Crazy Crabbers | Giants Baseball Blog: January 2012

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Crazy Crabbers Top 20 Prospects: Kyle Crick

Kyle Crick was the Giants 1st round sandwich pick in the 2011 draft and the first of a number of picks taken in the draft on power arms to help build up some more pitching depth in the minors.

Crick is a very raw project who is full of projectability but is still a ways a way from reaching that full potential. He didn't become a full time pitcher until before his senior season so he still has a lot to learn but the upside is that he shouldn't be overworked.

Season

Team

K/9

BB/9

HR/9

BABIP

LOB%

ERA

FIP

2011

Giants (R)

7.0

10.29

0.00

.450

55.6 %

6.43

4.77

Best Tool: Crick is a big kid, with a big arm. His fastball is his best pitch and he sits comfortably in the low to mid 90's and can reach back for as much 97 mph. He has the build of a workhorse and good athleticism.

Needs to work on: Crick is still a very raw pitcher who is still pretty new to the position and therefore has a lot to clean up. His command is a work in progress and his slider, curve ball, and change-up all are inconsistent and will need a lot of work.

Ceiling: Even though he is still a very young pitcher Crick has a power arm in an organization with a reputation for developing these types of pitchers. He has some secondary pitches but they are all inconsistent and will need a bunch of work but Crick has a bright future and could blossom into a front of the rotation type pitcher down the road.

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Friday, January 27, 2012

Giants Sign Ryan Theriot

Jon Heynan of CBS Sports is reporting that the Giants have signed former Cardinals shortstop Ryan Theriot.

The deal is reportedly for $1.25 million with incentives that could push it to $2 million.

My initial reaction is that this isn't a bad deal, certainly doesn't break the bank. In addition it sets up the possibility of a shortstop platoon as Theriot right handedness compliments Brandon Crawfords left handedness. He offers some value offensively with a career 107 wRC+ against left handed pitching but he is a liability on defense so he should really be used sparingly in the field especially with more ground ball heavy pitchers.

Theriot is a decent utility infielder (which the Giants seem to cornering the market in) but really shouldn't be expected to be a full time starter making him a decent fit for the Giants. This does create some questions about who will make the final 25 man roster where the Giants seem to have stockpiled quite a few middle infielders, I guess it will come down to the classic Spring Training competition that the team loves.

This isn't a flashy signing and as long as Bruce Bochy doesn't develop a veteran crush and start him everyday this should be a solid pickup for the team.

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Crazy Crabbers Top 20 Prospects: Eric Surkamp

In his minor league career Eric Surkamp has but up some very impressive numbers, at any of the stops where he made more than just handful of starts he has never posted a FIP above 3. He has shown the ability to command his pitches and even without even average fastball velocity he has shown the ability to strikeout batters at a very high rate.

Last year Surkamp dominated the Eastern league and put to rest any concerns that there would be lingering issues with the hip injury that cut short his 2010 campaign. His 2011 season ended with a taste of the majors where he made 6 starts where he pitched a little timidly and was unable to put up the same type of numbers that he had shown in the minors. His struggles could have been partially due to fatigue after pitching nearly 40 more innings past his career high so it will be interesting how he does going forward.

Surkamp features a high 80's fastball that he has been able effectively place his in the minors but struggled with in his stint in the majors. His out pitches are an average change-up that has fared pretty well against righties and a plus curve ball that is his best strike out pitch.

Without premium (or even average) velocity on his fastball his ceiling is probably limited to a back of the rotation starter but the good news is that he seems to be close to already being a league average starter and right now is number one on the Giants depth chart of replacements should one of the starters go down with an injury.

Season	Team	W	L	SV	G	GS	IP	K/9	BB/9	HR/9	BABIP	LOB%	ERA	FIP
2008	Giants (R)	0	0	0	2	0	3.1	18.90	0.00	0.00	.500	66.7 %	2.70	-1.00
2008	Giants (A-)	0	2	0	5	4	14.0	10.29	3.21	0.64	.442	65.0 %	6.43	3.13
2009	Giants (A)	11	5	0	23	23	131.0	11.61	2.68	0.41	.369	70.3 %	3.30	2.20
2010	Giants (A+)	4	2	0	17	17	101.1	9.59	1.95	0.44	.288	68.0 %	3.20	2.54
2011	Giants (A+)	1	0	0	1	1	6.0	7.50	1.50	0.00	.250	100.0 %	0.00	2.03
2011	Giants (AA)	10	4	0	23	22	142.1	10.43	2.78	0.32	.298	80.3 %	2.02	2.37
2011	Giants	2	2	0	6	6	26.2	4.39	5.74	0.34	.333	66.5 %	5.74	4.68
Total	- - -	2	2	0	6	6	26.2	4.39	5.74	0.34	.333	66.5 %	5.74	4.68

Best Tool: Surkamp is a pretty polished pitcher with several good things going for him. His best pitch right now is his curve ball which he has used to great effect in the minors to rack up impressive strike out totals. He also is able to get by without a good fastball by placing the pitch where he wants it to go so that batters have trouble barreling him up for loud contact.

Needs to work on: In his brief stint in the majors he didn't show the same aggressive attacking of the zone that he had shown in the minor leagues. With that his walk rate and strikeout rate took a pretty big hit. He was probably a bit over his head and should be given the chance to work on getting ready for the majors by starting in triple-A Fresno.

Ceiling: Surkamp is a relatively low ceiling guy but he is close to the majors and has a high floor. He has some nice things going for him which could potentially make him a slightly above average pitcher but it is unlikely that he will be an All-Star. That being said even with out any more development he is probably a serviceable major league starter who could make most teams roster as a 4th or 5th starter. Luckily he has the chance to spend some time in Fresno to work on some of his weaknesses before being thrown into the fire.