Madison Bumgarner Too Good for Minors

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.

In eight games (seven starts), the left-handed Bumgarner rocks a 5-1 record with a 1.96 ERA. He's struck out 38 hitters in 46 innings. Assuming he continues to blaze along this path, there could be a spot in the Giants rotation by mid-August. Remember, Jonathan Sanchez has been absolutely brutal, to the point the Giants have demoted him to the bullpen. In his place, Ryan Sadowski threw a nice game Sunday, but he's not near as electric as Bumgarner.

Last week, Jeff Fletcher reported that Giants general manager Brian Sabean believes Bumgarner is the type of pitcher who "may not have to pitch at every level" before heading to the majors. Well, Bumgarner's already in Double-A, so we can put two and two together. In the same piece, Fletcher noted that Sabean is untouchable in trade talks, as the Giants look to bolster their offense.

It's possible Bumgarner doesn't join the Giants rotation until 2010, but that's the absolute latest he will. He's progressing so quickly, he bears watching in all fantasy baseball formats.

As a final, non-fantasy note, can you imagine the potential of that Giants rotation with Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Bumgarner at the top? And that's not even scratching the surface. The Giants have more pitching prospects like Tim Alderson. The future in the Bay Area is certainly bright.