One of the “perks” of living three hours east of Pacific Standard is by the time big news hits, I’m well off to snorestown. I am of course referring to signings of Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, and Juan Carlos Perez (thanks Ryan). These signings round out the bunch of draftees I’d most like the Giants to sign.
Posey is the big banana of the bunch, landing a 7.5 million major league contract, which will probably become more common (though apparently not common enough for Aaron Crow) in the years to come. The money doesn’t bother me because 1. It’s not mine, and 2. It makes the team better. The question is how much better? Well, Buster wasn’t my horse in the race. I’d rather have Smoak or Gordan Beckham, but I’m also a complete idiot when it comes to college sports so take that however you like. (In a less cool post, I would say that you can take my draft preferences and Smoak it or bend it, but puns are so passe.) I guess in the end I’m just glad everything got done before the deadline so that we didn’t have to read all those Worried Wandas and Freaking-out Freddies posting internet comments in the tune of “OMG wears Buster POsy I hate Brian Sabien”.
Some scouting reports
Buster Posey has been described by scouts as a gold-glove caliber hitting catcher. He is labeled as athletic, and projects to hit for a high average with good plate discipline. He, however, only has average raw power which is why, despite his power numbers in college, he projects to max out at 20 home runs in the big leagues. He has been compared to B. J. Surhoff and Russel Martin, both very good players. I expect him to start in San Jose next year and finish his year in Connecticut. If things go well, he might even see some major league action in the form of a late season callup.
Brandon Crawford is a very good fielding shortstop who has struggled at the plate in his last year at the plate. At one time he was considered as a possible first round selection. Like Kieschnick, Crawford’s poor performance has caused his stock to fall drastically as his production failed to correspond with his tools. Also like Kieschnick he has poor plate recognition, which leads me to write again: I like this pick for its value and upside, but I don’t have much confidence in the Giants minor league hitting coaches to fix him. I would also love to be wrong and have both Kieschnick and Crawford turn out to be top prospects. I imagine Crawford will start next year in Augusta.
Juan Carlos Perez is a toolsy OF who shattered multiple batting records at Western Oklahoma JC. He’s a relative unknown who came over from the Dominican. One of the reasons he fell this far down the draft was because he overstayed his visa and was subject to deportation. It seems that he’s finally gotten his visa problems straightened out and he will be good to play next year. I find JCP to be the most intriguing pick of the draft. Because of his level of competition and his age (He will turn 22 in November) there is no telling how good this kid actually is.
A thought. Various baseball people have been musing about whether or not Conor Gillaspie should be moved to second. Here’s one reason why it might not happen. It is likely that he will begin next year on the San Jose roster with Nick Noonan who is limited to only second base. There has been some talk that Noonan might be promoted straight to Connecticut but that’s absolutely crazy. Unless Noonan makes huge strides in plate discipline this offseason, sending him to Connecticut is just setting him up to fail. So, it is likely that the San Jose roster next year will consist of Angel Villalona at 1B, Nick Noonan at 2B, Conor Gillaspie at 3B, and Buster Posey at C. That’s a hell of an infield. Madison Bumgarner will also be on that team.
