2025 MLB Draft Review: San Francisco Giants

Full list of draftees

The Giants lacked a second and a fifth round pick after signing Willy Adames, so they used modest savings in the early rounds to pick up another couple of over slot high school arms later in the draft to provide some upside. Rather than focusing on power like many teams, the Giants targeted contact and up the middle defense with their early picks, headlined by two of the best contact hitters in the entire draft with their first two picks. They also continued a theme of raiding the Northeast, and after a third rounder out of Rutgers they picked up not one, not two, but three of their eighteen draft picks from Northeastern University. 
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.

1-13: SS Gavin Kilen, Tennessee
Slot value: $5.52 million. Signing bonus: $5.25 million ($276,800 below slot value).
My rank: #13. MLB Pipeline: #21. Baseball America: #20.
While he may not be the toolsiest player in the first round, Gavin Kilen gives the Giants a legitimate big league bat with a high likelihood of holding down a regular spot in their lineup for years to come. A highly regarded prep prospect in Wisconsin, he could have gone in the top couple of rounds but instead made it to campus at Louisville, where by the time he was a sophomore he had established himself as one of the best pure hitters in the ACC, batting .330 and striking out just 9.4% of the time. He transferred to Tennessee for his junior season and took two separate, big steps forward with the bat to establish himself in the top half of the first round. Kilen is still a pure hitter first and foremost. He has excellent feel for the barrel that enables him to drop his hands to the ball and thwack it around the park, wasting very little movement in his simple, repeatable left handed swing. At Louisville, he was an aggressive hitter that knew he could make contact with most anything thrown his way, so he took advantage and rarely found himself going more than a few pitches into any count. That also meant that he walked just seven times in 54 games as a sophomore. Kilen rectified that in 2025, skyrocketing his walk rate from 3.0% all the way to 12.2% as he slashed his chase rate almost in half. The more patient approach also enabled him to tap his power more frequently, jumping from nine to fifteen home runs in 2025, though he did play in a more hitter-friendly park. Listed under six feet tall, his power is fringy and he'll likely never reach twenty home runs in a major league season, but his increasing ability to impact the ball was a big reason the Giants took him with their first pick. Kilen is an average runner with average defensive acumen, so he'll fit better at second base despite the Giants drafting him as a shortstop. There is a lot of Daniel Murphy in this profile.

3-85: OF Trevor Cohen, Rutgers
Slot value: $935,300. Signing bonus: $847,500 ($87,800 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
This was a big surprise pick to those outside the industry, as Trevor Cohen was not featured on many big public draft boards, but many smart analysts such as Joe Doyle and Brian Recca were all over him. A three year starter at Rutgers, Cohen holds a career .338 batting average and struck out just 62 times in 163 games, good for a ridiculous 8.0% strikeout rate. Those would be elite contact numbers for a player in their draft-eligible junior year, but to hold those numbers across three seasons including as a teenage freshman is absurd. In his draft eligible junior season, he hit .387/.460/.523 with a minuscule 5.5% strikeout rate, including .467/.545/.642 across thirty games in Big Ten play. Suffice to say, Cohen is an elite contact hitter. Listed at 6'1", he plays smaller than that with a crouched, compact stance leading to a compact left handed swing that ropes the ball from gap to gap with elite consistency. He's a patient hitter but makes so much contact that he doesn't often go deep enough in counts to draw walks, though he still walked twice as often (30) as he struck out (15) in 2025. Unsurprisingly, the drawback here is power, as the Jersey Shore product hit just four home runs in 163 games in New Brunswick, topping out with a career-high two in 2025. The swing is simply not geared to get the ball up over the fence, though he does work the gaps well and finished tied for sixth in all of NCAA Division I with 24 doubles in 57 games. There is above average speed in the profile that will give him a chance to play center field in pro ball, which of course helps the bat profile much better given the lack of power. While San Francisco does not have illusions of Cohen becoming a middle of the lineup force, this hefty investment above industry expectations indicates belief that he will provide enough impact to play every day or at least serve in a fourth outfielder role, where his on-base profile could lead to a Jason Tyner-like career. His biggest proponents of course will point to the one-of-a-kind Luis Arraez as well, though Cohen is a better defender.

4-116: SS Lorenzo Meola, Stetson
Slot value: $654,700. Signing bonus: $652,200 ($2,500 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #183. Baseball America: #130.
Lorenzo Meola is another three year starter coming San Francisco's way. He locked down the shortstop position at Stetson from the get go, then improved each leg of his slash line each year from .283/.372/.422 as a freshman to .297/.393/.487 as a sophomore to .329/.406/.536 as a junior. He's a bit undersized at a listed 5'11", 170 pounds, but grades out well metrically with healthy chase rates, contact rates, and exit velocity data that point to a potential fringe-average hitter with fringe-average power. His simple right handed swing helps him stay on time and tap some modest power, though it's overall limited offensive upside. He struggled in a significant Cape Cod League sample last summer, slashing .162/.260/.279 with nearly a 30% strikeout rate, though scouts were happy with the adjustments he made in 2025. Meola stands out primarily for his glove. He moves well on the dirt, scooping up ground balls to both sides and showing great athleticism going back on flares in shallow left field. With an above average arm, he is certain to stick at shortstop in pro ball and could wind up a plus defender at the premium position. That kind of glove work takes significant pressure off the bat, to the point where he only really has to hit a little to move up the minor league rungs. The ultimate upside here is likely that of a utility infielder who can fill in at second base, shortstop, or third base with a glove that will improve the defense any day he steps out there. If he can get on base and keep finding some moderate impact, he has every day shortstop upside with the shot to reach double digit home runs and hit about .240 or .250 at peak. With his glove, that's plenty.

7-206: RHP Cam Maldonado, Northeastern
Slot value: $289,900. Signing bonus: $287,400 ($2,500 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #194. Baseball America: #176.
Cam Maldonado has had an up and down college career, which at a smaller school can be tough to overcome, but the Giants believe he is just scratching the surface. He burst onto the scene as a freshman at Northeastern in 2023, when he took home Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year honors and was named a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American. However, pitchers adjusted and he slumped for much of the 2024 season, but he turned it around late and continued the hot hitting with a solid run through the elite Cape Cod League (5 HR, .258/.357/.427) over the summer. That success carried over into 2025, where he looked like his hold self again matching the .351 batting average he initially posted while putting up career bests in home runs (15) and on-base percentage (.467). Maldonado has a setup at the plate that reminds me of fellow New Englander Matt Shaw, closing off his stance and channeling all of his power through his back him. That makes him a bit unique in that his best power actually comes to the opposite field rather than to the pull side, with the ability to consistently drive the ball over the right field fence even with wood. He has above average power overall and could potentially get to plus with a strong 6'3" frame and some room to get twitcher in the box. Contact has been up and down, running up to a 25.9% strikeout rate at Northeastern in 2024 and a similar K rate on the Cape, though he dropped it to 18.8% in 2025 as he got more patient at the plate. Still, the pure bat to ball is fringy and he has been particularly susceptible to quality breaking stuff. While he laid off it pretty well in 2025, he's making a jump in competition from the CAA to to pro ball and smart pitchers will continue to attack him with sliders and curveballs. Tapping into that above average power will be more of a challenge. Maldonado is also a plus runner who never stole fewer than 29 bases in a season at Northeastern, giving him a shot to play center field for the Giants. Fringy arm strength would limit him to left if he was pushed off of center, which would put pressure on the hit tool. Overall, the Connecticut native profiles as a fourth outfielder/platoon bat who could be a menace against left handed pitching while holding down center field. If he makes adjustments on offspeed stuff, the power/speed combo could make him an every day player.

9-266: RHP Reid Worley, Cherokee HS [GA]
Slot value: $204,400. Signing bonus: $747,500 ($543,100 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #142.
After going below slot value for their first six picks, the Giants cashed in a big chunk of those savings on ninth rounder Reid Worley, who signed for late third round money rather than stay local and attend Kennesaw State. While he has a ways to go to become a big league pitcher, Worley brings the "outlier" traits that teams look for in the draft these days. His fastball sits around 90, living more in the low 90's on his best days and touching 94 at peak, but it's a fringe-average pitch at this point. The real draw is a plus slider with massive spin rates and sharp, deep bend to dive under bats. The spin and movement metrics are hard to find and hard to teach, so San Francisco is jumping on the slider here and hoping the rest will come naturally. There's a changeup, but it's not used often. The North Georgia native uses a low three quarters slot that puts running action on his fastball and creates some flatter plane, though it can cause the slider to pop up out of his hand at times. He attacks the zone well for a high school arm, though his control is ahead of his command and he doesn't hit spots with precision yet. The 6'2" righty has some projection with a taller frame, but he's pretty skinny and needs to tack on significant strength if he wants to throw 150+ innings a year in the majors. Beyond the breaking ball, the Giants believe in Worley's athleticism and the deception created by his lower arm slot to build up the fastball and changeup and become a big league starting pitcher. You can teach the things he needs to work on and you can't teach the thing he does well. Worley is old for a high school draftee, having turned 19 before the draft.

17-506: RHP Luke Mensik, Lincoln-Way Central HS [IL]
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $482,500 ($332,500 against slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
With the rest of their unused bonus pool money, the Giants handed seventeenth rounder Luke Mensik a fifth round bonus to head west rather than honor a Xavier commitment. Mensik doesn't have the loudest stuff or the most exciting profile, but it's a very balanced package at an extremely young age. Listed at 6'2", 195 pounds, he looks plenty physical right now with more room to tack on good weight. He uses a simple, repeatable delivery to pound the strike zone with above average command for a high school arm, which combined with his build helps him pitch deep into games and hold his stuff. The fastball sits in the low 90's, topping out at 93, but he should unlock another tick or two as he matures. There is very good feel to spin a solid curveball and slider with two distinct looks, which he effectively works in and out to hitters. There is a changeup, too, giving him a full four pitch mix to only add to the starter projections. Mensik is extremely young for the class, having been 17 on draft day whereas fellow over slot high school arm Reid Worley had been 19 despite being part of the same graduating class. You'd be hard pressed to find another 17 year old (now 18) with that kind of polish and balance in his profile and get him for under half a million, so the Giants are banking on modest gains in his stuff helping him reach his ceiling as a back-end starter.

2024 MLB Draft Review: San Francisco Giants

Full list of draftees

Oracle Park is one of the tougher places in MLB to put a ball over the fence, but that won't stop this class of Giants from trying. It's a class full of power hitters, many of whom have serious questions about their hit tools but if just a couple break through, San Francisco will have the middle of its future lineup. The Giants were working with limited draft capital as they sacrificed their second and third round picks after signing both Matt Chapman and Blake Snell. That shifted the strategy a bit and I think they did well, still grabbing one of the best bats in the country in James Tibbs in the first round before handing Dakota Jordan second round money in the fourth round. They had to save money from there and didn't give any other player more than $400,000, so the draft was really focused on those two. Still, the Giants draft well and there's plenty to be interested in later on, including a pair of Northern California products.
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.

1-13: OF James Tibbs, Florida State {video}
Slot value: $5.27 million. Signing bonus: $4.75 million ($524,800 below slot value).
My rank: #12. MLB Pipeline: #12. Baseball America: #14.
Much was made about this draft's "top ten" names, and there was some truth to that being a separate talent tier from the rest of the class. James Tibbs, however, had a very good case for "best of the rest" with some teams believing he belonged in that top tier, and for good reason. He has hit over .300 with double digit home run totals in all three years at Florida State, finishing with an otherworldly 2024 in which he was named a first team All-American by numerous outlets, including D1Baseball and Baseball America. Tibbs is both a power and a contact hitter, with plus raw power that he taps consistently in games, including 28 home runs that finished tied for seventh in Division I last spring. It plays easily to all fields from a simple left handed swing and plenty of strength that makes the ball jump off his bat. He's come a long way since striking out in 31.7% of his plate appearances as a freshman in 2022, slashing that number to 20.1% in 2023 and all the way to 11.6% in 2024. The primary driver has been improvement against offspeed stuff, as he now makes plenty of contact against all pitch types and has become a much more disciplined hitter in the process. Together that projects for 20-30 home runs per season with high on-base percentages, which could hit right in the middle of San Francisco's lineup. He's certainly a bat-first prospect, as he's a below average runner with an average arm that could make him adequate in a corner outfield spot. It's nothing special defensively, but he won't be a liability and the Giants are buying that big bat which will profile at any position. The Atlanta-area native has a chance to be an impact hitter for a long time in San Francisco. Tibbs raked at Low A San Jose (.415/.429/.512 in nine games) but has since hit a bit of a wall since his promotion to High A Eugene, where he is slashing .134/.216/.239 in seventeen games.

4-116: OF Dakota Jordan, Mississippi State {video}
Slot value: $624,800. Signing bonus: $2 million ($1.38 million above slot value).
My rank: #40. MLB Pipeline: #34. Baseball America: #35.
Lacking a second or third round pick, the Giants went way over slot to give Dakota Jordan early second round money anyways (roughly the slot value for the #47 pick) here in the fourth round. Jordan is an absolutely tremendous talent with massive upside that he'll need to work hard to achieve. A well-known prospect out of the Jackson area, where he played high school ball alongside 2024 Pirates first rounder Konnor Griffin, he turned down day two offers to attend Mississippi State. Initially considered extremely raw, he hit the ground running in Starkville and turned in one of the best freshman seasons in the SEC in 2023 to elevate his stock. Teams were hoping for a full on breakout in 2024, and while he doubled his home run total and bumped up his batting average by nearly fifty points, his peripherals remained the same and he wound up closer to a second round prospect than a first rounder. The tools, though, are top of the scale. Jordan has ferocious hands that rip the bat through the zone at thunderous speed, creating plus-plus raw power that generates some of the highest peak exit velocities of any hitter in this draft class. The power comes effortlessly and the ball explodes off his bat to all fields, even if he doesn't square it up. That's important, because he's very raw as a hitter. While James Tibbs has dramatically cut his strikeout rate at school, Jordan has not, with a 25.0% rate as a freshman increasing to 29.0% as a sophomore. His quick hands give him no trouble against velocity, but he can be completely undone by good breaking balls which led to elevated chase rates and a ton of swing and miss. Pro pitchers are going to attack him with a plethora of offspeed stuff and it will be better located than what he saw in college (though he did face very strong pitching in the SEC), so it will be imperative for Jordan to clean up that part of his game and do it quickly because despite being a true sophomore, he did turn 21 back in May. If he can become even a fringy hitter against breaking balls, the sky is the limit for his bat. Jordan is also a plus runner with a powder keg 6' frame, showing one of the best strength/speed combinations in the draft. That said, his overall outfield defense is a bit raw and he may not be a center fielder long term, likely slotting into a corner outfield spot where he could be above average given his speed. So far, he's hitless in seven at bats with a pair of strikeouts for Low A San Jose.

5-149: OF Jakob Christian, San Diego {video}
Slot value: $453,300. Signing bonus: $397,500 ($55,800 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #216. Baseball America: #457.
Jakob Christian continues the power theme in a big way. He spent two years at Point Loma Nazarene, then transferred to San Diego for his junior season and finished with 26 home runs, two behind first rounder James Tibbs. It's plus power that he can access very consistently in games, and he has no issues pummeling fastballs. Similar to Dakota Jordan, he does struggle with breaking balls and will have to clean that up as he continues to face better and better pitching. While that didn't hurt him in school and he in fact won the West Coast Conference Player of the Year award this year, he did slash just .179/.347/.308 with a 30.6% strikeout rate in a smaller 19 game Cape Cod League sample. The San Diego native measures in at 6'5" and has long levers and a noisy load that can impact his barrel accuracy, so his overall offensive game may need more refinement than the typical college draftee. The power though brings big upside if he can access it just enough. Christian is also a below average runner who will have to work to stay in a corner outfield spot, and there's a decent chance he ends up at first base in the long run. That will place additional pressure on his bat, with the likely projection being a platoon bat that plays against lefties and provides some pop. The Giants see the size and power and think they can refine it into more as they simplify his mechanics and let his natural strength do the work. It looks to be going nicely so far, as he's slashing .267.378/.500 with one home run and an 8/5 strikeout to walk ratio through nine games at Low A San Jose.

6-178: 3B Robert Hipwell, Santa Clara {video}
Slot value: $348,200. Signing bonus: $345,700 ($2,500 below slot value).
My rank: #198. MLB Pipeline: #139. Baseball America: #157.
The Giants went to their own backyard for this one. Robert Hipwell hails from Santa Cruz and graduated from Scotts Valley High School just north into the mountains. He spent the past three seasons at Santa Clara, where he has had a bit of an up and down career. After not playing much as a freshman, Hipwell broke out for a big sophomore season to put his name squarely on draft radars. He missed the first half of the season with a suspension then returned for a solid second half. He has a bit of an interesting profile. The approach is excellent, with strong pitch recognition and an absolute refusal to chase anything out of the zone helping him find exactly the pitch he wants to hit with regularity. That's important because the pure bat to ball is below average and he can get in trouble in deep counts and against pitchers who can execute in the zone. Meanwhile, Hipwell's raw power is fringy but he does a very good job of elevating and turning on the ball to maximize that power, leading to more home runs than you'd expect given modest exit velocities. Between the swing path and pitch recognition, he should be able to continue to tap that power with wood bats. Hipwell has improved his body at Santa Clara and now has a shot to stick at third base with increased athleticism and good arm strength. He'll have to maintain his conditioning and continue to work on his glovework, otherwise he could be forced to move across to first base. That will put more pressure on his power production, which is already a question going forward. The Giants see a potential every day third baseman who will feel perfectly comfortable working major league at bats and who can cover up holes in his swing by getting ahead in counts and ensuring he'll never miss his pitch when he gets it. He could also unlock more power as he gets farther from his suspension and learns to better leverage his big 6'3" frame. He's continuing to elevate the ball with authority at Low A San Jose, where he's slashing .196/.360/.402 but has already homered five times with a 40/21 strikeout to walk ratio through 29 games.

7-208: LHP Greg Farone, Alabama {video}
Slot value: $272,200. Signing bonus: $204,150 ($68,050 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #236.
Greg Farone has been around the block. He began his career at Herkimer JC in Upstate New York, where he went 13-0 with a 1.83 ERA and a 213/42 strikeout to walk ratio over 103 innings in his two years. JuCo hitters were thrilled to be rid of him when he transferred to Louisville, where he served as a swingman for the Cardinals. Pushing further south, he transferred again to Alabama in 2024 and performed admirably, holding down a weekend rotation spot all year long. Farone is a classic pitchability lefty who won't wow you with big stuff. The fastball sits in the low 90's and touches 95 with some riding action from a higher slot, missing more bats than you'd expect with its average velocity. His slider gets nice depth and looks like an average pitch at best, while his changeup gives him a third option to neutralize righties. The 6'6" lefty comes from an extremely free and easy delivery that will serve him well as he's asked to take on bigger workloads in pro ball. He also fills the strike zone with above average command looks the part of a classic starting pitcher. The Giants will look to bring the secondary stuff along and perhaps add a tick or two to the fastball, which he's plenty strong enough to do, and work him up as a back-end starter. A senior sign, Farone is fairly young for a college senior and only turned 22 in May.

12-358: SS Zander Darby, UC Santa Barbara {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: #176. MLB Pipeline: #151. Baseball America: #248.
Make it two NorCal natives for the Giants. Zander Darby hails from Palo Alto and attended powerhouse Palo Alto High School, which has also produced current top prospects like Josh Kasevich (Blue Jays), Henry Bolte (A's), and Charlie Bates (Stanford) in addition to MLB outfielder Joc Pederson in recent years. He spent the past three seasons down south at UC Santa Barbara, and there were points early this spring where a hot start had him knocking on the door of day one draft discussions. Although he couldn't sustain that success and finished with a pedestrian .275/.347/.420 slash line in a year where offense was high, he's still a very interesting get here on day three. Darby has a big league body at 6'3" with some projection remaining, giving him the chance to grow into an impact hitter. Employing a simple operation from the left side, he uses the whole field with a pretty effortless swing that's more geared towards line drives than turning on the ball for power. He rarely chases, but pitchers attacked him in 2024 and found some holes in the zone with his swing, leading to a slightly elevated strikeout rate (up to 17.9% in 2024 from 15.6% in 2023) and a lower walk rate (down to 9.9% from 11.7%) despite that low chase rate. Darby also has fringy power, but given his size, he could grow into average or better pop if he started to focus on that more. He did show well on the Cape, where he slashed .271/.387/.395 and controlled the strike zone very effectively against high level pitching. It's a pretty average offensive profile across the board, but that means he doesn't have any glaring weaknesses either and a step forward in any aspect could make him a very interesting bat for the Giants. Drafted as a shortstop, he probably fits better at second or third base with average speed and a solid arm. He does move well for his size but may slow down in the long run. So far, he's hitting .234/.351/.489 with four home runs and a 17/9 strikeout to walk ratio through thirteen games for Low A San Jose.

14-418: 1B Jeremiah Jenkins, Maine {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #199. Baseball America: #288.
And here is even more power for the Giants. Jeremiah Jenkins has been unstoppable for Maine over the past two seasons, where he has slashed .353/.473/.759 with 43 home runs in just 102 games, and he now joins former Maine teammate Quinn McDaniel in the Giants' system. Jenkins, like many players in this Giants draft class, has tremendous raw power, with top end exit velocities that can compete with any hitter in college baseball. He stands 6'4" and has gotten considerably stronger in Orono, with a simple left handed swing that naturally lofts the ball to the pull side. He ran pretty decent contact and chase rates in 2024 and walked (15.6%) more than he struck out (15.1%), but he also faced a particularly weak schedule while at Maine and will be tested with the jump from the CAA to pro ball. The bat will have to play because he is a below average runner who will be confined to first base going forward, where he may have to compete with Jakob Christian and Robert Hipwell just from San Francisco's early picks this year. Jenkins hits the ball harder than either of those two, and harder than almost any player in the Giants' system except perhaps Dakota Jordan and Bryce Eldridge. He's still hitting the ball hard at Low A San Jose, where he's slashing .295/.367/.545 with two home runs and a 16/4 strikeout to walk ratio through eleven games.

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.

2022 MLB Draft Review: San Francisco Giants

Full list of draftees

The Giants had a couple clear themes with his draft. First is that they started off with six consecutive pitchers (and ten pitchers in their first twelve picks), highlighted by two lefties at the top in Reggie Crawford and Carson Whisenhunt to join a strong core of left handed pitching prospects in the system like Kyle Harrison, Nick Swiney, Seth Lonsway, and Matt Mikulski. Power fastballs were the name of the game for most pitchers, with Crawford, William Kempner, and Liam Simon showing the ability to hit triple digits with impressive life, while Whisenhunt was more of an outlier in that he's more of a command/offspeed guy. When it came to position players, the Giants opted for hit over power it seems, playing it safe while they reached for the moon on high risk, high reward arms like Crawford and Simon. Interestingly enough, there was a big time West Coast vibe here that included two picks out of Fresno State and one each from Gonzaga, Oregon State, Saint Mary's, Pacific, Arizona, and Arizona State. I like to highlight one or two local picks in every writeup, and the Giants drafted five different players that grew up within an hour and a half drive of the San Francisco Bay so I had ample to choose from.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.

1-30: LHP/1B Reggie Crawford, Connecticut. My rank: #47.
Slot value: $2.49 million. Signing bonus: likely around slot value.
I'm fascinated by this pick, as are most people that have seen Reggie Crawford play. While most prefer him as a pitcher, the Giants took him as a two-way player and we'll see how that plays out. He missed the 2022 season with Tommy John surgery, but he already has plenty of track record in the batter's box as a career .309/.362/.546 hitter at UConn with 14 home runs in 64 games, with big power from the left side and an aggressive approach that will need to be refined at the next level. There is honestly some Shohei Ohtani in the offensive profile as a big, defensively limited, power hitting lefty with a free swinging approach. He can certainly make it work as a hitter, though with pitching potentially as his primary focus, he'll likely always swing and miss at a high rate and it's not a given that he'll tap his power enough to play every day given that he'll be limited to first base. There is, however, a ton of upside on the mound and that's what I'm most interested in. The track record is extremely limited, but in 2021, he was nothing short of untouchable when he was on the mound. Between 7.2 innings with UConn, four with the College National Team, and two in the Cape Cod League (just 13.2 total, mostly against elite competition), he struck out 29 of the 53 batters he faced (54.7%!) and walked just four. Crawford does it with a mid to upper 90's fastball that can touch as high as 101 in short stints, exploding on hitters who also have to keep in mind a slider that flashes plus at its best. The delivery is very simple and could perhaps use a little refinement, but he has filled up the strike zone when he's been on the mound so the operation works well overall. The 6'4" lefty has a lot to prove if he wants to stick as a starter in pro ball, but the upside is massive with his electric stuff and special left arm. If the stuff or command ticks down too much once the Giants get him healthy and stretched out, it's pretty hard to not see him as an impact arm in the back of the bullpen anyways. To top it all off, Prospects Live has noted that scouts have dubbed him with "generational makeup," meaning he has an exceptional work ethic and could emerge as a true team leader down the road. There's a lot to love here.

2-66: LHP Carson Whisenhunt, East Carolina. My rank: #57.
Slot value: $1.05 million. Signing bonus: hard to peg, likely a little bit above slot value.
Carson Whisenhunt is a bit of a unique arm in this class because he did not pitch at all for East Carolina this spring, but not because he was hurt. Just before the season, he tested positive for a banned substance, which he claims to have taken by accident in one of his supplements. He returned in the Cape Cod League to mixed results, with a 7.87 ERA but a sharper 21/6 strikeout to walk ratio over 16 innings against elite competition. The 6'3" lefty was viewed as a fringe-first round talent by many outlets throughout the draft cycle, but opinions on him were split and it's hard to peg whether he'll require an above slot bonus and if so, by how much. He sits in the low 90's with his fastball, topping out around 95 with some angle, but his real weapons are his offspeed pitches. Whisenhunt's changeup is among the best in the class, with huge fade to the arm side that sends even seasoned hitters flailing. His curveball is another pitch that could be above average, with deep two plane break. It all plays up because he possesses above average command of both the fastball and the offspeeds, enabling him to sequence more effectively and miss barrels. If San Francisco can play with his fastball a little bit to give it more life or add a tick of velocity, he has a real shot to be a mid-rotation starter for years to come. It's a really good get at the back of the second round, when most thought he would have been long gone off the board.

3-106: RHP William Kempner, Gonzaga. My rank: #136.
Slot value: $577,200. Signing bonus: likely around slot value.
Brandon Crawford (Pleasanton native) is 35 and likely nearing the twilight of his career, but the Giants could bring up another Bay Area product to rep Northern California, albeit in a very different role. William Kempner grew up in San Jose and attended Valley Christian High School down on the south side of town, then moved on to Gonzaga where he has turned into one of the harder throwers on the West Coast. He showed extremely well for almost the entire season, bringing a 0.81 ERA into his final start before Wright State blew him up for nine runs at the Blacksburg regional to balloon his final ERA to 3.00 while he struck out 48 and walked 21 over 36 innings. Kempner is an extremely unique arm, getting his fastball up to 100 at its best with nasty run and sink from a sidearm slot and sitting in the mid 90's as a starter. The fastball is his bread and butter, but the 6' righty also adds a sweeping slider and a good changeup, both of which flash above average. The command is fringy, as he tends to miss east-west due to his arm slot. In his delivery, Kempner rocks his weight back towards first base before pushing off into a high leg lift, working down the mound to produce a lot of power but with high effort. Combine all that together between the fringy command, high effort delivery, and stocky build, and he's probably destined for the bullpen, where I think the stuff could really play up. A three pitch righty that can touch 100 with nasty movement and throw a reasonable amount of strikes sounds good to me.

4-136: RHP Spencer Miles, Missouri. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $431,100. Signing bonus: likely below slot value.
The Giants took on a project in Spencer Miles, who showed well on the Cape last spring (2.54 ERA, 24/9 K/BB in 17.2 innings) but has otherwise been unremarkable at Missouri, posting a 6.27 ERA and a 122/47 strikeout to walk ratio over 145 career innings. Miles sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and can reach back for the upper 90's, though it's an average running pitch that has been hit hard throughout his time in Columbia. His breaking balls are much better, with the bigger curveball diving across the zone and his tighter slider playing well off his fastball, and that combined with the arm strength is what the Giants are drafting him for. The 6'3" righty does a pretty good job of filling up the zone, and San Francisco will want him to fill up the zone with his breaking balls more often rather than pitching off the fastball like most amateur pitchers are taught to do. If that works out, Miles has some upside as a back end starter, perhaps more if the Giants can do something to get more life on his already high-velocity fastball. Otherwise, it will be easier to pitch of his breaking stuff in a bullpen role. Regardless, Miles turned 22 shortly after the draft and is therefore relatively old for a college junior, and he likely won't require full slot value to sign.

5-166: RHP Liam Simon, Notre Dame. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $322,600. Signing bonus: likely around slot value.
This pick is a bit reminiscent of Seth Lonsway last year, except that Liam Simon is right handed. He has truly explosive stuff, sitting in the mid 90's with his fastball and getting up into triple digits with a combination of steep angle and a ton of lift. While he does pitch off that fastball, it's such a good pitch that hitters are often fooled by his hard slider and he gets plenty of whiffs when he locates reasonably well. The problem, as with Lonsway, is that command. The big 6'4" righty has an exaggerated wrist curl in the back of his delivery and a very late arm, with the latter making it very difficult to repeat his arm slot with any consistency as he often casts and yanks pitches. That can make for very uncomfortable at bats for right handed hitters as upper 90's fastballs sail up and in, and it also led to middling results with a 4.99 ERA and a 56/28 strikeout to walk ratio over 30.2 innings this year as a swingman. For that reason the New Jersey product is certainly a reliever in pro ball, where he can continue to pitch off his fastball and perhaps only need moderate improvement in his command to become a high leverage reliever.

7-226: C Zach Morgan, Fresno State. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $198,700. Signing bonus: likely around slot value, perhaps a bit below.
The Giants picked up another Northern Californian in Zach Morgan, a Central Valley product through and through that attended Lincoln High School on the north side of Stockton before heading down 99 to Fresno State for college. A redshirt junior that turned 22 in March, he broke out with a huge 2022 season in which he slashed .381/.454/.592 with eight home runs and a 17/25 strikeout to walk ratio over 55 games. Morgan doesn't stand out on the field with an average 6' build and unremarkable physical tools, but he will never, ever miss a hittable pitch and that's his greatest strength. He makes a ton of contact early in the count, leading to a minuscule 6.7% strikeout rate this spring even as he bumped that ISO (isolated slugging percentage) up to .211. He doesn't hit the ball particularly hard and any power he produces will come from the sheer volume of barreled baseballs rather than big time bat speed or strength, and he'll have no trouble barreling pro pitching. Morgan is an average defender on the other side that should stick with some work, giving him a good chance to become a backup catcher in San Francisco in the near future.

8-256: OF Wade Meckler, Oregon State. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $168,500. Signing bonus: likely below slot value.
Keeping with the West Coast theme, the Giants grabbed Orange County native and Oregon State star Wade Meckler in the eighth round. Meckler didn't play much over his first two seasons in Corvallis, but showed well in 2021 before emerging as one of their best hitters in 2022, slashing .347/.456/.478 with two home runs and a 49/53 strikeout to walk ratio over 66 games. He's a very patient hitter that ran a walk rate north of 16% in 2022, spitting on bad pitches and working counts very well. It's a simple operation in the box with very little extra movement, in which he just flings the barrel at the ball and goes with the pitch rather than trying to wind up and uncork for power. That contact-oriented swing, plus the fact that he's only 5'10" anyways, is why he's only hit six home runs in 135 career games for the Beavers, but there is some whip in the barrel that leads me to believe he could trade some contact for power if he wanted to, not that I see any reason he should. He profiles as a fourth outfielder with limited upside due to the lack of power projection, but as a 22 year old senior sign who has excelled against high level pitching and in high pressure environments, he could move relatively quickly through the system.

16-496: 2B Andrew Kachel, Fresno State. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: up to $125,000. Signing bonus: likely around $125,000.
We'll finish off with one last local product in Andrew Kachel, a graduate of Christopher High School on the north side of Gilroy out on 101. He's a three year performer out of Fresno State, where he's a career .312/.407/.563 hitter with 24 home runs and an 82/62 strikeout to walk ratio over 113 games. He actually got off to a slow start in 2022 with just one hit against ten strikeouts over his first six games, but recovered well to finish right in line with his career numbers. A bit undersized at a skinny six feet tall, he does damage with strong barrel control from a rhythm-based bat waggle and a line drive approach. He also hit very well last summer in the California Collegiate League (.370/.473/.546) where his metal bat home runs manifested more often as doubles and triples. There is some swing and miss in Kachel's game but not too much to be concerned, and he profiles as a utility infield type that can get on base when you need him.

2020 Draft Review: San Francisco Giants

1-13: C Patrick Bailey, North Carolina State
2-49: 3B Casey Schmitt, San Diego State
2C-67: LHP Nick Swiney, North Carolina State
2C-68: SS Jimmy Glowenke, Dallas Baptist
3-85: LHP Kyle Harrison, De La Salle HS (CA)
4-114: RHP RJ Dabovich, Arizona State
5-144: RHP Ryan Murphy, Le Moyne College

With seven picks, including two compensation picks for Madison Bumgarner and Will Smith, the Giants tied the Cardinals for the most selections in the 2020 draft. They went for six college players in those seven picks, with local Bay Area lefty Kyle Harrison being the lone high schooler. Overall, it was a class more geared towards safety than high upside, with most of the players selected looking like high probability major leaguers who have a good chance to contribute in some way or another. At the top, Patrick Bailey was certainly an interesting selection given the presence of both Buster Posey and 2019 first rounder Joey Bart, but baseball teams don't draft for need, and I explained the likely thought process below in Bailey's section.
Full index of team reviews here.

1-13: C Patrick Bailey, North Carolina State (my rank: 16)
Buster Posey, Joey Bart, and Patrick Bailey – is there a better collection of catching anywhere in baseball? Quality catchers that can hit are always in short supply around baseball, but the Giants have an embarrassment of riches behind the plate, and they're very happy about that. Buster won't block either Bart or Bailey, but it will be interesting to see how the Giants handle their 2019 and 2020 first round picks going forward. I don't fault them at all for making this selection, as Bailey had been rumored as high as the top ten picks and they grabbed who they saw as the best player available. Down the road, they could trade one of Bailey or Bart to net a superstar, or they could mix them both behind the plate and keep them fresh. Anyways, on to Bailey the player. He was a well-known draft prospect coming out of Wesleyan Christian Academy in High Point, North Carolina, and he's been a three year performer at NC State by hitting .302/.411/.568 with 29 home runs and a 93/86 strikeout to walk ratio over 131 games. A switch hitter, he's a little smoother from the left side, and he produces above average raw power from both sides. Bailey also brings a patient approach at the plate, though there is a little bit of swing and miss in his game. The bat is probably more solid than elite overall, projecting for perhaps 20-25 home runs per season with decent on-base percentages, but given his defense, that will absolutely play. While he's not elite back there, he's safely above average in all aspects and will definitely stick, with the ability to block, frame, and throw well. There aren't many backstops who can hit like that, so Bailey is a really low risk pick who profiles as a strong backup at the absolute minimum. He signed for $3.8 million, which was just about $400,000 below slot. Pre-draft profile here.

2-49: 3B Casey Schmitt, San Diego State (my rank: 62)
Schmitt wasn't really regarded as a top 50 pick heading into the draft, but the Giants got him under slot and given that, I really like the value. Schmitt grew up in the San Diego area and stayed home to attend San Diego State, where he has been very effective as a two-way player. In addition to hitting .295/.366/.408 with six home runs and a 72/43 strikeout to walk ratio over 132 career games, he also has a 2.48 ERA and a 78/29 strikeout to walk ratio over 87 innings in relief. He also was a top performer on both ends in the elite Cape Cod League over the summer, where he hit eight home runs and put up a 1.93 ERA. Regardless, it looks like the Giants are going to use him as a hitter only, which I personally agree with. He shows above average raw power from the right side that played up on the Cape with wood bats, but it's played more average at San Diego State as he employs more of a line drive approach. He finds the barrel very consistently and with that strong 6'2" frame, I could easily see him tapping more of his raw power in pro ball while maintaining good on-base percentages. He's also a strong defender at third base with a great arm and good range, which will definitely be a plus as third basemen are shifting more and more. There are no true plus tools aside from his arm, but he's solid average or better across the board and I think he'll be a valuable contributor down the line. If the Giants ever change their mind and put him back on the mound, his low 90's fastball and good splitter would make him a solid major league reliever. He signed for $1.15 million, about $360,000 below slot. Pre-draft profile here.

2C-67: LHP Nick Swiney, North Carolina State (my rank: 97)
After grabbing Patrick Bailey in the first round, the Giants went back to Raleigh 53 picks later to pick up his staff ace. Swiney wasn't a huge prospect early in his Wolfpack career, where he picked up plenty of strikeouts in relief with fringy stuff and command. However, he transitioned to the rotation in 2020 and took a huge step forward, putting up a 1.29 ERA, a 0.68 WHIP, and a 42/6 strikeout to walk ratio over 28 innings, including a one hit, 15 strikeout performance against Purdue on February 29th. The 6'3" lefty shows solid stuff, sitting around 90 with his average fastball but getting swings and misses on it because he comes from a deceptive crossfire delivery. His secondary stuff is his real bread and butter, with a two plane curveball that also misses bats and a plus, sinking changeup that routinely fools hitters. The three pitches played way up in 2020 not only due to the crossfire delivery, but because he commanded them much better than he has in the past. At his best, when he's commanding his pitches well and his fastball is creeping into the low 90's, he looks like a legitimate impact starting pitcher, but there is a little bit he does have to prove. He'll need to prove that the gains he made with his command were legitimate, and he'll also need to add a little bit more velocity. With one of the two, he could still be a #4/#5 starter, but with both, we could be looking at a #2 or a #3. Since he is new to starting, there is hope that more velocity could come. Personally, looking back at my ranking of #97, I think I sold him a little bit short. Swiney signed for $1.2 million, which was $223,300 above slot. Pre-draft profile.

2C-68: SS Jimmy Glowenke, Dallas Baptist (my rank: 121)
The only team with back to back selections at any point, the Giants headed over to Dallas Baptist to pick up infielder Jimmy Glowenke. He's been a hitting machine for three years with the Patriots, slashing .340/.433/.506 with 17 home runs and a 76/67 strikeout to walk ratio over 139 games, in addition to 30 hit by pitches. Glowenke also hit well on the Cape, showing off his main asset: an extremely consistent 55 grade hit tool. Though his swing can get a hair long at times, he keeps the barrel in the zone for a long time and drives line drives around the park consistently, and at least with metal, he's run into his share of home runs as well. I think the story will continue to be the same in pro ball, with lots of line drives and hard contact that translate into moderate game power. At 5'10", he's not huge and relies on feel for the game over raw tools, so his ceiling is relatively limited, but you can't argue with the track record. He'll probably have to move off shortstop and slide to second base in the long term, but I think the bat still profiles well enough there. He's probably a utility infielder who can end up with 10-15 home runs a year and good on-base percentages at his ceiling. He signed for $600,000, which was $353,100 below slot.

3-85: LHP Kyle Harrison, De La Salle HS, CA (my rank: 66)
For their hometown pick, the Giants went big and selected De La Salle lefty Kyle Harrison from across the bay. He's an interesting combination of polish and projectability, and a lot of evaluators thought he could significantly boost his stock with performance at UCLA had he followed through on the commitment. Right now, he sits in the low 90's with his fastball, occasionally brushing 93-94 but usually sitting closer to 90. It's not huge velocity, but it's enough for now. His slider is his best pitch, a slower, upper 70's bender with big horizontal break that's fairly unique among prep breaking balls. It needs to add power, for sure, but you can't really ask for better shape at this point in his career. There's a changeup as well, though it's more of an average pitch for now. Everything plays up for Harrison because he hides the ball really well in his delivery, and a loose three quarters arm slot only helps. He also throws lots of strikes and should develop above average command as he moves forward, enabling him to work his pitches off each other really well. For now, the Danville native just needs to focus on adding strength to his 6'2" frame, and if he can add a little bit of velocity to his fastball and some power to his slider, we're looking at a real impact starting pitcher. He hasn't signed yet but will likely need more than the $710,700 slot value to keep from pitching at UCLA. Pre-draft profile here.

4-114: RHP RJ Dabovich, Arizona State (my rank: 139)
Out in the desert, RJ Dabovich is a risky but really interesting arm. After starting his career at Central Arizona, the Pueblo, Colorado native transferred to Arizona State and was solid enough as a sophomore swingman (7-1, 4.75 ERA, 47/26 K/BB in 53 IP) to garner significant draft interest. Back in the bullpen full time in 2020, he allowed just one earned run (0.77 ERA) on three hits and struck out 17 batters in 11.2 innings, but also walked nine. Dabovich has explosive stuff, sitting in the low to mid 90's but touching as high as 99 in games, and he adds a pair of good breaking balls. The slider is tough to square up with sharp two-plane movement, and the curve is more of an average pitch but plays up because of the fastball and slider. Everything comes from a really fast arm and not a ton of effort, but he has trouble repeating his high arm slot and that has led to the command issues. To me, the delivery doesn't seem quite as repeatable as you'd like for a starting pitcher, which might mean that command will always be an issue, but I could see him doing really well in the bullpen with that stuff. Clean up the command a little bit, get it closer to average, and let him fly with that big velocity and power breaking balls. He hasn't signed yet, but I imagine the Giants might ask him to take a discount off his $507,400 slot value.

5-144: RHP Ryan Murphy, Le Moyne (unranked)
Le Moyne College in Syracuse has quietly put together a quality Division II baseball program, one which spawned Reds competitive balance pick and current Dodgers star prospect Josiah Gray in 2018. Two years later, Ryan Murphy could be the next big name to come out of the school. A 6'1" right hander, Murphy struck out 36 to just four walks in 23 innings this year, and that came on the heels of an extremely strong run through the New England Collegiate Baseball League (5-2, 2.25 ERA, 55/12 K/BB in 48 IP). The NECBL isn't the same caliber as the Cape Cod League, but it's still filled with Division I hitters (including Orioles second rounder Hudson Haskin) and Murphy was just dominant there. He doesn't have overwhelming velocity, sitting in the upper 80's and perhaps scraping the low 90's, but he gets good ride on his fastball that makes it tough to square up. He also adds a full set of secondary pitches, with his slider looking like his best strikeout pitch and his curve and changeup showing promise as well. Since he does not turn 21 until October, he is very young for a college junior, giving him time to perhaps add a little bit of velocity. The youth probably gives more hope for added velocity than the smaller 6'1" frame, and he may fit better in the bullpen if the velocity doesn't come. The only video I could find was from his freshman year in 2018, and at least at the time, it looks like he had a really interesting delivery in which he would stand on the rubber for upwards of thirty seconds waiting for the hitter to get ready, then slide his right (back) leg all the way across the rubber from the third base to the first base side before driving off. He signed for $25,000, which was $354,000 below slot value.

Undrafted: RHP Wil Jensen, Pepperdine (unranked)
Jensen is a Tommy John survivor who is set to turn 23 in September, but sandwiched around that 2018 surgery, he has a track record of success. Since the start of the 2018 season, the Salt Lake City native is 8-1 with a 1.38 ERA and a 62/17 strikeout to walk ratio over 78.1 innings for Pepperdine, including a 2.19 ERA and a 26/6 strikeout to walk ratio this season. His best pitch is a low 90's fastball that can get up to 94, while he also adds a slider, curveball, and changeup. Of those, the slider is the best with nice hard bite, while the curve and change are more just decent. Despite a relatively high effort delivery, he's a very good strike thrower that can effectively work his pitches off each other, which in addition to his 6'3" frame, gives hope that he can continue to start. He'll probably have to refine either the curve or changeup a little bit in order to do so, but in that case he could fit well as a #4 or #5 starter. If not, the fastball could tick up in shorter stints and he could focus on the slider as his main secondary weapon, coming together with good command to be an effective reliever.

Undrafted: C Robert Emery, San Francisco (unranked)
Emery is as hometown a player as it gets for the Giants. Growing up a Giants fan, he attended St. Ignatius High School in the Sunset District, then headed across the country to Dartmouth for college. After a moderately successful redshirt freshman season in 2016, he transferred down to USF and redshirted again, but transferred once more back to his hometown to play for the University of San Francisco. After struggling as a redshirt-redshirt sophomore, things perked up a bit in 2019 when he hit .320/.386/.479 with five home runs, then he exploded in 2020 with a .381/.451/.540 line and two home runs in 17 games. That got Arkansas on the phone and he committed to play there as a graduate transfer, but then the Giants came calling and the plans changed. He produces solid pop from the right side and has been getting to hit more and more in games, and while he doesn't draw a ton of walks, he controls the strike zone reasonably well and usually puts the ball in play. Emery is also a strong defender who works well with pitchers, so overall, it's a pretty clear backup profile, especially given the amount of talent ahead of him in this system. He's also set to turn 24 in October, making him one of the oldest players to sign this year.

2020 Prospect Depth Chart: San Francisco Giants

The Giants' farm system was in pretty dire condition at this time last year, but a number of breakouts make this a greatly improved system. Up at the top, Conner Menez and Sean Hjelle now give Logan Webb a serious run for the top MLB-ready pitching prospect in the system, while Seth Corry's breakout down in A ball might be the most important among all the pitchers. On the offensive side, Heliot Ramos got it figured out like we all knew he would, but the real story of perhaps the entire farm system has been the success of the recent international signees. Franklin Labour (2015) and Alexander Canario (2016) put it all together in big breakout seasons, while Marco Luciano, Jairo Pomares, Luis Matos, and Victor Bericoto (all 2018) took complex ball by storm to make that 2018 international class look like a gold mine. However, the reality is aside from that trio of pitchers (Menez, Hjelle, and Webb) and a couple of guys like Ramos, Joey Bart, and Mauricio Dubon the vast majority of the talent in this system is a long way off.

Affiliates: AAA Sacramento River Cats, AA Richmond Flying Squirrels, High A San Jose Giants, Class A Augusta GreenJackets, short season Salem-Keizer Volcanos, complex level AZL and DSL Giants

Catcher
- Joey Bart (2020 Age: 23): Bart vaulted himself to the top of the 2018 draft with a huge junior season at Georgia Tech, ultimately going second overall to the Giants. In 2019, he slashed .278/.328/.495 with 16 home runs and a 71/21 strikeout to walk ratio over 79 games at High A San Jose and AA Richmond. He has a ton of pop from the right spot and he has proven he can get to it consistently, and it could ultimately translate to 25-30 or more home runs annually in the majors. His weak spot on offense is his hit tool, which he has worked hard to improve from below average to nearly average. He's still a free swinger and his plate discipline remains so-so, but he's trending in the right direction and it shouldn't be a problem at the major league level. Defensively, he's also trending in the right direction and he's now considered an above average defender behind the plate, and the whole package should make the Atlanta-area native a more than fitting replacement for Buster Posey, another Georgia native.
- Aramis Garcia (2020 Age: 27): It ain't easy when you're blocked by Buster Posey at your position and coming up behind you is arguably the best catching prospect in the game. Garcia spent most of 2019 at AAA Sacramento, where he slashed .271/.343/.488 with 16 home runs and a 114/34 strikeout to walk ratio over 89 games, and he's also slashed .229/.270/.419 with six home runs and a 52/6 strikeout to walk ratio over 37 games in his major league career between 2018 and 2019. That major league line is roughly what we can expect out of Garcia over the long run, if possibly a bit on the low side. He has good pop for a catcher and is capable of hitting 15-20 home runs annually, but he's a free swinger that has a few holes in his swing, so I wouldn't expect high on-base percentages. He would fit in as a solid back-up catcher for both Posey and Bart, though if he goes elsewhere and makes some adjustments in his approach, he may be able to start.
- Ricardo Genoves (2020 Age: 20-21): Genoves has always been known to scouts as a glove-first catcher who may or may not hit, but he did hit in 2019 and that's a good sign going forward. In 51 games, he slashed .265/.335/.469 with nine home runs and a 41/17 strikeout to walk ratio at short season Salem-Keizer and Class A Augusta, tapping into that moderate raw power he packs into his 6'2" frame and getting to the barrel often enough to be a productive hitter. It's hard to say whether those gains will translate up into the mid and upper minors, but he did slash .292/.361/.446 in his 19 games at Class A and he doesn't turn 21 until May. His glove will buy his bat plenty of time, and he projects as a back-up catcher.
- Keep an eye on: Brandon Martorano

 Corner Infield
- Chris Shaw (2020 Age: 26): Shaw finds himself in a somewhat similar position to Aramis Garcia in that he's blocked by Brandon Belt at his primary position, though he doesn't have a Joey Bart coming up behind him. This year, Shaw slashed .294/.360/.559 with 28 home runs and a 111/39 strikeout to walk ratio over 120 games at AA Richmond and AAA Sacramento, and like Garcia, he's spent parts of two seasons in the majors, slashing .153/.244/.222 with one home run in 38 games. The Boston College product has a lot of raw pop from the left side of the plate, and while he's been able to get to it in the upper minors, that hasn't been the case yet at the major league level. Always a free swinger, major league pitchers have exploited holes in Shaw's swing, much like they have with Garcia, and while he has more power than his catching counterpart, he doesn't provide nearly as much defensive value. He's fine as a first baseman, but the Giants have Belt there and he's worked to mediocre results in left field. He ultimately projects as a Matt Adams-like platoon bat.
- Logan Wyatt (2020 Age: 22): Wyatt was a second round pick out of Louisville this year, and I think he might be one of the better Day One bargains. Pushed across three levels in his brief pro debut, he slashed .278/.388/.377 with three home runs and a 29/26 strikeout to walk ratio over 44 games in the complex level Arizona League, at short season Salem-Keizer, and at Class A Augusta. Unlike all of the other names you've read here so far, he's an extremely patient hitter, and his excellent plate discipline helps him put up high on-base percentages while also handling advanced pitching. However, he's a first baseman who has still not proven he can hit for power, as he's 6'4" with great feel for the barrel but seems content with just lacing the ball into the dirt. If Wyatt joins the launch angle revolution over his first pro offseason and comes out lifting the ball in the spring, watch out – he could hit 20-25 home runs annually with those high on-base percentages and replace Brandon Belt as a very similar player.
- Luis Toribio (2020 Age: 19): Toribio spent most of 2019 down in the complex level Arizona League, and he slashed .296/.433/.454 with three home runs and a 59/47 strikeout to walk ratio over 54 games between there and three games with Salem-Keizer. He's an extremely patient hitter with good knowledge of the strike zone, especially for his age (he only turned 19 in September), and combining his high walk rates with very good feel for the barrel should help him post high on-base percentages in the majors. It's not yet known what kind of power he'll hit for, but he's got a projectable frame at 6'1" and he generates a lot of torque in his left handed swing, so more is certainly possible if not likely. He has high upside and with the way that fellow international signees Franklin Labour, Marco Luciano, and Alexander Canario broke out this year, he most certainly could be next.
- Keep an eye on: Zach Green, David Villar, Jacob Gonzalez, Garrett Frechette, Victor Bericoto

Middle Infield
- Mauricio Dubon (2020 Age: 25-26): This guy has been around forever. A 26th round pick by the Red Sox out of a Sacramento high school in 2013, Dubon was traded to the Brewers in the Travis Shaw/Tyler Thornburg deal following the 2016 season and then to the Giants for Drew Pomeranz at the 2019 deadline. After missing most of 2018 with an ACL injury, he got back on his feet this year and slashed .302/.345/.477 with 20 home runs, ten stolen bases, and a 68/28 strikeout to walk ratio over 123 games between the two AAA affiliates and also hit .274/.306/.434 with four home runs over 30 major league games. While he popped 25 home runs overall in 2019, that might set power expectations a bit higher than they should be, as the Pacific Coast League is extremely hitter-friendly and his build is more conducive to 10-15 home runs per year. He does show good feel for the barrel and has hit for high averages and on-base percentages everywhere he's gone, and he profiles well with good defense at second base and playable defense at shortstop. A plus runner before the ACL injury, it may have sapped some of his speed but he was still safely above average in that regard in his debut. If the Giants don't go out and sign a second baseman this offseason, Dubon should be able to take over as the starter on Opening Day and could put up a slash line similar to the .274/.306/.434 mark he had last season.
- Marco Luciano (2020 Age: 18): This is one of the most exciting young prospects in the system. Signed for $2.6 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2018, he skipped the DSL entirely and went straight to the complex-level Arizona League as a 17 year old in 2019, and all he did was slash .322/.438/.616 with ten home runs and a 39/27 strikeout to walk ratio over 38 games. He earned a late promotion to short season Salem-Keizer, where he was one of the youngest players in the league and slashed .212/.316/.333 with six strikeouts to five walks in nine games. Very athletically built at 6'2", he has a sweet right handed swing that produces nice leverage and power, which he combines with advanced plate discipline to consistently find pitches to attack and drive. For now, he's a shortstop with a strong arm and he has a good chance to stay there, but there's a chance he moves to third base down the line. For now, Luciano has everything going for him as a young prospect with no clear holes in his game, and he has one of the highest ceilings in the system.
- Tyler Fitzgerald (2020 Age: 22): It took Fitzgerald's highly regarded bat a few years to get going once he got to Louisville, but a big junior year pushed him into the fourth round in 2019 and he slashed .276/.358/.395 with one home run, six stolen bases, and a 41/24 strikeout to walk ratio over 48 games across three levels up to Class A Augusta. That line is just about accurate. He's not going to wow you with any big tools, but he's a competent hitter with some gap power who should grow into moderate home run power while getting on base at a solid clip. Defensively, he should be able to stick at shortstop, though his profile perfectly fits that of a utility infielder. If he has to move over to third base, Luis Toribio and maybe Jacob Gonzalez are his only real competition, unless of course if Marco Luciano slides over there as well. He should move through the minors relatively quickly.
- Keep an eye on: Abiatal Avelino, Jalen Miller, Dilan Rosario

Outfield
- Heliot Ramos (2020 Age: 20): A first round pick out of Puerto Rico in 2017, Ramos' first full season at Class A Augusta in 2018 was a bit disappointing (.245/.313/.395), but he broke out in a big way in 2019. Playing at High A San Jose, where he was one of the younger players in the California League, he slashed .306/.385/.500 with 13 home runs and an 85/32 strikeout to walk ratio over 77 games to earn a promotion to AA Richmond at just 19 years old. There, he added three more home runs and slashed .242/.321/.421 over 25 games, which is still impressive given his age. He's an explosive player with power, speed, and a strong arm in the outfield, giving him a classic right field profile if he has to move out of center. There are still raw elements to his game, as he still has some swing and miss and hasn't proven himself against advanced pitching. That's okay because very few 20 year olds have, and just tightening up his strike zone judgement and finding the barrel a little more could make him a 25 homer bat in the majors with some speed and good defense.
- Hunter Bishop (2020 Age: 21-22): Bishop rode an absolutely massive breakout season at Arizona State (22 HR, .342/.479/.748) to a first round draft selection, and the Giants are happy to bring home the kid from San Mateo who attended Junipero Serra High School. He had a relatively quiet pro debut, slashing .229/.438/.429 with five home runs and a 39/38 strikeout to walk ratio over 32 games between the complex level Arizona League and short season Salem-Keizer, but he did show some pop as well as stronger than expected plate discipline. He has a ton of power in his 6'5" frame, but questions loom over his ability to get to it consistently against advanced pitching as it never showed up in the Cape Cod League and didn't come often against Pac-12 pitching. He's a very patient hitter, which helps him maximize that power and get his pitches to drive, and he's trending in the right direction. With continued improvement in his hit tool, he could hit 30+ home runs annually in the majors, and he has enough speed to stick in center field. Overall, he could provide a lot of value on both sides of the ball.
- Sandro Fabian (2020 Age: 22): Fabian did a much better job in his second crack at High A, as he slashed just .200/.260/.325 as a 20 year old there in 2018 but bumped his line up to .287/.353/.413 with five home runs and a 33/14 strikeout to walk ratio over 44 games there this year (plus a .219/.366/.500 line and two home runs in ten games in complex ball rehab). He's not going to hit for a ton of power, but he has good feel for the barrel from the right side and his plate discipline is improving to the point where he could be a useful fourth outfielder in the relatively near future. He's a good defender that should be able to handle all three spots, and if he can stay healthy consistently, he could hit around ten home runs annually with solid on-base percentages.
- Alexander Canario (2020 Age: 19-20): Canario signed for just $60,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2016 but he's already smashing expectations, and his breakout 2019 saw him slash .318/.377/.623 with 16 home runs and an 80/20 strikeout to walk ratio over 59 games between the Arizona League and Salem-Keizer. He always had power potential, but he finally grew into it in 2019 and crushed balls all over the park both in complex and short season ball as a teenager with 38 extra base hits in 59 games. He's still a bit raw at the plate and can be overly aggressive, so full season ball will be a big test in 2020, but it's hard not to be excited about the big power and good feel for the barrel that he has. He should hit 20+ home runs annually in the majors while playing good defense in the outfield.
- Franklin Labour (2020 Age: 21-22): Perhaps even more under the radar than Canario was Franklin Labour, who signed for just $70,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2015 before spending three years in complex ball. Up at Salem-Keizer in 2019, he smashed 14 home runs in 41 games and slashed .307/.392/.639 with a 43/18 strikeout to walk ratio before being promoted to Class A Augusta, where he was a bit overmatched and hit .215/.282/.299 with one home run and a 40/8 strikeout to walk ratio over 31 games. He generates a ton of power and leverage from his right handed swing, and he got to it remarkably consistently in short season ball. However, as with Canario, the real test has to be full season ball, where he struggled in 2019. He's older than Canario and I'm less confident that his hit tool will translate up, but he has the upside as a power hitting left fielder.
- Jairo Pomares (2020 Age: 19-20)/Luis Matos (2020 Age: 18): I'm choosing to lump these guys together because they're both far, far away but have similar profiles and started their pro careers with a bang. Pomares, a Cuban import, slashed .368/.401/.542 in 37 Arizona League games but fell to .207/.258/.259 in 17 short season games with Salem-Keizer, while Matos, from Venezuela, hit .362/.430/.570 in 55 Dominican Summer League games before putting up a .438/.550/.500 line in five Arizona League games. Pomares stands 6'1", but it was the 5'11" Matos who showed more power in his pro debut, and both have shown exceptional bat to ball skills for their age while spraying line drives all over the park. Matos especially has shown very advanced plate discipline for his age, as he doesn't even turn 18 until January, and both are above average runners who have the ability to stick in center field. Pomares is more highly regarded at this point, but a part of me likes Matos better and wants to put my money on him.
- Keep an eye on: Bryce Johnson, Heath Quinn, Diego Rincones, Grant McCray, P.J. Hilson

Starting Pitching
- Logan Webb (2020 Age: 23): Somewhat of a hometown guy, Webb grew up in Rocklin, a Sacramento suburb, and had his breakout year in 2018 (2.41 ERA, 100/47 K/BB) four years after he was drafted. However, it turned out he was juicing and he was suspended for 80 games in 2019, but the results were still good; overall, he had a 1.85 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and a 69/15 strikeout to walk ratio over 63.1 innings across four levels, and he reached the majors in August and posted a 5.22 ERA and a 37/14 strikeout to walk ratio over 39.2 innings. He sits in the low to mid 90's and gets a ton of ground balls with that fastball, and he adds a power slider that has missed bats in bunches. His changeup is coming along and should be usable, and with his solid command, he should be able to make it as a #3 or #4 starter at the major league level if he can continue to refine that changeup. A move to the bullpen is not completely out of the question, but he's proven enough recently to earn a long look in the major league rotation.
- Conner Menez (2020 Age: 24-25): Born and raised in Hollister, which is just south of the Bay Area off 101, Menez was drafted in the 14th round out of The Master's University in 2016 and was all the way up in High A San Jose by the end of the year. However, it was 2019 that was his breakout season, as he posted a 3.79 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, and a 154/50 strikeout to walk ratio over 121 innings at AA Richmond and AAA Sacramento, the latter of which was an extremely hitter-friendly context. He also made eight major league appearances with a 5.29 ERA and a 22/12 strikeout to walk ratio in 17 innings. He's a 6'3" lefty that sits in the low 90's with his fastball, two breaking balls, and a changeup, but everything plays up because he gets good angle on his pitches to create deception and a high spin rate to miss bats. His command has improved steadily as he's risen through the minors, and while he'll never be a pinpoint guy, he throws enough strikes now to be successful. Menez isn't a future ace but I feel like I'd be selling him short by describing him as just another #4 starter.
- Sean Hjelle (2020 Age: 22-23): It's hard to miss Hjelle (pronounced "jelly") on the baseball field, because he stands 6'11" and would match Jon Rauch as the tallest player ever if he makes the majors. However, after being drafted in the second round out of Kentucky in 2018, it was his performance on the mound that made him stand out even more. This year, he had a 3.32 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, and a 139/37 strikeout to walk ratio over 143.2 innings across three levels all the way up to AA Richmond. He sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball, but it gets on hitters quick due to his exceptionally long arms, and he adds a very good curveball that gets swings and misses. However, his best trait as a pitcher is his command, as he's walked just 41 batters in 165 pro innings so far and he can spot all of his pitches well. I'm not completely sold on Hjelle as an impact starter yet, but he has the chance to be a #3 starter with a more likely outcome as a #4 or #5.
- Seth Corry (2020 Age: 21): Corry was more of a projection guy than anything else when he was drafted in the third round out of a Utah high school in 2017, but that projection began to bear fruit in a breakout 2019. This year, he posted a 1.76 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and a 172/58 strikeout to walk ratio over 122.2 innings at Class A Augusta, showing greatly improved command to go with his power stuff. A 6'2" lefty, he's still likely below average with that command, but he's made enough progress that his low 90's fastball and excellent power curve can play up and miss bats by the bunches. There's still a lot more work to be done, but he's well on his way to reaching his ceiling as a #2 or #3 starter if he can tighten that command up a little more and continue to improve his changeup.
- Jake Wong (2020 Age: 23): Drafted one round after Hjelle out of Grand Canyon University, Wong had a solid first full season by posting a 3.90 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, and a 101/35 strikeout to walk ratio over 113 innings between Class A Augusta and High A San Jose. His mid 90's fastball is his best attribute, and he adds an improving curveball and changeup to the mix, but it all plays down somewhat because his command is fringy and he lacks deception. I see him more as a reliever, where his fastball/curveball combination could sharpen and where he'll need less deception, but continued refinement of his command could make him a solid mid to back-end starter.
- Matt Frisbee (2020 Age: 23): A 15th round pick out of UNC-Greensboro in 2018, Frisbee was originally thought of as a reliever and was successfully used in that role in his pro debut last year (2.96 ERA, 36/13 K/BB). However, he transitioned back to the rotation in 2019 and the results were tremendous, as he posted a 3.13 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and a 154/28 strikeout to walk ratio over 132.1 innings at Augusta and San Jose. It's hard to find video or updated scouting reports on him, but coming out of college he sat in the low to mid 90's with his fastball but needed work on his secondaries. I can't confirm but I would guess that they took a step forward in 2019, as did his command, which went from solid to very good. A 6'5" righty, he has the chance to leapfrog some of the more highly-touted names on this list like Beck and Wong.
- Trevor McDonald (2020 Age: 19): The Giants have had a lot of success in their rotation with pitchers from Alabama (Tim Hudson, Matt Cain, Jake Peavy), and just a few miles over the border in George County, Mississippi, they grabbed 6'2" righty Trevor McDonald in the 2019 draft. McDonald only threw four pro innings in 2019 with a 2.25 ERA and eight strikeouts to two walks in complex ball, and he's all upside. He sits in the low 90's for now but with an incredibly quick arm, he could easily add velocity and get into the mid 90's, and he adds three offspeed pitches. They're all inconsistent for now, but he has shown a very strong feel for pitching, and he's the kind of guy who could take off with pro instruction. On the checklist are proving durability and getting more consistent with those secondary pitches, but he's a sleeper to watch.
- Keep an eye on: Tristan Beck, John Gavin, Kai-Wei Teng, Prelander Berroa

Relief Pitching
- Garrett Williams (2020 Age: 25): What do you make a guy who has posted ERA's of 5.01, 2.32, 6.06, and 3.60 in his four pro seasons, and who was equally inconsistent in college? Williams has always flashed big league stuff, but injuries and control problems have hampered him since his time at Oklahoma State. He can sit anywhere in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and he adds a curveball that is a true out pitch when he's on, but he loses the strike zone regularly and gets hammered when he does. In 2019, he had a 3.60 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP, and a 108/61 strikeout to walk ratio over 110 innings at AA Richmond, and the Giants finally moved him to the bullpen in August, where he had a 2.87 ERA and a 17/9 strikeout to walk ratio over 15.2 innings. This seems like a no-brainer to me, as the combination of injuries+unstable command+inconsistent stuff should be remedied.
- Blake Rivera (2020 Age: 22): Rivera still hopes to be next in the long line of Giants starters from Alabama, though he's looking more and more like a reliever. A fourth round pick out of an Alabama community college in 2018, he posted a 4.32 ERA, a 1.39 WHIP, and an 87/41 strikeout to walk ratio over 75 innings between Class A Augusta and complex ball rehab this year. He sits in the low 90's with his fastball and adds a very good curveball, but he hasn't proven to be consistent with either his strike throwing ability or his durability. He's still working on those things, and if he takes a step forward with either in 2020, he could stick as a starter, but for now he's looking like he could be a valuable two pitch reliever.
- Gregory Santos (2020 Age: 20): Santos, like Rivera, still has a shot at starting, but he's yet to eclipse 50 innings in a season while he's battled shoulder issues. In 2019, he posted a 2.86 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, and a 26/9 strikeout to walk ratio over 34.2 innings at Augusta, sitting in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and adding a curveball that looks good at times but which lacks hard bite. He's done a good job throwing strikes in his small samples, which means he could eventually have above average command if he can stay healthy, though durability is a serious question and a move to the bullpen might be in his best interest. Set to play all of 2020 at 20 years old, he'll still have every chance to prove himself as a starter.
- Keep an eye on: Melvin Adon, Sam Selman, Caleb Kilian