Giants winners in the Arizona Fall League

[sharksrog]

Kyle Crick was ranked the #1 AFL pitcher, Andrew Susac was ranked the #5 hitter, and Derek Law was ranked the #7 pitcher in a Fan Graphs article.

Physically closer to Matt Cain, Crick has pitched more like Tim Lincecum: very low hit rate accompanied by very high strikeout and walk rates. Between High A San Jose and the AFL, Crick gave up only 57 hits in 84 innings, striking out a startling 119 batters but also walking 50.

Crick, who will be able to legally buy a beer this Saturday, is like the young Lincecum in that he can get batters out extremely well even without throwing the ball where he wants it.

Susac, 23, builds his game on strike zone judgment. Between AA Richmond and the AFL, he hit about .275 -- but with an OBP of about .385 and a SLG of around .460. He hit 14 homers in 312 at bats while striking out 79 times and walking an impressive 58.

MLB.com writes of Susac's development behind the plate

"While Susac can deliver offensively, it is his work behind the plate that caught the attention of scouts. First and foremost, he showed good footwork and sound mechanics behind the plate.

In the Fall League, Susac shifted his feet extremely well on blocking balls. He got his entire body in front of pitches in the dirt and saved his pitchers from racking up wild pitches.

Susac's arm is strong and accurate. He repeatedly made throws with good carry to second base. In his two Minor League seasons, Susac has thrown out 35 percent of the players trying to steal. That's an exceptionally good rate, especially for a catcher with little experience.

Susac handled the pitching staff well and projects as a leader on the field.

Susac still has some development work to do before he is a finished Major League-ready catcher. He has to continue to refine his hitting trigger and cut down his errors while repeating the good mechanics he showed in Arizona."

23-year-old reliever Derek Law excelled this past year with an ERA of around 2.00 between the Rookie League, AA Richmond, High A San Jose and the AFL. He yielded 59 hits in 79 innings, striking out 117 and walking just 18.

[sfgdood]

Susac's development might mean that Hector Sanchez could be a potential chip used to obtain a left fielder...or perhaps Susac himself could be used.

~Dood

[sharksrog]

Randy -- Susac's development might mean that Hector Sanchez could be a potential chip used to obtain a left fielder...or perhaps Susac himself could be used.

Rog -- Two winters ago the Giants traded from strength in order to acquire a left fielder. They had an extra starter, so they traded Jonathan Sanchez.

They don't have many areas of depth right now, but as you point out, catcher could be one. Another that clearly exists is the young pitching. It would be nice if the Giants can parlay some combination of the above into a left fielder.

They also acquired Angel Pagan that winter, trading the lesser outfielder Andres Torres and a reliever (Ramon Ramirez). Perhaps they could trade Blanco and a reliever or Sanchez/Susac and achieve results.

One of the reasons their teams were willing to let Cabrera and Pagan go was because the two were each a year away from free agent eligibility. The Giants might be able to find a left fielder (or even a first baseman) who fits that description and essentially give that player a one-year starting audition toward joining the team beyond this season.

Going back to the backup catcher situation, with the emergence of Brandon Belt, Buster Posey might catch a few more games and get more of his rest from sitting out of the lineup. That might allow the Giants to pick up or promote a lesser catcher to back up Buster, freeing Sanchez in particular for trade. That move would allow Susac to continue to develop at Fresno.


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