With the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft right around the corner, the San Francisco Giants organization will have a lot of talent to sort through before they make their picks. They also must think of where they have places of need, and the one that jumps out to me first is at the shortstop position.
The Giants have a couple of options currently at shortstop, although neither one is considered a franchise player. Their Minor League affiliates do have some promising players at those positions, so should the G-Men look to draft for a shortstop? Let’s take a look at who they have first:
San Francisco Giants: Miguel Tejada, Mike Fontenot
Fresno Grizzlies: Emmanuel Burriss (currently with Giants via call up)
Richmond Flying Squirrels: Nick Noonan, Sharlon Schoop
San Jose Giants: Brandon Crawford, Carter Jurica
Augusta Greenjckets: Ehire Adrianza, Robert Haney
The Giants will need an upgrade at shortstop sooner than later as both Miguel Tejada and Mike Fontenot are only signed through 2011, and have some decent talent waiting in the farm system. Giants fans recently saw Emmanuel Burriss’ value after his game winning hit against the A’s, not to mention his speed, which the Giants could always use more of. Brandon Crawford is considered one of the top 10 prospects in the Giants organization, while Ehire Adrianza has been a bright star to a somewhat dim season for the Greenjackets.
There’s already been talk of possible trades for Jose Reyes, but the Giants farm system has produced a few nice pieces as of late, maybe they can again at shortstop? They can always draft a few more of them if they’d like, here’s a few that might peak the Giants interest via MLB.com:
DeAndre Allen, Sequoyah HS (TN)
Levi Michael, North Carolina
Justin Atkinson, North Surrey Secondary School
Here’s the full list of draft eligable shortstops from MLB.com.
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