When the San Francisco Giants hired Farhan Zaidi as their President of Baseball Operations in November 2018, he had one vision in mind for the future of the organization: Find big bats.
During his first draft running the team, he didn’t select a pitcher until the eighth round. He started to restructure the entire organization. Zaidi was hired to kickstart the player development machine, and he went straight to work.
One of the unique things about Major League Baseball is they have an international signing period. Starting in January, teams are allowed to sign any amateur player who resides in any country outside of the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico who is 17 by September 1. Generally, the players come from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Cuba. These countries have baseball academies, so by the time the signing period rolls around, they’re ready for the minor leagues.
Since Zaidi took over, he has taken advantage of the international signing period by continuing to sign top prospects every year. But, with the way the farm system is set up, drafts and signings require patience, strategy and long-term plans. Once players are drafted, it takes about four to six years and at least four different teams before they make it to the majors.
Since the Giants have been affiliated with the Emeralds, they have continuously brought strong international players to Eugene. But, this year, we are seeing Zaidi’s first draft class and international signings, and it’s one of the best the Emeralds have seen. Out of the top 30 prospects, nine of them are currently in Eugene and four of them represent different countries.
Out of the top 30 prospects for San Francisco, Aeverson Arteaga, a 20-year-old shortstop from Venezuela, is ranked sixth in the system. Arteaga signed for a million dollars in 2019, and is making his way through the minor leagues fast with a projected MLB ETA of 2025. Better known for his defense, when he turned pro he provided more offense than initially expected.
Before arriving in Eugene, Arteaga batted .276/.350/.450 in his first two seasons, leading both the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and the Single-A California League in hits, doubles and RBIs. On the other side of the ball, his glove is smooth with a far, quick range to both sides and has an arm to go with it. Baseball America, one of the top baseball media platforms, named Arteaga the best defensive shortstop and best infield arm.
After starring in international play for Panamanian youth teams, Adrian Sugastey signed with the Giants in 2019, but the pandemic pushed his professional debut until 2021 when he won a batting title at the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League. The catcher is ranked 19th in the Giants’ system, but he stands out with his bat-to-ball skills and hit-over-power approach. In 104 at-bats in Eugene, Sugastey is hitting .308/.342/.404. At the age of 20, Sugastey is projected to be in San Francisco in 2025, and continues to improve each season.
Even though Zaidi had his heart set on big bats, he didn’t forget about pitching. Before the season started, Jose Cruz, a right-handed pitcher from the Dominican Republic, slid into the final spot in the rankings. Despite not being a part of the Giants at the time Cruz was signed in 2017, Zaidi protected Cruz by placing him on the 40-man roster instead of exposing him to the Rule 5 draft after spending an entire season with the Single-A San Jose Giants last season.
His fastball sits between 94-96 mph and has touched 98 mph outside of the strike zone. His mid-80s changeup has some horizontal movement that helped him limit left handed batters to a .085/.207/.169 last season. Even though his career has moved slowly up to this point, San Francisco will start to expedite his time in the minor leagues as he has a projection of wearing a Giants uniform in 2024.
After leaving Cuba, Jairo Pomares joined the Giants in the same class as Marco Luciano and Luis Matos, the top prospects in San Francisco’s organization. As a left-handed hitter, Pomares hits the ball harder than most of the Giants prospects, which is where most of his value comes from. Throughout his time in the organization, he looks more like a slugger than a hitter, which can benefit the Giants by the time he’s in the major leagues. Even though he’s currently on the Emeralds’ injured list, he will hopefully make an appearance before the All-Star break.
As the Giants and Zaidi continue to focus on its minor league system, some of the top players around the world are repping San Francisco and are coming to Eugene. Players like Luciano and Matos, who will most likely be playing in the majors by the end of this season, have worn Eugene Emeralds uniforms and contributed to championship seasons. Current Emerald players like Victor Bericoto and Luis Toribio are sitting on the outskirts of the rankings, but continue to lead the team in offensive categories across the Northwest League.
Zaidi had one goal in mind, and it seems to be paying off.
