2nd Annual Giants' Prospect Draft
This is a Free For All There R Giants’ post. There won’t be too many of these, so if you enjoy it, why not become a full subscriber for daily Giants’ prospect posts sent straight to your Inbox.
One of my loyal readers, during a recent call for mailbag questions, instead sent in a request for a revisit of the prospect draft podcast that I took part in last year with several other Giants’ prospect writers: Kevin Cunningham of Giant Futures, Brian Recca of Prospects Live and Marc Delucchi and Wrenzie Regodon, both now of Giants Baseball Insider.
Everybody was excited about revisiting the idea, but we weren’t quite able to find a time to record a podcast together. So this time, we went old school style, drafting through a google doc (with plenty of Slack chatting on the side).
So, for your reading pleasure this time, allow me to present the 2nd Annual Giants’ Prospect Draft, a Literary Journey! Make sure to vote on which team you think is best in the comments below (spoiler: it’s mine!).
The draft was conducted in a serpentine order, with the first round randomized to: Kevin, Brian, Marc, Wrenzie, and finally me. We decided to enforce a full lineup draft — so everybody had to end up with a full playable lineup, the top of a rotation and some bullpen help. That ended up driving the strategy for several of our picks — this draft ended up varying significantly from a strict “let me take the guy I think is the best prospect on the board” exercise. I should also note that we actually conducted this draft before the minor league season began, so there’s no early season reactions going on in these picks.
How did I smack the competition from the backend of the draft? You shall see… Each pick is accompanied by a short commentary from the drafter.
LHP Kyle Harrison (Kevin): How can I not go with Kyle? He’s not just my top-ranked Giants prospect (and that of many others), but he’s considered by some the best left-handed pitching prospect in baseball. With the first pick, I’ve got to go for ceiling, and Harrison has that by a nose over Luciano at the moment.
SS Marco Luciano (Brian): Luciano has not progressed the way we were hoping. He’s getting bumped down on prospect lists, which I understand, but it feels a little bit harsh. Perhaps prospect fatigue is settling in. It seems like we’ve been talking about him forever, but the fact is Luciano is roughly the same age as the college juniors that will be selected in the 2023 draft. I also don’t understand why he’s getting docked for not being a shortstop (the Giants still say he is) when that was basically a certainty a year ago. Among all the Giants prospects, Luciano has the highest probability of being an impact bat in the pros, and I don’t think it’s particularly close. He didn’t obliterate High A pitching last year, but he was still 20% better than the league average as a 20 year old. His health, particularly that of his back, is a far greater concern than what position he ends up playing. A kid this young missing time on multiple occasions with lingering back issues is scary. I (and Giants fans everywhere) can only hope that those injury issues are behind him. I expect that with a full 2023 campaign, Luciano will reestablish himself as one of the top offensive prospects in the game. However, I can definitely see some parallels between Luciano’s development as a prospect and the Twins’ former shortstop of the future, Miguel Sano.
3B/SS Casey Schmitt (Marc): I really wanted to buck convention here and strongly considered taking either Luis Matos or Aeverson Arteaga instead. Despite Schmitt’s ascendant rise, I’m still a bit higher on Matos. That said, the system is far deeper in the outfield than the left side of the infield. I’m crushed that I probably won’t land Arteaga anymore, but the Giants aren’t any thinner at shortstop than they are at third in the minor-league ranks. Ultimately, Schmitt is the best value left.
SS Aeverson Arteaga (Wrenzie): I went into this thing initially thinking of grabbing one of the three outfielders in my 45 FV tier (McCray, Brown, and Matos) then pivoting into a pitcher with my second pick. However, after taking a look at the depth chart, I noticed that there is a Red Sea-esque gap from Arteaga to the next best infielder that I am comfortable in taking. I also know that Roger is a big Arteaga fan, so if I take Arteaga now, Roger can only take at most two of the three outfielders, so I know I can take whoever’s left with my next pick. Personally, I am not the biggest Arteaga fan but this is a mind over heart selection. A tactical selection if you want to call it.
CF Grant McCray (Roger): Shaking off my grief at Wrenzie grabbing the last best shortstop in the system, I quickly pivoted to the best CF because I’m a “skills up the middle” sort of guy. One conversation I’ve had repeatedly recently is about the lack of athleticism up and down the organization. Great athletes who can really run, who have power, who have arms, who can field – they’re not in huge supply. So I’m grabbing the two best athletes on the board and probably the two best in the organization in McCray and Brown. That’s gonna leave me thin in the infield, but I can’t ignore the two best power-speed-defense players in the organization. Give me the athletes and I’ll figure out the rest.
OF Vaun Brown (Roger): This pick is explained above, but I will take a moment to note that the real question for me with Brown was the knee injury that has set him back significantly this spring. In 10 days at minor league camp, I didn’t lay eyes on Brown until my final night in Arizona – not in fielding drills, not in BP, not shagging flies. His breakout season was sadly cut short by a knee injury that needed surgery. Getting his follow up season delayed by the other knee is a worrisome trend. It sounds like he’s taking part in baseball activities now, and should be back with an affiliate soon, but I’m a natural worrier until I see it. Hope to see you on the field soon, Vaun! With that small caveat, I feel confident that I just took the two best athletes in the system and two guys with big league futures.
CF Luis Matos (Wrenzie): This is the consequence of my Arteaga selection. I knew most likely that Matos will be the final prospect left since I know Roger loves both McCray and Brown. Like Arteaga, I am also not the biggest Matos fan right now but we were talking about him as a top 100 prospect just 12 months ago, and there’s a shot that he can get back to that form this year. There is an ocean of pitchers to choose from after so I can just sit in and reel in a pitcher or two that I like after and then target a couple of bats in the 20s.
LHP/DH Reggie Crawford (Marc): NO WRENZIE! I nearly had Matos fall to me at eight, but nevertheless, this pick is really difficult. In my opinion (and I think most folks would agree with me), there’s a clear dropoff in the Giants’ system after the seven players we’ve already taken. Carson Whisenhunt is the best prospect, but after grabbing a lower-ceiling prospect with my first pick, I’m going for the home run with Reggie Crawford. Plus, he can be a late-game pinch hitter on a day when he doesn’t pitch. The Giants have a surprising amount of pitching depth in the system, making me confident I can balance out the volatility with some safer bets later on.
C Patrick Bailey (Brian): Crawford was going to be my pick. Beyond the fact that Crawford can fill two positions in one pick, I’m also a huge believer, and think he has the highest ceiling of any prospect in the system not named Harrison or Luciano. Taking Bailey 9th probably looks like a reach. It feels that way to me. But we are only able to select Giants prospects to build our teams, and frankly the hitting talent in the system is not nearly as deep as the pitching. The drop off in talent at catcher after Bailey is especially steep in my opinion. Bailey is a polarizing prospect, and it’s easy to look at that .225 batting average from last year and write him off. But he had a 125 wRC+ from May onwards, and answered a lot of questions on defense. The offensive bar is so low for catchers and Bailey’s ability to hit from the left side gives him strong side platoon potential. He’s a likely big leaguer because of this and I don’t think you can rule out later offensive development, which is fairly common for catchers.
RHP Cole Waites (Kevin): Man, all of my next three ranked prospects are pitchers, and I already took Harrison, so this makes my next two picks tough. I am going to start with one of them, and take the best reliever on my board for the Giants in Cole Waites. I’m feeling pretty good about the top of my pitching staff, which I’ll need, because my lineup will be missing that big name to anchor it.
OF Heliot Ramos (Kevin): So…I’m going to go with a comeback kid of sorts. Heliot Ramos feels like he’s been in the system forever, but at 23, he’s just under two years older than Harrison. Plus, after last season’s struggles, he seems to have taken them as a wake up call to taking care of himself, and came into camp in great shape and looking like he shaved off several pounds. He’s far from the former #1 overall prospect he was, but there’s still a lot of pop and good defense in there, albeit with a ton of strikeouts and a low batting average.
C/INF/OF Brett Auerbach (Brian): There are multiple pitchers I’d rather have at this point, but I don’t want to be stuck with a lineup of hitters that I view as non-prospects. Auerbach’s versatility should pay dividends later on the during this draft. He can play just about anywhere, plugging holes as the player pool slims down. Auerbach also has major league tools. He controls the bat well, is an above average runner/athlete, and he’s hit for more power in games than most expected. Combine those tools with a swiss army knife profile and you get a likely big league contributor and perhaps more.
SS Tyler Fitzgerald (Marc): The best prospects left are a big group of starting pitchers (in no particular order: Carson Whisenhunt, Landen Roupp, Eric Silva, Trevor McDonald, Keaton Winn, Tristan Beck, Sean Hjelle, and Mason Black), but I know some of them will still be around when I pick next. I don’t see any way I can sneak Tyler Fitzgerald past Roger’s two picks at 15 & 16. With Fitzgerald at shortstop and Schmitt at third base, I have a stout defense on the left side of the infield that can hit for power. Plus, plenty of scouts think Fitzgerald has the athleticism to play in the outfield, which might come in handy later.
RHP Mason Black (Wrenzie): Whoa, I did not expect a run on position players! I thought there will be a run on pitchers here, but I guess the barren nature of the hitters in this range resulted in a Black Friday sale for bats, even though I ranked them substantially lower than the pitchers that remain. This is a run the card to the podium situation for Black. He is a true top 10 talent in the organization who can throw really hard and can also throw strikes. If there is someone I would be glad to give the start with in this tournament, I will give it to what I consider to be the best non-Harrison pitching prospect in the organization.
RHP Landen Roupp (Roger): This was a tough one. The strength of the system has definitely shifted towards pitching, and filling out a lineup from the system is going to be a little rough. But I am besotted by Landen Roupp’s curveball, and I couldn’t let him get past me here. I’ve got the basis of a strong lineup working, but I need a #1 to send out to the mound and Roupp is the best on the board at this point. [EDIT: It wasn’t until later that everyone seemed to have realized in a sudden, collective rush, that Carson Whisenhunt had mysteriously gone unpicked yet at this point. Call it a collective delusion.]
SS Will Wilson (Roger): With Luciano, Schmitt, Arteaga and Fitzgerald gone, my options in middle infield are quickly slipping away, so even though it might be considered a slight reach, I need Will Wilson here. I’m not sure if I want him at SS or 2b (where his arm will probably play more satisfactorily), but I sure want his surprising sock in my MI somewhere.
RHP Keaton Winn (Wrenzie): I pretty much planned out who my next three picks will be at this point. I am looking for a pitcher who I will partner with Black in a would-be tourney. I am only considering two options here: Winn or Whisenhunt. Both are really good options here, and I do have Whisenhunt ranked over Winn in terms of FV, but I went over to Winn because I know Winn already has two plus pitches with his 94-99 MPH fastball and his nasty splitter, while Whisenhunt currently has one and will likely only be one.
2B Brett Wisely (Marc): I’m really playing with fire on the pitchers, and have one in particular that it is soooo hard to pass on, but as we all keep saying, the Giants hitting depth is thin, and Brett Wisely is an above-average athlete with a feel for hitting. I need to make up for passing on the best pitchers and outfielders in the system now, but I’m excited to have an infield of Schmitt, Fitzgerald, and Wisely. All three also have some positional flexibility, which could come in handy when we get to the final rounds of the draft.
OF Jairo Pomares (Brian): I’ve never loved Pomares’ profile, and I generally don’t gravitate to these types of hitters. However, I can’t ignore the fact that we are on the verge of entering fringe prospect territory with hitters. Pomares is a tier above that, and it was only a year ago when many evaluators thought he was a top 10 prospect with an up arrow next to his name. Pomares’s poor pitch recognition was exposed last year, and it’s hard to see how he gets to the big leagues without meaningful improvement in that area. He’s also trending towards a LF only profile. Pomares is still only 22, and he possesses an extremely potent bat with solid plate coverage and plus raw power.
LHP Carson Whisenhunt (Kevin): Guys? Guys? How did Whisenhunt fall this far in this draft??? He’s been listed in many top 10s…I don’t know that my team needs two lefties at the top of the rotation, but I’m definitely going to put the top two of my rotation against anyone else in this draft. ;) Whisenhunt needs to make sure his fastball can compliment his amazing change up, but he can use that change to get a lot of strikeouts.
OF Rayner Arias (Kevin): I’m going upside here. My own rankings have infielders Sean Roby and Ryan Reckley higher, but I’ve been loving the things I’ve heard this spring with Arias. I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts the year in the ACL…with a small outside chance at San Jose. Hopefully, Arias’ maturity that comes from being the son of a scout will help him move up the system.
1B Luis Toribio (Brian): This pick is a product of the Giants system being almost completely devoid of first base prospects. It’s not like Toribio was particularly good either, but he did have a large power spike as a 21 year old while playing in an age appropriate league at High-A. Toribio has solid plate discipline, walks a healthy amount and his exit velos suggest the raw power is a legit plus tool. His move down the defensive spectrum seemed inevitable, but at least he’s a left handed hitter. Like with Pomares, Toribio isn’t “my type” of prospect, but I don’t think any other first baseman in this system possesses pro potential.
CF Ismael Munguia (Marc): Kevin made sure to stop Whisenhunt’s unjustified fall (and if this were a tournament, I don’t know how anyone beats a Harrison/Whisenhunt 1-2 punch), but with Roger and Wrenzie both needing hitting more than pitching, I think I can address the outfield first. Munguia has the best hit-tool in the system, is a 50-grade center fielder capable of playing anywhere in the outfield. He missed all of 2022 with a major injury, but he impressed the Giants enough in camp to earn 13 plate appearances at MLB spring training (where he hit .273/.333/.546 with just two strikeouts). I have my lead-off hitter. There’s only one hitter left on the board that will stop me from grabbing a starter with my next pick.
C Onil Perez (Wrenzie): Oh Kevin, you bastard! Arias is a HUGE part of my plan (so-called “El Plan”, from my favorite Formula 1 driver since my childhood, Fernando Alonso), as he will provide the thump that I badly need to my would-be lineup, but Kevin decided to scoop him up. Cheeky Kevin! Because of that, I resorted to only one thing: panic. I do intend to pick a catcher at 27 because I feel there should be a gentleman’s agreement that each should have one catcher on the team, but the Arias selection threw me off my game and I decided to pick my catcher now. Clearly, there’s two catchers in discussion on my head: Adrian Sugastey and Onil Perez. I really like both catchers, but I thought maybe Roger likes Onil over Sugastey more, and Onil really grew on me over the past month or two, so it might also be more recency bias than anything, but I came away happy with picking Onil.
C Adrian Sugastey (Roger): My core roster building strategy has always been to be strong up the middle, so I can’t let a catcher run pass me by. I’m a huge fan of Onil Perez, but I think Wrenzie over-reached taking him in front of Adrian Sugastey. I had Sugastey and Patrick Bailey nearly back to back in my rankings, so grabbing Sugastey here seems like a great value.
RHP Eric Silva (Roger): The same goes with this pick. While I still think that loading up on hitters is the wiser strategy for a system that is deep in arms but somewhat shallow in bats, I can’t overlook the value of taking Silva here. I have him as the #12 prospect in the system, and he’s made not a few top 10s around the prospect watching world. I can’t let him slip further than 26. Silva and Roupp make for a solid top of my rotation while I build the draft’s best lineup!
RHP Carson Seymour (Wrenzie): Oh no, Roger thought that I reached for Onil! Oh well, I still like my chances with Onil and his intangibles. I was looking more into the hitter’s market since I feel I am light on bats, but this Seymour slide has to stop. This is insane value in my opinion. I ranked him inside my top 10, and he’s still available at 27. With my Black-Winn-Seymour trio, I might have the best collection of pitchers in a tournament setting up to this point. No time to overthink this and time to run the card to the podium.
CF P.J. Hilson (Marc): Well… I got distracted, and the two catchers left before a big drop-off went off the board. It happens. I’ll have to figure out my backstop later. But, back to the original plan, I said there was only one player left on the board that would keep me from taking a pitcher, and that was 2022 ACL MVP P.J. Hilson. Hilson has the potential to be one of the best defensive outfielders in the league, with both 70+ grade speed and arm. He also has some intriguing power potential to pair with it. If Hilson develops even a 40-grade hit tool, he’s going to have a productive MLB career. However, he took a long time to adjust to Complex League pitching, and it’s reasonable to wonder if he will make enough contact in full-season ball. But a true four-tool player (everything but the hit tool), Hilson is too tantalizing to pass up at this point in the draft.
RHP R.J. Dabovich (Brian): I really wanted Silva, but I’m happy to see Dabovich waiting for me as I cave and draft my first arm. Did I miss out on some good arms by taking five straight hitters? Sure. The fact that I waited this long and still ended up with a pitcher with a 90% chance of reaching the majors this year, along with the skill set to pitch meaningful innings out of the pen, shows how deep the Giants are in pitching. Dabovich still has work to do, but the fastball/curve combo will be his bread and butter, the latter of which is an elite pitch. I tend to value relievers more than the majority of baseball fans. While I dont think he’s a closer, I think he’ll eventually be an arm you feel comfortable using in the playoffs.
3B Sean Roby (Kevin): Time to begin rounding out my infield, by taking corner infielder Sean Roby. It took 15 seasons for any hitter to hit 20 home runs at Double-A Richmond, and David Villar did it in 2021. In 2022, Sean Roby did it as well…by July. The power is legitimate. The batting average and the health are questions. But Roby is a guy who has some real bounce back potential if his health can come back.
SS Ryan Reckley (Kevin): You know, out of the five of us, I’m usually the biggest doubter when it comes to over-ranking the top international signees, but here I am, having picked up the two most recent top signings. Reckley had a lost year in 2022, due to an unspecified injury [EDITOR’S NOTE: Reckley had an opponent fall on his back as he was diving back into a base], but there’s still some potential for him to come back, since he’s so young. Plus, shortstops are going to be almost as hard to find as catchers soon.
RHP Trevor McDonald (Brian): I considered a bunch of arms here, including William Kempner and Nick Swiney. The knock on McDonald is that nothing truly stands out. He’s not overly physical, none of his pitches are pluses, his command is more average than special, and he doesn’t go deep into games. In terms of performance, McDonald was one of the best in the system. It’s the year-to-year growth that has me interested. McDonald has not pitched much as a pro. He came into 2022 with ~75 career innings in three years, but was able to hold up for over 110 innings this past season. I like the frame, I like the athlete, and I like the rapid growth from a 21/22 year old. The current profile isn’t sexy but it’s well rounded and provides a decent floor. There could be more in the tank.
RHP Sean Hjelle (Marc): I finally get my second starter behind Crawford, and given the risk associated with him, it’s nice to grab an arm that has already reached the bigs to pair with him. Sean Hjelle has had a quiet renaissance since the end of last season, and while it seems like he may end up a swingman, the nearly seven-foot-tall righty looks like he belongs in the bigs.
RHP William Kempner (Wrenzie): After six picks, I am in a pretty comfortable spot. I have addressed all three levels on the position player side of things, while also having probably the best collection of pitchers at the moment with three top 15 talents. I am still looking for a thumper and I feel I can sneak in Bericoto after Roger, so I am picking Kempner at this spot. A true unicorn in the system, Kempner’s nastiness (and wildness) shall be a lot of fun to have. With that, I have four pitchers in my team who can touch 98 MPH while having nasty stuff to face the hitters that my colleagues have selected so far.
OF Alexander Suarez (Roger): Ok now I am going to go for two bats, because offense is really starting to thin out. I’ll figure out the rest of my pitching later, but I know for a near fact that Marc and Wrenze are waiting to scoop up Victor Bericoto, and I want Suarez to complete my three CF outfield. They also have more power than anybody left on the board. With Suarez, McCray, Brown, Wilson, and Sugastey I feel pretty good about myself up the middle and I’ve got probably the best power lineup of anybody in the draft at this point.
1b Victor Bericoto (Roger): And as I write this, I’ve just figured out that I’m essentially rebuilding the 2022 San Jose Giants team! Which I guess isn’t bad, since that team did go to the playoffs and might have won a second straight championship if most of the roster hadn’t been promoted by the time the playoffs came along. Bericoto makes some of the best swing decisions in the org and has terrific exit velocities, and with McCray, Brown, and Suarez in front of him, I can play him at 1b where he fits best (and which is a real weak spot in the org). I win.
OF Wade Meckler (Wrenzie): When we were actually at around pick 20-ish, I messaged Roger that I will break his heart when I chose Onil, but he apparently was not fazed, and instead broke my heart by picking Bericoto just before I picked him! There are only so few thumpers remaining, and the outfield depth is actually pretty much running out at this point. So I took Meckler instead, which I think is solid value here. He can play center field for me, but will likely play left, can really run, and can really work the count and make a ton of contact, albeit with limited pop. I considered Bryce Johnson as well at this spot, but I believe that Meckler can have more offensive impact while providing similar value on defense.
C Ricardo Genovés (Marc): Roger destroyed my plans by taking Suarez and Bericoto, so I’m going to lock up the catcher position. Genovés isn’t a great defensive catcher or hitter, but he’s on a trajectory to be a 45-grade player in both respects, which gives him a pretty good shot to stick around for a while as an up-and-down backup. I still wonder if Genovés’ development has been undermined by misaligned assignments, since the Giants have consistently prioritized Patrick Bailey (who is only 15 days younger, but was not forced to face Triple and Double-A pitching like Genovés last season).
LHP Nick Swiney (Brian): I was hoping for Kempner, but I guess it makes sense that I end up with Swiney, since I tend to be the high man on him. He was a personal favoirte of mine during the shortened 2020 draft cycle, which included a small sample of 4 starts that blew me away. That may eventually bite me in the butt, but I’m going to stick with Swiney for at least another year. I think his three pitch mix pairs perfectly and allows everything to play way up. He’s hard to hit as he gets a high number of whiffs and tons of weak flyball contact. His batting average against for his career is below .200. Swiney’s fastball velocity and command backed up to a point that, even with his optimized pitch arsenal, he’s unlikely to be much more than lefty reliever depth in the upper minors. Swiney doesn’t need a huge boost in velo to succeed, 90-93 ought to do it. The command doesn’t need to be special either, but Swiney will completely lose it for lengthy stretches. Swiney wasn’t at his best last year, but still managed to miss bats and avoid barrels at a high rate. Mid-rotation potential remains, but 2023 is looking like a make or break year.
C/OF Blake Sabol (Kevin): I still think that there’s a decent chance that Farhan Zaidi sends back his pseudo-Rule 5 pick to Pittsburgh, but Sabol has been a revelation in Spring Training, at least when he’s beside the plate in the batter’s box, and not behind it. But, his catching might be enough with how short catching is in the system and Onil Perez and Adrian Sugastey gone. At any rate, Sabol quickly becomes one of my team’s best hitters.
2B Ghordy Santos (Kevin): Okay, I’m beginning to get a little anxious, as I tried to figure out who I was going to go with here. I had a few options to play with at second, but I went with utility player Ghordy Santos, who can play all over the outfield and infield. Santos missed half the season due to injury but I’m once again pulling a Zaidi, and hoping that with health, he can show off more of the .794 OPS in his (brief) 2021 stay in San Jose. I might regret not pursuing the pure speed of Simon Whiteman here, or the surprising power of Jimmy Glowenke, or older OBP pop-up Hayden Cantrelle…I should stop talking.
RHP Randy Rodriguez (Brian): I think the Randy Rodriguez starting pitcher experiment was a worthwhile endeavor. It’s disappointing that it didn’t work out, and it sucks that because of Rodriguez’s service time situation, he won’t get another chance. A lot was asked of Rodriguez last year, and he didn’t back down. I see two plus pitches and the toughness/moxie to pitch late in games. As with Dabovich, I think Rodriguez will form into a playoff caliber reliever in the near future. So while he’s not a starter, I’m happy to grab another close to the majors pitcher with impact potential.
CF Bryce Johnson (Marc): I was all ready to draft Sabol to be my first baseman, getting the benefit of his excellent bat without worrying about his defense behind the plate. I’m content prioritizing defense for the sake of the exercise though. If we weren’t building a team, I would have drafted Sabol much sooner. Instead, I finalize my starting outfield, adding my third center fielder in Bryce Johnson. Sure he may not have big upside, but he’s an above-average defensive outfielder with excellent speed and a good track record in the upper minors. Plus, I can now kick Munguia to left field and Hilson’s big arm to right for an incredible defensive unit.
OF Carter Williams (Wrenzie): Now, I am really struggling to find my third outfielder after the Sabol and Johnson selections. I do have an outfielder in mind but I would like to keep him stashed for now and instead go for Williams, who lit up the low-Minors last season like Vaun Brown, but was unheard of in most circles because of his undrafted status three years ago.
INF Diego Velasquez (Roger): I already have plenty of power on my team, so now I’m filling out the middle infield with one of the best contact hitters in the system. Velasquez comes with two beautiful swings and a crying need to get stronger and impact the ball more. He’s running better this spring though, so I’m hoping that we’ll see a step forward from him physically this year.
RHP Tristan Beck (Roger): I really wanted to grab one of my favorite arms in the system, Gerelmi Maldonado, here. But this is another value pick. Beck’s probably a top 20 prospect in the system, and is a more fully formed version of a very high ceiling outcome for Maldonado. He throws strikes with six different pitches, and has mid 90s or better fastball velocity. With Silva and Roupp, I’ve got plenty of rotation strength to go with all the offense I’ve amassed.
RHP Liam Simon (Wrenzie): I do consider Simon both as a value pick and a luxury pick here. I probably do not need to draft Simon at this spot, but I love the talent. He can touch 99 MPH with his fastball with a plus at-best slider and a solid at-best changeup. Simon made minute tweaks in his delivery when he turned pro with the hopes of achieving better control. When the control is in an acceptable place, he is, in Kyle Haines’ words, a first-round talent. I now have five pitchers who can touch 98 MPH while also having a nasty secondary pitch. Any team who will face my pitching shall be forced to stand in against the heat!
LHP Nick Zwack (Marc): I was hoping to slide Beck to this pick, but I got a bit too greedy. Instead, I’ll take a pitchability lefty with some surprising velocity in his fastball. All the upside on my pitching staff rests on Crawford’s left arm, but Zwack has a good chance to reach the majors as a reliever if he’s unable to generate enough whiffs in the upper minors to stick in the rotation.
RHP Gerelmi Maldonado (Brian): My fourth arm in a row. I probably would have taken Beck if he was still available. Outside of McDonald, the rest of the arms I went with were all quick to the majors types. With that core in tow, I think now is a good opportunity to play the long game. Maldonado is likely several years away from a MLB debut as a 19 year old whose pro experience is limited to the complex league. The Giants don’t have many arms like this in the system. It’s a good frame, solid athlete, with “now stuff” to build on and refine.
RHP Blake Rivera (Kevin): Going with more injury comebacks here. Blake Rivera has barely been able to stay healthy, but when he’s healthy, his fastball and slider can be overwhelming. He just had his healthiest year in 2022 at Double-A, and could be on the verge of the majors. He’s one of my longtime favorites, so we’ll see if I’m just picking favorites.
RHP Will Bednar (Kevin): A former first round pick, Bednar had a just awful 2022, with a lower back injury probably being a major contribution to his reduced velocity and control. Now that we’re down here in the 11th round of this draft, it seems worth going for the upside of the former College World Series MVP. But I have to love the upside of my three starting pitchers!
RHP Manuel Mercedes (Brian): I was planning on taking Bednar, I think people are jumping ship early. I think many are doing the same thing with Manuel Mercedes. Mercedes is kind of like the 2022 version of Gerelmi Maldonado. A pop up arm with a good body, MLB caliber raw stuff, and almost no track record to speak of. This is going to be a long development process, and it’s unreasonable to expect a Eury Perez type climb. I say this a lot, but prospect growth is NOT LINEAR. Mercedes struggled, but all the elements that made him pop on the radar remain, and his health is intact. With back to back late picks, I feel like I obtained two of the better ceiling arms in the system.
RHP Spencer Miles (Marc): I was planning on grabbing three starters and two relievers to comprise my pitching staff, but without any surefire starter in the group, I decided to add one more starting pitching prospect in 2022 fourth-round pick Spencer Miles. Miles was a scouting over track-record pick by the Giants after he struggled throughout his college career at Missouri. However, he was quite good in his first taste of pro ball, and the Giants rave about his makeup. Miles has a projectable, athletic frame that’s easy to dream on. While it might not work out, I’m willing to bet on that upside this late in the draft. For the sake of my roster balance, I’ll let Miles take my third spot in the rotation and shift Zwack to a swingman role.
Infielder Carter Aldrete (Wrenzie): I was looking for bats now after spending some luxury tax on Simon with my pick before. Luckily, at long last, all of the picks in between my previous pick and this one were pitchers, so my hitting depth chart was left unscathed. I still need a thumper, and found one in Aldrete. I really love the fact that he worked his butt off with his craft in two straight winters at Papago, and it paid off last year. Luckily, I also needed a corner infielder so he fits!
INF Damon Dues (Roger): I have seven members of my starting lineup and I’m going to finish things off with a utility player who can play anywhere. I had my eyes on Aldrete for 3b (and more power!), but with Carter off the board, I’m going with Dues.. He walks more than he strikes out and puts his bat on everything. His career OBP is .470. I’m putting him at the top of my lineup!
RHP Jose Cruz (Roger): My rotation is in good shape, but I need to bulk up the back end of the pen. Cruz (continuing my penchant for 2022 San Jose players) can be my closer, working in the upper 90s with his sinker, along with a Bugs Bunny change. I have three starters, a closer and a full lineup. I’m ready for the playoffs!
OF Jared Dupere (Wrenzie): I do admit that while my pitching can suppress all of the shenanigans that any of my opponent’s lineup will bring, I still badly need one guy who can basically win me the game with one swing. I have hidden him for so long, and it’s now time to pounce. I don’t care if Dupere will strike out 30% of the time or his defense is bad, I’ll stick him in my lineup as the DH, and all he needs to do is to just pull one ball over the fence, and my pitchers will do the rest.
1B Colten Welker (Marc): Once a top prospect in the Rockies’ system, Colten Welker’s star faded due to injuries and an inability to turn his tools into production in the upper minors. Drafted as a third baseman, he’s likely limited to first base, but I already have Schmitt at the hot corner, so that’s fine. Welker has a good approach, a feel to hit, and power potential. Granted, he has struggled to bring that power into games. If he does, it would be a huge boon for the Giants, but if not, he’s still a solid role player for my team. [EDITOR’S NOTE: After appearing in games all spring, Welker was not assigned when Sacramento began it’s season. It’s unclear if he is hurt and in rehab, or if he had an opt out clause in his contract, but for the time being, he is MIA.]
C/INF Ford Proctor (Brian): I wasn’t planning on ending up with both Auerbach and Proctor, but I kind of dig it for this exercise since we are tasked with building a full lineup. Proctor’s versatility and bat-to-ball ability got him to the majors, but it’s going to be his development as a catcher that decides whether he stays. Proctor has only caught for a couple of years, and needs work, but reports suggest his progress in such a short time has been remarkable. I think Proctor’s bat-to-ball is better than the K rates indicate, but probably not good enough to make up for his lack of pop. It’s a unique profile that could become extremely valuable given the potential versatility.
CF Simon Whiteman (Kevin): Going deep for some defense in center field, as I’m taking Uber-speedster Simon Whiteman. I was hoping to get Bryce Johnson a couple of picks ago, but I waited too long there. Whiteman has at least 70-grade speed, and at this point, if there’s any plus-plus skills, it’s worth taking it. There’s a big question about Whiteman being able to get on-base enough to make use of it offensively, but with this pitching, I’ll take the defense.
RHP Uber Mejías (Kevin): Let’s go with an interesting unknown for my final reliever spot. The Cuban signee has a lot of experience in the international showcase circuit, and comes into the Giants system a bit older than most international signees, and so he might move up the Giants system pretty quickly, though it might be a slow start as he gets back up to speed.
2B Jimmy Glowenke (Brian): I can’t say I’ve ever been a big fan of Glowenke, but he has solid pitch recognition and has flashed some barrel ability in the past. His 2022 was atrocious, but some of that could have been injury related. There was some hope that Glowenke could develop into a bat first utility player, but he might only be capable of handling second base. Still, there’s some pedigree here, and he’s only 23 years old. Finding infielders at this stage is not an easy task.
DH Hunter Bishop (Marc): At this point, every pick is a long shot. So while it’s been a long time (and several major injuries) since we saw Hunter Bishop looking like a top prospect, I’m betting on him getting good health at some point in his career for long enough to turn things around. With so much speed in my outfield, Bishop could focus on his bat as a power-hitting DH while serving as a fourth outfielder. [EDITOR’S NOTE: Obviously, this draft took place before it was announced that Bishop would miss the entire 2023 season after having reconstructive surgery on his elbow.]
LHP Seth Lonsway (Wrenzie): A couple of sneaky but solid bats have now put me at ease for a bit. I still need to round out my infield, and I do already have a couple of infielders that I have in mind to fill them. It’s time to round out my pitching tour de force. All of the pitchers that I have taken so far can bring the heat, and if you can’t bring the heat, at least you can spin it. And oh boy, Lonsway can spin it. He’s also a better strike thrower than I have ever seen him ever since he turned pro. He was much better in a relief look in San Jose last year, so I’ll stick him in the pen. I considered a couple of arms like Hayden Birdsong or Melvin Adon, but I wanted to have a lefty look in my would-be staff since I missed out on Jose Cruz as my lefty neutralizer.
RHP Hayden Birdsong (Roger): Needing to fill out my pitching staff further, I went for an arm that is generating a lot of excitement inside the organization, 6th round pick out of Eastern Illinois, Hayden Birdsong. After starting his career striking out 23 of the first 48 batters he saw, Birdsong is looking like the latest in a series of late round draft scouting success stories. It’s not clear whether the Giants will try him as a starter or reliever, but I’ll use him in a bulk innings swing role on my staff.
UT Shane Matheny (Roger): The lineup is almost complete, but to give it myself maximum flexibility, I’ll take Matheny, who can play any spot on the infield as well as CF flawlessly, while providing walks and just enough pop from the left-hand side. He’s also a great clubhouse guy! Matheny can pencil in as the starting 3b on this roster, but he’ll also give me the flexibility to start moving pieces around in game if strategy demands.
INF Javier Francisco (Wrenzie): This is the second time in a row that I have taken Francisco late in my drafts to help round out my infield. He’s moving along under the radar, but he has one of the better swing decisions in the backfields, and has played all over the infield. Recent videos have seen him play shortstop smoothly, but I’ll stick him at third for now. A little more pop could be nice, but he has to put together a strong season to stand out.
INF Anthony Rodriguez (Marc): Rodriguez has held his own in back-to-back seasons in the complex, and will likely make his full-season debut in 2023. Rodriguez will likely have to move off shortstop to an infield corner, but he has flashed above-average power potential. Issues with contact remain the biggest hurdle for Rodriguez to clear, but there’s a path to a big-league career if he can make the necessary strides.
C/3B/OF Clint Coulter (Brian): Coulter is already 29, but has yet to make his MLB debut. He had a phenomenal year at AAA (.910 OPS) in the Cardinals’ organization, and spent time defensively at both outfield corners, third base, and catcher. No wonder the Giants picked him up. What really intrigues me is his ZIPS projection for the 2023 season. ZIPS has him putting up a a .742 OPS, 110 wRC+, and 1.1 WAR. That’s not bad for a guy that can bounce around a bunch of spots defensively. There’s above average raw power here, and Coulter cut down his whiffs to below 16% last year. I don’t mind giving him a shot as my left fielder.
RHP Carson Ragsdale (Kevin): I wanted to take a hitter to be on my bench, but I have to take a starting pitcher who slid pretty far thanks to missing 2022 with thoracic outlet surgery, but Ragsdale was one of the minors’ leading strikeout pitchers in 2021, and I’m hoping he can get back to the form that was so danger good a couple of years ago.
1B Logan Wyatt (Kevin): I mentioned earlier that at this point, it’s hard to ignore a plus-plus tool, and Logan Wyatt has some of the best strike zone control on the system…sometimes. What’s encouraging is while Wyatt had a horrible 2022, he finished it up in the Arizona Fall League with 17 walks to just 7 strikeouts in 68 plate appearances against advanced competition. If he can use that to hunt better pitches to hit and put together some better offense, he could get a bit better.
Infielder Andrew Kachel (Brian): We’re starting to hit the bottom of the barrel here in terms of bats. Kachel was drafted on day 3 last June, though he was projected to go significantly higher than that before the college season. I didn’t see Kachel play much, but he definitely had some believers among the amateur prospect community. He punches above his weight thanks to advanced barrel feel. Kachel’s K rate spiked last year, and his defensive ability was judged to be fringy across the infield. That likely pushed him down on draft day. Kachel is good at a bunch of things but great at nothing, a true utility profile. He’ll fit nicely on my bench.
RHP Melvin Adon (Marc): Once Rodriguez, Cruz, Dabovich, and Waites went off the board, I knew I’d be taking my closer with the final pick. I was eyeing Thomas Szapucki, who I considered a top-15 prospect in the farm system before his trajectory to Thoracic Outlet surgery began, but that injury is a difficult one to come back from. Instead, I’ll nab the seemingly longest-tenured prospect in the Giants’ system. Folks like me have been writing about Adon’s velocity and power fastball/slider combo since 2015, and he looked really good this spring. Here’s hoping he finally reaches the majors in 2023.
SS Yosneiker Rivas (Wrenzie): My pitching staff looks set, so it’s time to round out my lineup with Rivas. Recent looks at Arizona have shown Rivas to have a strong glove at second base (he’s playing there because Reckley is playing shortstop). He might be a clear hit-over-power guy, but he can make solid contact, and also has some surprising strength where the bat does not look heavy. With Arteaga at short, I will also move Rivas to second base and be happy with my up-the-middle defense.
C/1B Andy Thomas (Roger): My heart’s pick here was to go with Jose Ramos, who can really hit, and plays like his hair’s on fire while moving all over the field. Ramos feels like a next gen version of Ismael Munguia with his small stature and big play. But I’m going to try to create a truly Giantsy lineup with this pick. With Thomas, I have a backup catcher who hits left-handed, and who can take 1b duties and allow Bericoto to move to the OF when needed. With Dues and Matheny on the team as well, I have a tremendous amount of flexibility and enough platoon advantage to pinch hit when I get the matchups I want. Kapler and Zaidi would be proud of me! If this isn’t a Farhan prospect team, I don’t know how I could make it better!
NOTE: We originally planned to only make 75 picks, but finished and wanted to keep going. So, we decided to do five more rounds.
3b Elian Rayo (Roger): I’ve been faking it a bit with 3b on my roster so far. So let’s add Rayo here. I really do believe the youngster has a much better feel for hitting than he showed in his ACL season last year. Has a patient approach and some legit raw power in his stocky frame. He’s probably a defensive liability at Hot Corner, but he adds another power element to my already potent lineup, and I can sub him out for Matheny or Dues as a defensive replacement late in games.
Jose Ramos (Wrenzie): We are now pretty much scraping the bottom of the barrel at this point, so I am looking for some bats that will fill up my bench. He is an infielder who’s grown stronger over the winter, and the swing has looked better. He also has a pretty strong strike zone awareness, though his contact ability remains a question. Decent depth piece.
Nomar Diaz (Marc): Given my relative weakness starting at catcher, I wanted to land some upside with the expanded teams. A 14th-round pick out of high school in 2022, Diaz is viewed as a long-term catcher with a good feeling for hitting within the organization, and that’s a good combination. It will be interesting to see how he fares at the Complex this season.
RHP Kade McClure (Brian): McClure was injured early in his career, and then his progress stalled in the White Sox system. The Giants sent Gregory Santos to the White Sox in exchange for McClure, who is already 27 and now at AAA. McClure was moved to the pen last year, and he has the size, 4 pitch mix, and command to go multiple innings per outing or possibly spot start if needed. He had a good spring, and is looking to reinvent himself as a reliever with the Giants. His best pitch is his slider, which he commands extremely well. The Giants have had success with slider heavy relievers under Zaidi. I figure with his proximity to the majors and his adequate ZIPS projections, he’s likely to get an MLB opportunity at some point, and could take another step forward with his new organization.
C Thomas Gavello (Kevin): I’m not sure that I should count on Blake Sabol behind the plate, though the 13th round pick from 2022 was a third baseman while at Pacific. Gavello is another low-average hitter but with a lot of walks and home runs to buoy his OPS, which isn’t bad this late in this draft.
OF Justin Bench (Kevin): Another 2022 draft pick, it’s getting tough to find hitters, but after originally drafting Simon Whiteman to handle center field, I’ll bring in the former Ole Miss center fielder. Bench isn’t the kind of speedster one might often want out of center field, but he hit well for average and brings a different dimension to my squad.
C Zach Morgan (Brian): I don’t need another catcher (Bailey, Auerbach, Proctor) but that isn’t going to stop me from taking another one. I was really pleased when the Giants made this draft selection back in July. Teams pay a premium for college catchers with quality hitting on their resume, so getting Morgan in the 7th round felt like good value. The carrying tool at this point is his ability to stick at catcher. Morgan isn’t a defensive whiz, but there’s a really good chance that he eventually becomes solid-average, which isn’t easy to come by. Morgan lacks an impact tool offensively, with his approach at the plate being the best of the bunch. I don’t envision Morgan developing into a starting catcher, but I think he’s worth a shot at this point given his breakout year at Fresno State (.381/.454/.592)
RHP Nick Avila (Marc): With four starters and backups at every position already on the roster, I’m in the dreamy position to pick my favorite player available. I mentioned Szapucki earlier, but his injury raises too many questions. With Adon’s traditional closer stuff already on my roster, I’m going to grab the most dominant reliever in the system last year (by the numbers) in Nick Avila.
RHP Ryan Murphy (Wrenzie): I realized at this point that I can’t fight fire with fire anymore, so I have decided to fight fire with water and nab what I consider to be the steal of this draft so far with Ryan Murphy. Murphy is a top 20 talent in the organization, and he’s still available 60 spots after, so it’s time to run the card to the podium for the third time. This is an oversight due to a need for the bats, but I now have four top 20 pitchers in my rotation. I’m ready for the five-game series!
LHP Chris Wright (Roger): Well, thanks so much to Marc and Wrenzie for grabbing the two people I was just planning to take here! So maybe this is the time to shore up one real weakness of my roster – I don’t have a left-handed pitcher in the pen to come in and take on Freddy Freeman when needed. When Wright throws strikes, he’s a rough assignment for right-handers and left-handers alike. His fastball has outstanding pitch shape, allowing it to play up significantly above the 90-93 velo readings. He’s my lefty out of the pen in late innings situations.
OF Lazaro Morales (Roger): The system is far deeper in arms than it is in bats, so if I’m going to fill out the bench, I have to look down at the very depths of the system. Cuban refugee Morales was signed for just $10,000, but he had a strong debut, hitting .299 in the DSL, with decent control of the strike zone. There’s more power than his 1 HR suggests too. Morales can play CF, and had a excellent camp this year, heading into his first season in domestic ball. He’s a sleeper type, but I like what I’ve seen so far.
OF Estanlin Cassiani (Wrenzie): AH, SCREW YOU ROG! I thought I can pick Morales after Murphy, but Roger knows what’s up. I am in dire need of outfield help, though I have Aldrete as my weird Brett Auerbach-like chess piece on defense. There is literally not much left, so I am going for Cassiani at this spot. The dude hit .375 in the DSL last year with 15 steals and a healthy K/BB ratio. Should be my fourth outfielder at this point.
RHP Mikell Manzano (Marc): I was contemplating grabbing Morales with this pick, but Roger took him out of the equation. I’m keep getting tempted by the remaining position player prospects since there are so many pitchers remaining. Hayden Cantrelle and Donovan McIntyre are all particularly intriguing to me, but do I need another speed-first player on a roster with Johnson, Hilson, and Munguia? I’m done drafting hitters! So, I’m going to add a fifth starter who knows how to pitch: Mikell Manzano. Manzano may never reach the majors due to a lack of velocity, but few teenagers have his ability to locate pitches. This late in the draft, I’m going to bet on Manzano finding enough oompf in his arsenal to reach the majors.
OF Tanner O’Tremba (Brian): The pickings are slim. I’ve taken three hitters from the 2022 draft in a row, probably because I’m more familiar with them than the super deep IFA guys in the Giants system. I literally have no idea who Lazaro Morales or Estanlin Cassiani are. O’Tremba doesn’t excite me all that much, but had a good year on paper for Arizona. He’s a bad body corner outfielder that will almost certainly move to first base at some point. He whiffs/strikes out a lot, likely caused by an issue recognizing spin below the zone. But he hits the ball extremely hard and is dangerous when he gets the ball in the air. O’Tremba is hard to beat in the strike zone (a surprising skill given his whiff rates), but he’s not going to be successful unless the pitch recognition improves. He’s worth a shot this late as a bench piece.
Riley Mahan (Kevin): The Giants picked up Riley Mahan as a minor league free agent in May of 2022, and at 26, Mahan did pretty well against younger competition across Single-A and Double-A. At this point, there’s not a lot to look for in the prospects remaining, but Mahan has been a solid hitter with a lot of extra bases and a good walk percentage, and can play all over the infield.
RHP Kai-Wei Teng (Kevin): The ERA has not looked great the last two seasons, but Teng is still a strikeout artist, with 311 over the last two seasons in 232.0 innings, for a 12.06 K/9 IP rate. He still tends to give up too many hits and too many walks for those strikeouts to be enough for success, but clearly he’s got some stuff to work with. He makes a nice addition to my pitching staff, even if I start using him relief with an already strong rotation.
LHP Jack Choate (Brian): Choate had the 5th most strikeouts in D2 baseball last spring, an impressive feat considering he rarely eclipses 90 MPH on his fastball. The 6’6/240 Choate releases from an extremely low release height, which gives his hoppy fastball bat-missing ability even without premium velocity. His best secondary is a split-change, and he also has a viable curveball. As of this writing, Wake Forest’s Sean Sullivan has the second best K/9 in college baseball among qualified pitchers with a 17.02 mark. Sullivan likely gets drafted in the 2nd-3rd round this July. Like Choate, Sullivan releases from an extremely low height, and his fastball velocity is in that same 87-90 range. There are differences between the two obviously, but the factors that have contributed to their elite ability to generate whiffs is similar.I like the outlier traits with Choate, and I think there’s more upside present than your typical 9th round underslot draft pick. I’m happy to snag him as my last pitcher.
RHP Sam Bower (Marc): I strongly considered Mat Olsen with this pick, who had an intriguing debut season in the lower minors, but Bower was looking like an early pick last spring before an injury derailed his final season at St. Mary’s. The Giants gave him an above slot $317,500 bonus in the 11th round, and I’m excited to see how he looks in his debut.
RHP Clay Helvey (Wrenzie): I would have loved to draft Choate at this spot because of his lefty funk but he was a goner at this point. I knew I have to round out my pen at this point, and nabbed Helvey, a pitcher who can touch 96 with his fastball and also has a beautiful curveball.
RHP Ben Madison (Roger): A little off the radar thanks to a surgery that kept him out all of 2021 and some of 2022, Madison possesses some of the best pure stuff in the system with a high 90s fastball with good shape and a hard, downward breaking slider. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him jumped up to Richmond this year, and he’s got the power repertoire to move fast if he’s successful.
1b Jediael Maduro (Roger): Another sleeper type that the Giants love. Maduro has a sweet left-handed swing and a good body. He wrecked the DSL so thoroughly last summer, he was moved up after just a couple of weeks, and though he didn’t have the same success in Arizona, he has some real believers inside the org. I saw him pushed up to Triple A games this spring and take very professional at bats against guys who were eight or nine years older than him. A long-term play but I think there’s something interesting there.
RHP Ryan Walker (Wrenzie): I have initially thought that it would be nice to round out my team with a long-term investment such Lee Chen-Hsun, Erick Arosemena, or hell, maybe draft a backup catcher with Brandon Martorano or Rayner Santana. Instead, I went and filled up the pen even more with Walker, who should be illegal against righties.
LHP Joey Marciano (Marc): I was between Seth Corry, Esmerlin Vinicio, Joey Marciano, and Juan Sanchez to round out my bullpen with a southpaw. Corry was obviously once the Giants best pitching prospect in the system. Vinicio is a tantalizing teenager with intriguing upside. I love Sanchez’s changeup. However, Marciano has been one of my favorites in the system for some time. I might regret passing on some upside with this pick, but Marciano is ready to get big-league lefties out. He experimented with a changeup this offseason, and if it helps him slow down righties, he’ll be in the bigs soon.
Of Michael Gigliotti (Brian): Welcome home Gigs!!! Gigliotti has been a personal cheeseball of mine dating back to his college days. He’s a phenomenal athlete, and that shows up the most on defense, where he’s a gifted centerfielder. He’s also a patient hitter with a table-setter type of offensive profile. Gigliotti is already 27, has never accumulated 400 plate appearances in a season, and has only eclipsed 300 PA twice since being drafted in 2017. Injuries have derailed his career, but his .366 OBP, 24 steals, and stellar defense in AA last year were promising. ZIPS gives him a 1.2 WAR projection for 2023 (288 PA) on the strength of his defense.
1B Brady Whalen (Kevin): Mr. Irrelevant? I hope not. A minor league free agent signing after the 2022 season, Whalen finished 2022 with a .829 OPS across three levels, and up in Double-A. He’s basically just a first baseman at this point, though he can handle third and right in a pinch, but it’s nice to have one more first baseman behind Wyatt.
Marc’s lineup card:
Ismael Munguia, LF
Casey Schmitt, 3B
Brett Wisely, 2B
Tyler Fitzgerald, SS
Hunter Bishop, DH
Colton Welker, 1B
Bryce Johnson, CF
Ricardo Genovés, C
P.J. Hilson, RF
Bench: Anthony Rodriguez, Nomar Diaz, Reggie Crawford
SP: Reggie Crawford, Sean Hjelle, Spencer Miles, Nick Zwack, Mikell Manzano
LR: Sam Bower
RP: Joey Marciano, Nick Avila, Melvin Adon
Despite only picking third, I’m confident sending my team up against any of my competition. I tried to balance taking advantage of the system’s pitching depth by consistently targeting hitters at thin positions. I purposely passed on the top outfielders in the system because I felt confident that I could still build an exciting outfield later in the draft. Not only did I do that by selecting Munguia, Johnson, Hilson, and Bishop, but I ended with with an undeniably elite defense that allows me to start three above-average or better center fielders in the outfield (Munguia, Johnson, and Hilson). Mix in the best infield defender in the system (Schmitt), and above-average athletes like Wisely and Fitzgerald up the middle, and I built a stout defense. Even aces need some help, and you won’t find another team in this group with stronger defense.
Any opponent without a standout catcher is going to be in for a long day on the basepaths too. With Munguia (15 steals in 81 games), Wisely (32 steals), Fitzgerald (20 steals), Bishop (20 steals in 86 games), Johnson (31 steals in 94 games), and Hilson (15 steals in 63 games) all in the lineup, pitchers will have little room for error.
That athleticism provides excellent flexibility. Bishop, the primary designated hitter, could shift to a corner outfield spot if I needed to get more pop in the lineup. Schmitt, Wisely, and Rodriguez have played some shortstop, and, of course, Wisely has seemed to take well to the Giants recent experiment with him in center field. I even have a backup catcher with some intriguing potential in Diaz.
Don’t let that speed and defense fool you, though, this lineup has plenty of punch. Munguia has the best hit tool in the system, and is the perfect bat to set the stage for Schmitt, Wisely, and Fitzgerald, a trio of hitters with solid pop and decent approaches at the plate. Bishop and Welker may have had their prospect stock hampered by injuries, but they both work counts, and have flashed plus power potential. Then, Johnson, Genovés, and Hilson get ready to turn the lineup over.
My rotation features high upside arms like Crawford and Miles alongside some prospects who really know how to pitch, like Hjelle, Zwack, and Manzano. With so many different looks in the rotation, my roster could handle a traditional 5-man turn, or dominate in a tournament setting where opponents could see several different looks in a game.
2022 above-slot 11th round pick Sam Bower is an intriguing upside play who could find his way into the rotation in due time, but for now, would serve as the long reliever to a trio of upper minors relievers with excellent track records: Avila, Marciano, and Adon. All three of those arms have not been placed on the Giants 40-man roster, which will likely delay their big-league debuts, but they have all held their own in the upper minors and seem deserving of an MLB opportunity.
Kevin’s lineup card:
Simon Whiteman, CF
Ryan Reckley, SS
Heliot Ramos, RF
Rayner Arias, LF
Blake Sabol, C
Sean Roby, 3B
Ghordy Santos, 2B
Logan Wyatt, 1B
Thomas Gavello, DH
Bench: Justin Bench, Riley Mahan, Brady Whelan
SP: Kyle Harrison, Carson Whisenhunt, Will Bednar, Carson Ragsdale, Kai-Wei Teng
RP: Cole Waites, Blake Rivera, Uber Mejías
I’m very happy with this pitching staff, led by the best prospect in the system, buoyed by two first round picks and two strikeout monsters, any shortcomings in the offense can be overcome by just plain keeping batters off the base paths. Match that with the best relief prospect in the system (Waites), one of the most underrated (Rivera), and a big sleeper in Cuban signee Mejías…I am not complaining about the staff here.
However, my offense is not exactly the most impressive because of this. I went high on potential with the Giants’ top two international signees the last two seasons in Reckley and Arias, around the hopefully bounceback Ramos, who came into Spring Training in great shape. I tried to look for plus tools otherwise, if around otherwise one-dimensional skills, with Sean Roby’s power, Simon Whiteman’s speed, and Logan Wyatt’s plate discipline. This team might be lacking offensive firepower, but if sorta-Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol does well enough to stick around, it might be just enough to win games with this pitching staff.
Brian’s lineup card:
Brett Auerbach, 3B
Patrick Bailey, C
Marco Luciano, SS
Jairo Pomares, RF
Clint Coulter, LF
Luis Toribio, 1B
Ford Proctor, 2B
Jimmy Glowenke, DH
Michael Gigliotti , CF
Bench: Zach Morgan, Tanner O'Tremba, Andrew Kachel
SP: What are those?
P: RJ Dabovich, Nick Swiney, Trevor McDonald, Randy Rodriguez, Gerelmi Maldonado, Manuel Mercedes, Kade McClure, Jack Choate
I think for the most part, I was able to accomplish what I set out to do. I wanted to avoid players I viewed as extreme fringe/non-prospects in my starting lineup. Outside of maybe Glowenke, I feel like I did that with my 1-9. Coulter and Gigliotti aren’t traditional prospects, but they are both close to the majors, and their projections suggest they could provide value as role players. In building my lineup, I was forced to make sacrifices in other areas. I had to overpay to land hitters at certain positions to get ahead of drop offs in talent. Early on, this meant passing on pitchers even if I thought a particular arm was the better prospect. Auerbach over Black, Winn, Roupp, and Whisenhunt is a prime example. Position scarcity, a term used often in fantasy sports, plays a huge role in this kind of draft. Did I think Bailey and Toribio were the best prospects available when it was my turn to pick? No shot. But have you seen what the talent level at catcher and first base looks like after those two are gone? As much as I like Luciano, I think I would have preferred having a later pick, this way I could get two hitters early. Wrenzie scooped up Arteaga and Matos, while Roger took McCray and Brown. I think I prefer those duos over Luciano/Bailey.
Me being me, I didn’t make a big distinction between starters or relievers. Most of the more starter-y arms were gone by pick 20. The only early arm that I was truly interested in was Reggie Crawford, who is going to blow Giants fans away once he’s healthy. Marc stole him from me right before it was my turn. After that, I was hoping to start building my staff with Eric Silva, but Roger made a great selection a couple of picks before me. Going through this process, I was really surprised by the lack of velo in the system. I think I did a good job compiling high velo arms without using an early draft pick. Dabovich and Rodriguez are two such arms, and both should be in the majors sooner rather than later. Maldonado (#49 ) and Mercedes (#52) are two wild cards with high ceilings and a lengthy development process ahead of them. Given how risky even the best pitching prospects are, I think there’s an argument to be made that you are better off taking those risks with later picks. Swiney and Choate are lefties with good data. McDonald is young and had a breakout season, while McClure looks ready to contribute soon. I have some of the better upside arms in the Giants’ system but I also have a lot of likely big league contributors. I like this mix, and I think waiting on arms was worth it.
Roger’s lineup card
Grant McCray, CF
Will Wilson, SS
Vaun Brown, LF
Victor Bericoto, 1b
Shane Matheny, 3b
Alexander Suarez, RF
Diego Velasquez, 2b
Adrian Sugastey, C
Andy Thomas DH
Bench: Damon Dues, Elian Rayo, Lazaro Morales, Jediael Maduro
SP: Landen Roupp, Tristan Beck, Eric Silva
RP: Jose Cruz, Hayden Birdsong, Chris Wright, Ben Madison
The Giants have a depth of interesting options on the mound, but are a little thin right now on the position player side, so I took the strategy of loading up on hitters as much as I could, while looking for some value options in the pitching staff. That strategy worked out fairly well, I think, as I believe I ended up with the strongest offensive lineup of anybody in the draft (though Brian and Wrenzie both did well for themselves, too). It’s a strong group that has a lot of power up and down the lineup, with only Velasquez and Sugastey lacking a power threat. I also ended up with a tremnedous defensive outfield, with McCray, Brown, and Suarez patrolling the grass, and Shane Matheny as an excellent 4th OF. Brown and McCray are the two best athletes in the system, and both bring outstanding power/speed combos, while Suarez and Bericoto were two of the most improved players in the system at the end of 2022, and both are strong breakout candidates this year.
I also put together a team that fits the Giants’ current thinking for roster construction, with plenty of flexibility to make in game moves. Thomas gives the team a left-handed catching option who can also play at 1b. Bericoto can move from 1b to the OF. Matheny can play virtually anywhere, and there are plenty of infielders who can move around. It’s a deep collection of hitters. Complimenting them, I got a strong starting trio of Roupp, Beck, and Silva, all of whom I thought fell 10-15 spots lower than their prospect rankings. With some fireballers in the pen (led by closer Jose Cruz), there’s enough pitching here to support the lineup.
I’m going to start shopping for rings now. See you in the champion’s circle!
Wrenzie’s lineup card:
Wade Meckler LF
Luis Matos CF
Aeverson Arteaga SS
Jared Dupere DH
Carter Aldrete 1B
Carter Williams RF
Onil Perez C
Javier Francisco 3B
Yosneiker Rivas 2B
Bench: Jose Ramos, Estanlin Cassiani
SP: Mason Black, Keaton Winn, Carson Seymour, Ryan Murphy
RP: William Kempner, Liam Simon, Seth Lonsway, Clay Helvey, Ryan Walker
The "El Plan" pretty much went as planned, as I grabbed pitching value where I saw it, and it happened with Black, Seymour, and Murphy. My pitchers can really bring the heat, and those who can’t can get hitters out in their own unique way (Helvey and Lonsway’s feel for spin, Murphy’s in-your-face aggression, Walker’s deception). You really have to bring your A-game against my pitching staff in a three or five-game series.
The consequence of that is I missed out on a couple of bats that I really like, such as Arias and Bericoto. My lineup lacks that fear factor, but I think the bats that I drafted can hang with the pitchers they will face with their strong contact ability and their understanding of the strike zone. My defense also looks pretty stout, as Perez is probably the second best defensive catcher in the system, Arteaga and Rivas are stellar defenders, and Matos’ defense has improved to the point where playing center field is a long-term possibility. Meckler, Williams, Francisco, and Aldrete are also solid defenders as well. My bench of Ramos and Cassiani can also bring the energy even in the dugout. However, I will need Onil to have a 99 injury rating because I did not draft a backup catcher.
That’s it for the draft. Who do you think came out in the best shape? Let me know if the comments below:
Here’s the graphic again for a quick look at all of five teams:
Not sure I love any of the position player groups on any of teams but I think that speaks more to the depth of that talent in the organization.
Kevin getting Harrison and Whisenhunt stands out but all of you have good SP. I like Wrenzies BP best.