The Giants end their first draft day by selecting C/1B Tommy Joseph out of Horizon HS in Scottsdale, Arizona and 3B Chris Dominguez from Louisville. Let’s check ‘em out.
C/1B Tommy Joseph
- Read MLB.com’s Draft Pofile of Joseph
Joseph’s defense is considered little fringy behind the plate but he might be able to stick at the position if his glove can be at least adequate. The arm strength is there but his lack of mobility brings some concerns. At 18-years-old he’s already 6’1″ and 210lbs — so he could always get bigger. What Joseph can do is hit for power. He’s got good power to all fields and some impressive pull power. He could eventually end up at 1B. Check the video above around 2:30 to see Joseph’s entry in the 2009 Power Showcase at Tropicana Field. There’s no doubt he’s a big kid with some excellent raw power. I’ve heard player comps of Chris Synder, Mike Napoli, and Kelly Shoppach for Joseph. Even with Buster Posey already in the Giants system, this is a pretty nice pick. Joseph’s power potential is a major selling point.
3B Chris Dominguez
- MLB.com Video of Chris Dominguez
If you thought Tommy Joseph was big, you haven’t seen Chris Dominguez. The Lousiville third baseman stands 6’4″, 235lbs and like Jospeh, he’s got great power potential. In three years at Louisville (2007-2009) Dominguez has hit 15, 21, and 25 HR’s. Dominguez comes with some contact issues but he’s made some strides in cutting down his strike outs. He sports a strong throwing arm and good hands, but his range at 3B might not play at higher levels. In short, he’s a lot like Joseph in that he’s a big masher that eventually might have to pick up a first basemen’s mit.
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Quick Thoughts
The Giants have some nice potential (the biggest selling point for most prospects) in Joseph and Dominguez. Before the draft BA had Joseph and Dominguez ranked as the 49th and 85th best overall prospects in the 2009 draft. The Giants picked them up at 55th and 86th overall. So, it looks like the Giants picked them up at the right time. Despite the age difference — Joseph is 18-years-old and Dominguez 22-years-old — they profile as similar hitters. Both have above-average power. At this stage, Joseph probably has a better feel for hitting than Dominguez. Both also might not stay at their current positions. It’s very possible that in the future that they’ll be spending their time at first base.
At the major league level the Giants don’t have a lot of power — their team ISO ranks dead last in the NL — and it’s hard to argue with taking a gamble on some power bats outside of the 1st round. Nice picks by the Giants. It’ll be even nicer if they can stay at their respective positions.
Check out this link for more on Dominguez: http://www.uoflsports.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/dominguez_chris00.html
I’m with you, we need power, and these are two reasonably polished power bats. If they can stay at C and 3rd, they could have some real value. I like Dominguez better than Conor Gillaspie, for example, though I wish we had a better sense of Dominguez’ range at third. Joseph looks like a gamer; love the video starting with him, um, running. So he’s no base stealer. Like his pop, love the HS jock swagger. He’s also Tim Alderson’s HS catcher.
I trust John Barr more and more every year; this looks like another strong draft so far. It’ll look better if we really are able to sign Wagner Mateo next month.
Some notes on a few of our Day Two picks:
Brandon Belt (love the name!) was drafted by the Red Sox as a pitcher. Since then, he switched to first base, and led U of Texas in RBIs. A bit of a project, obviously, since he hasn’t been a first baseman for long, but could develop–suspect we like him at 1B or OF.
Jason Stoffel RH short reliever, was better as a sophomore than as a junior, which is why he dropped to round 4. Good stuff, see if he develops.
Matthew Graham is a HS pitcher with huge upside and screwed up mechanics. Another project.
Nick Liles is from Western Carolina. We drafted him last year, 27th round, but didn’t sign him. He played 2nd, 3rd and CF, fast, good base stealer, made the Cape Cod all-star team. On-base monster in college: .516 OBP his sophomore year in college.
Great summation of the Big Three, Chris. I like the Wheeler pick, he can join the Bumgarner-Alderson train. The two sluggers are a bigger risk, but they seem like smart choices. Another good day for John Barr & Co.
I was planning to surf about and check on our Day Two Crew, but Gf4l “had it covered,” thanks. BCB: your one-stop baseball shopping site!
Awesome stuff GF4L, I was away today on business but it looks like you’ve covered the highlights for today. Thanks!
I don’t like drafting relievers but Stoffel sounds interesting if he can be more consistent with his velo. I also like the Liles pick, good stuff.
Some notes on some of our later picks.
Evan Crawford, R/R OF, played at Indiana. Skinny kid, super fast, put up a .323/.408/.433 his junior year. Those are not impressive numbers in the Big Ten, but he did go 27/32 SB.
Karl Benusa, I can’t find anything about, HS OF with a college commit to Duquesne. Intriguing though, we picked him fairly high, and he’s from PA; northern kids sometimes fall in the draft because they haven’t played as much.
Jeremy Toole, I’ve actually seen play; my cable system gets The Mountain; don’t ask why I watch Mountain West Conference games. It’s late, it’s on, don’t judge me. Anyway, his numbers aren’t great; ERA in the fives, 68/56 K/BB ratio. What I saw was a chunky kid with a live sinker in the low 90′s, not great command.
John Eshleman is a JC SS/OF, doubles power, good speed. Couldn’t find much else.
I’m surprised Jonathan Walsh fell as far as he did. Probably a tough sign; U of Texas is a good program, and a slow bad catcher with no arm could probably use some college seasoning; he can hit, though.
The video on Ryan Cavan was sure strange. He’s slow plate-to- first, and has a weird hitch in his throw. Hope he’s a better hitter than he looked like.
When i look at our draft, i see about fifteen first baseman, some pitching prospects, a few toolsy OF, but not much in middle infielders. Obviously, we’re beating the bushes for bats. That’s okay, but I think we’re going to have a strange looking Summer League team.
One last thought: Wagner Mateo. Have you seen the video on that kid? We may have to go 5 mill or higher to pry him away from the Cardinals, but boy, am I in love.
Few more:
Kyle Mach, S/R C from Missouri put up a .335/.382/.473 in the Big Twelve. Not much power, 0/4 SB, so he’s slow, but also hit 2 triples. How do you do that?
“Steven” Rogers is actually Taylor Rogers, from Tulane. So we drafted a college middle reliever/spot starter with a 4.11 ERA. Why? 36 K’s in 34 innings. ‘Chicks-dig-fastballs’ pick.
Speaking of which, Luke Demko. He was the closer at U of Rhode Island, lefty, 44 K in 33 innings.
We’ve also got a Mormann from Des Moines, a Wasserman hoping he passes his test, and a Biery Kansan. Andrew Biery, specifically, was mostly a SS in college, slugged .557, so we’re looking at him at 3B.