- Full name Jon Armitage
- Born 10/29/1980 in
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The Giants scored with several nondrafted free agents in 2003, including Alaska League star Jeremy Accardo, short-season Northwest League ERA leader Jesse Floyd and NWL co-home run champ Brad Vericker. The best of the group is Armitage, who signed out of the Cape Cod League for $25,000, enough money to cover his final year at the University of Georgia. He signed too late to make his pro debut but made his mark with a Giants instructional league club that went 22-0-2. Armitage redshirted as a college freshman and was the Bulldogs' starting shortstop in 2002 before moving to center field last spring. He has middle-of-the-field tools, grading out as average or above across the board, with the exception of his arm. Despite hitting just nine homers in his college career, Armitage has big raw power, especially from the left side, and he can put on batting-practice displays. He shortened his swing with wood bats on the Cape, which unleashed some of his power. He also showed a good plate approach on the Cape and runs well for his size, though he profiles better in right field than in center. Look for him to start 2004 in high Class A.