Cody Ransom

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #22 prospect in 2004
  Ransom, whose younger brother Troy was a reliever at Hagerstown last season, has been a regular on Giants prospect lists throughout his career, owing more to his defense than offense. If he ever had hit with more consistency, he would have become a major league regular by now. That may never happen, but his glove is so good that he still merits mention as a prospect. One major league scout said Ransom would be the best defensive shortstop in the National League if the Giants were to give him the starting job for 2004. He's out of options and could compete with Neifi Perez to replace Rich Aurilia. Ransom has excellent range and a plus-plus arm that allows him to make plays in the hole with ease. He has spent the last three seasons at Triple-A Fresno, hitting 23 homers there in 2001, when the Grizzlies played at cozy Beiden Field, and 25 combined the last two seasons. He runs OK and draws a few walks. He did cut down on his strikeouts in 2003, but Ransom's best-case scenario is as a .240 hitter with modest power. Combine that with his offense, and he'd be more valuable than Perez.
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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #28 prospect in 2003
  Ransom is 27 and coming off a year when he hit just .207 in his second stint in Triple-A. Yet he's so good defensively that he still has a chance to play in the big leagues, maybe even as a starter. Ransom is the kind of shortstop who can make a difference for a pitching staff. He has great range and an outstanding arm, making bullet throws with seemingly little effort. He could become a Rey Sanchez/Rey Ordonez type, sticking in the majors on his glove alone. Ransom has good power for a shortstop and has patience, but he has so many holes in his long swing that he's a career .227 hitter as a pro. He's athletic, so there's some hope he can make adjustments, but that also should have happened before now. His future probably isn't with the Giants, who have the much more productive Rich Aurilia as a starter. It's also possible they could try his strong arm on the mound. They did that with Ransom's brother Troy, drafting him as an outfielder before converting him to a pitcher. Ransom will give Triple-A another try in 2003.
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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #10 prospect in 2002
  The Giants drafted Ransom's brother Troy in the 29th round in 1999 as an outfielder, but moved him to the mound in 2001. Arm strength must run in the family, because Cody's arm rates a 7 on the 2 to 8 scouting scale. Named the best defensive shortstop in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, Ransom rates as the best defender in the organization. He gets to balls average shortstops wouldn't dream of. Despite that range and huge arm, he made just 12 errors in 588 chances at Fresno. He made strides offensively, showing above-average power for his size and position. Ransom's glove remains ahead of his bat. He has too many holes in his swing, though he made progress making more consistent contact. He needs to improve his pitch recognition. He tends to jump to his front foot during his swing, cheating to catch up to fastballs. Ransom needs more minor league at-bats before his defense can become a factor in the big leagues. If he improves after another season in Triple- A, he could push Rich Aurilia to third base and take over at short in 2003.
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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #12 prospect in 2001
  The organization's biggest shortcoming is its lack of impact middle-infield prospects, which led to a three-year, $15 million contract for big league shortstop Rich Aurilia this offseason. Ransom has the tools to be such a player, but his 2000 performance wasn't encouraging. He struck out more often than he reached base and showed little pop. He's the best the organization has to offer, though, because of his defensive tools. Ransom is one of the system's best athletes--one Giants official called him an acrobat with soft hands--and has its best infield arm, which rates a 7 on the 2-to-8 scouting scale. Ransom's offensive shortcomings undermine his defensive prowess. He has bat speed and enough strength to be dangerous, both to himself and opposing pitchers, because home runs tend to make him too power-conscious. If he made better contact, he would have the power to be an average offensive player, but his swing tends to get long and has plenty of holes. The organization hopes Fresno's hitter-friendly atmosphere can give Ransom the confidence to put his prodigious tools to work.