The Giants have capitalized on the emergence of young players in their recent rise up the standings, but San Francisco president Greg Johnson attributes that to improvements in the team’s farm system.
Speaking to The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami on “The TK Show,” Johnson explained the frustrations he and the Giants had with their farm system and how it has improved in recent years.
“It’s frustrating. If you look at the first-round draft picks over the last five to seven years, I think they ranked near the bottom of the league in WAR contribution. It’s going to be really tough to compete with teams like that,” Johnson told Kawakami. “It’s very difficult to pick fielders and I think you need a little bit of luck.
“Unfortunately, a lot of our young guys had injuries so it took a while for them to make it to the major leagues. But look where we are today. [president of baseball operations] Farhan [Zaidi] Scouts have pointed out how deep we are. We have a lot of young guys in the minor leagues right now who are doing great and winning awards every week. Hunter Bishop was a top pick and then got hurt, but he’s playing very well now, which bodes well for us.
“I think there’s a lot of depth in the farm system, so the trends are definitely heading in the right direction.”
The Giants made a series of big free agent acquisitions in the offseason that they hoped would put the franchise back in the running for a playoff spot, but a series of injuries and poor performances forced San Francisco to promote promising players Helio Ramos, Luis Matos and Marco Luciano, and the solid play of their young players helped the team stay in the running for the National League Wild Card.
Having a strong farm system is crucial to the success of most MLB teams, and only a few franchises can afford the high luxury tax to constantly sign superstar free agents. While talented young, inexpensive players can make or break a team, San Francisco’s young core has been the difference maker this season, bringing a lot of excitement and energy to each game.
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