Top Offensive Prospects by Position: Giants 2011-2012 Organizational Rankings

Catchers: Position Strength (B+)

(Stats from 2011 season)

1. Hector Sanchez (C)
 *.285 AVG/12 HR/84 RBI in 365 minor league at-bats between San Jose (A) and Fresno (AAA)
 *Earned a late-season call up to the majors, hitting .258 in 31 at-bats for San Francisco
2. Tommy Joseph (C)
 *.270 AVG/22 HR/95 RBI in 514 minor league at-bats for San Jose (A), likely headed to AA in 2012
 *Could be moved to first base to find room for his bat; Posey still wants be a catcher in the future
3. Johnny Monell (C)
 *.249 AVG/10 HR/49 RBI in 386 minor league at-bats for Richmond (AA)
 *Slugged 19 homeruns in 2010 for San Jose (A), could serve as the backup to Sanchez in Fresno.
4. Mike Murray (C)
 *.326 AVG/6 HR/48 RBI in 242 minor league at-bats for Salem Kaiser (low A)
 *Signed as an undrafted free agent from Wake Forest in 2010, Murray also hit .343 in 99 at-bats in 2010
5. Andrew Susac (C)  
 *Drafted by Giants in 2011 out of Oregon State University
 *Grew up a San Francisco fan and models his game after Buster Posey

First Baseman: Position Strength (A-)

(Stats from 2011 season)

1. Brandon Belt (1B)
 *.225 AVG/9 HR/18 RBI in 187 major league at bats for San Francisco; also sent down mid-season
 *Hit .320 with eight homeruns and 36 RBI after being sent down by Giants, had 112 RBI in 2010 in (A)
2. Brett Pill (1B)
*.312 AVG/25 HR/107 RBI for Fresno (AAA)
 *First player in the minor leagues to 100 RBI, called up in September to fill in for Huff
 *Battling Belt and Huff for a spot on the 2012 Giants roster—has 20 HR/90 RBI potential
3. Wes Hodges (1B)
 *.261 AVG/10 HR/50 RBI in 349 minor league at-bats for Richmond (AA)
 *A former second round pick of the Indians in 2006; best season came in 2008 (18 HR/ 97 RBI)
4. Josh Mazzola (1B)
 *.259 AVG/13 HR/50 RBI in 2011 for Augusta (Low A), injured for much of the 2010 season
 *In 2009, hit .284 with 16 HR and 96 RBI in 2009; signed as an undrafted free agent
5. Ben Thomas (1B)
 *.327 AVG/7 HR/46 RBI in 226 minor league at-bats between the Arizona Rookie league and Low A
 *Finished 2011 with a slugging percentage of .504; lefthanded hitter listed at 240 lbs.

Second Baseman: Position Strength (C+)

(Stats from 2011 season)

1. Ryan Cavan (2B)
 *.270 AVG/12 HR/90 RBI in 508 minor league at-bats for San Jose (A)
 *2010 was Cavan’s first year of pro ball, drafted by the Giants in the 16^th round (UCSB)
2. Charlie Culberson (2B-IF)
 *.259 AVG/10 HR/56 RBI in 553 minor league at-bats for Richmond (AA)
 *Jumped on the radar after hitting 16 homeruns and knocking in more than 70 in 2010
3. Kaohi Downing (2B)
 *.304 AVG/1 HR/19 RBI in 194 minor league at-bats between Salem Kaizer and Fresno
 *Made unusual jump straight from low A Salem Kaizer to AAA Fresno in 2010
4. Carlos Willoughby (2B)
 *.240 AVG/1 HR/40 RBI/33 SB in 483 minor league at-bats for Augusta (Low A)
 *Speedy contact hitter has stolen more than 30 bases three times since being signed in 2007
5. Nick Noonan (2B-SS)
 *.229 AVG/5 HR/45 RBI in 419 minor league at-bats between three levels
 *Once a top prospect in the organization, Noonan has slipped offensively and may move to SS

Third Baseman: Position Strength (A)

(Stats from 2011 season)

1. Chris Dominguez (3B)
 *.266/18 HR/85 RBI in 553 minor league at-bats between San Jose (A) and Richmond (AA)
 * Crushed 21 homeruns and knocked in 101 for Augusta in 2010; big, intimidating hitter
 *Led nation in homeruns senior year at Louisville, may be a candidate to move to 1B
2. Adam Duvall (3B)
 *.285 AVG/22 HR/87 RBI in 431 minor league at-bats for Augusta (low A)
 *Also drafted out of Louisville, bounced back strong in 2011 after hitting .240 in 2010
3. Connor Gillaspie (3B-IF)
 *.297 AVG/11 HR/61 RBI in 428 at-bats for Fresno (AAA)
 *Has been called up several times with little success; may be trade bait with Pablo at third
4. Jose Cuevas (3B)
 *.320/9 HR/47 RBI in 181 at-bats in the Arizona Rookie League (named MVP of the AZL)
 *29^th round draft pick in 2010, tore up AZL pitching in 2011 after hitting just .206 in 2010
5. Garrett Buechele (3B)
 *.247 AVG/7 HR/32 RBI in 239 at-bats between AZL and Salem Kaizer (low A)
 *Could start the season in San Jose (A) or remain at Salem Kaizer for more at-bats in 2012

Shortstops: Position Strength (B-)

(Stats from 2011 season)

1. Joe Panik (SS-2B)
 *.341 AVG/6 HR/54 RBI in 270 minor league at-bats for Salem Kaizer (low A)
 *Giants first round pick in 2011, named MVP of the North League after signing in June
2. Brandon Crawford (SS)
 *.204 AVG/3 HR/21 RBI for San Francisco (MLB) in 196 at-bats
 *Never hit above .300 for a full minor league season but showed flashes of offense in 2011
*Excellent glove at SS, may be called upon again to start in 2012 if Giants don’t sign another SS
3. Ehire Adrianza (SS)
 *.273 AVG/6 HR/44 RBI in 373 minor league at-bats between Salem Kaizer and San Jose
 *Slick fielding shortstop with major league ready glove; his bat remains the only question

Outfielders: Position Strength (A-)

(Stats from 2011 season)

1. Gary Brown (OF)
 *.336 AVG/14 HR/80 RBI/53 SB for San Jose (A)
 *Giants first round pick in 2010 has 80-grade speed—53 stolen bases was just a teaser
 *Could start season in Richmond or Fresno; potential call up if Andres Torres struggles
2. Francisco Peguero (OF)
 *.312 AVG/7 HR/46 RBI in 353 at-bats between San Jose (A) and Richmond (AA)
 *Hit .353 in 2009, .329 in 2010 and .312 in 2011, swiping 74 bags during that span
 *Speed outfielder has stolen as many as 40 bases (2010) in the minors
Edgar Gonzalez (OF)
 *.315/14 HR/82 RBI in 505 minor league at-bats for Fresno (AAA) in 2011
*At 33, Gonzalez has spent most of his career in the minors; another Torres for SF?
Jarrett Parker (OF)
 *.253/13 HR/61 RBI/20 SB in 486 minor league at-bats for San Jose (A)
 *Tall, lanky corner outfielder (6’4”) with smooth left handed swing and good speed
Ryan Lollis (OF)
 *.303 AVG/2 HR/43 RBI in 356 minor league at-bats between three levels
 *Hasn’t shown much power but has hit better than .280 the past three seasons

*Next Week: Giants Top Pitching Prospects

With San Francisco watching October from home in 2011, Aubrey Huff is just one of a number of Giants on the hot seat heading into 2012

Giants on the hot seat:

1B Aubrey Huff
One of the many heroes of the Giants postseason glory of 2011, Huff was both a lovable character on and off the field with his flair for the dramatic.
Fans of all teams tend to have short memories and operate under the "what have you done for me lately" mentality, one that has turned Huff from hero to potential castoff in less than a calendar year.
Huff will turn 35 in December and must prove he can beat out up and coming youngsters like Brandon Belt and Brett Pill in order to have a spot on the roster.
His age, coupled with the fact that he hit only 12 homeruns after hitting 26 in 2010, means Huff will be on a short leash to prove his worth.

Prediction:
Unless Huff has an eye-opening performance in spring training, Belt and Pill are both younger options with much brighter futures for the organization who could spell the end of Huff's tenure.
Bruce Bochy was comfortable using Pill in the middle of the order, watching the rookie collect a number of key hits in September for the Giants.
Belt also came on late in the season after struggling to take Huff's job out of the gate in 2010. If he can get close to replicating his outstanding minor league numbers at the major league level, Belt shouldn't have any issue outperforming Huff's production in 2011.
The only downside is having to eat the rest of Huff's $11 million dollar contract, something Bochy said wouldn't be an issue if he doesn't rebound from last season.

C Eli Whiteside/Chris StewartFollowing the Buster Posey injury, both Whiteside and Stewart were forced into regular duty after spending the majority of their careers as backups.
With Posey slated to return to catcher in 2012, there will only be room for one backup catcher, all but assuring either Whiteside and/or Stewart will not be with the club.
Another factor was the emergence of young catcher Hector Sanchez, who shot through the minor league system and hit .258 with the big league club in 31 at-bats.
If Sanchez can improve defensively behind the plate, the Giants appear to have confidence in his bat to be ready for the major league level.

Prediction:
While Stewart proved to be a defensive asset for the team with a great throwing arm, that may not be enough to earn the backup position over a younger Sanchez who has been on a fast track through the system.
Whiteside has likely played his last game as a Giant, meaning either Stewart or Sanchez will serve as Posey's backup next season.
The Giants don't want to rush Sanchez and think he still needs time to develop in the minor leagues, but if his bat comes to life in spring training they will give him a serious look to supplant Stewart as the backup.

Other Giants on the fringe:

CF Andres Torres
Torres battled several injuries and wasn't the same spark-plug that ignited the 2010 offense.
While he is in great phyiscal shape for his age and maintains outstanding speed, he still strikes out too much for a leadoff hitter and needs to prove he can stay healthy for a full season.
Gary Brown is unquestionably the center fielder of the future and is waiting in the wings if Torres can't get the job done.
Even if Brown isn't ready for the start of 2012, Torres has a limited window if he wants the opportunity to play a full major league season as he did in 2010.

Tell 'em goodbye:

SS Orlando Cabrera
 (Failed to impress after being aquired from Cleveland; not a part of next year's plans)

IF Mark DeRosa
(Too many infielders and Pablo set at third base means DeRosa may be done in SF)

OF Pat Burrell
(Probably will announce his retirement if he isn't re-signed by SF--which isn't likely)

RP Javier Lopez
(Excellent for SF as a left-handed specialist; that success will earn him a hefty contract elsewhere)

CF Justin Christian
(Emergency outfielder after injuries to Torres, Shierholtz and Ross; likely the odd man out)