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Friday April. 18, 2013

The Augusta Greenjackets are the official low-A team for the San Francisco Giants.

By Jon Schifferle ( Giants Correspondent – visit his own personal website here.)  Follow @jonschifferle

It seems that we are probably far enough into the season to start looking at the farm system and start making some assumptions about players at their new levels.  While it is definitely too early to make big judgments on players, it is always fun to speculate, isn’t it?  

For this article, I will take a look at players at Low-A Augusta, and will look at the other teams later on.  I won’t go over every single player, or else this series of articles could be 20 pages long.  For now I will just take on top prospects and potential breakout candidates.  Let’s take a look into the Giants Low A team to start:

Joan Gregorio Highlights:

Martin Agosta was Drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 2nd round of the 2012 MLB June Amateur Draft from St. Mary’s College of California (Moraga, CA).

Martin Agosta, SP, 2W, 1L, 1.84 ERA, 3GS, 14.2IP, 11H, 5R, 3ER, 0HR, 7BB, 18K’s.

These are definitely encouraging numbers.  Early scouting reports said that he would sit in the low 90’s and could reach back for more, but lost control when he did.  it was also somewhat of a surprise to some to see him taken so early by the Giants.  

Maybe the Giants can help him add a little velocity without losing control? Either way, he is a valuable SP prospect, and can be a quick-to-the-majors prospect as a reliever if starting doesn’t work out.  Either way he should move relatively quickly.  

The Srikeout totals are definitely encouraging, but the walk rate needs to come down, especially for a college guy at low-A.

Chris Stratton was a First Round pick for the Giants in 2012. You can expect to see him, possibly as soon as late 2014 pitching for the Giants.

Chris Stratton, SP, 1W, 0L, .9oERA, 2GS, 10IP, 7H, 1ER, 3BB, 10K’s

These numbers are definitely nice to see out of the Giants 2012 first round pick.  While he isn’t reported to throw too hard, generally low 90’s, he does have some good breaking pitches that he likes to show hitters.  He is another SP that I think the Giants want to mve relatively quickly.

Startton was likely headed to to High-A before a concussion last season.  He also supposedly had a slow spring.  Hopefully he can get there by at least mid-season. 

While these numbers are encouraging, I’d like to see him make a few more starts before I say too much.  He is still a college guy at low-A, and while that’s not all that uncommon, it still isn’t like the hitter friendly California league.  The low walk rate is nice to see as well.  

Joan Gregorio has been an incredible pitcher for the Greenjackets this season. You can see by his size that he will be quite a mound presence.

Potential Breakout Candidate: Joan Gregorio, SP, 2W, oL, 1.06 ERA, 3GS, 17IP, 12H, 3R, 2ER, 1BB, 23K’s.

This is likely the lankiest person in the Giants system.  He was a low risk pickup for the Giants on the international market and is showing some definite potential.  after his disappointing season last year, he really needed to show some results this year to stay relevant.  He still a young guy, and should move relatively slowly through the system.  

All I have to say is wow.  A 23:1 K:BB rate is absolutely incredible.  Not only does the lone walk in 17 Innings show that he has some incredible control, it also shows that he is missing a ton of bats.

Also, at 6’7″ and 180, he should definitely add velocity as he fills out more.  His height also enables him to get a nice downward angle on his pitches, and likely help him get some groundballs.  He is definitely my pick for breakout player of the year.  

While these are not the only prospects at low-A, they are definitely my favorites.  Make sure to check them out if you enjoy prospects.  I will be going over the AA Richmond team next time.

This is what it is all about for the youngsters – being able to head to the Bay and play for the World Champion San Francisco Giants. This is the best ballpark in the Major Leagues.  The Giants now hold the longest active sellout streak in the MLB.

***The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com or their partners***

A big thank-you goes out to Our ‘Giants  Correspondent’ Jon Schifferle for preparing today’s featured article. Jon is a college student that grew up in Northern California and he has been a Giants fan for as long as he can remember.

Two of his greatest memories were going to Game 1 of the 2010 World Series, and Game 2 of the 2012 World Series.  he loves to watch prospects and the draft, and started his own blog called A Giant Perspective here.

Jon loves to write about all aspects of the game.   His dream is to eventually work in baseball in some capacity. Being a West Coast guy, he is able to watch all of the late games out there and have a vast knowledge of the AL and NL West especially.

Feel free to follow Jon on Twitter and talk about the game of baseball  Follow @jonschifferle

Jon is on the left and his brother is on the right.

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