MLB Draft expert explains why SF Giants pick was favorite selection from Day One of draft

The SF Giants took the top arm in Jackson Flora with the No. 4 pick, and they followed that by selecting arguably the best prep arm in Carson Bolemon with the No. 29 pick. Joe Doyle of Over-Slot Baseball described that Bolemon pick as his favorite pick from the first day of the draft.

The Giants will now turn their attention to signing as many players from the draft class as possible. The deadline to sign their picks is July 27.

Players drafted within the first 10 rounds sign at an extremely high rate. There are a few exceptions, but the sign rate is north of 98 percent. Signability with a team's top picks is rarely an issue.

That said, the Giants drafted a pair of high-upside position players later in the draft. Signing both of them may be more challenging, especially Josiah Kemp, who has a commitment to the University of Oklahoma.

The Giants hope that this draft class anchors their rotation for years to come, and they hope Carson Bolemon is a big part of that. Joe Doyle was quick to compliment the pick, suggesting that he would have been a top-15 pick with a normal spring.

SF Giants land prospect in draft who is advanced for a high school pitcher

Before we get started, be sure to follow Doyle and his work at Over-Slot Baseball. While the draft is officially over, they have continued their coverage. Doyle highlighted some of the intangibles that make Bolemon such an intriguing prospect, "Carson [Bolemon] is the most impressive person I've spoken with in this cycle. Ridiculously mature for his age. Never too high. Never too low. Workman-like on the mound."

In addition to the lefty pitcher's intangibles, Doyle explained that Bolemon is an advanced pitcher for his age, " Four pitches. All strikes. Sequencing. Command. Not too dissimilar from what makes Kade Anderson so exciting at this stage. He's a pitcher, not a thrower, which is saying something as a teenager." Anderson was the No. 3 pick in last year's draft, and he is widely viewed as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball.

According to MLB Pipeline, Bolemon was ranked as the No. 24 prospect in this year's draft class, His pitch mix includes a mid 90's fastball with a curveball, sweeper, and kick change. All pitches grade out as above-average offerings, and he fills up the zone with strikes.

This is not a normal profile for a pitcher coming out of high school. The southpaw pitcher posted a 0.17 ERA with 91 strikeouts and 13 walks in 41.1 innings for Southside Christian High School this year.

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