SF Giants 2020 MLB Draft: Schedule, how to watch, bonus pool, and mock drafts

SF Giants hold seven of MLB draft’s 160 picks

The MLB Draft is just a few weeks, and the San Francisco Giants hold seven picks in this year’s abbreviated draft.

Despite these circumstances, the Giants plan to continue bolstering their farm system in Farhan Zaidi’s second season at the helm.

There are only 160 picks overall this year, but San Francisco holds two compensatory picks for losing Will Smith and Madison Bumgarner in free agency to the Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks, respectively.

At the beginning of the 2020 offseason, Smith and Bumgarner were issued qualifying offers. A qualifying offer is a one-year deal for $17.8  million, but both left-handed hurlers rejected this offer.

Since they rejected the qualifying offer, the Braves and Diamondbacks forfeited their second-highest selection while the Giants received two additional picks. This is a general summary, but it can get more complicated than this depending on if the signing team either exceeded the luxury tax or receives revenue-sharing money.

SF Giants 2020 MLB Draft picks

As a result, San Francisco holds seven picks in the five-round draft consisting of:

• First round: No. 13 overall
• Second round: No 49 overall
• Compensation round: No. 67 overall (Compensation for losing Bumgarner)
• Compensation round: No. 68 overall (Compensation for losing Smith)
• Third round: No. 85 overall
• Fourth round: No. 114 overall
• Fifth round: No. 144 overall

The last time the Giants held so many high picks in one draft was way back in 2007 when they picked six times in the first round and supplemental first round. In a bit of cosmic symmetry, this batch of picks was headlined by South Caldwell High School left-hander Madison Bumgarner.

The rest of the batch did not translate to much major league talent with the exception of super-utility player Charlie Culberson. Though, that did not stop the Giants from leveraging the value that some of these prospects held.

In 2009, San Francisco used one of their 2007 first-round picks, pitching prospect Tim Alderson, to acquire former batting champion Freddy Sanchez from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Sanchez held down second base while the Giants won the World Series the very next season.

In addition to this, San Francisco reeled in Marco Scutaro prior to the 2012 Trade Deadline from the Colorado Rockies for Culberson. It is hard to envision the Giants winning the World Series that year without Scutaro’s contributions as he posted a .362 batting average following the trade.

Now, the Giants are in a similar position as they were in 2007 in that they are in the midst of a rebuild. The hope is that this year’s draft serves as a springboard to the rebuild just like in 2007.

SF Giants: How we would run the 2020 MLB draft

2020 MLB Draft schedule:

June 10, 4-7:30 p.m. PT — Round 1
June 11, 2-8 p.m. PT — Rounds 2-5

2020 MLB Draft TV schedule

ESPN will air Round 1 on June 10, with ESPN Deportes airing Round 1 in Spanish. ESPN2 will broadcast Rounds 2-5 on June 11

SF Giants’ 2020 MLB draft bonus pool

With the additional picks, they are in an envious position in that they have $9.2 million available to spend on signing bonuses. Though the 13th overall pick carries a slot value of $4.2 million, the Giants will have $5 million to spread across its remaining six picks.

SF Giants 2020 MLB mock drafts

We do not know who the Giants will pick, but a theme appears to be emerging. Despite the lack of rumors connecting teams to any one prospect, San Francisco is circling in on a type according to Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs:

“(Tyler) Soderstrom gets mentioned anywhere from 9 through the mid-20s, and yes the Giants are thought to be one of the clubs whose mix he’s in. Prep catching is risky and I think those types tend to fall, so I think he gets picked toward the back of that range. SFG seems to be more open to risk (shorter performance track record, high schoolers, players who barely/didn’t play this spring) based on early chatter.”

Catcher Tyler Soderstrom of Turlock High School has been a popular Giants target among the mock drafts that have been published. Similarly, right-handed pitcher Mick Abel of Jesuit High School has emerged in recent mock drafts as another potential option as well.

The fact that the Giants hold a rather large purse is an important detail if they are going to hone in on high school prospects. Many prep players have previously committed to college, so they hold leverage when discussing their signing bonus and will need to be swayed away from prior obligations.

Despite the shortened draft due to the COVID-19 pandemic, San Francisco is in a position to bolster the prospect talent in their pipeline.

The turning point of a rebuild tends to quietly take place years before the organization’s competitive window opens again, and the Giants hope to use this draft to continue nudging that window open while adding to an increasingly impressive group of prospects.