Stock Up, Stock Down for San Francisco Giants' Top 10 Prospects for Week 14

Just as the San Francisco Giants appear to be on the upswing thanks to a two-game winning streak, their farm system's top prospects are performing at a much higher level than previously seen this season.

With a breakout July (so far) from recently promoted second baseman Joe Panik, the hot hitting of shortstop prospect Christian Arroyo and other solid performances from standouts in the Giants' farm system, the future of the organization has perhaps given fans a bit of hope after many of the team's top young players were held back by injuries or poor performances through the first half of the minor league season.

Let's take a closer look at where those top prospects stand after the past week.

10. Clayton Blackburn, SP, Richmond (Double-A)

2014 Stats

9 GS, 3-5, 3.04 ERA, 10 BB, 36 K, 47.1 IP

Overview

On Friday, Blackburn dominated in his first start for Richmond since May 19, tossing five shutout innings and allowing only three base runners (2 H, 1 BB) along with four strikeouts.

The strong outing was a good sign for the right-hander, who had three straight sub-par starts—all losses—in his final outings before suffering a side injury. But Friday's win against Reading signaled his return, especially coupled with three perfect innings for the rookie-level Arizona League Giants on June 29.

Even with the strong July 4 performance, Blackburn will be someone to monitor closely. 

In returning from an extended injury, he's being tasked with the rather imposing Double-A duty despite turning 21 only at the beginning of the year. Even so, the pressure doesn't appear to be fazing Blackburn, who could be in line for a move to Triple-A if he can make a habit out of starts like this.

Stock

Up

9. Joe Panik, 2B, San Francisco Giants

2014 Stats

Majors: 12 G, .257 AVG, .325 OBP, .314 SLG, 2 R, 2 2B, 4 RBI

Triple-A: 74 G, .321 AVG, .382 OBP, .447 SLG, 50 R, 14 2B, 5 HR, 45 RBI

Overview

After a slow June start to his major league career, Panik has picked it up a bit with two multi-hit games already in July. He's hitting .417 on the month and will continue to receive plate appearances in the foreseeable future as long as he continues his solid hitting and defense.

To have a top prospect excelling in the majors is refreshing for an organization whose young talent has experienced quite a few growing pains this year. Perhaps it's too early to call Panik a success in the majors, but general manager Brian Sabean should be pleased with the progress he's seen this year from his 2011 first-round pick.

Stock

Up

8. Ty Blach, SP, Richmond (Double-A)

2014 Stats

16 GS, 7-4, 2.98 ERA, 21 BB, 54 K, 84.2 IP

Overview

Blach allowed four earned runs for the first time all year Saturday, but it wasn't all bad. He only walked one batter, struck out four in six innings and didn't allow a homer for a fifth consecutive start.

Even so, Blach's peripherals aren't great—his 5.7 K/9 rate is rather poor, which generally doesn't translate well at higher levels. But he's also putting together a second straight stellar season overall, and until he hits his first bump in the road, we can't write him off just yet.

It's certainly worth watching the Giants left-hander for signs of a drop-off, but for now he's continuing to get results at the minors' higher levels—always a good sign.

Stock

Even

7. Heath Hembree, RP, Fresno (Triple-A)

2014 Stats

35 G, 1-2, 15 SV, 3.93 ERA, 10 BB, 39 K, 34.1 IP

Overview

Hembree has mirrored his big league counterpart, Sergio Romo, at times this season with his inconsistency, and he hasn't shown much improvement statistically from last season.

In fact, Hembree has regressed by some measures—he has a higher WHIP (1.398 in 2014 versus 1.265 last season) and H/9 rate (10.0 versus 8.8).

Yet, the Fresno closer has put together a fine season in many regards, with 15 saves and an ERA that has decreased for the third straight season. Hembree's lack of overall improvement might be a bit frustrating—he essentially has been stuck in Triple-A since the start of 2012—but he'll have a chance to prove himself in the majors before long.

Stock

Even

6. Christian Arroyo, SS/2B, Salem-Keizer (Low-A)

2014 Stats

Low-A: 15 G, .300 AVG, .386 OBP, .483 SLG, 11 R, 1 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI

Single-A: 31 G, .203 AVG, .226 OBP, .271 SLG, 10 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 14 RBI

Overview

Arroyo's season at Single-A Augusta was marked by injury and underperformance, but over a recent stretch of games at Low-A Salem-Keizer, the 2013 first-round pick is tearing it up.

With three-hit performances in three of his last six games, Arroyo brought his average up to .300, and he also has 17 hits in his last 45 at-bats. That's a remarkable turnaround for the shortstop, who was even struggling at Low-A before his recent hot stretch. 

It's probably too early to say he's back, but if Arroyo can continue to hit like he has the past few weeks, that will help alleviate the concerns of the Giants front office, who placed so much faith in him with the 25th overall pick in the 2013 draft.

Stock

Up

5. Mac Williamson, RF/DH, San Jose (High-A)

2014 Stats

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

Overview

Though Williamson's stock is technically down due to season-ending Tommy John surgery, his excellent performance prior to the injury makes it hard to penalize a hitter who has consistently put up good numbers for the Giants organization.

The good news is that Williamson will likely be ready for spring training, as position players generally recover from Tommy John surgery faster than pitchers. When Williamson does come back, however, he'll need to get a move on.

He turns 24 next season and has yet to make it to Double-A.

Stock

N/A

4. Adalberto Mejia, SP, Richmond (Double-A)

2014 Stats

15 GS, 4-6, 5.90 ERA, 20 BB, 59 K, 71.2 IP

Overview

As I've written before, Mejia is well past where he's expected to be in the minors at this point, having just turned 21.

That being said, despite already pitching in Double-A, the 6'3" lefty might not be at that level for long.

After allowing five runs on nine hits in 5.2 innings July 3, Mejia's ERA rose to 5.90 on the season, and opponents are now hitting .301 against him.

He's clearly not fooling anyone, and he might be better suited to work at the lower levels, where he can improve his command a bit. 

However, we know Mejia has the stuff to dominate—he's done it in the past, and scouts rave about his sinking fastball and well-controlled slider. He has blossomed late in past minor league seasons, and he still has time to right the ship this year.

Stock

Down

3. Chris Stratton, SP, San Jose (High-A)

2014 Stats

15 GS, 5-8, 5.31 ERA, 34 BB, 83 K, 81.1 IP

Overview

College pitchers are expected to progress quickly through the minors, but after rising steadily to High-A, Stratton has hit a bit of a bump in the road this year.

High-A is notoriously difficult on pitchers, so being a bit subpar at that level us understandable, but Stratton has particularly struggled this season. 

In his last outing July 4, he allowed a season-high seven runs—all earned—through 4.1 innings, thanks mostly to his four walks. As we've seen all season, when Stratton has his control in check, he's an excellent pitcher, but when it fails him—as it often has—the results are ugly.

It's also important to remember, though, that numbers don't mean everything in the minors, and at times Stratton has been downright dominant. 

He struck out 10 batters June 27, and he has gone seven innings while allowing two runs or less on three separate occasions this season, including back-to-back starts in June.

On paper, Stratton's season has been awful, and he has lots of work to do. But he still has excellent stuff, and as he works through some general inconsistency, the right-hander from Mississippi State will likely continue to improve.

Stock

Down

2. Edwin Escobar, SP, Fresno (Triple-A)

2014 Stats

18 GS, 3-8, 5.31 ERA, 30 BB, 90 K, 100.0 IP

Overview

In recent years, Escobar has overcome a slow start to his professional career by putting up solid seasons at Single-A, High-A and Double-A. Upon reaching Fresno, the left-hander regressed to his rookie league days, and it has been ugly.

Through 100 innings, Escobar has allowed an alarming 119 hits and 30 walks for a 1.49 WHIP, and his ERA sits at 5.31. Those are acceptable numbers in perhaps April or May, but it's July, and Escobar hasn't shown signs of improvement.

In his July 4 outing, the left-hander allowed six earned runs on 10 hits, which came after three straight above-average starts. Minor League Ball's John Sickels identified an explanation for Escobar's struggles:

"

The big difference seems to be his breaking ball. He reportedly worked with a slider last year, but this season the breaking ball is more of a slower curve and that doesn't seem to be working as well in Triple-A. There is also the impression that his control is better than his command.

"

Stock

Down

1. Kyle Crick, SP, Richmond (Double-A)

2014 Stats

14 GS, 5-3, 3.22 ERA, 40 BB, 65 K, 58.2 IP

Overview

After a few rough starts, Crick calmed everyone down with back-to-back dominant outings, both of which included five shutout innings.

He allowed only three hits over that span, along with striking out 15 and dropping his ERA to 3.22. The high expectations that follow a first-round draft pick often cause overreactions to rough patches, which has been exactly the case with Crick in the past month or so.

Hitters still aren't picking up on the hard-throwing right-hander—he's holding them to a .221 batting average this year—but the lack of control is still a legitimate issue. That's really the only thing holding back the Giants top prospect, but until he can improve that part of his game, he'll have trouble succeeding in the upper levels as a starter.

Stock

Up

There is a seemingly endless supply of organization prospect lists all over the Internet. For the sake of consistency, this list follows the rankings from Baseball America's 2014 Top 10 Prospects Index.

All stats are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and are current as of July 7.