Shortstop Christian Arroyo, San Francisco's lone representative on MLBPipeline.com's latest Top 100 Prospects list, is emblematic of how his franchise operates and how its farm system is regarded. The Giants aren't afraid to buck the consensus -- Arroyo was a first-round pick who wasn't rated as highly by other clubs -- and their system hasn't received much acclaim since Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey graduated to the big leagues in 2010. Yet they've won three World Series titles already this decade.
San Francisco's upper-level executives, player-development officials and scouts work in concert as well as any organization's, and they keep funneling talent to AT&T Park despite a dearth of accolades. The latest examples from 2015 are Matt Duffy, an 18th-rounder who finished second in National League Rookie of the Year balloting; Chris Heston, a 12th-rounder who won 12 games and threw a no-hitter; and Kelby Tomlinson, another 12th-rounder who batted .303 as a utilityman.
The Giants don't have a prospect likely to make a huge impact in 2016 or perhaps 2017 as well, though history would suggest it would be unwise to underestimate this system. What they do have is a pair of shortstops with high offensive ceilings in Arroyo and $6 million Bahamian Lucius Fox and lots of pitching depth. Twenty members of MLBPipeline's Top 30 Prospects list are arms, beginning with the club's last two first-rounders in Tyler Beede and Phil Bickford.
• Giants' 2016 Top 30 Prospects list
Biggest jump/fall
Jump: Sam Coonrod, RHP (2015: NR | 2016: 6)
Fall: Ty Blach, LHP (2015: 9 | 2016: 24)
Chris Stratton, RHP (2015: 13 | 2016: 28)
Team Top 30 Prospects lists
Best tools
Top 10 Farm SystemsPlayers 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.
Hit: Christian Arroyo (60)
Power: Chris Shaw (60)
Run: Lucius Fox (70)
Arm: Mac Williamson (60)
Defense: Ronnie Jebavy (60)
Fastball: Ray Black (80)
Curveball: Derek Law (60)
Slider: Steven Okert (60)
Changeup: Josh Osich (65)
Control: Ty Blach (60)
How they were built
Draft: 26
International: 4
Trade: 0
Breakdown by ETA
2016: 10
2017: 11
2018: 6
2019: 3
Breakdown by position
C: 1
1B: 1
2B: 1
3B: 0
SS: 3
OF: 4
RHP: 14
LHP: 6