This is the equivalent of finding a molded, fuzzy chicken McNugget in the back seat of your car after you’ve become trapped in a snow storm. Sweet, nourishing food. Baseball News(tm) is mighty sparse these days. We’ll take what we can get.
Instant reactions to each player:
Nick Noonan, SS – Drafted in the 1st round (32nd overall) of the 2007 draft and since hasn’t done much. He posted a 97 wRC+ in Fresno this past year while playing mostly shortstop. Noonan profiles as a fringy defensive SS and if you can get past his .297 Pacific Coast League batting average — which should be an easy thing to do — you’ll realize that even though he’s only 23-years-old, he’s probably not much of a prospect. But, hey, former first-rounder!
/Brian Sabean opens These_Might_Be_Prospects.xls
/Clicks *sort batting average*
/Adds Nick Noonan to 40-man
Edwin Escobar, P – Escobar, 20, started 22 games for the Augusta Greenjackets this past year and had pretty good results: 2.96 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 3.81 K/BB. I’ll just shut up and say I trust the Giants with pitching.
Jake Dunning, P – Converted college shortstop that had a decent year for the Richmond Flying Squirrels. John Sickels, in 2011, called him a ‘sleeper prospect.‘ Posted a 4.10 ERA in 68 innings pitched to go along with a 7.0 K/9 and a 2.9 BB/9. Dunning is strictly a reliever, as he’s only started 7 career games in the minors. The Giants obviously see a little something here, though, Dunning’s results haven’t been great.
Chris Heston, P – Heston, 24, had an amazing year in AA for the Flying Squirrels. He started 25 games, tossed 148.2 innings, and posted an ERA of 2.24. Heston’s strikeout (8.2 K/9) and walk (2.4 BB/9) rates were modestly acceptable, too. John Sickels recently ranked him as a “C+ prospect” on his 2012 Giants Top Prospect List. Heston’s biggest knock is that he won’t light up a radar gun, but he’s polished and has several solid secondary pitches. Future 5th starter and/or long reliever.
Juan Perez, OF – Juan Perez’s junior college numbers are insane. His AA numbers? Not so insane. Seriously, though, Perez’s year in AA wasn’t terrible — he was actually above league average — but he’s old for a prospect (26) and I’m not sure what else to say.
