1 skill the SF Giants heavily coveted with position players in the 2025 MLB draft

The SF Giants strike out too much. That has been a common complaint about the ball club in recent seasons. They are looking to curb that trend from the ground up, and heavily coveted low strikeout rates in the 2025 MLB draft.

1 skill the SF Giants heavily coveted with position players in the 2025 MLB draft

In the first round, the Giants drafted middle infielder Gavin Kilen out of the University of Tennessee. He was coming off of a strong college season, posting a 1.112 OPS with 15 home runs and 46 RBI in 245 plate appearances. This includes 30 walks against 27 strikeouts.

That kind of profile set the stage for the remainder of the draft. In the third round, they selected outfielder Trevor Cohen out of Rutgers University. He does not have much power upside currently, as he was limited to just two home runs in 273 plate appearances. The Giants do hope that the left-handed bat hits for more doubles and triples as he adjusts to pro ball.

However, Cohen offers speed and excellent contact skills. In 273 plate appearances, he posted an 11.0 percent walk rate against a 5.5 percent strikeout rate. Cohen was among the most difficult players to strike out in college baseball this year.

In the 10th round, they added infielder Isaiah Barkett out of Stetson University. Incredibly, he only struck out nine times in 256 plate appearances, which is a 3.5 percent strikeout rate. He walked nearly three times as much as he struck out.

The Giants continued this trend in the later rounds. They selected a pair of catchers, including Rod Barajas Jr. and Broedy Poppell in the11th round and 13th round, respectively. Both hitters walked more than they struck out.

The Giants drafted eight college position players, five of whom walked more than they struck out. Trevor Cohen and Barkett posted strikeout rates below 10 percent. The three players who put up higher strikeout rates offer value in different ways.

Lorenzo Meola (third round), who was college teammates with Barkett, is a glove-first shortstop. Cam Maldonado (seventh round), who has a couple of teammates of his own in this year's draft class, offers power ande some speed. Lastly, Damian Bravo (15th round) is an above-average runner and a high-volume base stealer.

Contact was a priority for the Giants in this year's draft class. As a team, they have a 22.8 percent strikeout rate, which is in the bottom third in baseball. If this draft is any indication, they plan to address that, to some degree, through this channel.