2022 Draft Prospects The San Francisco Giants Could Target

2022 Draft Prospects The San Francisco Giants Could Target

High School Position Players

Just like with the college prospects, let's start the prepsters with the position players. Leading off is the prospect who was mocked to San Francisco in Prospects Live's first mock draft, Cam Collier.

Collier is a weird case where he reclassified from the 2023 prep class to the 2022 class and he graduated early to prove himself in a junior college setting. In doing so, he is not only ridiculously young (17.6 on draft day), he's also going to prove himself in a tougher setting. It was a tough decision whether to put him in the high school position or college group, but given his age, the prepsters portion is the safer option. Age does not matter for the organization, but it might be the time that the front office might tap onto the JUCO route with their first pick since Phil Bickford in 2015.

Collier might be super young but he's also a legitimate first-round talent (#30 in Prospects Live, #24 in Baseball America, #20 in MLB.com, #2 (!) in Brian Recca's board), he might not be the toolsy prospect that the Giants look for their prep prospect but Collier is very mature for his age with his bat. He has a lefty stroke that is rather smooth than explosive, with strong wrists churning out impressive exit velocities.

He stays balanced throughout his swing and he has a very mature approach for his age, taking what is given to him, flashing the ability to lay off pitcher's pitches, and easily squaring up high-velocity pitching. He is a part-time pitcher as well with a low-90s fastball that is a clean fit at third base, although there is an issue about how his body matures as he gets older. Nonetheless, his bat looks like a pretty dang good one.

If you don't like the smooth nature of Collier, you'll like the explosion of Gavin Turley as well. Turley might be the most toolsy of prospects that the Giants might ever draft with their first-round selection. What's more is that his hometown of Chandler, Arizona, is just minutes away from the team's Papago complex so he should be on the radar of the organization. Outfielders are not a need in the organization depth chart and he is not exactly a legitimate first-round talent right now (#78 in Prospects Live, #45 in Baseball America, #39 in MLB.com, and Brian Recca's rankings) but his upside is as loud as anyone in the class.

Turley ran a 6.29 60-yard dash, threw 97 MPH in the outfield, and turned in a 103 MPH exit velocity (third-best) in the PG National Showcase. His athleticism, raw speed, and raw arm strength are legitimate elite tools and his raw power is also a plus tool. However, his hit tool is the biggest question.

His bat path is clean, where the bat travels through the zone very well and his powder keg pair of wrists allows him to generate plus-plus bat speed. However, he is often off-balanced whenever he swings in-game and he often catches the pitches out in front, resulting in a very draggy bat path where he swings in the thin air at times. If he can go to a team where they will make his swing more balanced and have him let the ball travel deep before he swings or even just if he could implement his BP swings in-game, his raw tools should make him a star.

Speaking of another toolsy outfielder, if you don't like Turley's minutes’ drive from his home to the Papago complex, wait until you know about Henry Bolte. Bolte is from Palo Alto, California, which is just a half-an-hour drive to San Francisco. He's an outfielder, so he does not fit the draft for depth need and he's not also a legitimate first-round talent right now (#47 in Baseball America, #43 in Prospects Live, and MLB.com's rankings) but if you are talking about tools, Bolte also has it like Turley.

Bolte has two plus tools in his raw power and arm strength. His speed is above-average, but it plays up because of his advanced baserunning instincts. He's a broad-shouldered athlete with hips that gives him plenty of projection. He might slow down a bit, but he should be a solid fit in the corners. Bolte has some swing and miss issues in his game, but he has shown that he's already willing to use the opposite field in his swing with a clean bat path and his plus athleticism shows up in the batter's box as well.

After two toolsy infielders, let's address the organizational need for infield depth with the prep class. Mikey Romero will not be covered in this one because he's unlikely to fall to the Giants with the way he's hit during the fall. Too bad because he is from California and he's a capable shortstop with a stellar hit tool.

Instead, we will look first at Gavin Guidry. Guidry is a two-way player right now who is not considered as a legitimate first-round talent right now (#109 in Prospects Live, #74 in Baseball America, and #61 in MLB.com’s rankings). However, if he will become a full-time position player this season, he has the potential to shoot up draft boards. If he decides not to, there is a potential that San Francisco could sneak by and select him before he hits the second round.

Simply put, Guidry potentially has the best all-around skillset from any prep shortstop prospect in this draft class. He has plenty of quick-twitch that translates to all facets of his game and a square-shaped, lean frame that oozes projection. He has plus-plus straight-line speed that gives him plenty of range at shortstop, where his light and quick-shuffling feet, soft glove, and overall athleticism stand out.

His infield drills look balanced, easy, and mature, which is impressive for someone who does double duty. He can touch 94 MPH on the mound, which also translates well in the dirt where his athleticism allows him to stay accurate on throws on the run and with varying arm slots.

Guidry’s quick twitch and overall athleticism are also evident in his swing. His front foot flexion, hip, and spinal rotation, and pure bat speed are all impressive. His bat path is clean, but his arms get extended, which could not bode well for his future hit tool. His overall approach at the plate is raw, but there is a present feel to hit and his power projection should only improve as he fills his frame.

The fear is that it might be power-over-hit though and he will be 19 years old on draft day, which could scare off some teams. But an organization that is not afraid to draft old-for-the-class high school talent like they should consider adding Guidry to the shortlist with his tantalizing skillset in the dirt that might blossom once he focuses on playing only one position.

The next high school infielder to look at is Jett Williams. If you loved the undersized goodness of Brett Auerbach last season for San Jose and Eugene, you'll also love the infielder from Texas. Williams is not exactly a true first-round talent right now (#62 in MLB.com, #57 in Prospects Live, #48 in Baseball America's rankings) because of his stature (only 5'8", 178 lbs.) but that stature also works to his favor giving him short levers to catch high velocity and a small strike zone to work for.

The bat doesn't look heavy when he swings and he has a good-looking swing path. What is more impressive is that he was considered the best hitter in the Area Code Games while playing through a shoulder injury. That affected him in his throwing, but he was touching 91 MPH on the mound not too long ago, so there's enough arm strength and he has the range and actions in the dirt to potentially stick at shortstop. If he can't, there's potential for him to be a versatile defender.

The final position player that we'll look at is a middle infielder who has more potential to be selected by the Giants other than Williams. Jackson Holliday is a known commodity and has grown around the game as he is the son of former Athletics and Rockies great Matt Holliday.

Jackson is not the big thumper that his father is (Jackson is only six-foot, 180 lbs. currently) but he has developed an excellent feel for the game. His approach is as good as anyone and he has promising elements in his swing. His loading, front foot flexion, and bat speed are impressive, although he tried to be more of a power hitter during the fall, which led to some bad habits. If he sticks to what works best for him, he has an above-average hit tool at the very least.

Holliday has the talent to become a first-rounder (ranked #51 by MLB.com, #42 by Prospects Live, and #32 in Baseball America's rankings), fit snuggly to improve the organization's depth chart, not very toolsy but an advanced performer with potential to grow into someone who could make it to the big-leagues.