Bart living up to Giant expectations early on
Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each system and honors the players -- regardless of age or prospect status -- who had the best seasons in their organization. Click here to locate your favorite club.The Giants improved at the Major League level after a 64-win season in 2017,
Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each system and honors the players -- regardless of age or prospect status -- who had the best seasons in their organization. Click here to locate your favorite club.
The Giants improved at the Major League level after a 64-win season in 2017, but they still finished 18.5 games out of first place. The losing seeped into the Minor Leagues, with the organization's full-season affiliates finishing a total of 67 games under .500.
Despite having only two Top 100 prospects and a 55-win Triple-A team, there are reasons to think San Francisco's farm system could be on the rise. It starts with the performance of several players at Class A Short Season Salem-Keizer, including the team's potential heir apparent to perennial All-Star catcher Buster Posey.
Giants Organization All-Stars
Catcher --
"He did a little bit of everything. ... I don't see another system that has a catcher who produced quite like he did, even if only for a half-season," Giants assistant director of player development and instruction Kyle Haines said. "Joey is obviously a leader both behind the plate and in the box, impressive in all areas -- offense, defense, power, leadership abilities. He was the total package for us this year."
Organization All-Stars by MLB affiliate »
First baseman --
Second baseman --
"We knew he could hit. If you look at his college career, he's hit," Haines said. "He went to Salem, kept hitting and got better as the summer went on. His ability to produce extra-base hits and get on and use his speed on the bases set the table for the offense, which produced very well. He was the catalyst. Defensively, he improved a ton, and I think he's a sleeper for us to be an offensive-minded second baseman."
Third baseman --
"He was a guy we were surprised dropped to us in the 11th round," Haines said. "He came out and kept hitting and has plus defensive ability at third base. He has power and a right-center-field approach, which fits in his profile really well. Good glove at third, good throwing arm and put together a really good year and really caught our eye. He's probably going to be a fast mover for us."
Shortstop --
"He hit for more power this year than he ever hit for after he made some offseason swing adjustments," Haines said. "A good runner and good athlete who has defensive versatility, did a solid job at shortstop and earned himself another shot in the bigs and got a hot start there."
Honorable mention:
"In a pitchers' park and pitchers' league, his walk rate and his plate discipline improved," Haines said. "He put together a really solid year."
Outfielders
"Everybody's always going to talk about his special power, [but he had] incredible improvement on his defense in left field," Haines said. "He basically was new to it last season [and it] was rough, but this year he put that to rest and showed he can play an average left field and give his bat a chance to be a productive Major League player. He showed the power in Triple-A and was the centerpiece of that offense in Sacramento."
"Heath had a very well-rounded year the whole year. [The injury] hurt his ability to get out on defense as much as we liked, [but he] repeated the year he had in the NWL [in 2016] in the Cal League," Haines said. "It was nice to see him produce this year, especially on the offensive end. He has good plate discipline and hits for average, and his power should develop down the road. He'll give you some value on defense as well."
"Slater had an amazing year in Triple-A, just forced himself into the big leagues," Haines said. "[He has the] ability to get on base, drive the ball and play great defense. He's a good runner for a corner outfielder, can play center and draw walks. Seemed to have a knack for the big hit and did a little bit of everything."
Utility player --
"He's a doubles machine and probably will hit more homers as he plays more and gets more at-bats," Haines said. "He's got good hands and a good throwing arm, and we're trying to make him more versatile. Filled in at first and third just to get his bat in and was really a very pleasant surprise for us. When the Astros released him, we thought we saw something, and he forced us to play him more."
Right-handed starter --
"Shaun's real close to the big leagues. He proved that in Double-A this year and went up to Triple-A and did a great job in a league tough on pitchers," Haines said. "Did a little bit of everything, plus [he's a] competitor, nobody's going to outwork him. It was nice to see him put all four pitches together and produce a good year."
Left-handed starter --
"He did outstanding there in the South Atlantic League in his first full season," Haines said. "A very polished lefty with surprisingly good stuff -- not a soft-throwing lefty. Got some life on his fastball and was able to use that to his advantage when he was able to command his fastball, throwing strikes, competing and able to get deep in the game. We're excited about where he's going to go in the future and maybe surprise some people."
Relief pitcher --
"His first two outings were miserable, because he was scared to pitch in front of people, then he settled in and dominated," Haines said. "Right from Rookie to low-A and had never pitched in a stadium in front of people. Once he got jitters out of the way, he was dominant. You're looking at a fastball up to 99 [mph] and a plus breaking ball. He's a guy who gets a ton of swing-and-miss."
Chris Tripodi is a producer for MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @christripodi.