Eldridge climbs to top in Giants' revamped Top 30 prospects list

August 14th, 2024

SAN FRANCISCO -- Young players have been a key catalyst for the Giants this season, with Heliot Ramos, Tyler Fitzgerald, Brett Wisely, Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong all establishing themselves as integral pieces of the roster.

The Giants hope they’ll continue receiving more impact from their farm system in the future, especially after receiving a fresh haul of prospects from the 2024 MLB Draft. The newcomers have resulted in some changes to San Francisco’s Top 30 prospects list, which has been updated by MLB Pipeline to include the club’s recent draftees and other notable developments within the farm system.

Team Top 30 Prospects lists:
ALE: BAL | BOS | NYY | TB | TOR
ALC: CLE | CWS | DET | KC | MIN
ALW: HOU | LAA | OAK | SEA | TEX
NLE: ATL | MIA | NYM | PHI | WSH
NLC: CHC | CIN | MIL | PIT | STL
NLW: AZ | COL | LAD | SD | SF

Here’s a look at the Giants’ top prospects:

  1. Bryce Eldridge, 1B (MLB No. 54)
  2. Hayden Birdsong, RHP (MLB No. 88)
  3. James Tibbs III, OF (MLB No. 99)
  4. Carson Whisenhunt, LHP
  5. Dakota Jordan, OF

Biggest jump/fall

Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the preseason list:

Jump: Hayden Birdsong, RHP (Preseason: No. 6 | Midseason: No. 2)
Birdsong opened the season at Double-A Richmond, but he earned a promotion to Triple-A Sacramento in June and then made his Major League debut only two weeks later. The 22-year-old right-hander showed enough promise that the Giants felt comfortable dealing Alex Cobb to the Guardians at the July 30 Trade Deadline to clear a rotation spot for Birdsong down the stretch.

Fall: Vaun Brown, OF (Preseason: No. 17 | Midseason: unranked)
Brown enjoyed a breakout season in the Minors in 2022, batting .346 with a 1.060 OPS across three levels and climbing as high as Double-A Richmond, but he’s struggled to replicate that success while dealing with knee injuries over the last two years. The 26-year-old batted only .120 with a .425 OPS over his first 32 games with Richmond this year and spent time on the development list before returning to the Flying Squirrels’ active roster on Sunday.

More from MLB Pipeline:
Top 100 prospects | Stats | Video | Podcast | Complete coverage

New to the list

Here are the players added to the Top 30 from outside the organization:

No. 3: James Tibbs III, OF (2024 first-round Draft pick)
No. 5: Dakota Jordan, OF (2024 fourth-round Draft pick)
No. 19: Trent Harris, RHP (Minor League free agent)
No. 20: Jacob Bresnahan, LHP (Acquired from the Guardians in exchange for Alex Cobb)
No. 22: Robert Hipwell, 3B (2024 sixth-round Draft pick)
No. 23: Jakob Christian, OF (2024 fifth-round Draft pick)

Best tools

Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.

Hit: 60 -- James Tibbs (Wade Meckler)
Power: 60 -- Bryce Eldridge (Dakota Jordan)
Run: 70 -- Grant McCray
Arm: 60 -- Aeverson Arteaga (Maui Ahuna, Bryce Eldridge, Jhonny Level, Jose Ortiz, Yohendry Sanchez)
Defense: 60 -- Maui Ahuna (Aeverson Arteaga, Jose Ortiz)
Fastball: 70 -- Reggie Crawford
Curveball: 70 -- Landen Roupp
Slider: 60 -- Carson Seymour (Reggie Crawford, Joe Whitman)
Changeup: 70 -- Carson Whisenhunt
Control: 50 -- Landen Roupp (Mason Black, Jacob Bresnahan, Jack Choate, Trent Harris, Trevor McDonald, Joe Whitman)