The Giants’ best MLB draft picks in the first five rounds

The MLB draft is today, and this year will only be five rounds. Historically speaking, who has been the SF Giants’ best picks in each of the first five rounds?

The San Francisco Giants have had their fair share of misses in the draft, but especially within the last 20 years, they have done exceptionally well.

After all, they drafted Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Brandon Crawford, and Brandon Belt within the same seven-year interval.

Of course, this group would serve as the core that brought the first three World Series trophies back to San Francisco since the organization moved out west in 1958.

The best players selected in each round contain some very familiar names as well as a couple of surprises.

The best is determined by WAR, and the player needs to have signed out of the draft. This condition is important since the Giants did draft Barry Bonds in the second round of the 1982 draft.

However, San Francisco famously did not sign the eventual seven-time MVP over a difference of $5,000. Bonds would have been the best player ever drafted in the second round of any team, but that is just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

So, who are the best players the Giants have drafted in each of the first five rounds:

SF Giants’ best MLB draft pick in the first round: Will Clark, 56.5 WAR

This may receive some groans from people who did not see the sweet-swinging first baseman play, but Will Clark strung together an incredible career. The Giants selected the left-handed bat with the second overall pick in the 1985 draft. Ironically, future teammate, Barry Bonds, would be taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates just four picks later.

"SF Giants: Will Clark hits home run off Nolan Ryan in MLB debut"

Clark posted a .303/.384/.497 line (137 OPS+) across 15 seasons with the Giants, Texas Rangers, and St. Louis Cardinals.  This included 2,176 hits, 284 home runs, and 1,205 RBI. Though, it is his first home run that remains one of the more memorable moments in Giants history.

Perhaps, in a couple of years, Clark may be passing the torch to long-time Giants catcher Buster Posey (41.8 WAR), but for now, he is the best first round pick in Giants history.