I thought we'd take a break from running down the Giants top 50 prospects and take another peek at the 2012 draft in which the Giants hold the #20 overall pick. Since John Klima has gone on a longstanding hiatus(I hope he's not ill or something, but I wish he'd post some explanation), MLB Draft Guide linked over to the left is now my go-to site for draft information. Matt Grabusky just posted a profile of HS OF Lewis Brinson that has me even more convinced that this is a remarkably deep draft.
Brinson is a toolsy OF with tremendous size, 6'4", 180 lbs. He's got the speed and athleticism to play CF. On top of that, he knows how to play the game. In other words, he's toolsy, without the usually requisite rawness. His most common comp is Dexter Fowler. Not that Fowler has done all that much, but unfortunately for us Giants fans, I think Fowler still has a huge breakout in his future. What really caught my eye was that despite tons of room to fill out his frame, and despite all those tools and athleticism, Brinson won the Under Armour All American HR Derby!
What does this all have to do with the Giants and their 20'th pick? Probably nothing. Their experience with drafting toolsy HS OF's has been uniformly terrible and I doubt they go in that direction even if Brinson is available. But, the other big thing that got my attention is I don't see Brinson listed in most mock drafts and Grabusky has him ranked as his #12 OF. Now, Grabusky says he's definitely going to move him up and that Brinson is a likely first rounder, but in looking at the OF's ranked ahead of him now, moving him up is going to push some mighty good looking prospects down a notch. That doesn't even count what promises to be a remarkably strong SS class and a decent pitching class.
The Giants are going to get a really good player at #20 and probably another really good one in round 2! If it happens to be Brinson at #20, I would be very happy.
In a related note, SS prospect Carlos Correa reportedly unleashed a throw from the hole at the Perfect Game World Showcase that was clocked at 97 MPH!
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5-tool players are my one weakness. Mayo/MLB has him at #29. Cameron Maybin is the other comp used. Fowler has a ton of potential and I think he'll reach it sooner than later as well.
ReplyDeleteI don't think its set in stone what the Giants are going to do, especially the first round. In the past 4 years they a) got lucky with Posey and stepped up with the Brinks truck, b) grabbed a HS pitcher in a pitcher driven draft, c) grabbed an underrated college bat that was heralded pretty quick as a potential steal and d) grabbed an underrated college bat that was seen as a reach that has changed to a potential steal with a great pro-ball debut. The Panik pick is the one that sort of establishes a pattern, but there is no reason to think they won't go for the player they have highest on the board. The only question for me would be the slot money and signability for the HS guys.
We're not going to get Correa. I guess we should start hoping for a big run on HS guys so Victor Roache can drop to us, but I doubt that either. That's the extent of my pessimism, this draft looks very interesting.
I think John Barr and his crew have done a great job scouting the college ranks for guys like Panik who are undervalued and others like Oropesa and Susec who have dropped out of the first round for some reason or another. I really like the way things have gone the last 2 years in the draft and hope 2012 is another year where we do well.
ReplyDeleteI posted under Blackburn's ranking about some inside info between him and my son you guys might want to check out.
Yeah, Brinson would be a nice prospect to add to an overloaded center field prospect field. What kind of an arm does he have, and just how much power does he have I am wondering though?
ReplyDeleteSome of the top HS arms ranked:
ReplyDeletehttp://mlbdraftinsider.com/2012/01/top-twelve-high-school-pitchers/
I'd be happy with any of them but the back end of the list looks like what the Gints will have to choose from. My wife is stressing about schools for the kids, maybe I go for a little spring tour of Harvard Westlake, eh? (They are 4 and 1 at the moment, but the lady is a planner. Nothing like getting concerned daddy points while feeding the baseball addiction, and 2 families in our neighborhood send their brats there)
I like Brinson, Valentin and Alex Bergman as HS 1st round longshot position players. Bergman because you should always look at awards kids win and the past winners - Strasberg, Zimmerman and Ben Sheets in this case - and he reminds me of Posey from the short profile.
That's Alex Bregman, I didn't look close enough. I think the main problem with the 20th pick will be signing bonuses. The only way Correa falls after the green light with perfect game is bonus demands. Say the slot gets raised to 2MM for the 20th pick. Is that enough to lure a Bregman or a Correa? I bet its enough to grab a Valentin or a Brinson most likely, but the really hyped guys, maybe not. Who knows how it'll shake out yet with the total amount pooled for the 10 rounds, so its to early to speculate.
ReplyDeleteSFBall,
ReplyDeleteWell, Brinson did win the HR Derby showcase. Yeah, it's just batting practice, but prior players who participated and did well include Bryce Harper, Tommy Joseph, Dante Bichette Jr., Dan Vogelbach. It's a legitimate power showcase. While it should not be overemphasized, it should not be dismissed either.