SF Giants’ 2020 MLB mock draft roundup: Anyone’s guess

Who the SF Giants will select in the 2020 MLB Draft is still anybody’s guess.

While it is yet to be finalized, we learned on Tuesday that the 2020 MLB Draft is tentatively scheduled for June 10. With that news fresh in mind, now’s a great time to see how the SF Giants might spend their No. 13 pick.

The report on the draft came from NY Post MLB columnist Joel Sherman. The draft will be held virtually like the NFL’s was over this past weekend. Sherman wrote, however, that a decision on just how many rounds it will be is up in the air.

It could be as few as five or as many as 10.

This is going to be an especially hard year for teams and mock draft analysts both. Without amateur baseball being played, teams are essentially working with old information, both from a scouting or data standpoint.

At FanGraphs, Eric Longenhagen hasn’t even put out his Mock Draft yet. Only a few days ago on April 24, he responded to a question by saying he isn’t even confident enough in the first 10 picks yet to publish anything. That’s honesty you can appreciate.

On top of that, MLB’s decision to push back when bonuses are paid means many players who have the option to play amateur ball will likely continue doing so. They don’t necessarily have a lot to gain by going pro now.

That could hurt a team like the Giants, who’ll be drafting in the middle of the first round rather than at the top.

Still, they’re a fast-moving franchise — Baseball America’s latest farm system rankings (sub. req.) puts them at 14, up from 29 last year. A good showing at the draft will only help that rise. (Keith Law loves the direction the Giants are going, too.)

By the way, since BA’s mock draft is behind a paywall, we’re going to leave that one out. Go on over if you have a subscription.

MLB Pipeline Mock Draft has the Giants take Austin Hendrick

Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline published his first mock draft of the year on Monday, so that’s where we’ll start.

While he’s got the expected college players like Spencer Torkelson and Austin Martin going at the top, a few high school athletes are taken.

Mayo projected the Giants would take outfielder Austin Hendrick, a high schooler out of Pennsylvania, at No. 13.

Mayo wrote: “The raw power and bat speed are elite-level, though he was a bit mercurial over the summer.”

CBS Sports’ mock draft has the Giants take Robert Hassell

Mike Axisa of CBS Sports released his first mock draft of the season about two weeks ago, on April 15. With it, he gave the Giants outfielder Robert Hassell, a high schooler from Tennessee.

Axisa notes that this is only the second draft of director of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi’s Giants regime, so it’s a bit hard to get inside his head this early.

“Hassell might be the best pure hitter in the draft class,” Axisa wrote. “He has the innate ability to get the fat part of the bat on the ball from the left side of the plate. There are questions about how much power he’ll have long-term and where he’ll fit defensively, but it’s a hit tool you can dream on.”

Perfect Game’s mock draft has the Giants take Tyler Soderstrom

Brian Sakowski and Vinnie Cervino of Perfect Game wrote up their first version of the 2020 draft in March, so this one’s a little older, coming from March 24. They think the Giants will take catcher Tyler Soderstrom, a high schooler out of California, with their pick.

They wrote, “There might not have been a prep prospect who’s raised his stock more than Soderstrom. A PG All-American with a smooth lefthanded stroke, he’s added significant size and strength with a chance for a plus hit tool with plus power.”

Baseball Prospect Journal’s mock draft has the Giants take Cade Cavalli

Dan Zielinski III of Baseball Prospect Journal went right-handed pitcher Cade Cavalli for the Giants in his mock on April 14. Cavalli is a 6-foot-4, 218-pound pitcher for the Oklahoma Sooners. This would have been his junior year.

In January, Zielinski wrote that Cavalli took a step forward for Oklahoma, noting he had a 3.28 ERA with 59 strikeouts and 35 walks in 60 innings in 2019. “His best pitch is his fastball, which is an above-average offering, that he throws effortlessly in the mid-90s and touches 98 mph,” he wrote.