San Francisco Giants

As Good As The Numbers: Madison Bumgarner, a 2007 first-round pick, has been among the best pitchers in the game this year, with a 1.79 ERA in 17 starts at Low-A Augusta to go with a remarkable 104-to-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 95 1/3 innings. One veteran scout who saw Bumgarner this year walked away with nothing bad to say, noting that his breaking ball, which was his main weakness coming in, has progressed by leaps and bounds. "Right now, his curve flashes OK, but for me it projects as a real power-type curveball and a plus pitch," said the scout, who followed with a laundry list of other positive characteristics. "He's young for the year, he has above-average velocity, his control is outstanding, and his command is getting thereâ€"he has a repeatable delivery, clean arm action, he's very competitive and an excellent makeup guy. I like him a lot and think he'll move fast."

Better Than The Numbers: While highly-publicized international-signee Angel Villalona has yet to light up the stat sheet with his .248/.298/.412 line at Low-A Augusta, the scout who was so impressed with Bumgarner was also impressed with the 17-year-old Dominican, albeit with some reservations. "His raw power is just off the charts," said the scout. "It's massive raw powerâ€"he'll mis-hit balls in [batting practice] and they go 390 feet, but right now he's very restless at the plate." The scout explained that with such pedestrian numbers, the amount of projection currently required is a bit discomforting, but his age provides some promise. "You have to take a leap with him and use your imagination, but no matter how you look at it, his performance and projection are seriously gapped," he continued. "At the same time, he could theoretically be in this same league for four more years and still be age-appropriate for the level."

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