Examining how the SF Giants actually got really good value in 2024 MLB Draft

Examining how the SF Giants actually got really good value in 2024 MLB Draft

Round 5: Jakob Christian

With their fifth-round pick, the Giants selected the right-handed outfielder from the University of San Diego. He transferred to UCSD this year after playing his early college career at Division II Point Loma Nazarene. Value-wise, Christian is ranked lower than where he was selected based on several publications. You can hypothesize that this move will help save the Giants a bit of cash to pay for Jordan.

Based on the first two selections, it seems that the Giants are looking for mashers at the plate so far with Jordan and Christian. Christian is a large dude, like Charlie Condon large though without the accolades of Condon. Christian did win WCC Player of the Year this season so props to him for that. It gives him plenty of raw strength to tap into. Not quite Dakota Jordan but at least plus nonetheless.

There were questions about his plate discipline, performance versus spin, and lack of track record against better competition. He was great when he faced WCC and Division II competition but struggled to perform against better competition and with wooden bats in the Northwoods and the Cap Cod League. Perhaps he has yet to get a full grip on swinging the lumber. There are reports though that he tested well in the MLB Draft Combine before the draft. And if there are questions about his offensive value, it is not because he has a broken swing, which in my opinion is not the case.

Jakob's swing looks clean with a solid toe tap and his torso rotates cleanly. He can get to fastballs with a great track record and has one of the best average bat speed that was recorded by Blast Baseball, a bat tracking company. The ease in generating the explosion of the swing allows Christian to produce plenty of hard contact. His swing can get long at times though any swing would get long if susceptible to chasing breaking balls out of the zone.

On defense, he is a better fielder than your usual rumbler. He is fringe-average as a runner but the kind of athlete that he is shown on the field, with him tracking balls quite well and being willing to lay his body on the line in doing diving catches. He looks though that he will become a solid defensive first baseman in the long term but if the Giants see improvement in Victor Bericoto defensively, there is a possibility that Christian can be pretty good beyond the infield dirt.

With a pretty swing and massive power potential, I think Christian will perform well once he gets to the low-Minors where he will face better competition for the first time since the Cape. He has a decent shot of outperforming the rather crude expectations. Performance against full-season level breaking balls is definitely a critical thing to assess with Jakob once the pro video becomes available.

Round 6: Robert Hipwell

Note: Hipwell signed with the Giants for $345,700.

The Giants selected the third baseman Hipwell in the sixth round out of Santa Clara. He seems to be a local kid who grew up as a Giants fan. He was drafted about a round below where he was ranked by publications so getting drafted in the sixth round is not too shabby.

Melissa Lockard of The Athletic already wrote an exceptional pre-draft piece (subscription required) about Hipwell and I recommend checking it out as I'll do the best I can to supplement what she already wrote.

Hipwell seems to be a quintessential Giant through and through. He grew up in Northern California, was a big Giants fan, went to the same college as Randy Winn, a dude who does not chase, walks often, plays a bunch of positions on defense but is fringy at best in all positions, makes good swing decisions, and has served a suspension due to taking PEDs off supplements that he bought over the counter. Kudos to him though for manning up and owning his mistake to move forward as a better consumer and person in general.

It should be understandable that his return from his suspension was far from ideal due to the lack of preparation and that is why his numbers are down this season compared to his sensational sophomore season last year. He partook in the MLB Draft Combine and played in the MLB Draft League to get more reps and build his stock back up. While his Combine numbers seem to be solid, his performance in the Draft league raised a bit more questions.

A lefty hitter, Hipwell's left hand dictates the swing path with a slight uphill chop. The bat travels the zone well and the uphill in his swing does not inhibit him from hitting high fastballs or low breaking balls. There seems to be a solid raw power that he taps on quite well as he posted exit velocities in college.

Hipwell probably will put this season in the gutter and show what he is fully capable of with a full offseason behind him in 2025. There are plenty of good things that Hipwell does on the field, but if the 2024 version is the one who shows up next season, his defensive versatility (but not quality) will help him stay afloat and work on his deficiencies in the next couple of years.