They Might Be Giants: June 1

Position Player: Angel Villalona, 1B
Age: 18
Level: High-A, San Jose
BA Ranking: 3 (44 in MLB)
Week Stats: .417/.417/.667, 4 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI
Season Stats: .308/.342/.470, 30 R, 9 2B, 7 HR, 29 RBI, 7 BB

Villalona continued to hold his own at San Jose, despite the fact that he would still be in high school if he had been born in the United States. He's still a pretty raw talent, and he will probably always be the kind of player who strikes out a lot and doesn't draw many walks, but he's got more power potential than any player in the Giants' system. He's the first baseman of the future, though that could be the somewhat distant future. Note: I didn't pick John Bowker because he's not a prospect anymore, but his performance this week at Fresno is worth a mention, as he hit a ridiculous .538/.586/.923 with a couple of home runs.

Pitcher: Scott Barnes
Age: 21
Level: High-A, San Jose
BA Ranking: 9
Week Stats: 1-0, 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO
Season Stats: 5-2, 45.1 IP, 41 H, 18 BB, 33 SO, 2 HR, 3.97 ERA, 1.30 WHIP

There were a few good performances by Giants' pitchers this week, but Barnes is the most legitimate prospect of the bunch. The lefthander, an eighth round draft pick in 2008, allowed a season-low two hits while striking out a season-high six against Visalia. With Madison Bumgarner and Tim Alderson gone, Barnes is the top pitching prospect left in San Jose. After a bit of a rough stretch in early May, he's been much better in his last three starts, going 2-1 with a 2.55 ERA. In case you're curious, Bumgarner had a good, but not dominant start, allowing one run in five innings, walking two and striking out three.