SF Giants: Ranking 3 players to watch in the MLB draft

SF Giants hold the No. 13 MLB draft pick overall

The mock drafts have been all over the board regarding who the San Francisco Giants might select in the first round, and the fact that scouting is being done remotely makes it incredibly difficult to guess who will even be available when the team is on the clock.

Still, there are a few players who will not be available for the Giants by then. Spencer Torkelson, Austin Martin, Emerson Hancock, and Nick Gonzales are just a few of the names who will likely be picked well in advance of the 13th overall spot.

Similarly, my assumption is, the Giants will not be drafting a pitcher in the first round.

Team president Farhan Zaidi telegraphed his strategy in an interview with KNBR prior to last year’s draft. He indicated that the front office would lean heavily on drafting and developing position players while looking to free agency and trades to bolster the pitcher staff.

His belief was that the Giants’ home field is one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in baseball, making it easier to bring in pitchers than hitters.

Zaidi followed through on that approach as the Giants took a position player in nine of the first 10 rounds as he looked to quickly inject offensive talent back into the farm system.

The question is will that strategy continue into this year’s draft? This year’s class is not short on pitching prospects, and this may create an opportunity for the Giants to nab a top bat as the other teams focus on pitching talent.

While there is a lot of uncertainty heading into this year’s draft, there are a handful of prospects I am fairly certain will be available for the Giants to scoop up. Below are my power ranking of these prospects:

1. Outfielder Robert Hassell III
2. Catcher Tyler Soderstrom
3. Shortstop Ed Howard