San Francisco Giants: Revisiting Some Past Top Ten Prospects
2006 Baseball America Organizational Rankings
Looking back another four years, the Giants used to have a formidable fleet of young arms in their stables — before the team traded a lot of them away for veterans. Whether it was moving Francisco Liriano and Joe Nathan for A.J. Pierzynski, Jesse Foppert for Randy Winn, or the more recent Zack Wheeler for Carlos Beltran, the team has been increasingly interested in trading pitching prospects for established veterans over the years.
As for the 2006 class, there are really only a handful of names that the casual fan will remember. Listed as the top overall prospect who had a great curveball and fastball, was Matt Cain. Cain was drafted in the first round of the 2002 MLB Draft, which included Zack Greinke and Prince Fielder as players taken before Cain.
Ranked nationally as a top-20 prospect, Cain debuted for the Giants in 2005 and quickly improved on a yearly basis. By 2009 he was named an All-Star and was the second component of a fierce one-two punch that included future Cy Young Winner Tim Lincecum.
He was also a key cog in the 2010 and 2012 World Series teams, and has been an All-Star two more times. He threw a perfect game in 2013, and he’s one of only eight pitchers in Giants history with 1,500 strikeouts. He has also long been a face in the community by supporting charities and service projects.
The last few years haven’t been so kind to Cain, as he has suffered and struggled through meddling elbow issues for the better part of three years now. If he can come back healthy, fans will surely be happy to see him on the mound once more.
Further down the list, we see some familiar names from the past. Nate Schierholtz was a prospect who became a steady bench player at the major league level, before being traded for Hunter Pence in 2013.
Travis Ishikawa has been a bench player for the Giants twice in his career, and delivered one of the best moments in Giants history. Jonathan Sanchez threw a no-hitter in 2009, and was a part of the 2010 World Series squad before being traded to the Kansas City Royals for Melky Cabrera in 2011.
Other names like Merkin Valdez, Fred Lewis, and Kevin Frandsen may stick out in some fans’ minds more than others. Valdez was a highly touted pitcher who just never lived up to his billing.
Fred Lewis was a spectacular prospect who torched the minors and lasted several decent years in San Francisco before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. As of last season, Lewis was playing independent league ball for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (who sound more like a delicious entrée than a team).
Next: San Francisco Giants: Keys to Success In 2016
Frandsen has had two stints with the team, including playing in seven games just last season before opting to pursue free-agency this offseason.
The rest of the list isn’t as noteworthy and most fans may not even recognize these names. Pitcher Craig Whitaker was taken in the first round of the 2003 MLB Draft as a supplemental pick before Orioles All-Star Adam Jones, and fizzled out of baseball before making it to the majors.
The same can be said for Marcus Sanders and Eddy Martinez-Esteve, who just never made the cut and are now out of baseball.
The 2006 class wasn’t by any means phenomenal, but Matt Cain and several other players made an impact in San Francisco at different points.
The important take away is that it’s important to hold on to enough prospects so that the team is never too dependent upon one player making it big. You never know when that kid in high school, high-A , or AAA could be your next World Series hero.