2023 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List No. 40

Mar 22, 2023 - 6:36 PM

We have only five names to add to the 2023 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List, at which point we will have succeeded in ranking the top 44 prospects in the San Francisco Giants system.

Rounding out the 30s is left-handed pitcher Nick Zwack, who makes his CPL debut at No. 39.

Zwack was one of four players that the Giants acquired from the New York Mets last year in exchange for Darin Ruf, joining right-handed pitcher Carson Seymour (No. 28 on this list), left-handed pitcher Thomas Szapucki (on the 40-man roster), and infielder/designated hitter J.D. Davis (who figures to be an everyday player this year). Pretty good looking trade!

A 17th-round pick in 2021, Zwack started last year with the Mets Low-A affiliate, where he was dominant, with 24 strikeouts to 2 walks in 12.2 innings. That earned him a promotion after just 4 appearances (2 starts), and he headed to New York’s High-A affiliate, where he had a 1.84 ERA, a 2.65 FIP, and 72 strikeouts to 16 walks in 63.2 innings.

The Giants kept him in High-A after the trade, but his numbers fell off a bit. In 6 games — all starts — Zwack had a 3.99 ERA, a 4.17 FIP, and 36 strikeouts to 16 walks in 29.1 innings.

San Francisco views Zwack as a starter at the moment, and he’ll likely begin the year in the AA Richmond rotation. He’s fairly old for his levels — he’ll turn 25 in August — but has pitched just 112.2 innings in his professional career. So there’s a lot of potential in that arm, and if the Giants can tap into it, it’s not inconceivable that he could make an MLB debut this year.

Zwack is just the fourth left-handed pitcher on the CPL, joining Kyle Harrison (No. 1), two-way player Reggie Crawford (No. 9), and Nick Swiney (No. 26).

Now, let’s see who rounds out the top 40!

The list so far

1. Kyle Harrison — LHP
2. Marco Luciano — SS
3. Casey Schmitt — 3B
4. Luis Matos — CF
5. Vaun Brown — OF
6. Grant McCray — CF
7. Aeverson Arteaga — SS
8. Carson Whisenhunt — LHP
9. Reggie Crawford — LHP/DH
10. Patrick Bailey — C
11. Mason Black — RHP
12. Heliot Ramos — OF
13. Eric Silva — RHP
14. Jairo Pomares — OF
15. Cole Waites — RHP
16. Keaton Winn — RHP
17. R.J. Dabovich — RHP
18. Tyler Fitzgerald — INF
19. Ryan Murphy — RHP
20. Landen Roupp — RHP
21. Will Wilson — INF
22. Adrian Sugastey — C
23. Trevor McDonald — RHP
24. Tristan Beck — RHP
25. Will Bednar — RHP
26. Nick Swiney — LHP
27. Rayner Arias — OF
28. Carson Seymour — RHP
29. Hunter Bishop — OF
30. Sean Hjelle — RHP
31. Ryan Reckley — SS
32. Randy Rodriguez — RHP
33. Brett Wisely — INF
34. Blake Sabol — C
35. Jose Cruz — RHP
36. Hayden Birdsong — RHP
37. P.J. Hilson — OF
38. Brett Auerbach — UTIL
39. Nick Zwack — LHP

Note: Clicking on the above names will link to the CPL where they were voted onto the list.

On to No. 40!

No. 40 prospect nominees

Ricardo Genovés — 23.10-year old C, 70 wRC+ in AAA (147 PA), 81 wRC+ in AA (203 PA)
Gerelmi Maldonado — 19.2-year old RHP, 3.86 FIP in the ACL (39.2 IP)
Manuel Mercedes — 20.5-year old RHP, 6.26 FIP in Low-A (80.2 IP)
Onil Perez — 20.6-year old C, 102 wRC+ in ACL (171 PA)
Diego Velasquez — 19.5-year old SS, 6 wRC+ in Low-A (47 PA), 106 wRC+ in ACL (190 PA)

Note: Each player’s first name links to their Baseball-Reference page, and their last name links to their Fangraphs page.

Reminder: voting is now in the comments!