San Francisco saw an end to their even year success with a loss in the National League Division Series last season. The Giants finished second in the NL West for a third consecutive year as they finished with a 87-75 record. Although the 3-1 postseason defeat was a disappointment, the team remains aligned for continued success with star power on both sides of the ball. Madison Bumgarner remains under control through the 2019 season, while the game’s best catcher in Buster Posey is signed through 2022.

Despite a number of high-profile acquisitions (Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija), injuries and generally sub-par performance has slowed the Giants’ production over the past season and a half. As the outfield grows older and pitching ages, San Francisco will look internally for consistent efforts. Young names such as Christian Arroyo, Steven Okert and Ty Blach have emerged in the past eighteen months to join former prospects like Joe Panik and Hunter Strickland.

San Francisco Giants Minor League System

The majority of San Francisco’s top prospects are overwhelmingly field players. Christian Arroyo leads the group as he’s already making contributions at the Major League level while outfielders Steven Duggar and Austin Slater do not appear too far behind. Tyler Beede stands atop the rankings as he continues to adapt his game for higher competition. While he lacks the appeal of other top arms through baseball, Beede was among the best in the Eastern League last season.

Lower in the rankings is a slew of right-handed pitchers who follow the teams stereotypical build on the mound. Names likes Joan Gregorio and Dan Slania can be expected to join the higher ranks at some point in 2017 though their ceilings do not project well for long-term contributions. Attention can be focused on the Richmond pitching staff. The Double-A roster carries five names that appear on the list as San Francisco looks to have the answers for their aging starters within their system.

San Francisco Giants Top Prospects

The 2017 MLB Draft is right around the corner and everyone is making their final impression or already have. The college postseason is just getting started and the high school seasons are done or just about done. This year we find a good mix of high schoolers and college draft prospects, but the top 10 is dominated by college players. There are multiple two-way players that are projected to go high in the draft, but will most likely have to choose one or the other. Overall, the 2017 draft class seems to be stronger than the 2016 draft class and the talent level is high almost all the way down the 1st round. Our list is topped by Louisville slugger and pitcher Brendan McKay, followed by another two-way player Hunter Greene. Greene could be the first high school right-handed pitcher ever taken first overall, but it is still up in the air who the Minnesota Twins will take with the pick. The last 5 players on our top 10 are college players, mostly position players. No matter who takes who in the top 10, they are most likely going to like their pick for one reason or another. There are a lot of high-quality players at the top of the draft and should make for an exciting June 12th.

Click Here To View The Top 20 MLB Draft Prospects

Tuesday night featured three separate four-hit performances by a couple of baseball’s top organizational prospects in Ozzie Albies and Jesse Winker, as well as Cuban player Randy Arozarena. Elsewhere, Red Sox first base prospect Sam Travis was called up to show off just how proficient a hitter he really is.

Ozzie Albies

4-5, 1 2B, 1 R, 0 K
From Rookie ball through Double A, Ozzie Albies was gaining significant steam as one of the game’s top offensive up-the-middle prospects. At the time, prior to the acquisition of Dansby Swanson, Albies was a shortstop prospect with offensive upside. – now he’s being groomed at second base. Generally when you’re this type of the player, the buzz will find you. And it did. The Braves bought in and it didn’t take long for Albies to be aggressively promoted from an impressive 82-game run in Double A to Triple-A Gwinnett as a 19-year-old last season.

Albies played his last 52 games of 2016 in Triple A and looked a little overmatched – nothing to bring about serious concern, however. The Braves decided to return Albies to Gwinnett this season and the results had been marginally better but Tuesday night represented a break out for one of the game’s top prospects. Albies collected four hits including a first-inning double from the leadoff spot. The four hits tied a career high in pro ball for Albies to and more importantly might be the start of Albies deciphering Triple-A pitching.

The point here is, Albies worked his way into Triple A as a teenager. The Braves never really gave him a chance to slump. He hit and hit and hit from level to level until he was slowed down, finally, in Gwinnett. At 20, he’ll be able to counter the current game plan on his approach and should be due in the Majors as soon as next season – with performances like Tuesday’s a frequent occurrence.

Top Prospects Of The Day

The Minnesota Twins enter the 2017 draft with three of the top 40 picks. Their farm system is Possibilities flush with talent thanks in part to multiple last-place finishes in the AL Central. While that system has started to bear fruit thanks to the young hitting talent they have drafted and signed in the late aughts, their pitching is arguably the bigger draw. Although these pitchers have yet to reach Triple-A, it’s clear that the Twins have a special staff waiting in the wings. Draft picks Kohl Stewart, Stephen Gonsalves, Tyler Jay and Nick Burdi have a chance to follow 2012 first rounder Jose Berrios and strengthen what was arguably the Twins’ biggest weakness.

Picks on Day 1: 1, 35, 37

With that being said, the Twins still stand to be in a “have your cake and eat it” position, thanks in part to a horrific 2016 and a lower payroll. The Twins own the first overall pick, a competitive balance pick, and the first pick in Round 2. With those three picks, the Twins stand a solid chance of bolstering their farm system with a trio of high-level prospects.

The General Manager: Thad Levine

While this is Levine’s first job as a General Manager, it isn’t his first time in a front office. Before joining the Twins, Levine served as the Assistant General Manager of the Texas Rangers. It was during his time in the Rangers organization that the team departed from a philosophy of exclusively buying expensive free agents and instead opted to develop a hybrid team of free agents and homegrown products. While the Rangers have a better track record with international products including Nomar Mazara, Rougned Odor, and Yu Darvish, their domestic products have value as they have been highly coveted in trades. In their 2016 push for the postseason, they traded top prospect Lewis Brinson and 2014 first rounder Luis Ortiz to the Brewers in a package for Jeremy Jeffress and Jonathan Lucroy. They also traded their first round pick in 2015, Dillon Tate to the Yankees for Carlos Beltran.

Levine comes from an organization that values upside and is willing to take risks, as  However, one has to wonder if that culture followed him to Minnesota. One would think that he would be instrumental in implementing a philosophy he learned in Texas, especially since ownership does not appear to be very “hands on” when it comes to personnel. Still, if we’ve learned anything from watching first-time general managers, its that anything is possible.

Breaking Down The Twins Draft Strategy For 2017

Monday night featured some great performances by 2016 signees and draftee, in Cionel Perez and A.J. Puk, respectively. The headliner on the evening, though, was Jose Marmolejos of the Nationals who vaulted his Double-A team into the lead with a ninth-inning, go-ahead grand slam in a 14-13 slugfest. The homer was his fifth hit on the evening. Elsewhere, in Triple-A, Matt Olson kept on slugging when he homered yet again – his 11th home run this season.

Jose Marmolejos

5-6, 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI
Jose Marmolejos is the Nationals best-kept secret, it appears. For two years in a row, he’s captured the honor of being named the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year. Over the course of the past couple of seasons, this farm has been abundant in talent, so for Marmolejos to emerge as one of its best producers in back-to-back seasons, amidst stellar talent, is saying something serious. This season, yet again, he’s racking up the same kinds of results that got the top nod in the first place. He’s slashing .385/.405/.641 in nine Double-A games – he started the year on the disabled list.

Marmolejos was likely due for his first taste of Triple-A ball if it weren’t for that strained left forearm that cost him much of Spring Training and the start of the season. That robust slash line does represent a 24-year-old man out to reclaim a spot on the 40-man roster that was taken away from him after the team’s tardy signing of then-free agent catcher Matt Wieters.

With that being said, you probably haven’t heard of him, but you are now. On Monday night, Marmolejos went 5 for 6 and smashed his second homer of the season, and drove in five runs – four of which came on a dramatic go-ahead grand slam in the ninth inning to grant the Senators a 14-13 lead.

You don’t see him too high on organizational lists because he is without a “wow” tool. He’s a sold hitter who makes regular contact, but as a primary first baseman, he lacks power and doesn’t contain the frame that convinces you he’ll grow into it one day. He’s athletic enough to be a corner outfielder and he’s got a good chance to be a contributory bench bat with a chance for even a little more.

Top Prospects Of The Day

Clayton Kershaw vs Dexter Fowler. Check out the numbers in the article! He could be a darkhorse play tonight!

For this daily fantasy baseball season, each day we’ll be writing up a group of pitchers and hitters that we’re considering for our cash and GPP lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. We’ll also provide a list of stacks to consider. As with any DFS sport, the advice below is relevant for fantasy purposes. A player or team might be better or worse from a fantasy perspective than they are in real life due to match-up, price, park factor, etc. This is important when constructing a roster.

One thing to remember outside of making sure your guy is in the lineup, is to always check the weather. Always. Make this something that is part of your basic research. Baseball games can get postponed! Your players receive no points from postponed games!

Fanduel Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (5/23/17): MLB DFS Advice

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (5/23/17): MLB DFS Advice

DailyRotoHelp.com wants to help you win a ton of cash while also allowing you to feel like you’re making it yourself. You may not agree with all of our picks, but that’s what makes a DFS player a GREAT DFS Player.

Our daily plays are from a collection of experts and a ton of research that goes into them. We have spent countless hours a day crunching the numbers from a dozen different aspects of each sport and bring you the best options each day.

If you take away from our articles the ability to build your own lineups that’s great! If you are still wanting some help definitely subscribe to our Optimal NBA and NFL DFS, or MLB Lineups for both Fanduel and DraftKings for that added boost! Good Luck and bring home that bacon.

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In baseball, it’s hard enough to make it to the major leagues playing the position you were signed for, let along doing so after shifting from pitching to hitting full time. Nevertheless, some players are talented enough to make the switch, including Jeoff Long, whose possible stardom was derailed by an injury in his early 20s.

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