The Giants are an enigma to me. They are financially well positioned. The stadium is bought and paid for, and the team has no other debt. They have a monster development property across from McCovey Cove in what used to be a stadium parking lot, known as Mission Rock Development, that is about to provide significant cash flow.
Mission Rock Development has been 15 years in planning, changing development partners throughout. Through the real estate meltdown and Covid, the Giants finally teamed with veteran builder Tishman Speyer. The 28 acre neighborhood will eventually have 1,200 apartments, eight acres of parks and 1.7 million square feet of commercial space.
The first residential phase, 283 apartment building (The Canyons), opened in June of last year). There are also four commercial buildings in the first phase, with Visa moving their global headquarters to their 13 story 300,000 square foot complex. They will take occupancy early 2024.
Suffice to say, the Giants have a cash cow, and yet they cannot seem to sign any highly paid free agents. I am not buying that they will not play for SF because of the City. Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland…all have city issues and concerns. Most big cities do. So it has to be something else.
The Giants lost a handful of free agents.
- Joc Pederson
- Alex Wood
- Scott Alexander
- Roberto Perez
- Brandon Crawford
- John Brebbia
- Jacob Junis
- Sean Manaea
None of them were irreplaceable.
This was the year the Giants told their fans, and anyone else who was listening, they were going to go all in. This was the year. They told everyone that they had enough payroll room to sign both Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. We know how that turned out.
Okay, there were still enough high quality free agents that the Giants could sign to make a difference. I always thought that SF was the perfect spot for Cody Bellinger. He could roam CF better than anyone they have, and he would probably lead the league in triples.
Nope! Instead, on 12/14/23, they go out and overspend on 25 year old Korean CF, Jung Hoo Lee. Lee is a terrific bat to ball skills player, with limited power, especially at Oracle. We will have to see how his surgically repaired ankle fares in that expansive CF. MLBTradeRumors predicted Lee would sign 5 years and $50MM. Instead, they signed him to a 6 year $113MM deal.
Most reports I have seen say that Ha Seong Kim was a better hitter coming out of Korea than Lee. Kim was a non-factor his first year with San Diego. Although he has had back to back excellent seasons with the Padres. The issue is that Kim signed a 4-year $28MM deal with a mutual option for a 5th year vs. Lee’s extravagant largesse. Comparisons have been drawn between the KBO and AA level baseball.
On 12/23/23, SF signed backup catcher Tom Murphy. Murphy was an excellent backup catcher to Cal Raleigh in Seattle. He is certainly an improvement over Joey Bart, who has zero options remaining, and last year’s Rule 5 draft, Blake Sabol.
On 01/05/2024, the Giants engineered a trade with Seattle that will be more of a benefit to the Giants in 2025 and 2026 than 2024. They traded Mitch Haniger back to Seattle with RHSP Anthony DeSclafani in exchange for LHSP Robbie Ray. Ray is rehabbing from May 2022 TJ surgery. He will not be available until the second half. And he will probably be on an innings limit thru the end of the season.
On 01/18/2024, the Giants signed hard throwing RHP, Jordan Hicks, to a 4 year $44MM contract. What is odd is that the Giants are going to move Hicks back to the rotation, where he has not been very good whenever attempted. I am predicting right now that Hicks will end up back in the bullpen.
There is still time in the offseason, but one would think that the Giants would go all in on LHSP Blake Snell. His price may come down to where the Giants will sign him. The Giants have actually been fairly successful with improving mid rotation starters. Maybe the Giants look to add Michael Lorenzen or Mike Clevinger to fill out the rotation. LHSP James Paxton?
Jordan Montgomery remains a free agent, but it is not very likely at all that he will come out west. Cody Bellinger needs to get off his asking price, but is probably too late for SF to sign him. The other remaining top free agent linked to SF is 3B, Matt Chapman. He makes perfect sense for SF. J.D. Davis is the incumbent 3B, but he could be moved to the bench or packaged in a trade. There are no true prospects ready to assume 3B in their MiLB system. The QO is undoubtedly hurting Chapman.
The Giants have lots of payroll space for this year, but next year Michael Conforto ($18MM), Ross Stripling ($12.5MM), Alex Cobb ($8MM), and J.D. Davis ($6.725MM) will all be off the payroll.
As of right now, the Giants roster looks:
1B – LaMonte Wade, Jr.
2B – Thairo Estrada
3B – J. D. Davis
SS – Marco Luciano
LF – Michael Conforto
CF – Jung Hoo Lee
RF – Mike Yastrzemski
C – Patrick Baily
DH – Wilmer Flores
Bench:
C – Tom Murphy
INF/OF – Brett Wisely
OF – Heliot Ramos
OF – Austin Slater
Starting Rotation:
Logan Webb – RHP
Ross Stripling – RHP
Kyle Harrison – LHP (22 year old rookie)
Jordan Hicks – RHP
Keaton Winn – RHP (26 year old rookie)
Relievers:
Camilo Doval – RHP
Tyler Rogers – RHP
Taylor Rogers – LHP
Luke Jackson – RHP
Ryan Walker – RHP
Sean Hjelle – RHP
Erik Miller – LHP
Tristan Beck – RHP
RHSP Alex Cobb, had surgery to repair the torn labrum in his left hip on Oct. 31. The 36-year-old right-hander now has five anchors in his hip. He hopes to begin his throwing program very soon. He expects to be fully returned to the rotation at the All Star Break. With Cobb and Ray both due back in the 2nd half of 2024, their rotation will be improved. But they could sure use a pitcher with the ability of Blake Snell.
As of right now, the Giants #2 SP is Ross (Dodgers going full villain mode) Stripling. The Giants were #26 in team OPS, #27 SLG, #24 OBP, and #28 BA, and have done nothing to significantly improve…yet. J.D. Davis was the Giants’ top RBI producer (69). Wilmer Flores was the sole Giants hitter with more than 20 HR (23).
The Giants are in a much better position to improve more than any other team in the NL West. If they do not find the ability to spend on their roster, they will be more in a position to be holding off Colorado for the bottom of the Division rather than challenging Arizona and San Diego.
Maybe the Giants players should just shut up about the Dodgers, and maybe SF management should spend more time in trying to improve their roster rather than promoting a Mickey Mouse Hat giveaway event on June 30 with the Dodgers in town. Just another way for the second division Giants fans to rub in that the Dodgers have not won a full season WS since 1988. The 2020 WS is often referred to as a Mickey Mouse Championship. I think that will go as well as the San Diego Jumbotron Video of Clayton Kershaw last year. Funny I do not hear any trolling of the Giants by LAD personnel. Obviously the Dodgers are in the Giants head.
Next – Arizona
Way too early predictions have the Dodgers favorites to win it all.
The West will finish looking very much like it did last year. The O/U for LA wins will be at or over 100 again and on January 20th I will take the over.
The Mickey Mouse hat giveaway shows how clueless they are. The Dodgers are in LA and the Angels are a stones throw from Disneyland yet claim to be in LA. And they fell for it!
I think every team should wear Mickey ears when the Angels play them to remind THEM of where Anaheim is.
Giant fans should be embarrassed by that pathetic projected lineup.
Dodger fans should sit back and laugh at the embarrassment.
F em. They’ll finish 20 games+ behind us.
Pretty much all that needs to be said.
San Francisco is dying. Yes, other cities have issues, but the Giants Stadium is all too close to the cesspools. The SoMa District (where Oracle Park is located) is not bad (although it is declining), but you have to walk through some very sketchy stuff, smells, and harassment (at best). Half of the Downtown buildings are vacant. Don’t dare and park your car in an unguarded spot. To me, it just smells of death and dying, and you don’t feel safe. My wife is from SF, and 30 years ago, 20 years ago, and even ten years ago, it was a wonderful city. While maybe not as bad as some of the other bigger cities, the contrast between what it was and what it is is very stark. My wife’s family has slowly migrated out of the city, and many are now migrating out of California. It is an expensive, depressing, dying city that makes us very sad when we go there. If I were a free agent, you’d have to overpay me a lot to consider SF.
— Just my opinion.
As opposed to Indianapolis which is on nobody’s list of cities to visit?
San Francisco has taken some lumps but it’s still a beautiful city and is on the rebound.
The Giants would to sign all three to have a shot at the playoffs. Bellinger, Chapman and Snell! That projected starting lineup is pathetic!
True. So don’t buy tickets to any giants games while in San Francisco.
Mark is wrong:
South of Market, or SoMa as we know it is a thriving neighborhood in San Francisco conveniently located near some of SF’s best cafes, performing arts, and restaurants. Those who want to live in the Heart of The City will be rewarded with many delicious bites, hidden gems, and easy access to public transit.” January’23
From Redditt:
You see, Mark, by articulating those things which are demonstrably true and are an accurate reflection of reality, you’re putting Badger’s entire belief system at risk. So, predictably, he responds aggressively and rudely and, importantly, erroneously.
Badger doesn’t live in reality. He lives in his own echo chamber of perpetual virtue.
I kind of like this guy’s YT videos. I think he takes his time and delves into baseball subjects in a pretty fair and comprehensive way.
Mark’s and Patche’s comments are all too reminiscent of what all too often snook into Mark’s blog.
Where’s a cop when you need one?
Mark wasn’t rude (I thought Badger was). I don’t think I was, either (maybe a little unnecessarily direct, yes), and Mark’s initial comment was entirely baseball relevant and related to the original post about the Giant’s woes and not in any way inappropriate.
If you feel the comment about the state of San Francisco and its effects on the state of the Giants is uncomfortable to you, then don’t participate in the conversation, certainly don’t add unnecessary kindling that adds negative fuel to it, and don’t ask for a police officer to intervene when you cause it go off the rails.
If you can’t have a civil conversation about topics you might find triggering from some reason, it’s not up to the authorities to protect you from your own lack of emotional control.
I’ll let Chronicles readers decide for themselves on the merits of what we say.
Passive-Aggressive Alert!
Smear those who dare disagree!
Smear? Not my intent.
Passive-Aggressive? That’s a label and therefore weak.
Mark, you had a very successful blog and to have so much success it was obviously a very good one. I came and left several times. When it stayed on a topic I did not want to expose myself to, I left and when it came back to topics I wanted to be a part of, I came back. You also had a few participants that I didn’t want to be part of so I stayed away because of that.
Playing snooker I reckon
At this point in time, which is implicit in Mark’s point, I would take ANY city in the heartland of the U.S. over San Fransisco. Is there a human feces map app for Indianapolis? There is for S.F. Are there areas of Indianapolis where people parade proudly while naked? There is in S.F. Then there are the state income taxes, housing prices (beyond crushing in S.F.), and the general cost of living in California.
Yes, I would take Indiana over California (at this point in time) 10 times out of 10.
Jeez. I mean San Francisco is still amongst the most beautiful cities with high capital earners and drives a lot of the US economy.
Are there social issues? Sure. It’s at a social low.
But it’s full of super-smart people with almost unlimited resources.
It’ll be back and glorious very soon. Just need to get rid of the lunatic leaders (which could be said for many cities on both right and left leaning.)
From 5,000 ft it is a beautiful city. California is a beautiful state. I love to visit, and I do it often… but I have no desire to live there… and many people share my sentiment as they are leaving en mass.
I realize that people have different perspectives and objectives. My home in Indy is a cool million dollars, but in SF or LA, it would be $5 Million for 3.5 acres – 6,474 sq ft and a 2,600 sq/ft two-story separate office and mother-in-law quarters. I am good here – I’ll visit there a lot!
Yeah, this conversation’s direction (the future of cities, work, wealth aggregation and remote work) is probably NOT one for this board.
Indy has slipped in the past three years as well. I have said that it recently has turned into a shithole in places. I disagree that SF is on the rebound. It hasn’t hit rock-bottom yet… and I have been there a lot. No less than seven of my wife’s relatives who all live in the Bay Area are in the process of moving to Indy since they came to my son’s wedding last fall. Three others moved to Tennessee last year and four more are moving… they just don’t know where. My wife’s ex-husband and his wife live in Sonoma and have their house for sale. My step-daughter (his daughter) lives here and of course that is part of the reason why he is moving, but he says that he can no longer afford fire insurance. He has his house for sale for $1.6 million and is able to buy a home with his equity (assuming he can sell it) and have no mortgage and get this… It’s a lot bigger and better house. SF is really bad!
Reddit? Your wife’s family is moving to Indianapolis?
Come on man!
Three have moved to Tennessee, and four others are in the decision-making process. Seven more are definitely moving here.
How often have you been here?
Twice. Just passing through.
I don’t want to stretch this out any further. I know you Mark, and you know me. You’re a conservative guy, in a conservative town, in a conservative state. I’m from California, made my home in Northern California for years. Spent a lot of time in the Bay Area. Being conservative I know the life style there is something you likely abhor. A lot of it obviously is not for me either, but I have always said, to each his own. Not my business.
Maybe I overreacted to your nasty description of a city I happen to think is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever been to. For that I’ll just say sorry, and I still believe SF, like a lot of cities that fell on hard times, is on its way back.
Let’s once again just agree to disagree and move on.
We good?
Well… I was deliberately not being political, and I know we cannot go down this road. That’s all I can say now.
We good.
Even KNBR hosts rag on the city, noting how many “drifters” they pass on the way in to work.
Hello Mark
cant agree with you about SF. Yes there are certainly issues with homelessness but I did 4 days / nights in a row watching the Dodgers there, walking from Union Square to the Stadium and back, without encountering the slightest bit of unease.
Infact I had some really good banter with the
Scalpers I was buying from. At no time did I feel uncomfortable or notice anything worse than any other city where I’ve seen the Dodgers play. It is also a lovely stadium ( much better than Candlestick).
18 months ago I walked to and from the same area to see Golden State in the Playoffs w
ith exactly the same result. Nothing of note.
i even stayed in the Tenderloin, and yes there are a lot of homeless begging on every corner, but nothing to make you feel uncomfortable – all fairly good humoured.
in fact I was more disappointed with the swathes of homeless people in LA, large encampments of them on slithers of land between roads, not something I’d witnessed on previous visits.
im just in the process of moving home from Watford into central London and there’s more homelessness than I’ve seen before due to the vast amount of Asylum seekers we have here.
However, just like my experience of SF, it isn’t intimidating or scary, more sad and disappointing.
Unfortunately due to the rising cost of living, it is a problem that is only going to grow.
Personally, I don’t see San Francisco being much different to many other major city around the world.
The facts say otherwise!
Since 2018, I have been to SF on 13 occasions, usually for about a week at a time, and the “eye test” tells me otherwise. The Eye test tells me the same about NYC, and the “eye test” tells me that Indy is headed down the same path… we are just a little further behind in the decline. My wife lived in SF for 30 years and loved it. She is now appalled at what she sees.
Yes, LA is bad – Sun City and other areas of homeless squatter are appalling and then there are areas like Valencia where they don’t allow it. If SF is so nice why does this happen:
Yahoo News
Maybe there are other reasons why suddenly Free Agents don’t want to come to SF!
Here’s another article: San Francisco could be in a “doom loop” (yahoo.com)
Eye test? You, of all people, talking about an eye test?
There is an excellent article written in The New Yorker last October about what is really going on in San Francisco. It’s written by a man with vision talking to people in the area who also have vision.
“The idea that San Francisco is an exceptionally dysfunctional city has stuck in the popular imagination so much that the idea itself has become nothing more than a political tool.”
And there you have it.
Ha, Ha. So, should I not believe my lying eyes?
I am not going to be pulled into a political discussion, but to buy into what that article says, I have to take leave of my facilities. If it is not dysfunctional, why did they have to spend weeks cleaning it up before Xi showed up?
Consider this:
APEC San Francisco: Chinese-Language Media Call City ‘Ruined’ (sfstandard.com)
I know when I am getting near the truth when you get mad!
Misinformation bugs me, it’s true.
Mark, I think the area where I disagree with you is on the importance of all this to the potential signing of new players.
Said players will have no interest in the homelessness, drug problems, urban decay or even Political issues of San Francisco as they will be living in a beautiful Gated Community as far from City Dwelling as you can get.
it will not touch them or effect them
or their families in any way.
Where do all the Dodger players live? It won’t be in the poorer areas of LA for sure. San Francisco is one of the very best cities in the world, in one of the best Countries in the world
it is more likely that the elite players that have signed elsewhere are doing so because they have the luxury of choices, and currently SF is a very long way from contending meaningfully for some time.
i doubt it has anything to do with perceived local problems.
Thanks for bringing this back to baseball Watford.
I have specifically kept it about baseball and a possible reason players don’t come to SF, but I can see that facts don’t matter, so I am done talking about it.
MLB player calls SF a ‘bad city’ amid Giants’ free agency struggles (clutchpoints.com)
LA is not bad at all, I find the city amazing. It has great museums, architecture, tech and culture. Great, great, great food too.
Sure there are homeless. Sure petrol is over-priced. Sure the mayor could be stronger and the city and county board could be expanded.
But it’s full of smart people. It does a TON of a lot for the country and has lots of interesting political thinkers.
And some of the worst drivers in the entire United States. I was born there, and I would never move back. Despite the great food and other stuff, the entire city is way too expensive for anyone but the upper middle class and the elite rich to afford. Go to the less affluent neighborhoods, they are an eyesore.
Not an eyesore, anymore.
Gentrification is everywhere, bear.
Two rhymes!
You obviously have not traveled to Hollywood Blvd, which is not only an eyesore but an embarrassment to the city. The LA strip, which includes parts of Carson, Lomita and Harbor City, where homeless camp right on the overpass, or perhaps you would love to take a stroll where my sister works on skid row. Trash is everywhere. You can nitpick and find good in almost every major city. But you will find garbage, graffiti, and general filth almost everywhere you go in LA county except where the affluent live. I was just there and saw it with my own eyes.
No offense, but you are nitpicking and that’s beyond false. There are INDEED streets which have more homeless than others. But your comments about graffiti and general filth are inane.
The mayor (who I didn’t expect much of) has done enormous work getting the homeless off the streets (nearly a third, I believe.)
But on a much larger scale than specific streets or the couple of streets that constitute Skid Row, other neighborhoods like Long Beach, Carson, Compton and Boyle Heights which used to be awful are now up and coming neighborhoods.
This is not to say that mental health is a major issue. Nor that zoning lines are out-dated, NOR that gentrification doesn’t have its issues.
Hader to the Cheaters, 5 years for 95 million. There bullpen is loaded again. some great arms at the back end . At least Hader did not sign wth a NL team.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There is a pretty good chance that before the 2024 season is over, the Dodgers will call a Kopp and Hurt someone.
See what I did there?
You have a Knack for it.
Nice
What about Frasso?
Frasso is on a starter track, but that is subject to change if he can’t go deeper in games.
Could he possibly relieve this year then be moved into the rotation?
YES!
(moved to below)
The backend of their bullpen is loaded, but they lost over 200 bullpen innings with players who are either out for the season or gone.
All I know about San Francisco is that driving a big rig in the bay area is a total nightmare. The Giants are not going to be a threat to the Dodgers. Arizona maybe. The Padres have lost a lot too and have not really replaced any key players. The Dodgers will have one of the best starting lineups in the game, but I do not care much for the bench. Jeter Downs DFA’d by the Yankees.
Driving a car in that city can be a nightmare. I used to take the Ferry in from Vallejo, then walk or cab around the city. Easy peasy. If going to a game it wasn’t that difficult to get to the stadium going over on 80
Spent a week in NYC pre holiday this year and to my eye test the city is bouncing back from 2 years ago. The energy and mojo is back. Streets and subways cleaner. Went to a late night Chris Botti show at the Blue Note and to avoid the $75 late night Uber rip offs, we took the subway and felt perfectly safe. Much less store front vacancies and the pastrami and rye at Katz’s never better!
NYC has started back on track. I lived there in 1974, and it was not good, but then over the years, it turned into a shithole. Under Giuliani and Bloomberg, it came all the way back to its glory years. My oldest son lives in Brooklyn, so I go there frequently.
When I was driving long haul, I went to NYC several times and even had a delivery in Brooklyn. Not easy with a 53 foot refer. Unfortunately, most of our deliveries were to the produce market at Hunt’s Point. Which means, you drive through the worst part of the Bronx. Always crowded with the small city delivery trucks and surrounded by a 25-foot wall topped with barbed wire to prevent theft. Oh yeah, you had to pay 40 bucks to enter just to make your delivery. The one redeeming factor is that there is a deli inside that is one of the best I have ever eaten at. Getting the hell out of there and NYC on a Monday morning was a bitch.
I had a delivery next to old Candlestick Park. Was a nightmare getting in there. I was heading south leaving, so that was just a little easier. Worst cities to drive in??? Detroit, a total toilet, NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, got trapped under the EL there, Houston, traffic is terrible. Outside of SF, the bay is not all that bad. Oakland is a toilet too. The layout of Salt Lake City can be confusing. But once you figure it out, it isn’t too bad. Seattle has certain areas where they have industrial parks. Chicago is also bad to navigate as several of the overpasses are very old and not where a 13’6″ trailer can go.
Nice summary Jeff.
The Giants current lineup is patchwork and resembles a AAA team. I don’t think any position player on the Giants could start on the Dodgers. And probably only Webb, Doval, and Rogers could make the Dodgers MLB staff. I also agree that the signing of Lee seems like a big overpay. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them sign either Bellinger, Chapman, or Snell as they could use all three of them. But they are all Boras clients and some reports say that Snell and Bellinger are seeking $240 million contracts. I don’t blame the Giants for passing on those prices, but they will need additions to even compete for a wild card.
Belli is running out of options. He is going to most likely have to drop his price some.
Yes, Belli had a nice bounce-back season, but he didn’t come close to his old MVP form. I hope he stays with the Cubs.
Chapman to the Giants makes sense. And I suspect that the Grandson of the Wind will prove good enough to bat near the top of the order while covering that huge centerfield. The Giants sure could use a star.
The Giants pretty much had a no-name lineup when they won 107 games.That is a team of overachievers, unlike the stars of San Diego.
Jeff, I saw a video on X of Dodger prospect Jaron Elkins, and outfielder drafted out of high school. Will he be playing in AZ this summer? Kid has a great swing.
Oh, I do have one final parting shot on how the SF Giants’ free agency efforts are impacted by San Francisco’s crime and homeless issues:
This quotes Buster Posey, who is an Owner of the Giants and obviously a Giant-Hater (Sarcasm alert):
— From The Mercury News Buster Posey says SF Giants’ Shohei Ohtani pursuit harmed by city (mercurynews.com)
So, before some moron says, “But Crime is down in the Bay Area.” Yeah, the police do not arrest shoplifters, the police are stretched thin due to nobody wanting to be a cop anymore, and the DA refuses to charge many, so yes, crime is down, “statistically speaking.” Figures don’t lie, but liars figure!
Is Buster Posey a Liar and an Idiot? In my mind, he is speaking truth!
Thought you were done.
please see my response above
You know what happened to my son-in-law. Maybe you had some dealings with cops during your troubles. My experience with the entire justice system is that justice has never been the goal. Cops get paid more than teachers. They don’t arrest drug dealers or homeless criminals because there’s no money in it. It’s all about felony convictions. That’s where the money is.
Some of this is addressed in that article I referenced. Crimes going on around the corner and 4 cops sitting having coffee making excuses.
As for what Posey said, I call bullshit. The giants drew full houses when they were winning. The 49ers, and Warriors don’t have problems landing players.
As for what you just said, I call bullshit!
Which part?
Me?
They don’t have problems because they over-pay them!
I do feel bad about your son-in-law. My book will chronicle what happened to me. Some cops and judicial systems are bad. All of the ones I was involved with are DEAD! I did not do it. Karma is a bitch!
Yeah well, hopefully karma goes to work in Denver.
Denver is another toilet. I avoid going as much as possible.
I think he may start back there, or not… but he could go to RC.
I saw the same video Yes, I think he starts in Arizona. If he does well, he could get a promotion to RC. Arizona starts games in June.
I cannot even project these young guys. Maybe Jeff can…
Just read Dalton Rushing, Nick Frasso, Jose De Paula and Thayron Liranzo all showed up, higher than Busch on the new Baseball Prospectus Top 100 Prospect List.
Thanks Jeff. They said he is an uber athlete, whatever that is.
It means having the specified property to an extreme or excessive degree, designating a person or thing that exceeds the norms or limits of its kind or class. In this case it means he can run fast and jump high. But can he hit a breaking ball?
Kid in Trouble With the Curve couldn’t. He seems to have a nice smooth level swing though.
Does anyone have the new Dodgers prospects rankings from publications that make people subscribe to see it? If so, can you share them here please?
Baseball Prospectus Top 22:
1. Dalton Rushing, C (#36 top 100)
2. Josue De Paula, OF (#48 top 100)
3. Nick Frasso, RHP (#67 top 100)
4. Thayron Liranzo, C (#70 top 100)
5. Michael Busch, 2B/OF
6. River Ryan, RHP
7. Kyle Hurt, RHP
8. Andy Pages, OF
9. Diego Cartaya, C
10. Payton Martin, RHP
11. Justin Wrobleski, LHP
12. Joendry Vargas, SS/3B
13. Gavin Stone, RHP
14. Trey Sweeney, SS
15. Kendall George, CF
16. Eduardo Quintero, OF
17. Maddux Bruns, LHP
18. Ronan Kopp, LHP
19. Jake Gelof, 3B
20. Austin Gauthier, Utility INF
21. Landon Knack, RHP
22. Hyun-Seok Jang, RHP
Baseball America Top Ten:
1. Michael Busch, 2B/OF
2. Dalton Rushing, C (#50 top 100)
3. Gavin Stone, RHP (#82 top 100)
4. Andy Pages, OF (#96 top 100)
5. Nick Frasso, RHP (#97 top 100)
6. Josue De Paula, OF
7. Kyle Hurt, RHP
8. River Ryan, RHP
9. Diego Cartaya, C
10. Maddux Bruns, LHP
I will report LAD top 30 for Baseball America when they are published.
I will report when Fangraphs, MLB.com, ESPN, Athletic, Prospects Live, Bleacher Report all publish their top LAD prospects. I will also report them on my site under Top Prospects.
Thank you very much Jeff and I’m looking forward to the others.
Yes, thanks Jeff…
The all-prospect team:
C–Rushing, Cartaya, Liranzo
1B–TBD (maybe Rushing)
2B–Gauthier
3B–Geloff
SS–Jeondry Vargas, Sweeney
OF–De Paula, Pages, Kendall George, Quintero
And all those pitchers…
These lists had to be compiled before Jackson Ferris joined the Dodgers, and he is said to be Top Ten on the Dodgers. And I guess we can put Liranzo at DH.
Question: Should the Dodgers get a veteran to serve as a back-end starter, or should Stone, Knack, Frasso and Ryan compete for the job. We can add Wrobleski, a lefty, to the group.
Dodgers seem intent on hold Buhler off and easing him back into the rotation. So at the start, perhaps it will be Yamamoto, Glasnow. Miller and Sheehan. Having two openings (in a six-man rotation) could allow for an interesting competition.
MLB.com has published their top 10 catcher prospects. The #1 (Ethan Salas, San Diego) and #2 (Samuel Basallo, Baltimore) catcher prospects, are both teenagers who reached AA at the end of 2023. Salas is the Padres top prospect, and Basallo is the O’s #2 prospect behind uber prospect Jackson Holliday.
The Dodgers have two top ten catcher , prospects. Diego Cartaya (22), who reached top 10 overall and #2 catcher prospect, dropped to #10 MLB.com catcher prospect, and out of top 100. The 2nd LAD catcher prospect is Dalton Rushing (23). He is the #5 catcher prospect and is in the top 100 for both Baseball Prospectus (#36) and Baseball America (#50). He is the LAD top prospect.
Two 2023 catcher draft picks reached the top 10 catchers. Boston’s Kyle Teel is #5, and KC’s Blake Mitchell is #7.
9 of the top 10 catchers remain from 2023 in some order. The one newcomer is the Cubs Moisés Ballesteros (20). Ballesteros, who also reached AA, replaced NYM catcher prospect Kevin Parada.
The Top 10 (ETA)
1. Ethan Salas, Padres (2025)
2. Samuel Basallo, Orioles (2025)
3. Jeferson Quero, Brewers (2024)
4. Harry Ford, Mariners (2025)
5. Kyle Teel, Red Sox (2025)
6. Dalton Rushing, Dodgers (2025)
7. Blake Mitchell, Royals (2027)
8. Moises Ballesteros, Cubs (2026)
9. Edgar Quero, White Sox (2025)
10. Diego Cartaya, Dodgers (2025)
Maybe the Giants need to hire Boras to create a brochure that sells SF with the same enthusiasm as he does for his clients.
SF is not a hitters park. They should be trying to recruit pitchers and defenders with the defenders having speed and ability to hit doubles. Pitching and defense and pesky offense.
Sometimes I feel like some are cup-half-full people and some are cup-half-empty type people. Based on which one we are we tend to see what supports that feel. I also think that based on the issue people that were half full types can be half empty types. That’s where introspection becomes useful.
Down the lines are pretty close at Oracle. 339 to left, 309 to right. Sure expands out from there. A lot of doubles to be had there
That is where Bellinger would lead the league in triples.
He might be a great fit there.
The Grandson of the Wind will lead the league in triples.
I knew when I wrote the article on the Giants that I was running a risk. I was hoping that everyone would comment on the Giants and not the City. I think everyone has stated their opinion on the status of San Francisco as a City. None of us are going to change whatever ails any city. It is a lightning rod topic to be sure. Everyone has said their piece. So can we now just get back to Baseball?
Thank you!
You’re welcome.
Mark started it. You should send him to his room. 😉
Take him to the train station .
Good one Dodgerfan.
Yep.
BS, if I was out of line, kick me out!
There’s no banning here. Just say you’re sorry, you’ll never do it again, write a check to the SF Chamber of Commerce and all we be forgiven.
But, I am not sorry! I said nothing wrong.
I think it spiraled because of the lack of major free agents wanting to go there and the fact that there was a story or two saying players did not like the city itself. A Dodger fan was attacked and killed there several years ago after leaving the ball park. So safety has been a question, but there have been plenty of incidents at Dodger Stadium also,
Makes me appreciate the small town life where the population is about 2000, with no stop lights. My advice is turn on the NFL playoff games.
I live in a town of 15,000. A few stoplights. I do not watch the NFL anymore. But I am working on some posts for this site!
I live in county of about 4 million, there’s stop lights every few hundred yards, helicopters and sirens all day and most of the night, but the health care is good and the vegetarian restaurants are great. I do miss Sedona.
It seems like only yesterday that it was the Dodgers that were said to be the team with the best catchers in their system.
Check this out!!!
He’s the goods.
San Francisco doesn’t seem to be a problem for Warriors or 49ers
They are also working on bringing soccer to the area. There are a couple of plans in the works.