Baseball America's latest mock draft has SF Giants taking accomplished college arm

The baseball draft is less than a month away. Baseball America (subscription required) released its fourth mock draft of the season with the SF Giants taking accomplished college pitcher Trey Yesavage.

Baseball America's latest mock draft has SF Giants taking accomplished college arm

Many mock drafts have the Giants selecting prep pitcher Cam Caminiti. The lefty pitcher attends Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, and he was one of the best high school pitchers in this year's class. Given that the Giants' spring training complex is in Scottsdale, it would not be too surprising if they got an extra look at Caminiti in March.

The Giants hold the No. 13 overall pick in this year's draft and they do not pick again until the fourth round. Given that both Matt Chapman and Blake Snell rejected a qualifying offer in the offseason, the Giants lost their second and third-round picks in signing them. They also lost $500,000 apiece in international bonus pool money.

Due in part to these moves, the Giants have the 5th-lowest bonus pool available at $7.5 million. The No. 13 pick carries a slot value of $5.2 million, so they need to make this pick count.

Baseball America sees Trey Yesavage as a popular target in the middle of the first round:

"Yesavage has real suitors as far up as the back of the top 10 and throughout the middle of the first round. He’s in a tier of his own on the college pitching side once Chase Burns and Hagen Smith are off the board."

They also suggest that Vance Honeycutt could be an option for the Giants as well. San Francisco drafted him in the 20th round of the 2021 draft, but he did not sign.

Yesavage has posted a 2.58 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 13.6 K/9, and a 4.53 SO/W ratio in three seasons at East Carolina University. This includes an excellent 2024 campaign in which he has tallied a 2.05 ERA in 15 outings. The righty pitcher has 195.1 college innings to his ledger, so he has a lengthy track record to evaluate. He is also on the younger side as he does not turn 21 until next month.

On the mound, the 6-foot-4 pitcher flashes a mid 90's fastball with a firm slider and a 12-to-6 curveball. He mixes in an occasional changeup as well, but the fastball, slider, and curveball all rate as average-to-above-average offerings.

Yesavage will be a popular name during the draft in July. There is a chance that he could be available to the Giants. The Giants leaned in favor of position players last year, so maybe they start this year's draft with a pitcher.