villalona- Augusta GreenJackets (Class-A): This 18 year old phenom has adjusted to first base well and is currently one of the top power hitters in the Giants farm system right now.  He is hitting only .253, but has 13HR and 48 RBI in 104 games with the GreenJackets. 

2B Nick Noonan- Augusta GreenJackets (Class-A): This young star is one of the top prospects in Giants farm system and one of the top prospects  in Baseball America.  He is the future second baseman of the Giants big league squad and is moving up the minors system nice and swiftly.  He is currently hitting .283 with 6HR and 57 RBI’s with 26 stolen bases in 100 games with the GreenJackets.  Giants fans should keep an eye on this kid in the next year or so. 

1B/3B Josh Mazzola- AZL Giants (Rookie): This kid has potential and a lot of power and pop in his bat. He is in his first professional league season and is currently hitting .311 with 5HR and 28RBI’s with 2 stolen bases in 31 games with the Rookie League AZL Giants. I have had the privelege of playing with this kid in a semi-pro summer collegiate league down in San Diego for a couple summers and also facing against him last summer. He hit many bombs for those summer teams and showed his power potential going against some pretty competitive ball clubs featuring top college players around the country.

OF Darren Ford- San Jose Giants (Class-A Advanced)- This young speedster and prospect that came in the Ray Durham deal with the Brewers has the potential to steal many bags at the major league level. His job however in the minors is to improve on getting on base and finding ways to do it and that should dictate how quick he will work through the Giants minor league system. However, there is no need for the  Big League Giants outfield anytime soon. Ford with the San Jose Giants, is currently hitting .246 with 0HR’s and 7RBI’s 2 doubles, 1 triple and 8 stolen bases in only 17 games. Overall, Ford is hitting .234 with 2HR 34RBI 15 doubles 4 triples and 56 stolen bases combined with Brevard County and San Jose.

LHP Madison Bumgarner- Augusta GreenJackets (Class-A) This top pitching prospect should be with the Giants big league club in a year or two and should be a mainstay in the rotation with Lincecum and Cain for years to come. He is one of the Giants top picks in the 2007 draft and is having a solid sophomore campaign in the minors with the Class-A Augusta GreenJackets. In 2008, he was nominated and voted as South Atlantic Pitcher of the Week 4 times, Topps SAL Pitcher of the Month once and was a Mid-Season All-Star for the South Atlantic League. His numbers are ridiculuous and compare to Lincecum’s numbers in the big leagues.  He is 12-3 with a 1.59 E.R.A in 124.1 IP and has a K:BB ratio of 133:18. He needs to be promoted to Double-A soon and hopefully be a september callup next season depending how he fares in Double-A or Triple-A.  This guy is primed to be the real deal just like Lincecum and I really hope he is with the Giants sooner, rather than later. I am already envisioning a 1,2,3 punch of Lincecum, Cain and Bumgarner 2010 with Zito (pending he is still with the team) and Lowry and/or Alderson anchoring the rotation. 

RHP Tim Alderson- San Jose Giants: When you talk about Bumgarner, you must add Tim Alderson in the conversation cause he is right up there with Bumgarner as far as the top pitching prospects in the Giants farm system. He is envisioned to be in the Giants starting rotation someday.  He is only 19 and is currently 11-3 with a 2.99 E.R.A in 126.1IP  with a K:BB ratio of 108:34 with the San Jose Giants. 

Hence, these are the future players of the Giants and we should keep an eye on in the near future. They all bring something different to the table and hopefully Sabean and management have their eyes on some of these players and look out for many more surprise ones that move up in the system. 

Other Notes: It was nice to see the Dodgers choke in the last inning and lose their 2nd game in a row to the Giants who came from behind to win for the second consecutive day.  Rowand had his walk-off hit last night and rookie Eugenio Velez was the hero in the day game today with his walk-off infield single against the rival Dodgers. Welcome to the rivalry, Eugenio Velez!

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