SF Giants ink 17 of 20 picks from 2022 MLB draft

Some years, there is anxiety as to whether the SF Giants will sign all of their top picks. That is not the case this year as they have agreed to terms with 17 of 20 picks from the draft last week.

SF Giants ink 17 of 20 picks from 2022 MLB draft

The three picks who remain unsigned will be tough as two of three of them are high school prospects, meaning that they have the leverage of a college commitment. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area provided the details:

Corner infielder Ethan Long of Arizona State University can return to school for another season, so the Giants knew that signing him would be a long shot. He might be a player to watch in next year's draft as he was one of the better college prospects selected by the Giants this year.

The financial details for many of the signings have not been released, but Jim Callis confirmed the details for the first three picks:

First round pick: 1B/LHP Reggie Crawford signed for $2,297500 (slot value was $2,486,800)

Second round pick: P Carson Whisenhunt signed for $1,868,720 (slot value was $1,054,700)

Third round pick: P William Kempner signed for $525,000 (slot value was $577,200)

The Giants continued a trend that has been evident since Farhan Zaidi was hired as team president of baseball operations and that is going with an underslot signing in the first round. They saved nearly $200,000 in bonus pool space that they reapplied to Whisenhunt.

The Giants intend to use Crawford as a two-way player and he may debut the offensive side of his skill set this summer. The University of Connecticut product underwent Tommy John surgery at the beginning of the college season, so he did not play at all this year.

He should be far enough removed from surgery to swing a bat in the near future. In his last full college season, Crawford slashed .295/.349/.543 with 13 home runs, 62 RBI, and 34 runs in 232 plate appearances. He displayed good power at the plate while flashing a fastball that can reach 100 MPH and a good slider on the mound.

The Giants felt like they got a steal in the second round by drafting Whisenhunt. The left-handed hurler missed all of the 2022 season due to a PED suspension. He did pitch in the Cape Cod league this summer where he registered a 7.88 ERA with 21 strikeouts against six walks in 16 frames while getting back into game action.

Lastly, Kempner joins the Giants on a slight underslot deal. The righty throws from a sidearm delivery and can consistently maintain a fastball in the mid-90's, The Gonzaga University product tallied a 3.00 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 12.0 K/9, and a 2.29 SO/W ratio in eight starts this season.

There are not many starters who attack hitters with the type of delivery that Kempner features but it results in throwing a lot of extra pitches as well. The Giants will likely try him as a starter, but he could quickly become a high-leverage reliever as well.

The 2022 draft is in the book and the Giants went heavy on pitching prospects. Many of the 2022 draftees will make their pro debut in the near future as they take the next step in their careers.