San Francisco Giants Mid-Season Prospect Report

For an organization that hasn't produced many homegrown players in the past 10 years, 2008 has been a revelation for the San Francisco Giants' minor league system.

The Giants have already seen highly-touted prospects Emmanuel Burriss and John Bowker make contributions this season, and things only look brighter for these two infielders.

And there's more help on the way.

Since 2006, the Giants have made a concrete effort to get considerably younger. While the 2006 draft is paying off in the form of Tim Lincecum, the 2007 additions have made an immediate impact in their first full seasons at the minor league level.

Despite getting off to a horrible start, Giants No. 1 overall prospect 1B Angel Villalona seems to be righting the ship as he gains more experience in the minors. The 17-year-old (yes, 17) has his average up to .240 with 10 home runs and 35 RBI at low Class A Augusta.

Villalona will be participating in the 2008 MLB Futures Game, part of the All-Star festivities at Yankee Stadium.

As the 10th overall pick in last year's draft, LHP Madison Bumgarner (pictured above) had high hopes considering the Giants nabbed Lincecum with the same pick a year before.

He signed too late last season to pitch, but the Giants sent him to low Class A Augusta to start the season. And without throwing a pitch, Baseball America ranked Bumgarner as the Giants' No. 3 prospect.

Bumgarner has lived up to his $2 million signing bonus, going 8-2 with a 1.77 ERA. He has also struck out just over 10 batters per nine innings pitched with a WHIP below one.

Although he was drafted 12 spots behind Bumgarner, 6-foot-7 inch RHP Tim Alderson began his first full season at high Class A San Jose after pitching just five innings in the Arizona Rookie League. Skipping low A hasn't hurt Alderson at all, going 7-3 with a 3.13 ERA in 16 starts.

Both Alderson and Bumgarner were honorable mention picks on Baseball America's midseason All-Star team.

Stealing some of the headlines from Alderson in San Jose has been LHP Ben Snyder, the Giants' No. 21 prospect in Baseball America. Snyder has been dominating Cal League batters, going 8-3 with a 2.00 ERA. In 85.2 innings pitched, the 2006 fourth-round pick has struck out 73 and only walked 18, which earned him a promotion to Double A Connecticut. In two starts with the Defenders, Snyder is 0-1 with a 8.64 ERA.

Outfielder Nate Schierholtz came into spring training thinking he may have a chance to finally stick in the majors after riding the train between San Francisco and Fresno in 2007. However, the Giants' management had other ideas and Schierholtz found himself back at Triple-A for regular playing time.

The 24-year-old has made his case to get regular playing time next season, hitting .290 with 11 HR and 51 RBI, good for second on the team. He also has a .866 OPS.

Another member of the talented Augusta team is 2B/SS Nick Noonan, a first-round supplemental pick in 2007. After a strong showing in the Arizona Rookie League last year out of, Noonan has continued to impress after being ranked the No. 6 prospect in the Giants organization by Baseball America, hitting .302 with four home runs and 48 RBI for the GreenJackets.