San Francisco Giants: Grading the 2013 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 2013 draft class.

The San Francisco Giants had the No. 25 pick in the 2013 draft after going 94-68 and winning the World Series during the previous season.

The team had 40 total selections and wound up signing 33 of the players that were picked.

The highest unsigned selection was left-hander Brandon Zajac in the 23rd round, so they did a good job inking all of their top picks.

Of the 33 players that signed, only four have reached the majors so far.

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

First Pick: IF Christian Arroyo, Hernando HS (Fla.)—1st round, 25th overall

Christian Arroyo immediately became one of the best young talents in the San Francisco Giants system after going No. 25 overall in the 2013 draft.

He hit .304/.344/.459 with 39 extra-base hits as a 20-year-old at the High-A level in 2015, and that was enough to make him the organization’s top prospect entering the 2016 campaign. He also checked in at No. 62 on Baseball America’s Top 100 prospect list at the start of that season.

Arroyo made his MLB debut in 2017 and landed with a thud, hitting a meager .192/.244/.304 with 32 strikeouts in 135 plate appearances. That offseason, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in the deal that brought Evan Longoria to San Francisco.

The 24-year-old hit .314/.381/.603 in 134 plate appearances at Triple-A to start the 2019 season and he was promoted to the big league roster for the second time this season earlier this week. There’s still a reasonable chance he carves out a role at the MLB level.

Passed On: OF Aaron Judge (32nd overall), LHP Sean Manaea (34th overall), RHP Michael Lorenzen (38th overall), RHP Corey Knebel (39th overall)

Reached the Majors

• IF Christian Arroyo—1st round, 25th overall
• 3B Ryder Jones—2nd round, 64th overall
• RHP Dan Slania—5th round, 162nd overall
• LHP D.J. Snelten—9th round, 282nd overall

This group has combined for -1.7 WAR at the MLB level. That should tell you all you need to know about how successful this draft class has been for the San Francisco Giants.

Notable Prospects

• RHP Chase Johnson—3rd round, 101st overall (Triple-A)
• RHP Tyler Rogers—10th round, 312th overall (Triple-A)
• OF Johneshwy Fargas—11th round, 342nd overall (Double-A)
• 1B/3B Jonah Arenado—16th round, 492nd overall (Double-A)

None of these guys rank among the team’s top 30 prospects on MLB.com, but they have at least reached the upper levels of the minors.

Final Thoughts/Grade

Taking Christian Arroyo over Aaron Judge is one that is going to haunt San Francisco Giants fans for quite a while. The fact that Arroyo was traded for the bloated contract of Evan Longoria also doesn’t help the final grade on that selection.

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.