Stock Up, Stock Down for San Francisco Giants' Top 10 Prospects for Week 10

The San Francisco Giants' top prospects have been riddled with injuries this season, but the ones who have stayed healthy have put up overall solid numbers—for the most part. As we approach the halfway mark of the minor league season, let's check in on those top prospects to see how this past week has treated them.

10. Clayton Blackburn

2014 Stats

8 GS, 2-5, 3.40 ERA, 9 BB, 32 K, 42.1 IP

Overview

Clayton Blackburn hasn’t pitched since Aug. 19 due to a “side injury,” but he’s only on the seven-day disabled list, so it doesn’t appear to be of serious concern. The real issue has been Blackburn’s performance as of late, as he’s allowed 23 hits and 10 earned runs over his last 15.1 innings, a span of three starts.

He’ll look to get back on track when he comes off the disabled list, which presumably won’t be too far from now.

Last Week’s Stats

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9. Joe Panik

2014 Stats

61 G, .322/.386/.435, 10 2B, 3 HR, 33 RBI, 43 R

Overview

Joe Panik started off the season on a roll at Triple-A Fresno, and he kept right on going last week, stringing together multiple hits in three of his five games and scoring a run in all but one of them. He also continued his trend of solid plate discipline, drawing an even three walks along with three strikeouts.

It’s promising to see one of the Giants’ top hitting prospects enjoying so much success at the highest level of the minors, and it will be interesting to see if that translates to the majors later in the season.

Last Week’s Stats

7-for-22, 2 2B, 5 R

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8. Ty Blach

2014 Stats

11 GS, 3-3, 2.97 ERA, 11 BB, 34 K, 57.2 IP

Overview

Ty Blach has certainly been trending downward lately, allowing three runs in back-to-back starts while failing to pick up a quality start, though he hasn’t done anything alarmingly wrong to show that he isn’t suited to be pitching at Double-A, and he has still put up fantastic overall numbers this season. Remember, this is only Blach’s second season in the minors, and he’s dominating in a very tough league.

The left-hander out of Creighton certainly has a very bright future ahead of him.

Last Week’s Stats

1 GS, 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

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7. Heath Hembree

2014 Stats

23 G, 0-1, 10 SV, 4.09 ERA, 9 BB, 26 K, 22 IP

Overview

Heath Hembree had a disastrous outing the week before this past one, but he settled down to throw 2.1 scoreless innings to open up the month before allowing a solo shot in an inning of work a few days later. His ERA isn’t quite as pretty as it used to be, but Hembree is still the team's closer of the future and his stuff is still just as nasty as it’s always been.

Last Week’s Stats

2 G, 3.1 IP, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

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6. Christian Arroyo

2014 Stats

31 G, .203/.226/.271, 3 2B, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 10 R

Overview

Christian Arroyo still has yet to recover from a sprained thumb that sidelined him back on May 10, and he’s probably eager to get back on the field given his slow start to the season. Hitters typically experience some growing pains going from rookie ball to Single-A, so it’s nothing to be alarmed about, though general manager Brian Sabean will certainly be looking for some improvement considering the hefty investment he made in Arroyo during the first round of the 2013 draft.

For now, we’ll have to wait until the San Jose shortstop makes a full recovery.

Last Week’s Stats

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5. Mac Williamson

2014 Stats

23 G, .318/.420/.506, 7 2B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 16 R

Overview

Mac Williamson continues the trend of injured Giants prospects here, as he’s sidelined for the remainder of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on April 29. The Giants outfielder was putting up strong numbers prior to his injury and he’s generally put up consistent stats throughout his minor league career, but there’s no telling whether he’ll be able to return strong from his extended absence.

At the very least, hitters generally return faster than pitchers when it comes to Tommy John surgery, so we can expect to see Williamson suit up on Day 1 in 2015.

Last Week’s Stats

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4. Adalberto Mejia

2014 Stats

10 GS, 2-5, 6.89 ERA, 11 BB, 39 K, 47 IP

Overview

2014 hasn’t been kind to Adalberto Mejia, who allowed five earned runs for the third consecutive start last week. He hasn’t allowed fewer than three runs since April 18, a span of seven starts, and his ERA has ballooned to an alarming 6.89. What was looking like simply a tough stretch is turning into a lengthy struggle for the left-hander, and a demotion might be in order if Mejia continues to show that he isn’t quite ready to handle Double-A hitting.

Last Week’s Stats

1 GS, 1.2 IP, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

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3. Chris Stratton

2014 Stats

11 GS, 3-6, 4.80 ERA, 24 BB, 57 K, 60 IP

Overview

Chris Stratton rebounded from a disappointing start the previous week by putting together a strong showing his last time out. The real positive was the low walk total (two over seven innings), as Stratton has struggled with his command this season.

Though his 4.80 ERA isn’t pretty, Stratton has been getting back on track lately, going seven innings in two of his last three starts. Each time, he walked only two batters, which goes to show that as long as Stratton makes hitters earn their way on, he’ll have a chance to be successful.

Last Week’s Stats

1 GS, 7 IP, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K

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2. Edwin Escobar

2014 Stats

10 GS, 2-5, 5.05 ERA, 18 BB, 49 K, 51.2 IP

Overview

Like Stratton, Edwin Escobar’s overall numbers this season aren’t pretty, but also like Stratton, he’s been excellent in two of his last three starts. That includes his seven-inning gem last week, in which he surrendered only one run and picked up his third win of the season.

After a rocky start, the left-hander is finally starting to settle in, which just might be a sign that he is set for a late-season call-up when big league rosters expand.

Last Week’s Stats

1 GS, 7 IP, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

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1. Kyle Crick

2014 Stats

10 GS, 4-1, 3.46 ERA, 27 BB, 40 K, 39 IP

Overview

Anyone who is familiar with Kyle Crick knows that he can shut down any lineup when he knows where his pitches are going, and in each of his last two starts, that has certainly been the case. With just three walks across two starts last week, Crick picked up a pair of wins and showed that he is right on track with his development.

As long as the hard-throwing right-hander continues to improve his command, we’ll start to see more and more outings like his last two, and he should be on track to appear in the majors some time next season.

Last Week’s Stats

2 GS, 10.1 IP, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 K

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