Looking back at the SF Giants' history with the No. 13 pick in the MLB draft

The SF Giants are hopeful to land a cornerstone player with the No. 13 pick in the MLB draft. Their history with that pick suggests plenty of upside and value.

Looking back at the SF Giants' history with the No. 13 pick in the MLB draft

In this year's draft, they have one of the lowest bonus pools at $8.4 million. Though, they can exceed that mark by five percent, which is a threshold they have flirted with in recent years. The No .13 pick carries a slot value of $5.5 million, which is about 65 percent of the total bonus pool.

The latest mock draft from MLB Pipeline has the Giants taking Kyson Witherspoon out of the University of Oklahoma. He posted a 2.65 ERA with 124 strikeouts and 23 walks in 95 college innings this season.

It remains to be seen if a pitcher like Witherspoon will be available at that pick. This will be Buster Posey's first season in charge of the draft, and it is an important pick. The No. 13 pick tends to turn into an everyday player, and the Giants do not hold a second round pick this year.

They have held the No. 13 pick two times before this draft. Both occurrences has been recent. The last time they held that pick was just last year, when they selected outfielder James Tibbs III out of Florida State University.

Tibbs III posted an .857 OPS with 12 home runs and 32 RBI in 256 plate appearances with the Eugene Emeralds. Of course, he was included in the package sent to the Boston Red Sox to acquire Rafael Devers. The left-handed bat was promoted to Double-A following the deal. He has a .700 OPS in 86 plate appearances at that level.

The other pick was in 2020, when the Giants used the No. 13 to select Patrick Bailey out of North Carolina State University. Since then, he has become a staple in the Giants' lineup.

Bailey's bat has not progressed as they would have hoped, but he has seemingly turned the corner lately. The switch-hitter is slashing .233/.313/.356 (92 wRC+) with one home run, 11 RBI, and eight runs in 85 plate appearances since June 1.

Of course, Bailey is an elite defensive catcher, winning a Gold Glove Award in 2024. He has arguably been one of the best defensive players in baseball. If he can even be an average hitter, he would offer considerable upside. His defense still offers a relatively high ceiling.

So, the Giants have found a lot of value with the No. 13 pick. One of those picks has turned out to be an everyday player in Bailey. The other was included in a trade package to acquire one of the best hitters in the game. The Giants hope that this next pick will help the club out in a similar way in a few years, if not sooner.