The San Francisco Giants sit atop the National League West standings with a solid 15-10 record. The MLB roster is producing at every level: pitching, fielding and in the batter's box.
But the Giants of the future are also making noise in San Francisco's farm system.
Pitcher Kyle Crick, a player the Giants are taking their time developing in the minors, is looking sharp. Currently on the AA Richmond Flying Squirrels, the right-hander is blowing away batters left and right.
He has a 2.84 ERA so far, but his walk total (14 walks in 12.2 innings pitched) is still high. Once Crick gets more command and develops his changeup, he could become a big part of the Giants' future.
Crick's teammate Clayton Blackburn is also enjoying continued minor league success. He boasts an impressive 1.80 ERA and his WHIP is a solid 1.25. Blackburn earned his first win of the season on April 17, allowing four hits in 6 1/3 innings. He also retired the first nine batters of the game.
As the Giants attempt to fill a hole at second base with the injury to Marco Scutaro, Joe Panik is making a case for himself in Triple-A Fresno. He's batting .315 with 12 RBI in the season's early goings, including a three-game multi-hit streak.
Also in Fresno, top-tier prospect Heath Hembree is performing to his standards as a closer. Surrendering no earned runs in 8.1 innings pitched, Hembree is proving that he could become the next closer for the Giants.
Henry Schulman of SFGate.com wrote back in March why Hembree was demoted to Triple-A despite a solid spring and some MLB experience:
Hembree must have been stunned to be called into manager Bruce Bochy’s office and told he was being optioned to Triple-A. He was in the majors last year and had a great spring, allowing one run in five innings with two walks and five strikeouts.
Hembree just faced too much competition and management’s desire to carry a reliever or two who can throw multiple innings, reducing a spot for a hard-throwing short man.
With Sergio Romo as the go-to man in the ninth and the need for long relief-type guys, Hembree was moved down to Fresno and has unsurprisingly continued his success and ultimate trajectory to the MLB roster.
That's exactly why right-hander Derek Law remained a top bullpen candidate for the Giants this spring.
While he was eventually demoted to Double-A Richmond, Law has continued to impress and build upon his success. He has a 0.96 ERA along with an identical (and possibly more impressive) WHIP of 0.96. Opposing hitters have a minuscule .156 rate of success against Law.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
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