One Giants Prospect the Mets Should Want for Beltran

If the Giants want to deal for Carlos Beltran, I would only do so for a package of prospects as no one prospect is that outstanding.

One prospect I'd consider is LHP Eric Surkamp. Though 23 years old and in Double-A for the first time, he's having his best season. His record is 7-3 and his ERA is 1.78, the lowest of his pro career. In 96.1 innings he's struck out 114 batters while walking only 30. This past January, Baseball America ranked him as the Giants ninth best prospect.

A finesse rather than a power pitcher, the Washington Post has described Surkamp as having "a curveball, change-up and slider that make his 87-90 mph fastball look faster."

In 2010 Bleacher Report wrote this about Surkamp:

Surkamp should at least be as good as the Angels' Joe Saunders, and with more potential strikeout ability, he may be even better than that. He could develop into a No. 2 quality starter, although it's more likely he'll be a strong mid-rotation presence.

As the Giants farm system is not that strong — The Hardball Times — ranks them 26th (the bottom five), the Giants will have to sweeten the pot with a combination of quality and quantity. Interestingly, they ranked Surkamp #4, a ranking his performance this system seems to justify.

Surkamp's 2011 stats