FanHouse MadisonBumgarner

SAN FRANCISCO -- Depending on who you ask, Madison Bumgarner's much-anticipated big league debut was a success or a failure.

Bumgarner, who got the emergency start on Tuesday night against the Padres because of Tim Lincecum's back spasms, was good enough to hold down the Padres into the sixth inning. He was good enough to leave with a one-run lead, and to a standing ovation, in a game that Giants would eventually lose 4-3.

However, to anyone who was expecting to see the eye-popping stuff of a premium prospect, the 20-year-old left something to be desired.

These Kids Are Alright is FanHouse's look at minor league prospects who could have a fantasy impact in the near future.

We've discussed Madison Bumgarner before, but the assumption has always been that he was a future prospect, slated to make the majors sometime during the 2010 season. I mean, he's only 19 years old for God's sake. Yet, as the Giants look to be a legitimate playoff threat, this kid is just tearing up the minors. He started the season in Class A, where he made hitters look stupid for five games (1.48 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 23 K, 4 BB in 24 1/3 innings). So he was promoted to Double-A and the numbers are almost as staggering.

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

By the looks of his season stats, you wouldn't know that Jordan Zimmermann has actually been one of the most dominant pitchers in the majors over the past month. We're talking a 1.90 ERA and a .198 batting average against. On that same note, Minnesota's Scott Baker is holding opposing hitters to a .205 average over his last five starts. The turnaround of these pitchers teach fantasy owners an important lesson about staying patient and swooping in when the time is right.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Catcher Buster Posey, who signed for a record $6.2 million bonus less than a year ago, is about to be promoted from the Giants' Single-A affiliate.

"I don't know if it's going to be Double-A or Triple-A, but that discussion is ongoing," San Francisco general manager Brian Sabean told FanHouse on Monday.

Posey, the No. 4 pick in last year's draft, is one of the top hitting prospects in baseball. He is hitting .328/.425/.545 with 11 homers in 66 games at San Jose. Posey was in big league camp for most of the spring. The fact that the Giants are considering moving him as high as Triple-A less than a year into his pro career indicates that he's on the fast track.

Giants catcher Bengie Molina is signed only through the end of this season, so Posey's development will no doubt play a role in the Giants' decision-making on Molina.

As we've now witnessed a touch over a month of minor league baseball, it's worth it in many fantasy leagues to look ahead at who may be making a visit to the majors sometime this season. Remember, Ryan Braun, for example, wasn't yet in the major leagues at this point in his rookie season. This isn't to say that all of these guys -- or any -- will have that sort of an impact in the majors this year.

We're just giving a quick, non-comprehensive list of players who are playing relatively well in the minors this year and/or who have a chance to make a fantasy impact at some point. We'll start with the big names, but it won't be limited to just them. Dynasty league players should be paying the most attention.

Every season, right around this time, there is a large flock of prospects all trying to prove to themselves and the front office that they belong in big league baseball. The key to fantasy baseball success when speaking of these prospects is to know whether or not they are going to make the team out of Spring Training. If not, you need to weigh the time line of each player and figure out if he should be a selection in your fantasy draft or if you'll be spending FAAB money or using waiver priority status on him.

Choose wisely when considering the acquisition of prospects. Most of these guys have bright, rocket-ship upside. But, not all will become effective fantasy assets.

Tommy Hanson, Braves - Unless a string of injuries occur to the Braves rotation this spring, Hanson will start the season at Triple-A Gwinnett. He'll, most likely, be the first starter called up as he was a strikeout machine in the Arizona Fall League and is still showing off his arm this spring. He's good enough to make a front-of-the-rotation impact almost instantly.

Lost in the radical makeover under way in the Bronx this winter is the similarly stark turnover taking place in San Francisco. No, the Giants haven't spent 10 times the Opening Day payroll of the Tampa Bay Rays on a handful of players, but they have added shortstop Edgar Renteria, pitcher Randy Johnson and relievers Jeremy Affeldt and Bobby Howry.

With Johnson, reigning Cy Young Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, they've got the starting rotation to win the NL West, but probably not the offensive firepower just yet.

In fact, the signing of Johnson might serve another purpose besides bolstering an already strong rotation, it might allow GM Brian Sabean to deal some of his pitching depth -- namely Jonathan Sanchez -- to give San Francisco's lineup more punch.

Having resisted offers of corner infielders for Jonathan Sanchez, general manager Brian Sabean hinted that he might at least listen to trade proposals involving the left-hander, now that Johnson's aboard. "We're going to have to be open-minded," Sabean said, although he repeated that he wouldn't obtain a player who's eligible for free agency after 2009.

There's hardly a more valuable commodity in baseball than cost-controlled starting pitching, but the Giants have that in spades, especially if you factor in high-upside prospects Madison Bumgarner and Tim Alderson.

A look at the first round selections in today's MLB draft by the five teams of the NL West division. For a full recap of the first round, you can always read the live-blog we kept of it.

Colorado Rockies (8) Casey Weathers, RHP, Vanderbilt (Scouting report courtesy of Purple Row):

Entering the 2007 season, Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin named Weathers the closer for the team. He did nothing to disappoint anyone this past season as you can see from his stats above. His fastball normally sits around 96 MPH and his slider touches 84-86 MPH on most occasions. He should be a guy who moves quickly through the Rockies system once he signs his contract. The Rockies need more than a reliever to fix their problems and there were several high upside guys available at the #8 pick. But this pick may be an indication that [Brian] Fuentes [pictured] will be traded if not before the July trade deadline then probably during the off-season.

Arizona Diamondbacks (9) Jarrod Parker, RHP, Norwell (IN) HS: (Scouting report courtesy Baseball America via Diamondbacks Bullpen)

Parker pitched for Team USA's junior national squad that won a silver medal in the World Junior Championship in Cuba last September. He has blown away scouts and hitters all spring, warming up for his initial start at 93-94 mph and hitting 97 with his first official pitch of the season. He touched 98 in that game and has continued to do so since, often working at 95-96. Just 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, Parker generates his exceptional velocity with an unbelievably quick arm.

San Francisco Giants (10) Madison Bumgarner, LHP, South Caldwell (NC) HS: (Scouting report courtesy Giants Official Site)

Bumgarner, 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, possesses a fastball that has been clocked as high as 95 mph. With that effective a pitch, he's still working on developing his curveball and changeup. He was 11-2 with one save and a 1.05 ERA for South Caldwell this year. In 86 1/3 innings, Bumgarner struck out 145, allowed 45 hits and walked 11. With his size, the 17-year-old has inspired comparisons to Mark Mulder and Andy Pettitte.