How have SF Giants prospects performed in the first week of the AFL?

Multiple SF Giants prospects have gotten off to scorching hot starts in the first week of the Arizona Fall League.

The SF Giants have sent several prospects to the Arizona Fall League, where they will receive some extra coaching and opportunities as they gear up for the 2024 season. All prospects from the Giants' organization are playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions, who went 3-2 in the first week of the season. The team is currently in second place in the six-team league.

Here's a look at how each of San Francisco's prospects performed during the first week of the season:

Outfielder Carter Howell, who crushed Single-A this season before he finished up with High-A Eugene, has arguably been the most productive player on the Scorpions so far. While Howell has only played in three of the team's games, he has gone 4-for-10 with a triple, home run, two walks, and three strikeouts. The Giants signed Howell as a nondrafted free agent last year out of Augustana University.

Catcher Zach Morgan has also gotten off to a good start, going 5-for-9 with three walks and just one strikeout in three games. Morgan may not have standout power, exemplified by zero extra-base hits, but he continues to flash the potential to be a versatile contact-oriented bat. He was drafted by the Giants in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Fresno State.

Left-handed pitcher Jack Choate was easily the most effective Giants' pitching prospect for Scottsdale last week, striking out four across two shutout innings with just one hit and walk allowed. A 6'6'' lefty, Choate posted a 2.25 ERA in 68 innings pitched across Single-A and High-A this season. He was drafted by the Giants in the ninth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Assumption College.

Right-handed pitcher Marques Johnson, who the Giants acquired in a trade with the Red Sox earlier this year, has made two relief appearances, allowing one run on two hits and zero walks with three strikeouts in two innings pitched. The Red Sox drafted Johnson in the 11th round of the 2022 draft out of Long Beach State.

Left-handed pitcher Hayden Wynja allowed two hits and zero walks across 1.1 shutout innings in his lone appearance with one strikeout. Another tall (6'9'') southpaw, Wynja racked up 115 strikeouts in 97.1 innings pitched this season between Single-A and High-A. The Giants signed the 24-year-old as a nondrafted free agent out of Murray State in the summer of 2022.

2021 Giants first-round pick Will Bednar flashed improved velocity, reaching the mid-90s for the first time this year. However, he allowed two runs in 1.2 innings pitched on zero hits, five walks, and three strikeouts. It's good to see Bednar flashing an improved arsenal, but the Giants will obviously hope he can corral his command before the end of the AFL season.

2022 Giants first-round pick Reggie Crawford (Giants Top 10 Prospect) has struggled mightily in his first extended look as a hitter this year. Crawford only recorded one hit in four games, a single, alongside three walks with nine strikeouts in 17 plate appearances. Given how effective Crawford was this season as a pitcher, the Giants might want him to focus solely on reaching his untapped potential as a pitcher if he cannot right the ship at the AFL.