Spring Training is here! San Francisco Giants players are in action! Excitement — and more importantly, baseball — is in the air!
And still our Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List marches on, as we grow oh so close to finishing our communal rankings of the top 44 prospects in the Giants organization. Only one more name and we’ll have a top 40!
Despite there being seven names on the ballot, the last chapter wasn’t all that close. Earning the title of the No. 39 prospect in the system is someone new to the list: second baseman Nate Furman.
Giants fans haven’t gotten to watch much Furman, as he’s only played 36 games for the organization. The left-handed hitter, who will turn 25 over the summer, came over the Giants in the 2024 deadline deal that sent Alex Cobb to the Cleveland Guardians (Furman was the player to be named later, with LHP Jacob Bresnahan — No. 11 on this list — the headlining piece). The short infielder, who was selected by Cleveland in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, was injured at the time of the trade, and didn’t debut with the Giants until 2025.
Unfortunately, his 2025 was shortened due to injuries as well. He was injured when the year began, and didn’t get on the field until late July, nearly a year after the trade had taken place. But once he got on the field, he wasted no time showing why the Giants love him. He played one rehab game in the Complex League, and drew two walks. He spent five games with the Low-A San Jose Giants, and hit 5-12 with two extra-base hits and three walks.
He spent the bulk of his time with the High-A Eugene Emeralds, getting back up to speed at a level he had conquered in 2024 while in Cleveland’s system. He conquered it for the Giants as well, playing 21 games and slashing .364/.490/.649, for a 1.139 OPS and a 211 wRC+. It was abundantly clear that he was way too good for the level.
Furman concluded the year with a brief stint with the AA Richmond Flying Squirrels, though it wasn’t his first attempt at the level — he played 13 AA games in 2024 before the injury. In nine games with Richmond, Furman didn’t slow down at all, hitting .387/.486/.484 for a .970 OPS and a 188 wRC+.
Those numbers are absolutely dandy, but the real reason for optimism probably comes from somewhere else: the Giants choosing to send Furman to camp as a non-roster invitee. That certainly speaks highly to how they view his skills considering his lack of playing time in the upper Minors, and the fact that players with more experience, like Diego Velasquez, were passed over.
In many ways, Furman mirrors the player he’ll be backing up in Scottsdale, Luis Arráez. He has arguably the best bat-to-ball skills in the entire farm, but struggles to use those skills for power, and his defense is quite suspect. But we know the Giants love contact skills, and across the four levels last year, Furman hit .369 with just an 11.7% strikeout rate.
Those K numbers underscore just how impressive his contact is (some of the strikeouts came by passivity). The Giants had 95 Minor League hitters with at least 100 plate appearances last year, and only six of those 95 had swinging strike rates under 7%. Furman led the way at 3.5%, miles ahead of second place (Turner Hill, 4.7%). His ability to put the bat on the ball is truly impressive. It’s just a matter of what he’ll be able to do with the ball when he does that.
Despite playing just 22 games in AA, it wouldn’t be a shock if Furman starts 2026 with AAA Sacramento, especially if he has a strong showing at Spring Training. That would allow Velasquez to continue developing in Richmond, while placing Furman in good position to establish himself as a depth piece for the Major League roster.
Now let’s add to the list, and a reminder that voting now takes place in the comment section, using the “rec” feature.
The list so far
Note: Clicking on the above names will link to the CPL where they were voted onto the list.
No. 40 prospect nominees
Sabin Ceballos — 23.5-year old 3B — .670 OPS/102 wRC+ in AA (420 PA)
Jakob Christian — 23.4-year old OF/1B — .950 OPS/155 wRC+ in High-A (92 PA); .815 OPS/119 wRC+ in Low-A (318 PA)
Reggie Crawford — 25.2-year old LHP — did not pitch in 2025; 1.04 ERA/4.07 FIP in AAA in 2024 (8.2 IP); 4.66 ERA/4.93 FIP in AA in 2024 (9.2 IP)
Juan Sánchez — 25.2-year old LHP — did not pitch in 2025; 3.93 ERA/5.17 FIP in AAA in 2024 (34.1 IP)
Charlie Szykowny — 25.7-year old 3B/1B — .816 OPS/122 wRC+ in High-A (549 PA)
Jancel Villarroel — 21.0-year old C — .699 OPS/91 wRC+ in High-A (61 PA); .746 OPS/123 wRC+ in Low-A (372 PA)
Note: Each player’s first name links to their Baseball-Reference page, and their last name links to their Fangraphs page. All stats are from the 2025 season.
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