SAN FRANCISCO -- The Eugene Emeralds lost last Friday night in Spokane, but there was a lot to like in the box score.
Kyle Harrison pitched five shutout innings, striking out eight and allowing just four hits. His shortstop, Marco Luciano, homered for a third straight game. Harrison and Luciano are both just 20, but they're well-known to Giants fans and within the industry.
They are the top two prospects in the organization, with Luciano ranked in the top 10 nationally, and they are both off to terrific starts this season. Harrison was promoted to Double-A Richmond earlier this week and Luciano shouldn't be far behind.
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The Giants hoped for this kind of stretch from both, but to get where they want to as an organization, they'll need surprises, too. They'll need lower-round picks to turn into big leaguers, and lesser-known prospects to take the leap, either turning into future teammates of Luciano and Harrison, or trade chips to go all-in for a superstar.
The good news for the Giants is that there are a lot of guys in their system who are quickly rising. Here are five guys who don't get as much ink as Luciano and Harrison, but are talked about quite a bit internally:
David Villar (Triple-A)
It was mentioned to Gabe Kapler recently that Villar, a 25-year-old corner infielder, has flown under the radar as he has hit his way to the edge of his big league debut. Kapler smiled.
San Francisco Giants
"I don't think that he's flying under the radar," he said. "He probably hasn't flown under the radar for you guys, he definitely hasn't for us ... this guy has been a really good hitter for a while now. He can swing it."
Villar has not generally been listed among the organization's top 30 prospects, but all he has done the last two years is, well, swing it. He hit 20 homers in Double-A last year and slashed .275/.374/.507 in a tough league for hitters. In 40 Triple-A games, he has a 1.069 OPS and 14 homers.
"Now we've got a pretty big sample size of a guy dominating two levels," Kapler said. "It just makes you more comfortable to know that you have that sort of depth."
Villar's problem at the moment is that the Giants are pretty set at third at the big league level, with Evan Longoria and Wilmer Flores getting most of the time there. Villar hits right-handed, just like those two and Kevin Padlo, who also plays the corners. Jason Vosler is on the 40-man roster, too.
It was notable, then, that Villar started multiple games at second base this week after only playing third and first previously. He also has done some work in left field. Kapler said he has spoken to Ron Wotus, who sees Sacramento often, about Villar's defense at third.
"Wo was like, 'This guy can pick it over there,'" Kapler said. "I asked Wo to compare him to other third basemen in our mix and he feels like he fits right in."
The Giants have some depth ahead of Villar, but if he keeps hitting for power like this, they'll find a way to take a look.
Mason Black (High-A)
As Harrison was sent across the country to Richmond, Black traveled up the coast to take his spot with High-A Eugene. If he keeps pitching like this, he'll one day join Harrison in San Francisco.
Black was taken in the third round last year out of Lehigh and he barely broke a sweat in his first eight professional starts, showing off a fastball that hits the upper 90s and a good slider. In 34 1/3 innings for San Jose, Black had a 1.57 ERA, allowed one homer, walked eight and struck out 44.
Some people who have seen a lot of the Giants system think the 22-year-old from Scranton, Pennsylvania has a chance to soon be the organization's best right-handed starting prospect. After his hot start, Baseball-America now lists him as the No. 9 prospect in the system.
Casey Schmitt (High-A)
How do you go a bit unnoticed as a second-round pick? Well, Schmitt's first professional season was hampered by injuries, and when he was on the field he was in the same lineup as Luciano and Luis Matos. Right now, though, it's Schmitt who leads Eugene in OPS (.937). Through 34 games, he's slashing .312/.387/.550 with seven homers.
The offense by itself would be encouraging. What makes it so exciting for the Giants is that it comes from a player who has the potential to be an elite defender at third base.
Schmitt does everything well over there and has a very strong arm, as you would expect from someone who ran it up to 96 mph on the mound for San Diego State. He has drawn some Matt Chapman comps from scouts who are in love with the glove, and if he keeps hitting like this, he'll be the heir apparent to Longoria at third base.
Grant McCray (Low-A)
Before last season, former big leaguer Pat Burrell, who works with Giants minor leaguers, was raving about Matos. The young outfielder ended up being the MVP of his Low-A league and is now a top 100 prospect.
At minor league camp this March, Burrell told reporters to keep an eye on McCray. Once again, it appears he was ahead of the curve.
McCray is an outstanding athlete who had trouble putting it all together for a while after the Giants took him in the third round of the 2019 draft, but he was one of the most talked about players in minor league camp, and that has carried over to the regular season. McCray is slashing .282/.383/.565 with six homers and nine stolen bases. He has plus speed and the tools to be a very good defender in center field.
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Vaun Brown (Low-A)
Here's a recent sample of Brown's work:
Brown has a .429 on-base percentage and is slugging .644, numbers that make him the best story of the Giants minor league season thus far. The 23-year-old outfielder was taken in the 10th round last July following nine straight pitching selections by the Giants. Right now it looks like a steal.
Brown is old for his level, so it shouldn't be long before the Giants test him against better competition in High-A.