One of the best parts of February is the deluge of top-prospects lists. They’re quick, fascinating snapshots of an organization’s possible future, and the Giants have done a great job over the last decade reminding us why we should care about minor leaguers.

But then the season starts, and a list from March starts to feel stale, as if it was written seven years ago. So much changes, and it happens within a month or two. That’s why Baseball America takes the time to adjust the rankings in the middle of the season, giving us a fresh perspective on the system.

Also, this will probably help teams with relievers to trade figure out how best to pick the bones clean.

Here’s the updated top 10 prospects for the Giants, along with some fun scouting blurbs, from Baseball America:

Phil Bickford (prev. #3) Tyler Beede (prev. #2) Christian Arroyo (prev. #1) Chris Shaw (prev. #5) Adalberto Mejia (prev. #10) Sam Coonrod (prev. #6) Andrew Suarez (prev. #12) Lucius Fox (prev. #4) Joan Gregorio (prev. #18) Steven Duggar (prev. #25)

Bickford went from a curiosity who made the list based on his draft pedigree to a legitimate prospect who has already graduated a level. He was the 50th-best prospect in baseball on the midseason BA list from last week and probably a clear favorite for the top spot on this list.

One mea culpa: I wrote about Bickford’s movement last week, but a couple people reached out that the overall life is minimal, and that deception is really the key to his lower-velocity success. He’s still young and stringy enough to add velocity, though, so there’s no way to be anything but encouraged by his start.

Three prospects dropped out of the top 10, though one of them had a pretty outstanding reason. Jarrett Parker has been excellent for the Giants so far, keeping his strikeouts under control and helping the lineup produce until Hunter Pence gets back. Clayton Blackburn has been erratic, if roughly what the Giants should have been expected, and Aramis Garcia is recovering from a rugged injury (he took a knee to the face). Both players dropped out of the top 10.

The biggest riser was Steven Duggar, who’s gone from the sixth round to Double-A in just over a year. While he’s struggled a bit in his first 52 plate appearances for Richmond, his performance was impressive enough in San Jose to get him onto the list. Joan Gregorio also jumped a few spots, sinking his way into our hearts in Double-A, though he’s having a rougher transition to Triple-A than we might have hoped.

An aside: I have a friend who wrote a song titled "Rodeo in San Gregorio" years ago, and it’s catchy as all heck. I think of the song every single time I read Gregorio’s name, and I don’t think it’s healthy.

Baseball America also treated us to one of the best parts of the annual Prospect Handbook, giving us a look at what the 2019 lineup and rotation might look like if a million-billion things go right:

C - Buster Posey

1B - Brandon Belt

2B - Joe Panik

SS - Brandon Crawford

3B - Christian Arroyo

LF - Steven Duggar

CF - Jarrett Parker

RF - Mac Williamson

SP1 - Madison Bumgarner

SP2 - Phil Bickford

SP3 - Tyler Beede

SP4 - Adalberto Mejia

SP5 - Sam Coonrod

Closer - Joan Gregorio

If you’re skeptical, note that the same exercise in 2013 would have lead to roughly the same lineup the Giants have right now. That is, except for Matt Duffy, who was also slighted in this exercise. That probably says more about Arroyo than it does about Duffy’s slump and injury, but I’m still looking forward to Duffy hitting .400 for the final two months of the season.

The glory days of the Giants farm system are over. Five of the Giants’ #1 prospects from 2006 to 2011 made at least one All-Star Game, and they’ve combined for 16 total so far. We’re probably not going to see anything like that again. But this is a solid crop, especially when you consider the Giants don’t have the same kinds of high picks that brought them Posey, Bumgarner, and Lincecum.

We’ll see what’s left over on August 2. Until then, we get to irrationally expect the best from all 10 prospects. That is our absolute right as fans.