Since 2019, the top three Giants prospects had pretty consistently been some mix of Marco Luciano, Heliot Ramos, and catcher Joey Bart.
Now, Joey Bart has graduated to the big leagues. While his amount of impact is still being debated and sorted out, in the farm system, it means there’s a big change to the catching rankings in the system.
In Bart’s absence, there are a couple of Giants that would vie for the top catching spot. One is a first-round pick who has been slow to develop, the other is an international prospect who made his full-season debut this season. Neither are perfect prospects, and both have their upsides and downsides.
At the end of the day, though, catching is no longer one of the team’s deepest spots. Hopefully, though, with Joey Bart in the big leagues, the Giants won’t need a top catching prospect in a little while.
#1 – Patrick Bailey
Patrick Bailey struggled to produce offensively for the second straight season at Eugene, but with Joey Bart’s promotion, Bailey is the number one catching prospect in the system thanks to his defense. While his attention can wane at times, Bailey is clean behind the plate with good mechanics, and that defense gives him a high floor. How well Bailey can come to be at the plate will define how far he goes, whether its as an everyday catcher for a good team, or a MLB mainstay as a backup catcher or defensive specialist, or even that high.
#2 – Adrian Sugastey
Adrian Sugastey’s first full season was limited by injury, and he clearly has a lot of development to still go. His raw offensive skills, behind good contact skills, and the potential to grow into double-digit power, will define his future. Defensively, there’s still room to grow, but he has a plus arm, stronger than Bailey’s, that he can build off of. Sugastey could easily grow into the top catching prospect in the system with a good year at Eugene.
#3 – Ricardo Genovés
Ricardo Genovés could’ve left the team via free agency after struggling in his most difficult pro season, but he ended up signing back with the Giants and a good season could put him in the mix as the plan for if the Giants need to callup a catcher this season. He doesn’t have a great body for being a catcher, but if his bat comes back, he could be a solid offensive backup catcher with the ability to handle first as well.
Other Prospects to Note
If there’s any name that most people will think is missing is Blake Sabol, the Giants Rule 5 draft pick after a trade. The Giants are trying him out as a catcher, but with his minimal experience behind the plate, I could see him stick, but at another position…Super-utility player Brett Auerbach played at six different positions this season, like last season, and he played the second-most games at catcher, like last season. It was a disappointing offensive season, but his versatility is truly unique…The most intriguing performance at the lowest levels was then-19-year old Onil Perez, who hit .275/.345/.383 in the Arizona Complex League…Rayner Santana only played in 50 games this season despite not ever going on an injured list, but the 20-year old may still develop into being a more regular player…The Giants traded for Andy Thomas midseason, though his production nose-dived after the trade. If he goes back to who he was pre-trade, he’ll be a solid catching depth prospect…17-year old Juan Perez was one of the team’s top signees in the 2022 international signing period, but had a difficult debut season. There’s plenty of development to go, however.
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