WINTER MEETINGS NOTES: Giants chase Shields; Panda's move was no surprise - Giants Extra

Some good news for the Giants out of the Winter Meetings, hopefully they hold on to Blach and fellow prospect Clayton Blackburn. They could help solidify the back end of the starting rotation beginning as early as 2015. Kyle Crick still worries me a bit with his wildness, I don't seem to recall the same issue with Zack Wheeler at the same point in his development. If Crick comes around, he has top of the rotation stuff. No other Giants pitching prospect brings a higher ceiling to the table than Kyle Crick.

from Giants Extra:
WINTER MEETINGS NOTES: Giants chase Shields; Panda's move was no surprise; #ThreeBelt; Giants add two minor leaguers - Giants Extra:

"— On a brighter note, here’s another thing I heard all week: The Giants think Ty Blach is very underrated on prospect lists. The 24-year-old left-hander has had two good seasons since getting drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 draft, posting a 3.02 ERA over 47 appearances. Blach has pulled away from some of the other pitching prospects in that vaunted 2013 San Jose Giants class, and there are people in the front office who believe he can contribute to the back end of the rotation at some point next season."

'via Blog this'

As far as chances to be a major league contributor, I still like Blach the best although he fell a little bit off last years performance mainly due to his hitting too many bats. He is a pitch to contact guy, but the thinking is that guys are getting too much hard contact which will only get greater as he advances. Blackburn has no such worries attached to him that I have seen. He seems to be able to grind through lineups and get outs efficiently. LHP prospect Adalberto Mejia throws up a red flag with his PED suspension.

P.S. - Although I am partial to LHP's, I like Blackburn / Blach in that order. And before I get crushed by others, I have not seen enough of Tyler Beede outside of Vanderbilt to rank him yet, but he is 1-1A with Crick in terms of ceiling, with a little more consistency it seems in terms of performance. His age helps in that regard. Blackburn, Blach and Beede, the Killer B's of Giants pitching prospects. 

from Bleacher Report:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2267984-giants-prospect-adalberto-mejia-suspended-latest-details-reaction-and-analysis

As Pavlovic mentions, Mejia is regarded as one of San Francisco's best prospects. He was ranked as the Giants' No. 4 prospect coming into the 2014 season by Baseball America and MLB.com, and spent all year playing for Double-A Richmond. 

Just 21 years old, Mejia was signed by the Giants as an international free agent in 2011. In the scouting report for him coming into 2014 onMLB.com, the left-hander was described as having the total package of what scouts look for in a young southpaw:

He had no problem handling high Class A hitters at age 19, as the only thing that slowed him down was a strained lat muscle that sidelined him for seven weeks.

Mejia has everything scouts look for in a pitcher -- stuff, size and command -- and as a bonus, he's left-handed. Mejia throws a low-90s two-seam fastball with minimal effort, getting the ball to cut or sink and locating it where he wants.

Losing Mejia for 50 games certainly delays his path to the big leagues next season. He still had work to do, as evidenced by a 4.67 ERA and 119 hits allowed in 108 innings, via MiLB.com, but the ceiling is bright for this young pitcher. This is just a bad speed bump on the road to what will hopefully be a long and prosperous career for a talented hurler. 

So in order, I guess my Giants pitching prospect list would be:

• Clayton Blackburn
• Derek Law
• Kendry Flores
• Keury Mella
• Ty Blach
• Adalberto Mejia
• Steven Okert
• Joan Gregorio
• Kyle Crick
• Chris Stratton
• Martin Agosta

The bottom three could really turn this list around in a hurry. Especially if Crick and Stratton start pitching in a more consistently dominant fashion.  Agosta may start falling from lists in this coming year. A major disappointment given where he was drafted. Flores and Mella are still a couple of years away from contributing.

from mlb.com
http://m.giants.mlb.com/news/article/100152666/clayton-blackburn-among-giants-prospects-in-arizona-fall-league

For someone who has breezed through pro ball, Giants right-hander Clayton Blackburn has a lengthy to-do list in the Arizona Fall League. He's trying to add two new pitches while replacing innings lost to a rib-cage injury during the season.

"I got hurt a little bit this year and missed about a month, so making up some innings, but also I'm trying to learn more of a true slider," said Blackburn, ranked as the Giants' No. 7 prospect. "I already have a big curveball, so I need a little bit of a true slider. And I'm going from a changeup to a splitter. So working on those, just perfecting my craft and getting better overall."

 In four pro seasons, Blackburn has gone 23-17 with a 2.98 ERA and a 405/76 K/BB ratio in 395 2/3 innings, thanks more to advanced pitchability than overpowering stuff. Though he has a burly 6-foot-2, 260-pound frame, he also has the athleticism to repeat his delivery. Blackburn throws with such little effort that his fastball appears quicker than its 89-93 mph velocity, he has the ability to manipulate the shape of his curveball, and he owns a sinking changeup to keep left-handers in check.

Blackburn went to big league camp with the Giants this spring and saw Hunter Strickland, his roommate at Double-A Richmond this year, become a key part of San Francisco's bullpen during the postseason. As the organization's most advanced starting-pitching prospect, he could make his Major League debut as a 22-year-old next season.