Low-A is for Angel

Hooray! First spring training game is Thursday vs. the Cubs.

Whatever happens with young pitchers traded or not traded, or the competition for outfield spots, the loudest buzz could surround someone in the minor-league camp, and with no surprise: Angel Villalona is the top Giant prospect on yet another list.

This time it’s Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus, who warned me last month that Villalona would be #1 “by a wide margin.” And how: he’s the only five-star prospect. Henry Sosa, a flame-throwing Dominican righty in A-ball, is four-star; the rest (including five of last year’s first-round draftees) are three– or -two-star.

Goldstein’s report is the first I’ve seen to give opening-day assignments, another way to assess how close the recent infusion of talent is to reaching the majors. It looks like Villalona, not yet 18 years old, will start at Low-A Augusta, and he could have most of last year’s first-rounders as his teammates: Tim Alderson and Madison Bumgarner in the rotation; Nick Noonan and Charlie Culberson as the double-play combo; and Wendell Fairly, depending on his spring camp performance, in the outfield. A fun team to watch, as Goldstein notes. If at least a couple of those players end the year in High-A San Jose, it will be successful indeed.

Just for fun, here’s a fast-track scenario for Villalona. He jumps to High-A mid-year. He starts 2009 at double-A and 2010 in AAA. Late-season call-up in 2010 just as he turns 20 and is the opening-day starter at third or first base in 2011.

Other notes:

* Conspicuous by their absences: the last first-round pick from 2007, catcher Jackson Williams, is nowhere to be found among Goldstein’s top 11 or his “just-missed” trio of Wilber Bucardo, Eugenio Velez, and Manny Burriss. Also: None of the excellent Augusta starters from last year made the list. That includes Class-A pitcher of the year Kevin Pucetas. Keep an eye on Pucetas, Adam Cowart and Ben Snyder, all likely to start the year in San Jose.

* My favorite minor-leaguer from last year, Kelvin Pichardo, is Goldstein’s sleeper pick to reach the bigs this year “if he can throw more strikes.” If Pichardo makes it to S.F. this year — or in any year — it should be duly noted by Sabean-bashers who wail about his inability to trade veterans for prospects. Pichardo came to the Giants in a throw-away deal for Michael Tucker in August 2005.

* Nate Schierholtz gets grudging respect. He’s ranked 7^th, the highest for any advanced prospect, and according to Goldstein in a perfect world Nate would be “a second-division starting corner outfielder or a power bat off the bench.” John Bowker, who figures to start the year in Fresno, is right behind him at #8.

El Lefty Malo covers the S.F. Giants on his blog, Lefty Malo.

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