SF Giants bolster organizational middle infield depth with 1st round pick

The first round of the 2025 MLB draft is officially in the books. The SF Giants selected middle infielder Gavin Kilen out of the University of Tennessee.

SF Giants bolster organizational middle infield depth with 1st round pick

The Giants have one of the lowest bonus pools at $8.4 million. They can exceed that amount by five percent, with only paying a tax on the overage. That gives them $8.8 million available to spend. Any amount above would result in the loss of future picks, but that has not occurred in the slot value era.

The No. 13 pick carries a slot value of $5,524,300, or about 65 percent of their total bonus pool. In recent years, the Giants have gone with underslot picks in the first round with the hopes of spreading that money later in the draft.

For example, in 2024, they selected outfielder James Tibbs III with the No. 13 pick. That pick carried a slot value of $5.2 million, but he agreed to a $4.7 million signing bonus. That created some savings that they reallocated to Dakota Jordan.

The latest mock drafts had the Giants connected to Kyson Witherspoon out of the University of Oklahoma. However, they had been connected to a bunch of college bats as well. This is to say that the range of possibilities varied greatly.

Of course, the Giants threw everyone a curveball by selecting Gavin Kilen. He was listed as the No. 21 prospect in this year's draft, per MLB Pipeline. This could be a sign of an underslot agreement that they can leverage later in the draft. Nevertheless, the left-handed is coming off of a strong college season, slashing .357/.441/.671 with 15 home runs, 46 RBI, and 60 runs in 245 plate appearances. He recorded more walks (30) than strikeouts (27).

Kilen has a good track record against SEC pitching, and that is a quality teams often view as an indicator of how quickly a player adjusts to pro pitching. That said, he did post a .709 with two home runs and 25 RBI in 215 plate appearances with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod League. That is a wood bat league, so his numbers with wood bats have not been as strong.

The 21-year-old offers excellent contact skills with modest pullside power. His swing is geared toward line drives, and he can be an aggressive hitter. This will put pressure on his batting average to carry his offensive profile in the pros.

The Giants announced Kilen as a shortstop. He will likely remain at that position for now, but his arm is better suited for second base.