San Francisco Giants: Grading the 2010 MLB draft class

In the days leading up to the 2019 MLB Draft, we’ll be taking a look back at every San Francisco Giants draft since 2000. Next up, the 2010 draft class.

The San Francisco Giants had the No. 24 pick in the 2010 draft after going 88-74 to finished third in the NL West during the previous season.

The team had 50 total selections and wound up signing 33 of the players that were picked.

The highest unsigned selection was left-hander Andrew Barbosa in the 15th round. Also among the unsigned picks was future NFL wide receiver Golden Tate in the 50th round.

Of the 33 players that signed, only seven ended up reaching the majors.

Here’s a closer look at a few notable selections:

First Pick: OF Gary Brown, Cal State Fullerton—1st round, 24th overall

Gary Brown jumped straight to High-A in his first full pro season and he quickly emerged as one of the game’s elite outfield prospects.

He hit .336/.407/.519 with 34 doubles, 13 triples, 14 home runs, 80 RBI, 115 runs scored and 53 stolen bases in 638 plate appearances and jumped up to No. 1 on the San Francisco Giants organizational list and No. 38 among all prospects heading into the 2012 season, according to Baseball America.

However, his OPS slipped from .925 to .731 the following season with the move to Double-A, and he never matched his peak production again while stalling out in the upper levels of the minors.

He went 3-for-7 in a brief call-up with the Giants in 2014, and that turned out to be his only MLB experience.

Passed On: RHP Aaron Sanchez (34th overall), RHP Noah Syndergaard (38th overall), RHP Taijuan Walker (43rd overall), OF Nicholas Castellanos (44th overall)

Best Pick: RHP Heath Hembree, College of Charleston—5th round, 168th overall

Nailing down a “Best Pick” for the Giants in the 2010 draft was admittedly tricky.

Heath Hembree looked like the Giants closer of the future while climbing the ranks of the San Francisco system, and he debuted in 2013 by striking out 12 in 7.2 scoreless innings in September.

The following year, he was packaged with Edwin Escobar and traded at the deadline to the Boston Red Sox for starter Jake Peavy. The veteran went 6-4 with a 2.17 ERA in 12 starts down the stretch in 2014, then made four postseason starts to help the Giants win a World Series title.

Meanwhile, Hembree has carved out a solid role in the Boston bullpen, posting a 3.53 ERA and 9.3 K/9 in 220 appearances since the start of the 2014 season.

Best Late-Round Pick: OF Adam Duvall, Louisville—11th round, 348th overall

Adam Duvall made just 77 plate appearances in a Giants uniform, hitting .192/.234/.342 with 20 strikeouts.

However, he posted a pair of 30-homer seasons in the minors and showed enough power to intrigue the Cincinnati Reds, who acquired him along with pitching prospect Keury Mella in exchange for starter Mike Leake at the 2015 deadline.

He was an All-Star in 2016 and posted a 103 OPS+ while averaging 34 doubles, 32 home runs and 101 RBI while racking up 4.9 WAR in 2016 and 2017.

Despite that brief window of success, the 30-year-old is currently playing with the Atlanta Braves Triple-A affiliate.

Others Who Reached the Majors

OF Jarrett Parker—2nd round, 74th overall
RHP Seth Rosin—4th round, 138th overall
LHP Mike Kickham—6th round, 198th overall
RHP Brett Bochy—20th round, 618th overall

Jarrett Parker teased some legitimate impact potential in 2015 when he hit .347/.407/.755 with six home runs in 54 plate appearances in 2015.

Final Thoughts/Grade

An outfield prospect who quickly emerged as a star prospect and just as quickly fizzled, a middle reliever who was traded before he made an impact in San Francisco, and a 30-homer slugger who was traded before he ever got a real shot in the majors. Tough draft for the Giants.

Grade: F

We’ll be running through every San Francisco Giants draft class since 2000 leading up to the 2019 MLB Draft on June 3rd, so be sure to check back here for more.