SF Giants: Mock Draft Predicts Right-Handed Pitcher

Mock draft season is in the air and one that was recently published connects the SF Giants to a young, right-handed hurler.

SF Giants: Mock Draft Suggests Right-Handed Pitcher

Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo put together a mock draft for the first 20 selections. Given that the Giants hold the 14th overall pick, they were included in this, and the prospect gurus had them taking Sam Bachman out of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Bachman is off to a strong start, and Mayo believes that the hype surrounding the young hurler is real:

"“Rolling the dice on the power stuff here and that what he’s done this year is legit, with a fastball-slider combination that have gotten 80 grades from scouts on occasion”"

On the year, the 21-year-old has registered a 1.04 ERA, 0.731 WHIP, 14.9 K/9, and a stout 5.38 SO/W ratio across 26 innings. As we have seen since Farhan Zaidi took over as team president of baseball operations, the Giants have targeted pitchers who command their pitches in the strike zone.

With a 5.38 SO/W ratio, Bachman has both command and control of his arsenal to record strikeouts at a high rate and limit the free passes. Furthermore, his command has improved in his three collegiate seasons.

The pitching prospect flashes a fastball that sits in the mid 90’s with the potential to reach triple digits that he pairs with an above-average slider and a good changeup. The slider has good bite and is the better of his two offspeed offerings, but the changeup could become a solid third pitch as well.

The biggest question mark with Bachman, perhaps, is exposure. He has recorded a total of 125.1 innings in his collegiate career. He struggled with command as a freshman, and he has seen improvements in that area since then. With that being said, is his improved command a sustainable change or a product of a small sample. That remains to be seen.

Another question is whether San Francisco’s front office is willing to draft a pitcher, rather than a position player, in the first round. The last time the Giants selected a pitcher in the first round was back in 2015 when they picked Phil Bickford with the 18th overall pick.

On that same note, the baseball draft is not necessarily one where you draft for need and the Giants have a surplus of outfielders, so could be another area that they may avoid in the first round as well. Nevertheless, the draft is three months away and a lot can change, but it will be interesting to see the names connected to the Giants as it approaches.