MLB confirmed on Monday that the 2021 draft order will be based on the 2020 standings. The decision currently leaves the SF Giants with the 14th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft.
Barring some unforeseen development, the SF Giants will have the 14th pick in the 2021 MLB draft. Even if a team signs a free agent with a qualifying offer, under the most recent CBA, teams would only have to sacrifice their second-highest pick.
This will be the first time the Giants select in that slot since they picked Tyler Beede out of Vanderbilt University in the 2014 draft.
Alex Speier of The Boston Globe has the breakdown of the order for the top-four picks:
Jose Fernandez (2011, Miami Marlins) and Jason Heyward (2007, Atlanta Braves) are just a couple of the prominent names that have been taken from the 14th overall slot. So, while the no. 14 picks may not have the cache of a top-five pick, it is still one where teams can find considerable value.
Since Farhan Zaidi became the Giants president of baseball operations two years ago, the Giants have selected outfielder Hunter Bishop and catcher Patrick Bailey with the no. 10 and no. 13 picks, respectively.
We do not know which way Zaidi will lean in next year’s draft, but if a catcher is available, then my money is on him. I am only kidding (sort of).
Teams do not normally draft for need in MLB, in his first two years at the helm, Zaidi and scouting director, Michael Holmes, have leaned heavily on position player talent.
In 2019, the Giants selected a position player with nine of the first ten picks. That extreme trend did not carry over into the 2020 draft, but it’s also difficult to compare since MLB reduced this year’s draft from 40 rounds to five.
With that said, this year the Giants used three of the first four picks on position players but finished off the draft with three straight pitchers.
At this point, we know that Vanderbilt pitchers Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker will likely go within the top-5 picks, but the rest of the round is up in the air. The SF Giants may have some preliminary targets, but the draft board can change pretty wildly between now and next summer. Whoever they select, we know that prospect will be joining an organization that is beginning to accumulate a lot of talent.