SF Giants: Worst draft picks of the 2010s

SF Giants’ worst draft picks — 2014, Round 1, Pick 14: Tyler Beede

I suppose you can debate this one to a certain extent. Tyler Beede did start in 22 games in 2019. That arguably makes him a major league regular, which is better than most draft picks become.

But he had an ERA of 5.08 across 117 innings on the mound last season, good for an ERA+ of 82 (100 is average). He was worth 1 win under replacement level.

Beede had Tommy John surgery in March of this year, so you might argue that’s an extenuating circumstance. Still, in the years prior, it was clear the shine was coming off the star. For a player taken in the first half of the first round, you just hope for so much more.

Entering 2017, Beede was a top-100 prospect in baseball. He had a 2.81 ERA at Double-A Richmond in 2016 and looked well on his way.

In 2017, he took a huge step back at Triple-A Sacramento, finishing with a 4.79 ERA and pedestrian 1.47 WHIP. He made his major league debut in 2018, but allowed seven runs in two starts. His time in Sacramento didn’t go much better: a 7.05 ERA in 74 innings.

Would Beede have taken a step forward in 2020 if he didn’t require Tommy John surgery? We’ll never know. Could the Giants have drafted better? Probably.

Sean Newcomb went to the Braves just one pick later. He’s been worth 3.6 WAR since debuting in 2017. He made 49 starts during his first two years and had a 3.16 ERA out of the bullpen while making 55 appearances in 2019.

Further down, the Cardinals took Jack Flaherty with the 34th pick. He had a 2.75 ERA across 33 starts in 2019, finishing fourth in NL Cy Young voting.

That was a terrible draft in general for the Giants. Six players have at least spent some time in the big leagues, none of them worth more than 1 win for their careers.