Find your way to San Jose

Not since the likes of Posey, Bumgarner and Lincecum roamed Municipal Stadium has there been this much excitement for San Jose Giants baseball. Get to know these names.

BY KERRY CROWLEY

Giants baseball at San Jose Municipal Stadium: a slice of Americana, a journey back in time and an event that promises good, old-fashioned family fun.

As Madison Bumgarner tells it, “How baseball was almost meant to be played.”

Only one problem in recent years: The play hasn’t been so good. For all the cheap beer, great barbecue and close-up views, the on-field action hasn’t provided much excitement.

That’s about to change.

HELIOT RAMOS, OF

Drafted: 2017, 1st (19)

Age: 19

ETA: 2021

Bats: R Throws: R

Ht/Wt: 6’2”/185

MLB.com says: His bat speed and strength remain impressive, giving him the raw power to crush home runs to all fields. He needs to develop a more patient approach in order to make enough contact to do damage against advanced pitching, though his strikeout rate actually decreased from 2017 (32 percent) to 2018 (25 percent).

JOEY BART, C

Drafted: 2018, 1st (2)

Age: 22

ETA: 2021

Bats: R Throws: R

Ht/Wt: 6’3’’/220

MLB.com says: Thanks to his bat speed, strength and leverage, Bart rivaled Alec Bohm (No. 3 overall to the Phillies) as the best right-handed power hitter in the 2018 draft. He learned in college (Georgia Tech) that he has natural power and doesn’t have to swing for the fences, and he has the potential to produce 25 homers per season. With his controlled swing and improved plate discipline, he should hit for average to go with his pop.

“I’d say San Jose is the start of the big wave for the young talent for this year,” Giants farm director Kyle Haines said.

The featured talent, of course, is 2017 first-round draft choice Heliot Ramos and 2018 firstround pick Joey Bart. The duo are the two top prospects in the Giants organization, and they’re both expected to spend a significant portion of the year in San Jose.

“That would be awesome if we could go up there and do some damage,” Bart said. “Help the San Jose Giants win some games, that’s what we’re here for. We’ll have some fun.”

Fun was a constant theme in San Jose a decade ago. From 2005-2010, the Giants won four California League titles as the next generation of stars such as Tim Lincecum, Buster Posey and Bumgarner passed through the area. They donned the Giants uniform, conquered the competition and found themselves on the fast-track to the big leagues. This year’s crop of prospects could follow in their footsteps.

“There’s a lot of excitement going into the season in San Jose, it reminds me of the 2009 team when you had Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner,” San Jose Giants broadcaster Joe Ritzo said. “They were a couple of former first-round picks and prospects that already have name-recognition even at the Class-A advanced level, which is very unusual.”

In Ramos, fans will meet a teenage talent with five tools and the potential to break the Giants’ 30-plus-year drought of failing to produce a homegrown all-star in the outfield.

In Bart, San Jose Giants fans will see the franchise’s catcher of the future, a broad-shouldered power-hitter who represents the next great hope.

SEAN HJELLE, RHP

Drafted: 2018, 2nd (45)

Age: 21

ETA: 2021

Bats: R Throws: R

Ht/Wt: 6’11”/225

MLB.com says: If Hjelle can make it to the big leagues, he’ll equal 6-foot-11 Jon Rauch as the tallest pitcher in MLB history. Hjelle doesn’t fit the prototype of a tall pitcher because his polish stands out much more than his power. His fastball sits at 91-94 mph and peaks at 96, with the unusual angle he creates with his extra-large frame more notable than his velocity.

JAKE WONG, RHP

Drafted: 2018, 3rd (80)

ETA: 2021

Age: 22

Bats: R Throws: R

Ht/Wt: 6’2”/215

MLB.com says: Wong helped put Grand Canyon University’s newly minted NCAA Division I program on the map with a series of strong performances against ranked opponents in 2017-18. Wong sits at 93-95 mph and reaches 97 mph with his fastball, which features heavy sink when he keeps it down in the strike zone.

“He’s playing the rarest position there is to find impact, and that’s behind the plate,” Haines said. “He can impact a game offensively and defensively, both in the same game, and it’s really exciting to watch.”

Behind the frontline talent, the Giants have a number of other talented prospects ticketed for San Jose. Reliever Camilo Doval could make the jump from Low-A Augusta while 2018 draftees and pitchers Sean Hjelle and Jake Wong may climb their way up to the California League by the end of the season.

At 6-foot-11, Hjelle is a rare breed, but Wong may have the quicker path to the big leagues if he stays on track.

“Jake is really impressive,” Bart said. “He throws really hard, 95 at least and with a banger curveball and a changeup as well. Jake’s a great player. He’s a guy I could see climbing the ladder pretty fast. He’s pretty advanced, and with Hjelle, those two guys are pretty good.”

The future isn’t quite here yet in San Francisco. But 45 minutes down the road, it’ll be on display every night.

“It’s a major league city in close proximity to San Francisco,” Ritzo said. “When we’re loaded with top prospects, there are San Francisco executives that are down watching us play on a nightly basis.”

This season should bring more reason to check out the action at Municipal Stadium, where the likes of Joey Bart and Heliot Ramos are expected to bring excitement to the diamond.

CAMILO DOVAL, RHP

Signed: Oct. 28, 2015

Age: 21

ETA: 2021

Bats: R Throws: R

Ht/Wt: 6’2”/185

MLB.com says: Signed for $100,000 out of the Dominican Republic at the relatively advanced age of 18 in October 2015, Doval has one of the best pure arms in the Giants organization. Doval has a filthy heater that sits at 93-98 mph and frequently reaches triple digits. He slings the ball from a lowthree-quarters arm slot that makes it hard for righthanders to pick up his heater and imparts natural cutting and running action.