San Francisco Giants Prospect Has Profile for Future MLB Call-up

The San Francisco Giants have a young outfielder who is tracking as a hitter that could reach the Majors one day.

Jun 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; The logos of the San Francisco Giants on a uniform in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The San Francisco Giants won 6-4. / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

A player like Angel Guzman is why a team like the San Francisco Giants puts every single scouting dollar to work.

Guzman didn’t cost the Giants much when they signed him as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2023. Like many of those players, the Giants kept him close to home and had him play in the Dominican Summer League, where he slashed .257/.392/.450/.842 with four home runs and 26 RBI.

San Francisco opted to keep the left-handed hitter, now 18 years old, in the Dominican Summer League for one more year. The improvement is evident.

In just one more game than a season ago he slashed .310/.462/.538/1.000 with seven home runs and 34 RBI. He even earned a selection to the DSL All-Star Game.

But it’s not just the raw, traditional baseball numbers that back up his progress. Modern analytics prove it, too.

Baseball America recently showcased 10 prospects that have a “promising combination of plate skills (contact and approach) as well as impact metrics to hint at projectable future projection.”

To be included the hitters had to meet certain thresholds, including zone contact (20% zone miss of lower), raw power (90th percentile exit velocity above 104 mph) and expected production on contact (.385 xwOBAcon or higher).

Guzman’s numbers fit snugly into the metrics. His xwOBAcon of .386 is just above the .385 for inclusion. His raw power was shown off by his 104.4 mph exit velocity in the 90th percentile. He has a solid chase rate for a young hitter at 18.3%, but it’s his zone miss rate of 13% that really stands out, when one considers the threshold is 20% or better.

Baseball America pointed out that Guzman has nearly as many walks (64) as he does strikeouts (70) professional, which speaks to the disciplined chase and zone miss rates. His exit velocity is “plus” for his age. To get to the Majors, the site writes he needs to elevate the ball more. But a promotion to a U.S. affiliate next year seems appropriate given his progress.

San Francisco could use some more outfielders among its Top 30 prospects at MLB Pipeline. Right now, seven outfielders are among the Top 30 prospects, including No. 5 prospect Rayner Arias, who is with the Arizona Complex League Giants and may not be ready until 2027.

The other outfielders in the Top 30 are Grant McCray, Vaun Brown, Wade Meckler, Victor Berecoto (also listed as a first baseman), Jairo Pomares and Jonah Cox. Meckler and McCray are the only prospects playing at Triple-A.