Here's my summary of tidbits from BA's comments on each of the top 30. I'll only bother with 11-30 since the rest can be found in this section.

11. Todd Jennings. Played all over the diamond in college. Power masked by cavernous home field in college. Compares to Craig Biggio. Expected to begin 2004 in San Jose at catcher.

12. Nate Schierholtz. Drafted after putting on "prodigious workout at Pac Bell" prior to the draft. Compares to Lance Parrish. Raw as rain in the field. Expected to start season at Hagerstown.

13. Erick Threets. New lowered arm slot (he also lowered his hands) has helped his game. Late season performance (including a five inning, 54 pitch outing) and showing in the instructional league could help him be the "game's premier lefthanded reliever." Heady stuff. Expected to relieve at AA.

14. Lance Niekro. Not much to say here. BA thinks he'll be a role player at best in the majors. Should return to AAA.

15. Noah Lowry. Lackluster fastball and curve suffered in the miserable New England weather. Improved in the second half thanks to a good changeup and nice control. Lefties hit .299 against him, probably because he didn't use his breaking stuff very much. AAA.

16. Brooks McNiven. 6'5," 180. Wow. Turns 23 on 6/19. Could jump to San Jose to start the season. Giants see him developing into a power sinker/slider pitcher in the middle of the rotation. 88-92 MPH fastball with good tailing action (out of a three-quarters delivery). Late-biting low-80's slider has potential to be an out pitch.

17. Justin Knoedler. Giants rate his arm an 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale (wow!). He threw out 40% of basestealers. If he ever develops his bat, he can be a starter in the majors. AA.

18. Jon Armitage. 6'5," 210 switch-hitting outfielder out of UGA. Good raw power. Good arm. Started at SS in college, then moved to center field. Projected as a right fielder. Considered best of the non-drafted signees (Vericker, Floyd). May start 2004 in San Jose.

19. Jamie Athas. Overachieving utility type in an organization that is thin in that area. Profiles better as a second baseman. Should play second at AAA but may move over to short if Cody Ransom makes the Giants' team.

20. Glenn Woolard. 89-91 MPH fastball that he complements with a "devastating" knuckle-curve (David Aardsma features the same pitch). Also has a good changeup and the ability to get out lefties (.210 OBA). Giants project him as a #4 starter. Could jump to AA with a good spring.

21. Pat Misch. Interesting: the Astros drafted him in the fifth round in 2002, but thanks to their draft embargo of that year (and you think we blew with the Durham and Tucker draft pick forfeitures -- try not signing most of your draft class), Misch went unsigned and went back to college. The Giants picked him up a year later. Profiles like a Kirk Rueter. 86-89 MPH fastball with a slider, curveball, changeup -- though none of the pitches stand out, he gets results. Yup, sounds like Woody. Might start 2004 at San Jose.

22. Cody Ransom. Commented that one NL scout thinks he'll be the league's best defensive shortstop if he's given the chance to start. At best, he projects as a .240 hitter with some power, which (BA's words) makes him more valuable than Neifi Perez. I'm pulling for him.

23. Josh Habel. Lefty starter, turns 24 at the end of the season. Compares to Jamie Moyer. Changeup is rated an 80 on the 20-80 scale (opinion of a Giants' scout). High 80's fastball. Needs to further develop his breaking stuff if he wants to remain as a starter. Will start 2004 at San Jose.

24. Angel Chavez. Plus arm is his best tool. Some power (I saw him in 2002 -- the ball jumps off his bat). Should start at short at AA.

25. Jason Ellison. No light shed on why he suddenly landed in the Giants' doghouse. Strong arm, runs well but not on the bases. Major league outfield means he'll probably spend most of the season at AAA.

26. Carlos Valderrama. The fact that 26 year-olds Valderrama and Ellison (not to mention the 28 year-old Ransom) are on this list speaks volumes about the demise of the Giants' farm system. Not much here. Commented on his history as a prospect and his strong winter. Expected to spend 2004 at Fresno.

27. Tim Hutting. Scrappy, hard worker. Slap hitter who profiles as a #2 hitter. Expected to start 2004 in Hagerstown as the Suns' shortstop.

28. Kelyn Acosta. The more I read about this guy, the more I wonder why he wasn't rated higher on this list -- especially given the organization's lack of quantity and quality. His numbers don't stand out, especially the .315 OBA and 35 K's in 45 innings in the AZL (where you should be able to accidently have a 1/1 K/IP ratio). The kicker: he's 18 (well, so far -- he's from the Dominican) and 6'1," 170 and has touched 96-97 with his fastball. His description reads like a right-handed version of Francisco Liriano, whom I'm still holding out hope is the PTBNL, btw. Acosta also throws a "power slider" in the upper 80's (holy junior Robb Nen, Batman). Still looking for that changeup, however. When he finds it, look out. A good spring could land him in Hagerstown to begin the season. I say keep him at XST to work on his stuff.

29. Jeremy Accardo. Another non-drafted, late sign. 22 years-old, 6'2," 190. Another wood-bat league find (the Giants really like players who find success in these leagues. A good strategy, imo). 92-93 with a plus slider. Has touched 95. Still pretty raw as a pitcher. Will start 2004 in Hagerstown's rotation, but profiles as a power bullpen arm.

30. Brian Wilson. No, not the genius, but the 22 year-old righty out of LSU. Yet another LSU overused arm casualty. And yet another Giants' TJ survivor. Originally projected as a late first-rounder (due to the best curveball in the college ranks) until he blew out his elbow. Complements his plus curve with a 90-93 fastball -- or least he did before the surgery. Is expected to continue his rehab at XST and if all goes well, will make his official debut in June at S-K.

There you have it. If you lasted this long -- congratulations.

In conclusion, it's nice to learn about a bunch of new prospects. I'm especially anxious to follow McNiven and Acosta, and of course, the progress of some of the Giants new intriguing positional prospects.

Bring on the season(s)!

-Dave :thumbsup