2023 MLB Draft Review: San Francisco Giants

Full list of draftees

The Giants dumped $7 million into their first two picks, giving them a two of the best high school prospects in the class at picks #16 and #52. Because second rounder Walker Martin signed for nearly double his slot value, they were forced to go below slot for nearly every pick for the rest of the draft, but they still came away with a very nice class even beyond the two stars at the top. Joe Whitman wasn't supposed to be available at their third pick and certainly wasn't expected to sign for as little as he did, while fourth rounder Maui Ahuna possesses a ton of talent for his $500,000 signing bonus even though his profile comes with significant drawbacks. I like this position player-heavy class a lot.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. "2-50" would indicate that a player was drafted in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.

1-16: RHP Bryce Eldridge, James Madison HS [VA] {video}
Slot value: $4.33 million. Signing bonus: $4 million ($329,100 below slot value).
My rank: #23. MLB Pipeline: #23. Baseball America: #22. Prospects Live: #19.
The Giants drafted Bryce Eldridge as a pitcher, but he's a true two-way player and a darn good one at that. One of the most interesting prospects in the class, he's a product of the same James Madison High School baseball program that I played for almost a decade ago and which has since produced Cubs 2021 second rounder James Triantos. Though he was drafted as a pitcher, I actually prefer his bat. He's a massive presence in the box at 6'7", giving him tremendous leverage in his left handed swing that translates to natural plus power. He doesn't need to sell out for that power, instead flicking his hands at the ball and letting those long arms and legs do the rest. Eldridge is a patient hitter that chooses good pitches to hit, though like many extra tall hitters, his long arms can create some swing and miss in the zone and that's perhaps his only drawback in the box. He is a better runner than you would think given his size, with surprising athleticism that helps him play a pretty nifty first base or could translate well to right field if he moves out there. On the mound, his height helps him create downhill plane that accentuates the running and sinking life on his low 90's fastball. The slider can be inconsistent at times, though at its best it shows hard, late bite and looks like an above average pitch, while his changeup has come along nicely in its own right. There's some minor head whack in his delivery which can lead to some command questions, but he's mostly around the zone and his athleticism should help him grow into that large body well. It's a pretty solid #3 starter profile. One thing to note is that he has missed some time with various nagging injuries over the past few seasons, but he looks fully healthy now. Eldridge has a chance to be a star on either side (or both sides?) of the ball for the Giants. He's only hitting for now, slashing .305/.400/.610 with five home runs and an 18/10 strikeout to walk ratio through 18 games between the Arizona Complex League and Low A San Jose.

2-52: SS Walker Martin, Eaton HS [CO] {video}
Slot value: $1.62 million. Signing bonus: $3 million ($1.38 million above slot value).
My rank: #21. MLB Pipeline: #30. Baseball America: #24. Prospects Live: #30.
It took nearly double the slot value to sign Walker Martin away from an Arkansas commitment, close to the value of the 27th overall pick, but the Giants got it done and brought in an incredible talent for the second round. Martin simply tormented Colorado high school pitching this spring, and there's no other way to spin it. He has an extremely athletic, projectable 6'2" frame that has done him well on the football field as well, but on the baseball field it gives him plus raw power that he tapped at will in games this spring. Beyond the power, his all fields approach has helped him handle advanced pitching well and he should have at least an average hit tool, giving him a potent all-around bat. Martin moves well at shortstop with quick feet and great athleticism, though he does like to gather himself before he throws and fore that reason he may fit better at second or third base. He's also an average runner, and together it's an extremely well-rounded profile. Perhaps the only true drawback here is his age, as the Colorado native turned 19 back in February, making him a full year older than most high school seniors and age appropriate for a college freshman. Other players with similar age questions such as Brett Baty and Colson Montgomery have performed well, and the hope is that Martin follows their path.

2C-69: LHP Joe Whitman, Kent State {video}
Slot value: $1.07 million. Signing bonus: $805,575 ($268,525 below slot value).
My rank: #49. MLB Pipeline: #37. Baseball America: #35. Prospects Live: #37.
Joe Whitman had serious helium late in the draft cycle, pushing himself into the first round conversation with a strong finish to his junior year and one excellent, highly attended start in the Cape Cod League. Many were surprised to see him drop all the way to the second compensation round, and even more surprised to see him sign for over $250,000 below slot value. If you look at the rankings above, you can see that I wasn't exactly the high man on Whitman, but in this situation that's great value. He's coming off an excellent season at Kent State in which he posted a 2.56 ERA and a 100/29 strikeout to walk ratio over 81 innings. Whitman sits in the low 90's with his fastball but can run it up to 97 in short stints and consistently touches 95 in longer outings, though the movement on the pitch is more average. His slider is his best pitch with great diving action that helps it miss a ton of bats, while his changeup gives him one of the better left handed cambios in the class. It's a really nice three pitch mix that gets boosted further by solid average command that should be above average in time. The 6'5" lefty is plenty durable and repeats his delivery very well, and it all adds up to a high probability #3 or #4 starter package. Whitman could move quickly through the Giants' system. So far, he has allowed one run over four innings in the Arizona Complex League, striking out four against one walk.

3-85: SS Cole Foster, Auburn {video}
Slot value: $820,900. Signing bonus: $747,500 ($73,400 below slot value).
My rank: #117. MLB Pipeline: #95. Baseball America: #124. Prospects Live: #102.
The Giants went under slot again, as they will do for much of the rest of the draft, here in the third round. Cole Foster was a prominent draft prospect out of Plano Senior High School in Texas in 2020, but made it to campus after the shortened draft and has improved every year at Auburn. He put together a career year in 2023, slashing .336/.429/.570 with 13 home runs and a 50/30 strikeout to walk ratio over 55 games and establishing himself as a top three rounds prospect. There's no one standout tool here, but Foster does a lot of things well with average tools across the board. He's a switch hitter that takes good at bats from both sides of the plate, showing solid power that will play best to the pull side with wood bats that could help him produce 15-20 home runs per season. The bat to ball skills are decent, though he did strike out in 19% of his plate appearances in 2023. The Dallas-area native has experience all over the diamond and could profile in a super-utility role with a solid arm and good glovework in both the infield and outfield, though his lack of true explosiveness may limit his effectiveness at the premium positions of shortstop and center field. If any one of his tools can take the next step in pro ball and get to above average, he has a chance to be an everyday player somewhere on the diamond. So far, he's slashing .250/.281/.467 with five home runs and a pretty ugly 30/2 strikeout to walk ratio over 22 games between the Arizona Complex League and Low A San Jose.

4-117: SS Maui Ahuna, Tennessee {video}
Slot value: $569,100. Signing bonus: $497,500 ($71,600 below slot value).
My rank: #109. MLB Pipeline: #48. Baseball America: #72. Prospects Live: #132.
Maui Ahuna was one of the more polarizing prospects in this year's class, as you can tell by the rankings above, and it turns out that those of us that were lower on him were more in line with the league's perception than those that were higher on him. Ahuna began his career at Kansas, where he thrust himself into first round conversations with a massive sophomore year in 2022 (.396/.479/.634). When head coach Ritch Price retired after the season, he transferred to Tennessee for his junior year but was exposed a bit by SEC pitching, slashing .312/.425/.537 on the year with eight home runs and a 77/37 strikeout to walk ratio over 53 games. Still, he remains a very interesting prospect. He's an extremely streaky hitter that can get red hot and carry an offense, showing average power and an all fields approach that leads to plenty of opposite field extra base hits. His left handed swing can get swoopy at times and he can be prone to chasing offspeed pitches below the zone, leading to a fringy hit tool, though that aforementioned willingness to use the opposite field can help him dig himself out of holes in the count. The breaking balls are a major issue, though, as he struck out over 30% of the time this spring and over 50% of the time on the Cape last summer, and I'm not sold on his ability to handle pro offspeed stuff. Ahuna's glove buys the bat some slack, as he's a slick defender at shortstop that can make the big play, with a plus arm to boot that will make him an asset at the position. Throw in his above average speed and you've got yourself a very interesting, versatile defender. The bat may stop him from ever becoming a full time player, but the glove will carry him at least part of the way up the ladder and if he ever reins in his approach, he has a chance to not only play every day but provide impact in the lineup. It's a true boom or bust profile. 

5-153: 2B Quinn McDaniel, Maine {video}
Slot value: $400,600. Signing bonus: $300,450 ($100,150 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #240. Prospects Live: #322.
You don't see many Mainers in pro baseball, but Quinn McDaniel will join fellow Maine Black Bear Nick Sinacola (though a native of Massachusetts) in the Giants' system. McDaniel has been a menace in the America East Conference for a couple years now, putting up his best year yet in 2023 with a .354/.513/.688 slash line, 16 home runs, 32 stolen bases, and a 44/60 strikeout to walk ratio over 53 games. It's a pretty unique profile, as it turns out. He sets up with a big, slow leg kick that acts as a timing mechanism, almost touching his hands to his knee before bringing them back up and slashing them through the zone with impressive quickness. Undersized at 5'11", his quick hands help him tap some moderate power to the pull side, though his 16 home runs in 2023 may have been evidence of him teeing off average pitching in the America East. McDaniel is a very patient hitter that walked in 23% of his plate appearances, which will force pro pitchers to come right after him. We'll see if he can tone down his operation in the box enough to handle what's coming. Defensively, his plus speed should help him stick at second base if he can clean up his actions a little bit. The southern Maine native is young for the class, not set to turn 21 until late September, which will give the Giants a little bit of time to play with his fun profile. So far, he's slashing .255/.449/.455 with three home runs and a 16/20 strikeout to walk ratio over 18 games between the Arizona Complex League and Low A San Jose.

6-180: C Luke Shliger, Maryland {video}
Slot value: $314,800. Signing bonus: $272,500 ($42,300 below slot value).
My rank: #177. MLB Pipeline: #170. Baseball America: #88. Prospects Live: #109.
I'm not quite as high on Luke Shliger as some other outlets, but I certainly think he has an interesting profile regardless. He's been a monster in the Maryland lineup over the past two seasons, slashing .345/.509/.588 with 23 home runs, 24 stolen bases, and a 98/123 strikeout to walk ratio over 125 games combined. Shliger has a very unique approach in the box, setting up with his toes on the inside corner of the batters box in a manner that takes "crowding the plate" to an extreme. Indeed, he's been hit by 44 pitches over the past two seasons, with his 24 this past season finishing eighth in Division I and leading the Big Ten. He's also an extremely patient hitter, running an elite chase rate under 15% this past spring that was the second lowest of any hitter on my draft board and helping him run an exceptional .523 on-base percentage. That elite approach played up on the Cape, where he ran a .404 on-base percentage against some of the best arms in the country. The bat itself is a little more ordinary, though, with below average power that was made to look better by his hitter-friendly home park. He has a quick, uppercut lefthanded swing that helps him maximize what he does have, but with a 90th percentile exit velocity just over 100 and a maxed out 5'9" frame he's unlikely to be much of a power threat in pro ball. The Connecticut native is built like a catcher with a thick, stocky frame, and while he's scrappy back there with a catcher's mindset, his overall actions are more average with an average arm. He should stick but won't necessarily be an asset defensively. Overall, I struggle to see much upside here beyond that of a backup catcher, which is why my ranking was a bit behind the other publications, but he does possess that coveted outlier trait in his approach. His early numbers are right in line with expectations, slashing .279/.380/.326 with a 6/5 strikeout to walk ratio through 12 games with Low A San Jose.

8-240: RHP Josh Bostick, Grayson JC [TX] {video}
Slot value: $198,800. Signing bonus: $397,500 ($198,700 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #176. Baseball America: unranked. Prospects Live: #251.
Though most of their bonus pool money was tied up by Walker Martin in the second round, the Giants managed one more significant over slot bonus for Josh Bostick, giving him fifth round money to sign away from a UT Arlington commitment. Bostick has bounced around the JuCo scene and landed at Grayson JC in North Texas this past spring, then went on to impress in a short Cape Cod League stint before the draft. He sits in the low to mid 90's and can touch 98 at best, up significantly from last year (where I am 40% sure I hit a double off of him in a Dallas-area men's league game, but it was probably his brother, I can't remember), with some nice riding action as well. His secondaries are inconsistent but his slider flashes above average, while his changeup is fringier. He's still learning to harness his improved stuff but he has a ton of arm strength and doesn't need to expend too much effort to reach his velocity, giving hope he can have at least average command down the line. If Bostick can bring his changeup and command along just a little farther, he has a chance to be a #4 starter. So far, he has allowed two earned runs over 4.2 innings with seven strikeouts to two walks in the Arizona Complex League.

11-330: C Jack Payton, Louisville {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $175,000 ($25,000 above slot value).
My rank: #195. MLB Pipeline: #148. Baseball America: #116. Prospects Live: #306.
Jack Payton was eligible last year, but has steadily improved during his time at Louisville and worked his way into being a very solid prospect in this year's draft. He tripled his home run total from four to twelve while slashing .374/.472/.642 with a 41/22 strikeout to walk ratio over 48 games, looking like one of the few bright spots on a disappointing Cardinals team this year. Payton has fringy to average tools across the board, profiling as a potential backup catcher. His compact right handed swing gets on plane early and naturally elevates the ball, a little reminiscent of former teammate Henry Davis, helping to maximize his fringy raw power in games. His approach is average, with a bit of a tendency to chase but pretty good ability to make contact around the zone. Overall, it's probably a 45 grade hit tool and 45 power, which is useful from a catcher. Behind the plate, he's decent enough to continue getting opportunities to catch in pro ball, but it will take some work and his arm is fringy. If he has to move to a corner outfield spot, I'm not sure his bat will stand up to the increased scrutiny, so his best route to the majors is certainly through refining his defense. So far, he's slashing .289/.360/.400 with a home run and an 11/3 strikeout to walk ratio over 14 games between the Arizona Complex League and Low A San Jose.

2023 MLB Draft: an updated look at the Nationals' #2 Pick

Before the season started, I explored ten options for the Nationals with the second overall pick while also taking a look at their recent draft history. A few months later, the picture remains fairly similar, but with the draft fast approaching in three months, we can start to feel a little more comfortable predicting those names. 

At this point, I would put about six names firmly in the mix - a quartet of SEC stars and a pair of high school outfielders. Of course, things can and will change between now and July, but if the draft were today, I would give it a ~90% shot that the pick is one of these six names. There's always the chance they could go under slot and save money to spend later, but given the fact that they won't be able to pick higher than tenth next season, plus their history of usually paying at least full slot in the first round, I doubt it. Let's take a look at those six names.

Number next to every player indicates their rank on my most recent draft board update.

OF Dylan Crews, Louisiana State (#1)
Dylan Crews entered the season as more or less the top prospect in the class, and he's only cemented it so far this spring by slashing .510/.645/.882 through 31 games (yes, you read that right). It will be very, very difficult for the Pirates to pass up his generational bat with the first overall pick, but if they do, the Nationals should be all over him. Crews hits the ball harder than anybody in college baseball, spraying scorching line drives around the the field with incredible consistency, giving him potential 70 grade power in pro ball. Additionally, he's taken a step forward this spring as a pure hitter, controlling the strike zone with a professional approach and rarely missing on pitches in the zone. On the rare occasions in which he does, he makes great adjustments throughout his at bats and won't get fooled twice, which keeps the strikeouts way down. He hammers velocity, recognizes and waits back on offspeed, and is more or less impossible to get out. While his bat stands out more than his glove, he's a solid defender that has shown well in center field this spring and would fit well in a corner with that deep crop of young outfielders the Nationals possess. He should fly through the minors and could be in Washington by the end of the 2024 season with the potential for 30+ home runs annually and .400+ on-base percentages.

OF Wyatt Langford, Florida (#2)
While they're built differently as athletes and get to their production in different ways, the end result for Wyatt Langford is starkly similar to Crews and would make for a great consolation prize if the Pirates do indeed nab the LSU outfielder. After barely playing as a freshman, he has torn up the SEC over the past two seasons with huge numbers and shows no sign of slowing down now that he's back from a lower body injury that cost him a couple weeks in March. Like Crews, Langford shows plus-plus raw power from the right side and taps it consistently in games, though Crews gets to his peak exit velocities a little more frequently. Which of course is no knock on Langford, and more just another example of how elite Crews is. While Crews is whippier and more rotational in the box, Langford's power comes more from pure strength and leverage. Like Crews, he has great feel for the barrel and controls his at bats extremely well, rarely chasing and forcing pitchers to come to him. It's a plus hit tool that could help him tap 30+ home runs annually while getting on base at a high clip, hitting in the middle of the order. He also has a similar defensive profile to Crews, sliding over to center field this year now that the elite Jud Fabian is gone to the Orioles' system. He's a surprisingly strong runner for his size and might have a better shot to stick in center than Crews, though Crews has a better arm and would provide more value in a corner.

RHP Paul Skenes, Louisiana State (#4)
At this point, Paul Skenes feels like the most likely pick here as an elite, safe bet, high ceiling college arm with a traditional profile. He has consistently gotten better and better and better and now looks like a potential generational talent on the mound. In fact, if pitchers weren't so inherently risky nowadays, I would have him as the #2 prospect on this list. A transfer from Air Force, he has turned himself into a monster on the mound for LSU and through eight starts he has a 1.14 ERA and a 91/8 strikeout to walk ratio over 47.1 innings, good for a 52.9% strikeout rate. To put that in perspective, the highest strikeout rate of any college pitcher taken in the first round last year was Cooper Hjerpe's 39.6% - and his 161 strikeouts led all of Division I. He does it with a fastball that now sits in the upper 90's and has reached as high as 102, and he can run it or let it ride depending on the situation but usually opts for the former. Skenes' slider has taken a massive step forward this season as well, adding significant sweep while maintaining its hard upper 80's velocity. It's a pitch that could strike out major league hitters today. This spring, he's also shown feel to work it into more of a power curve with short, vertical bite. His changeup has long been a star pitch as well and profiles as plus with great fading action, but he's gone more to the slider this spring because, well, nobody can hit it no matter how much he throws it. With a big, durable frame, above average command, and that service academy work ethic, he seems like as safe a bet as you can get from a pitcher. I would have a really, really hard time seeing Mike Rizzo pass on Paul Skenes if he's available at the second overall pick.

RHP Chase Dollander, Tennessee (#5)
Paul Skenes has taken a massive step forward this spring. Crews and Langford also look like better hitters than they were a year ago, and that's saying something considering the kind of 2022 seasons they had. Meanwhile, Chase Dollander is the only player in this quartet to take a step backwards this season, but he remains an elite prospect. After posting a 2.39 ERA and a 4.2% walk rate last year, he's up to a a 4.19 ERA and a 7.7% walk rate this year, while his strikeout rate has held steady around 35%. He sits in the mid 90's with his fastball and runs it up to 98, and while last year it showed explosive riding action that made it a plus-plus pitch, it has played more as straight plus this spring with moderate riding life. He still snaps off a nasty, plus slider with hard sweeping action, while also flipping in a more traditional curveball and changeup. He's a very good athlete on the mound that gets great extension to help his pitches play up further, with above average command to both sides of the plate even as he's taken a slight step backwards in that regard. It's still a profile with four average or better pitches, two of which are plus, and above average command from an athletic, durable frame, with plenty of upside especially if he recaptures his 2022 magic. He has every bit as much of a chance to be an ace as Paul Skenes, with potentially a little more variance in the profile. At this point, he's trending in the wrong direction and Mike Rizzo probably prefers Skenes at this point at second overall, but if he gets hot down the stretch, he'll certainly be in play.

OF Max Clark, Franklin Community HS [TX] (#3)

Playing in colder weather in central Indiana, Max Clark just got going recently, so there's not much to update on since the preseason writeup. He's still a potential five tool player with an extremely projectable frame and the ability to impact the game in a wide variety of ways. Previously more of a line drive, gap to gap hitter that let his power come naturally, he is showing a little bit more loft in his swing this spring that could help him tap additional power as he grows into it. And he'll certainly grow into it, with a very projectable 6'1" frame and natural leverage in his left handed swing. Given his prodigious hit tool, which has him taking great at bats against high level pitching, recognizing spin, and using the whole field with ease, I don't think this added loft will cause any level of concerning swing and miss. Looking at current Nationals outfielders, he's not quite as big as James Wood or Elijah Green and will never have quite as much power, but he's a better pure hitter than both and has the speed to stick in center field. He's a prime candidate to progress naturally and get steadily better as he rises through the system, and he may not require as much patience as the average prep because of how advanced he is right now. I haven't heard his name thrown around as much for the Nationals but I would be thrilled if he was the pick. He's committed to Vanderbilt and will not come cheap.

OF Walker Jenkins, South Brunswick HS [NC] (#6)
As with Max Clark, we don't have a huge sample size for Walker Jenkins quite yet but he has been going a little longer in coastal North Carolina. And in the early going, the returns have been very impressive. Impressive enough that the Nationals draft a high school bat in the first round for the third year in a row, and a high school outfielder for the second year in a row? It's tough to say, but it's a good problem to have. Jenkins has more power than Clark and is probably more similar to Wyatt Langford as a prospect, though he has the advantage of batting left handed. It's comfortably plus raw power that he taps in games from a very strong 6'3" frame, a "big league body" as they say, and natural loft and leverage in his left handed swing. He never needs to sell out for home runs, which has helped him grow as a pure hitter as well with a disciplined approach and improving pitch recognition. The pure hit tool is still probably a bit behind that of Langford, Clark, and Dylan Crews, but he's also the youngest player in this set of six and he has had no problem with advanced pitching wherever he has gone. Jenkins has been dinged up by injuries at times in the past, but he's fully healthy now and that shouldn't be an issue. He profiles similar to Crews as a defender, with some speed and a strong arm that will make him an asset in right field. At this point, the Nationals will probably lean on the SEC track record of Crews or Langford if they're going to draft a bat, but Jenkins' combination of youth, physicality, and performance would be tough to pass up if perhaps they wanted to cut a deal. He is committed to North Carolina.