The San Francisco Giants Scottsdale Scorpions are back.
Starting on Tuesday, Oct. 9, some of the best prospects in baseball will take the field in the Arizona Fall League. There are six teams in total - three in the West and three in the East - and the Giants are sending seven prospects to the desert as part of the Scorpions this year.
Aaron Fultz, who spent the first three years of his MLB career on the Giants, also is the Scorpions' co-pitching coach this year.
While the Giants' top prospects, such as Joey Bart and Heliot Ramos, are away from Arizona, there's still plenty of intriguing names on the Scorpions. From No. 1 to No. 7, let's rank the Giants prospects in the AFL this year.
1. Heath Quinn
The Giants' biggest wish with Quinn is a simple one - stay healthy. The corner outfielder has dealt with hamate, shoulder and hamstring injuries the past two seasons in San Jose. But when he's healthy, keep your eyes on the bat.
Quinn, 23, has hit 24 home runs the past two seasons with the San Jose Giants. After struggling in every aspect outside of power in 2017, Quinn put it all together this season, batting .300 with 14 home runs, 24 doubles and an .861 OPS.
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2. Melvin Adon
Pitching and hitting has turned into a battle of power in baseball. And Adon is full of that off the mound. At the same time, he's far from a polished pitcher.
The 24-year-old can consistently hit triple digits. He also has no idea where the ball is going at times. The Giants have tried Adon as a starter, but one can assume he'll be a reliever down the road, where he has hit 102 mph out of the bullpen. As always, all eyes will be on the radar gun and where the ball goes when Adon is on the mound in Arizona.
3. Garrett Williams
The lefty has a bit of Adon in him. He can bring heat and miss the strike zone by miles at the same time. In 2017, Williams made big strides, going 6-5 with a 2.32 ERA between two levels. This past season was a different story.
Williams was promoted to Double-A and went 3-9 with a 6.06 ERA, shifting between starts and coming out of the bullpen. The Giants need to figure out what role best suits Williams and how to best maximize his potential.
4. C.J. Hinojosa
The start to the 2018 season couldn't have gone much worse for Hinojosa. Already set to miss time after rupturing his left Achilles tendon in September of 2017, Hinojosa was then suspended for the first 50 games of the season after his second positive drug test.
Once he was back on the field, he had a solid yet less-than-outstanding season. The 24-year-old hit .261 in Double-A with three home runs and 14 doubles. He projects to be a utility man who can play multiple infield positions.
5. Chase Johnson
Johnson was selected by San Francisco in the third round of the 2013 MLB Draft. He hasn't quite lived up to the billing.
After pitching mostly as a reliever in 2016 and 2017, Johnson was back to being a starter. And he was solid in Double-A Richmond. Johnson, 26, went 2-5 with a 3.86 ERA, but he struck out a career-low 5.71 batters per nine innings.
6. Matt Winn
Winn replaced catcher Aramis Garcia on the Scorpions' roster. Don't expect him to replace Garcia on the Giants' roster any time soon. The 26-year-old hit a career-high 10 home runs, but he also only hit .236 with a .729 OPS in Double-A.
Best-case scenario is that Winn can be a backup when needed later for the Giants. Realistically, he is organizational depth behind the dish.
7. Sam Wolff
The Giants acquired the 27-year-old reliever from the Rangers in their Matt Moore trade before the 2018 season. A change of scenery did not go as planned.
Although he did toss 38 strikeouts in 27.1 innings in Double-A, Wolff had a career-high 6.91 ERA for the Flying Squirrels and a 1.90 WHIP.
