SF Giants depth at Triple-A inspires confidence team can withstand injuries

Joey Bart, Heliot Ramos, Bryce Johnson, and David Villar have had disappointing MLB stints this year, but their Triple-A performance shows the SF Giants depth.

The SF Giants have had high expectations for outfielder Heliot Ramos (Giants Top 30 Prospect), outfielder Bryce Johnson, infielder David Villar, and catcher Joey Bart at various points over the past few years. Yet while none of them have found a permanent role with the team's big-league team, they all have been standing out at Triple-A Sacramento in recent weeks. Giants manager Gabe Kapler talked about the recent performance by Ramos, Villar, and Bart during a pregame media availability prior to the All-Star break.

"Obviously, following Joey's recent success that's super encouraging, particularly given we have at least some evidence that there's a little bit of an adjustment being made with his setup and his stance and his swing," Kapler said. "David has been a guy that we still believe has a chance to make a significant impact on our roster this year and for a lot of years to come. Heliot was a top prospect for us for a lot of years, and all of that talent is still in there and coming off an injury, it's nice to see him get off to a good start. I know how hard he works. Those guys having success obviously is encouraging for the organization and means we have some depth."

As the Giants look to make a playoff push in the second half of the season. Any one of those four players could still play a pivotal role in the team's success.

Bart got off to a horrendous start at Triple-A following the emergence of Patrick Bailey earlier in the season but has seemed to finally put things back together after a recent mechanical adjustment. In his past 52 plate appearances, Bart is hitting .319/.385/.617 with five doubles, three home runs, and just 12 strikeouts. 

It's easy to forget, but Bart looked like an average big-league catcher late last season. Given his improved defense with the Giants earlier this year, there's reason to believe Bart is at least capable of being a solid backup catcher.

It's no secret that the Giants thought Villar would be the team's everyday third baseman heading into the season. While the emergence of J.D. Davis combined with an early-season slump to cost Villar his spot, a mental reset has seemed to help him turn a corner. He was quite productive in his most recent big-league stint and even with some slumps, has maintained an above-average .264/.347/.519 triple-slash with 14 walks and 28 strikeouts in 121 plate appearances.

Ramos was recently named the Pacific Coast League Player of the Week after his most productive stretch in his upper minor league career. Ramos seemed to be showing signs of finally elevating the ball more consistently earlier this season and perhaps has finally turned a corner.

But even if Ramos is unable to sustain this success, Johnson, a more impressive defender and baserunner has quietly been the best player on the River Cats this season. Johnson is hitting .326/.410/.533 with five doubles, a triple, four home runs, six stolen bases, 12 walks, and 21 strikeouts in 23 games (105 plate appearances) at Triple-A this year.

None of these players want to be at Triple-A. All four hoped to solidify themselves as everyday players with the Giants by this point in the season, but a combination of poor performance and the emergence of other players has forced them back to the minor leagues. The Giants obviously hope that they can avoid injuries in the second half of the season, but they are inevitable. Given the combined track record and recent performance of players like Joey Bart, David Villar, Heliot Ramos, and Bryce Johnson, the SF Giants have some solid internal options at Triple-A.