San Francisco Giants MLB draft 2015: Full Day 1 & Day 2 results plus 1st & 2nd round analysis

Day 1 of the 2015 MLB Draft is upon us, and Around the Foghorn is here to bring you a pick-by-pick breakdown of the Giants’ trio of selections—No. 18, 31 (first round) and 61 (second round). I will be updating this tracker as the results are announced live, so keep it locked here on this sunny Monday in San Francisco.

As I broke down in my weekend rumor roundup, the Giant are likely going after pitching with their top picks, though which young arms are at the top of their board remains to be seen. I threw out a handful of names that MLB draft analysts have tied to the Giants, and my ATF colleague Mike Greyshock honed in on a few options for their first pick, specifically. Grant Brisbee offered a pretty good primer over at McCovey Chronicles as well.

Of course, that’s all just speculation, and won’t mean much once Rob Manfred starts calling names from the podium. The action starts at 4 p.m. PST—though the Giants won’t be up until 6 p.m. PST or so—on the MLB Network and MLB.com.

Day 1

1st pick (No. 18): Phil Bickford (RHP), Community College of Southern Nevada

Very interesting first-round selection for the Giants here, taking former top-10 pick Phil Bickford.

With the 18th pick in the 2015 #MLBDraft, #SFGiants choose RHP Phil Bickford from College of Southern Nevada. pic.twitter.com/Ar2tUGJMyP
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) June 9, 2015

Bickford, a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-hander out of Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, Calif., was selected by the Blue Jays in the 2013 draft, but turned down their $2-3 million offer to go to Cal State Fullerton.

After putting up impressive numbers as a freshman swingman (6-3, 2.13 ERA, 74 SO in 76 IP), Bickford decided he didn’t want to wait another two years for draft eligibility and took his talents to the CC ranks. The results were pretty much what you would expect: 9-1, 1.45 ERA, 166 SO in 86.2 IP. Ownage.

Bickford achieved those results with a live fastball that can reach the mid-to-upper 90s, though his velocity has reportedly dropped since he was last drafted. That, in addition to a lack of plus secondary stuff, projected him in the late teens-to-20s range in most 2015 mocks.

On the broadcast, Harold Reynolds likened Bickford to Tim Lincecum due to his erratic mechanics and other question marks, though the former obviously has a much more typical pitcher’s frame.

Overall, Bickford is something of a project for an organization famous for acing them—at least when it comes to pitching. While San Francisco might have preferred to move on the hurlers that went right before him—Kolby Allard (14) and Brady Aiken (17)—they could have done a lot worse at No. 18.

2nd pick (No. 31): Chris Shaw (1B), Boston College

He’s not a guy many—OK, any—were expecting, but you can see why a power-depleted Giants organization would take a gamble on a masher like Chris Shaw.

For the 31st selection in the 2015 #MLBDraft, the #SFGiants choose 1B Chris Shaw from Boston College. pic.twitter.com/n2iUqdUSHD
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) June 9, 2015

Shaw’s career numbers at Boston College are less than impressive (.268 BA, 16 HR in 432 ABs), but a hand injury seriously hindered his third and final year. On the plus side, the kid had a very strong sophomore campaign (.329 BA, .502 SLG, 49 RBI) and summer ball performance prior to his junior season, as he blasted eight homers and batted a respectable .275 across 43 games in the Cape Cod League.

Let’s be honest, though: Shaw is a first-round pick due almost entirely to upside. The Giants clearly saw something in him that allowed them to reach on this selection.

I would have loved it if they paired the somewhat risky Bickford pick with pitcher Kyle Funkhouser, who was somehow still on the board, but doing business with Scott Boras (Funkhouser’s agent) is clearly not San Francisco’s cup of tea—especially after the infamous Barry Zito fleecing.

I’m getting Damon Minor flashbacks on body type alone, but here’s to hoping Shaw continues to develop his power stroke in the Giants organization.

3rd pick (No. 61): Andrew Suarez (LHP), Miami

Nice pickup for the Giants near the end of the second round in Andrew Suarez—a left-hander who spent all four years at the University of Miami:

With the 61st pick of #MLBDraft, #SFGiants select LHP Andrew Suarez from Miami http://t.co/ACAyRCefdU #GiantsTalk pic.twitter.com/VMXq3avXd0
— NBC Sports Bay Area & CA (@NBCSAuthentic) June 9, 2015

Suarez makes it three-for-three for San Francisco when it comes to taking players with collegiate service time—a fairly odd trend for this day and age. Of the three, Suarez is probably the most polished, though injuries took away most of his freshman and senior seasons. It is for that reason, though, that the Giants were able to snag him so low.

The Nationals took him at No. 57 a year ago, but he ultimately decided to go back for a fourth year. According to the GM who drafted Suarez in 2014, the southpaw throws heat in the mid-90s and has a plus slider and changeup. If he can stay healthy, this is a guy the Giants will be able to fast-track through the Minors as a starter or reliever.

Day 2

4th pick (No. 95): Jalen Miller (SS), Riverwood High School

5th pick (No. 126): Mac Marshall, (LHP), Chipola College

6th pick (No. 156): Ronnie Jebavy (CF), Middle Tennessee State

Schedule