A LOOK AT THE GIANTS’ FARM
What does 2023 hold in store for top prospects?
Every spring, the Giants hand out an award to the player who performs the best in his first majorleague camp. It’s named in honor of former trainer Barney Nugent and carries significance because it’s voted on by the players and training staff. This year, the honor went to Casey Schmitt, but in an encouraging sign for the state of the farm system, there were a number of strong candidates.
Schmitt, known for his defensive prowess, also wowed with the bat and made an impression with his quirky personality (he gave an interview to one reporter while sprawled in a laundry basket). Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol, who started in left field at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day, opened more eyes than anybody. Young right-hander Keaton Winn put on a strong showing, while lefty Kyle Harrison remained poised despite taking some lumps.
It was even the first big-league camp for 26-year-old third baseman David Villar, something he felt he had to remind reporters of, probably because his 10 home runs since he was called up last Sept. 2 are tied with Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber for the most in the National League.
“I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised by a lot of our young players over the next 12-24 months,” farm director Kyle Haines said in an interview at the conclusion of spring training. “I think slowly we’ll be able to trickle pieces in, just as we had in the 1224 months in the past.
“Two years ago, who thought we’d be calling Logan Webb an ace, or David Villar a third baseman, or Camilo Doval an All-Star caliber closer? I think we can slowly trickle in more, whether that’s Casey and Bryce (Johnson) and (Sean) Hjelle, or whether it’s other players, we’ll see, but I think we’re in a good position to trickle more pieces in to help the major-league team.”
With Triple-A Sacramento’s season already underway and the rest of the affiliates preparing for Opening Day this week, we’ve compiled the 2023 outlooks for the Giants’ most promising prospects, with a composite of rankings from Base
ball America, MLB Pipeline, Giants prospect expert Roger Munter, The Athletic’s Keith Law and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel.
1. Kyle Harrison, LHP Age: 21
2022 stats (A+/AA): 25 games (25 starts), 4-3, 2.71 ERA, 113IP, 186K, 49BB, .196 AVG
2023 outlook: See him in Sacramento while you can because the De La Salle (Concord) alum likely won’t be there all season. Even with the starting pitching depth on the major-league roster, Giants brass from Farhan Zaidi on down have indicated Harrison, rated the top lefthanded pitching prospect in baseball, could be in San Francisco in short order.
In his first big-league camp this spring, Harrison made three appearances and allowed eight runs in Cactus League action (a 19.64 ERA).
“I think if anything it maybe just shook his nerves a little bit, being able to stand on the mound, stare down hitters that he’s normally seeing on TV,” Haines said.
“I think the biggest growth opportunity was just him shaking the initial exposure to the major-league side without being overexposed.” ETA: 2023 2. Marco Luciano, SS
Age: 21
2022 stats (RK/A+): 227 AB, .269/.350/.467 (.817 OPS), 11 HR, 26 BB, 58 K
2023 outlook: A back injury robbed Luciano of half his 2022 season, after the pandemic sapped him of the entire 2020 season, too. But Luciano arrived in camp looking extra muscular and with a mindset that earned praise from manager Gabe Kapler. Because of the back, which flared up again in winter ball, Luciano was held out of game action until late in spring and won’t report immediately to an affiliate. When he is ready to play nine innings, not far off, Luciano will head to Double-A, and Zaidi said it’s not out of the question that he reaches the big leagues this year.
ETA: 2024
3. Grant McCray, OF Age: 22
2022 stats (A/A+): 488 AB, .289/.383/.514 (.897 OPS), 23 HR, 43 SB, 67 BB, 170 K
2023 outlook: After finishing 2022 at High-A Eugene, that is likely where the track athlete-turned-center-fielder will begin this season. The Giants would like to see him fill out his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame and cut down on his 26% strikeout rate, but the tools are there for him to one day be chasing balls down in Oracle Park’s expansive outfield. Along with 20-year-old shortstop Aeverson Arteaga, Haines said, “a year from now, it wouldn’t surprise me if we were talking about those guys as one and two in our whole organization.”
ETA: 2025 4. Luis Matos, OF Age: 21 2022 stats (RK/A+): 376 AB, .215/.280/.356 (.636 OPS), 12 HR, 11 SB, 28 BB, 66 K
2023 outlook: After a difficult year in High-A, the Giants gave Matos an extended look in major-league camp this spring. Kapler said he wanted to see him “at his best” because “I just haven’t seen him at his best live yet.” Upon being reassigned, Kapler said, “We definitely saw some moments of good.” Matos, who was named the Arizona Fall League’s top defender, rose
in the prospect rankings on the strength of his defense and bat-to-ball skills, showcased in a breakout 2021 campaign. But just because Matos can make contact with a pitch doesn’t mean the Giants want him swinging at it. “Sometimes you have to shrink his zone a little bit because he can put so many balls in play,” Kapler said. “It’s just dialing him in on the pitches that he wants to go after . ... We really want Luis to think about driving the baseball.”
ETA: 2024 5. Casey Schmitt, 3B/SS Age: 24 2022 stats (A+/AA/AAA):
468 AB, .293/.365/.489 (.854 OPS), 21 HR, 3 SB, 48 BB, 120 K
2023 outlook: The plan is for Schmitt to split his time almost evenly between third base and shortstop at Triple-A Sacramento, where he’s already filled out a defensive highlight reel through the first three games of the season. If he continues to hit at Triple-A like he did at Double-A last season, expect Schmitt to be first in line for a call-up when and if a need arises in the infield.
ETA: 2023