A Look at the San Francisco Giants’ Minor League Prospects: A Fan’s View

As reported by Jon Star at MLB.com, the league is doing a round of assessments regarding the pipeline of talent available to each of major league team through their respective farm league.

In the Friday, Feb. 10 edition, Jon Star takes a look at the San Francisco Giants and their more promising minor league prospects.

According to Star, the Giants can look forward to a sizable infusion of talent from the likes of Gary Brown of San Jose and Joe Panik of Salem-Keizer, who have been batting .336 and .323, respectively. More importantly, these are but two prospects in a strong batting lineup within the Giants' minor league franchise. The Giants' top-five minor league prospects include Gary Brown, Francisco Peguero, Heath Hembree, Eric Surkamp, and Tommy Joseph.

I must admit that not everything is rosy for the Bay Area, however. Although the Giants consistently have one of the deepest and strongest pitching rotations in baseball, they have suffered in recent years from a comparative lack of offensive talent. The team has brought in some needed additions to the roster for the 2012 season, including Melky Cabrera, Angel Pagan, and Aubrey Huff, but as Glen Dickey of the San Francisco Examiner stated, the three new recruits bring with them their own flaws and do not necessarily represent a reliable boost in offense.

As a Giants fan, the objective part of my brain admits that both Star and Dickey have it right. The Giants are blessed with minor league talent that, when ready, could potentially give the team what it is lacking. There are some impressive batting and home run averages to be found within the franchise, and that is certainly good news for the Giants in coming seasons. However, the Giants must still face the 2012 season with what they currently have on the roster, and that does involve a blaring offensive weakness that may or may not be compensated by some of the world's best pitchers.

The not-so-objective side of my brain still believes in the Giants and very much expects them to claw their way into the postseason. I will not necessarily hold them to a repeat performance of the 2010 season, but one can never tell. The Giants are known for accomplishments that seem as though they should be out of reach.

Christopher Brown is a long-time Major League Baseball fan who often pulls for the Atlanta Braves due of their proximity, but whose heart will always belong to the San Francisco Giants. Chris also has a son who shares his love of baseball and the two agree that the month of April takes too long to arrive.

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