Jeff Kent is in the Hall of Fame!

 Jeff Kent, who spent the six peak years of his career with the Giants, was just elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Contemporary Eras Committee, whatever that is.  In the end, it doesn't matter what it is, he's in the Hall of Fame!  Kent was one of 7 candidates up for consideration and received 14 of 16 votes.  He was the only one of the 7 who got the required number of votes.  The other players considered were Carlos Delgado, Dale Murphy, Don Mattingly, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemons, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela.  Bonds and Clemons would obviously both been in a long time ago were it not for the PED issue.  The others seem worthy to but I have long believed Jeff Kent had a HOF worthy career so am very happy to see him finally get in.  

Kent came to the Giants in a trade engineered by Brian Sabean when he became the Giants GM for Matt Williams with the Giants also getting Julian Tavarez and Jose Vizcaino.  The trade was heavily criticized by the Giants fanbase prompting Sabean to feel the need to defend himself with the infamous "I am not an idiot!" statement.  Little did the fanbase know that over the next 6 seasons, Kent would hit 175 home runs, put up 30.9 fWAR and win a NL MVP Award.  Kent eventually left under a bit of a cloud of his own making when he claimed a broken hand was from an accident suffered while washing his truck.  The Giants reportedly found out he actually injured it while popping wheelies on his motorcycle an activity expressly prohibited in his contract.  Kent did not win over any of these disappointed fans when he signed with the Dodgers two years later and infamously proclaimed he always dreamed of playing for the Dodgers.  

Despite all that he did spend the peak years of his career with the Giants and it was a helluva peak.  I would think he should proudly go into the Hall of Fame as a Giant and I would hope he will get his number retired along with other Hall of Famers who spent most of their careers and/or their peak seasons with the Giants.

2024 Draft Review: Giants Selections Rounds 4-20

Having reviewed Round 1 of the 2024 draft and seeing the Giants selection, James Tibbs III, was traded to the Red Sox as part of the deal to acquire Rafael Devers let's review the rest of the Giants selections.  They did not have picks in rounds 2 or 3 due to the free agent signings of Matt Chapman 3B and Blake Snell LHP who had Qualifying Offers.  Once again and just for fun we'll assign grades to each pick based on performance so far which is not the same as a grade on their overall prospect status.  We'll pick it up with Round 4:

Round 4:  Dakota Jordan OF, College.  DOB:  5/9/2003.  B-R, T-R.  6' 0", 220 lbs.

2025(A):  .311/.377/.497, 14 HR, 27 SB, 8.9 BB%, 22.8 K%, 416 PA.

Unusually muscular for a baseball player. Physique comped to Bo Jackson.  Top tools are raw power, 60/70 and Run, 70.  Had a lot of swing and miss in his college game so the question with him was could he cut down on his K's and make enough contact to make his raw power usable.  He did that in A ball but keep in mind that's a very conservative placement for a player drafted out of college and you have to wonder why the Giants kept him there all season. He was slowed by both oblique and hamstring strains and you also have to wonder if his muscular physique makes him more susceptible to those. Grade B(he performed well but at a low level for his first full professional season).

Round 5:  Jakob Christian OF, College.  DOB:  9/17/2002.  B-R, T-R.  6' 5", 225 lbs.  

2025(A):  .272/.355/.460, 10 HR, 12 SB, 10.1 BB%, 28.3 K%, 318 PA.

2025(A+):  .304/.380/.570, 4 HR, 3 SB, 8.7 BB%, 34.8 K%, 92 PA.

Tall, athletic looking OF with lots of raw power.  Slash lines look good and improved after promotion to A+ ball but the K rates remain concerning.  Grade B.

Round 6:  Robert Hipwell 3B, College.  DOB:  3/6/2003.  B-L, T-R.  6' 3", 220 lbs.

2025(A):  .241/.374/.450, 11 HR, 3 SB, 15.6 BB%, 31.2 K%, 429 PA.

Big muscles, huge calves.  3-true outcomes type hitter which the Moneyball guys like but often does not translate to higher levels when we see it early in development.  A ball is a very conservative placement.  Grade C

Round 7:  Greg Farone LHP, College.  DOB:  5/3/2002.  6' 6", 240 lbs.  

2025(A):  2-1, 3.73, 50.2 IP, 12.97 K/9, 4.09 BB/9, 1.34 GB/FB.

2025(A+):  4-2, 4.25, 55 IP, 7.85 K/9, 2.78 BB/9, 1.20 GB/FB.

Gave up just 1 ER in his first 5 starts for A San Jose then cooled off.  He was torched in his first 3 starts after a promotion to A+ Eugene, but then pitched to a 2.74 ERA over his last 8 starts and 42.2 IP.  Seemed to pitch to contact more after the promotion.  Will he move up to AA to start 2026?  Grade B+.

Round 8:  Niko Mazza RHP, College.  DOB:  2/19/2002.  5' 11", 194 lbs.

2025(A):  4-3, 2.22, 93.1 IP, 8.68 K/9, 5.01 BB/9, 1.65 GB/FB.  

Made up for a high walk rate with an above average GB rate.  Reminder A ball is an extremely conservative placement.  Grade C.

Round 9:  Zane Zielinski SS, College.  DOB:  7/28/2001.  B-R, T-R.  6' 3", 175 lbs.

2025(A+):  .240/.338/.303, 4 HR, 32 SB, 10.1 BB%, 25.5 K%, 483 PA.

Light on power for a guy who strikes out that much.  32 SB's are intriguing.  I can see him developing into a utility IF at the MLB level.  Grade C.

Round 10:  Cade Vernon RHP, College.  DOB:  1/17/2002.  6' 3", 210 lbs.

2025(A):  4-1, 1.60, 56.1 IP, 6.87 K/9, 2.40 BB/9, 2.58 GB/FB.  

Pitches to contact with elite groundball skills.  Conservative placement.  Grade C.

Round 11:  Andy Polanco OF, HS.  DOB:  4/29/2005.  B-R, T-R.  6' 4", 195 lbs.

2025(ACL):  .264/.346/.336, HR, 22 SB, 10.4 BB%, 26.4 K%.  

Love the size/speed profile but he is quite old for a HS draftee and has a long way to go in development.  Grade C

Round 12:  Zander Darby 3B, College.  DOB:  11/26/2002.  B-L, T-R.  6' 3", 197 lbs.

2025(A):  .291/.403/.459, 5 HR, 10 SB, 15.2 BB%, 18.4 K%, 244 PA

2025(A+):  .123/.261/.228, HR, SB, 13.0 BB%, 42 K%, 69 PA.

Good numbers in A ball but extremely conservative placement.  Struggled in small sample at more age-appropriate level.  Grade C.

Round 13:  Drake George RHP, College.  DOB:  9/30/2001.  6' 1", 184 lbs.  

2025(A):  2-1, 3.20, 56.1 IP, 9.91 K/9, 2.40 BB/9, 1.45 GB/FB.

Nice start to pro career at a lower level but made his last start on 6/29 then went on full season injury list.  No word on the exact injury.  FB and Curveball are both rated 55/60 by Fangraphs.  Grade C

Round 14:  Jeremiah Jenkins 1B, College.  DOB:  5/5/2003.  B-L, T-L.  6' 4", 238 lbs.

2025(ACL):  .370/.470/.685, 3 HR, 15.2 BB%, 13.6 K%, 66 PA.

2025(A):  .230/.332/.364, 4 HR, 11.1 BB%, 17.5 K%, 217 PA.

Nice K and BB rates but didn't show much power at a low leve for a guy who is limited to 1B in his defensive profile.  Grade C

Round 15:  Evan Gray RHP.  DOB:  8/4/2001.  6' 4", 235 lbs.  

2025(A):  7-4, 4.53, 47.2 IP, 11.14 K/9, 5.48 BB/9, 1.85 GB/FB, 4 Saves.  

Strong K and ground ball rates.  Walk rate too high.  Conservative placement.  Grade C

Round 16:  Tyler Switalski LHP, College.  DOB:  6/18/2003.  6' 4", 235 lbs.

2025(A):  6-2, 4.89, 73.2 IP, 7.94 K/9, 4.03 BB/9, 1.42 GB/FB.

2025(A+):  2-0, 1.17, 23 IP, 6.65 K/9, 2.74 BB/9, 0.92 GB/FB.

Got in a lot of work as a multi-inning reliever with A San Jose.  Moved into a starter role after promotion to A+.  Peripheral stats are uninspiring.  Grade C.

Round 17:  Hunter Dryden RHP, College.  DOB:  6/10/2002.  5' 11", 168 lbs.

2025(A):  5-3, 2.90, 93 IP, 9.97 K/9, 3.97 BB/9, 1.00 GB/FB.

Smaller frame but quick, loose arm.  Maintained mid-90's FB in the start I saw.  Secondary stuff still developing.  I thought he deserved a midseason promotion to A+.  Grade C+

Round 18:  Ryan Slater RHP, College.  DOB:  6' 3", 205 lbs.  6' 3", 205 lbs.

2025(A):  6-2, 2.54, 71 IP, 8.87 K/9, 2.79 BB/9, 0.99 GB/FB, 2 Saves.

Nice numbers in a multi-inning relief role.  Another guy I wish the Giants promoted at midseason.  Grade C+

Round 19:  Ryan Ure LHP, College.  DOB:  8/29/2002.  6' 8", 235 lbs.  

Did not sign.  You all know I like tall pitchers, especially tall lefties.  Gotta admit not many have worked out.  Grade F(how can it be anything else when they fail to sign the player?).  

Round 20:  Fernando Gonzalez C, College.  DOB:  12/2/2001.  B-R, T-R.  5' 10", 199 lbs.  

2025(A):  .229/.351/.375, 3 HR, 12.3 BB%, 19.3 K%, 114 PA.

Secondary numbers don't look bad.  Maybe some development opportunity here?  Grade C.

Comment:  Not really any busts here, but no sure things either.  I think I would give Farone the highest ranking on the strength of his run of starts to end the season in A+ ball.  I am not as high on Dakota Jordan as many seem to be but I do see the upside and it's quite exciting to dream on.  The rest are going to have to grind their way up the system and we'll see if any break out.

Scouting the 2026 Draft: Carson Boleman

Carson Boleman LHP, HS.  DOB:  4/5/2007.  6' 4", 210 lbs.  

Boleman has an ideal pitcher's frame with an over-the-top delivery which gives him great downward movement on a mix of 3 pitches that all grade out as 60's plus a 55 grade changeup.  He did not allow an earned run in his junior season while striking out 101 batters in 43.1 IP.  He had a 19 K no-hitter in the South Carolina 3A state championship game.  He struck out 17 in 11 IP on the showcase circuit.  He does have an injury history needing elbow brace surgery in 8'th grade.  Yikes!  He will be almost 19 yo by the time of the draft but should be a fast mover, provided he remains injury free.

The 2026 draft cycle is extremely weak for college pitchers.  A strong cadre of HS pitchers partially makes up for that keeping in mind HS pitchers are considered the highest risk demographic in the draft.(The Giants have historically had their best draft successes with HS pitchers).

Prospect Retrospective: Marco Luciano

 Marco Luciano was claimed off waivers today by the Pirates.  While losing Marco Luciano from the Giants organization was almost a foregone conclusion for a long time now, this was a surprise because the Giants never announced he was DFA'd, probably because they hoped to sneak him through and keep him in the organization.  Maybe they thought if they DFA'd him this close to the Rule 5 Draft, teams would already have their 40-man rosters set and would not have room to add Luciano.  Since he is a waiver claim and remains out of options, the Pirates must keep him on their 40-man roster all season or DFA him for some other team to claim.  And so the merry-go-round begins.  It's a hard pill to swallow for Giants fans after Luciano was at or near the top of Giants prospect rankings for close to a decade.  Let's take a retrospective look at Luciano's Giants prospect journey.

Marco Luciano was just 16 years old when he signed an international free agent contract with the Giants for $2.6 M in July 2018.  If I remember right he was ranked as the #2 or 3 international prospect in that signing cycle.  

2019(AZL):  .322/.438/.616, 10 HR, 8 SB, 8 SB, 15.2 BB%, 21.9 K%, 178 PA.

2019(Short- Season A):  .212/.316/.333, 13.2 BB%, 15.8 K%, 38 PA.

Luciano skipped the DSL and started his pro career in the Arizona rookie league and put up terrific numbers earning a late-season cup of coffee with the more advanced Northwest League.  After a long series of failures of high-priced international signings, Luciano finally seemed like the real deal.

2021(A):  .278/.373/.556, 18 HR, 5 SB, 12.3 BB%, 22.1 K%, 308 PA.

2021(A+):  .217/.283/.295, HR, 6.9 BB%, 37.2 K%, 145 PA.

Like many prospects, the lost 2020 season to COVID probably hurt Luciano's development.  Instead of his age 18 season in A ball, it became his age 19 season plus the 2020 season counted against his service time for Rule 5 Draft eligibility.  The A+ numbers were a bit deflating but an aggressive promotion for his age.  Again, it could be seen as a preview/prep for his next season.

2022(A+):  .263/.339/.459, 10 HR, 9.6 BB%, 22.2 K%, 230 PA.  

Numbers a bit less dazzling but still solid for his age at the level.  He also missed some time with back problems if I remember right. He was added to the 40-man roster in the offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.  I am not sure why he was Rule 5 eligible then as it looks like he only had 4 years of service time even with counting the lost 2020 season.

2023(AA):  .228/.339/.450, 11 HR, 6 SB, 14.4 BB%, 31.3 K%, 242 PA.

2023(AAA):  .209/.321/.418, 4 HR, 12.8 BB%, 35.9 K%, 78 PA.

2023(MLB):  .231/.333/.308, 13.3 BB%, 37.8 K%, 45 PA.  

The better pitching at higher levels seemed to catch up with him as his BA approached the Mendoza Line and his K rates soared.  This season burned an option.

2024(AAA):  .250/.380/.380, 10 HR, 4 SB, 16.8 BB%, 26.8 K%, 384 PA.

2024(MLB):  .211/.259/.303, 6.2 BB%, 34.6 K%, 81 PA.

AAA K rate improved to manageable rates but the power numbers were disappointing, especially playing in an extreme hitter-friendly environment.  This was the season  of the horrific series of middle infield errors that forced a move to the outfield and probably sealed his fate with the Giants organization.  

2025(AAA):  .214/.335/.413, 23 HR, 10 SB, 15.3 BB%, 30.6 K%, 555 PA.  

The power rebounded but the K rate went up and the BA cratered again.  Given the Giants crowded OF situation and having run out of options for 2026, the writing was on the wall.  Luciano was not going to the the first big international bonus baby to hit it big for the Giants.  

Comment:  It's hard to say exactly what went wrong.  Probably several things.  It appears the missed development season of 2020 was a big factor.  The Giants also probably kept him at shortstop too long after the industry consensus deemed him to not have the defensive tools to play short at the MLB level.  And maybe the bat was just not as good as it looked at lower levels and got exposed by better pitching at higher levels.  In any event it's a shame to lose him.  For all of the talk in the FZ era about integrating players development throughout the system, Marco Luciano and Joey Bart stand out as examples of developmental failure in the system with tragic consequences to the MLB team.

Hot Stove League Update: Red Sox and Pirates 5-Player Trade

The Red Sox aren't waiting around for the Winter Meetings to start wheeling and dealing.  This evening they announced a 5-player trade in which they acquired Johan Oviedo RHP and two prospects, Tyler Samaniego LHP and Adonys Guzman C for Jhostynxon Garcia OF and Jesus Travieso RHP.  Let's take a closer look at the five players:

Red Sox get:

Johan Oviedo RHP.  DOB:  3/2/1998.  6' 6", 275 lbs.  Arbitration Eligible Yr 2.  Free Agent 2028. Options- 1.

2025:  2-1, 3.57, 40.1 IP, 9.4 K/9, 5.1 BB/9, 0.62 GB/FB.  

Oviedo is a big, imposing RHP with a high ceiling who hasn't quite gotten there yet.  He missed all of 2024 with Tommy John surgery then a lat strain kept him out of the first 4 months of 2025.  When he came back, his FB averaged 95 MPH but a high walk rated limited his effectiveness.  The Red Sox obviously hope he will stay healthy and reduce his walk rate but his walk rate has run high most of his career.  

Tyler Samaniego LHP.  DOB:  1/30/1999.  6' 4", 205 lbs.  

2025(4 levels- CPX-AA):  3-3, 3.99, 38.1 IP, 10.33 K/9, 2.58 BB/9, 1.44 GB/FB.  Options- 3.

Minor league reliever with a starters mix of pitches.  Lower arm slot.  Recently added to the Pirates 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.  He will move over to the Red Sox 40-man roster.  Has missed time with elbow soreness.  

Adonys Guzman C.  DOB:  12/4/2003.  B-R, T-R.  5' 11", 221 lbs.  Rule 5 Eligible Dec. 2028.

2025(College- Arizona):  .328/.411/.496, 9 HR, 10.0 BB%, 11.8 K%, 271 PA.

2025(MLB):  .400/.400/.1.000, HR, 0 BB%, 0 K%, 5 PA.

5'th round draft pick for the Pirates. Not enough of a pro record to evaluate.  MLB Draft Tracker does not have a pre-draft scouting report.

Pirates get:

Jhostynxon Garcia OF.  DOB:  12/11/2002.  B-R, T-R.  6' 0", 163 lbs.  Pre-abritration.  Options- 2.

2025(AA):  .256/.355/.393, 3 HR, 4 SB, 13.0 BB%, 21.0 K%, 138 PA.

2025(AAA):  .271/.334/.498, 18 HR, 3 SB, 7.7 BB%, 29.1 K%, 351 PA.

2025(MLB):  .143/.333/.286, 22.2 BB%, 55.6 K%, 9 PA.

Garcia was Fangraphs #8 Red Sox prospect when they posted their ranking in June 2025.  He is described as having "thunderous" power, especially to the opposite field.  K rates remain a concern. He seems to be a true CF.  Per Fangraphs he is much bigger than his listed height and weight.

Jesus Travieso RHP.  DOB:  3/22/2007.  5' 11", 140 lbs.  Rule 5 Eligible Dec 2028.  

 

2025(CPX):  1-3, 2.77, 39 IP, 12.00 K/9, 5.77 BB/9.

2025(A):  2-0, 3.51, 25.2 IP, 13.32 K/9, 3.86 BB/9.

Young international prospect.  A lottery ticket.  Listed size is laughably small.  A lot of these international kids get a lot bigger and become very hard throwers but he has a long way to go.

Comment:  The Red Sox get a proven MLB starting pitcher, though one that has had significant setbacks due to injuries and struggles with control.  If Garcia can control the strike zone and play CF, he may have the highest ceiling.  I am not impressed that the other 3 players in the deal will ever be impact players.  This is two teams balancing their needs and surpluses.  Pretty even trade.

Scouting the 2026 Draft: Jacob Lombard

 Jacob Lombard SS, HS.  DOB:  B-R, T-R.  6' 3", 185 lbs.  

Son of George Lombard and brother of George Lombard Jr.  Jacob is a superior athlete who is considered a true shortstop.  He's more of a slugger than George Jr or Grady Emerson with an uppercut swing that generates HR and gap power.  Power translates to all fields.  The price he pays for the uppercut swing is swing and miss, especially up in the zone.  Perfect Game says he's a 6.11 runner in the 60 yd dash. Wow!  Well proportioned lean frame with room to fill out.  Probably behind Emerson due to Emerson's superior hit tool and lefty swing but Lombard is probably a top 5 talent.  Could be drafted more in the 5-10 range due to teams preferring less risky college hitters.

Hot Stove Update: Heating Up

The Hot Stove League is heating up with 3 significant deals reported in the first 2 days of the week leading up to the Winter Meetings.   So what's going on?

The Mets agreed to terms with Devin Williams RHP on a 3 yr/$51 M contract.  The deal includes a $6 M signing bonus paid in 3 installments.  There is also $15 M in deferrals plus a $1 M assignment bonus in the event of a trade.  There does not seem to be in opt-out.  

Devin Williams RHP.  DOB:  9/21/1004.  6' 2", 193 lbs.  

2025(Yankees):  4-6, 4.79, 62 IP, 13.06 K/9, 3.63 BB/9, 18 Saves, 15 Holds, 4 Blown Saves, 2.69 FIP.

Another case of a veteran shut-down closer coming off a down season.  Once again, while the usual peripheral numbers look like it's due to bad luck, if you drill down to the third layer of stats, Williams gave up harder contact than in previous seasons.  The Mets obviously think this is a blip and he'll positively regress to his mean over the next 3 seasons but that's a lot of money being dropped on a Closer who lost his job amid an ERA over 4 last season.  Man! The market for underperforming closers is white hot!

The Angels signed troubled SP Alek Manoah to a 1 yr/$1.95 M contract.  \

Alek Manoah RHP.  DOB:  1/9/1998.  6' 6", 285 lbs.  

2025(MiLB- 4 levels):  1-1, 3.96, 38.2 IP, 8.15 K/9, 5.35 BB/9.  

After bursting on the scene in 2022, Manoah's career fell on hard times.  He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2024 and spent the first half of 2025 rehabbing.  When time came to bring him off the 60-day IL the Blue Jays did not have room and DFA'd him.  The Braves claimed him but then non-tendered him making him a free agent.  It's a little surprising he got a MLB deal at all but the Angels reportedly inquired of the Blue Jays about him in the past.  It's a $2 M lottery ticket that seems like the longest of longshots but stranger things have happened.

The Blue Jays continued to show they are serious about repeating as AL champs by signing Cody Ponce to a 3 yr/$30 M.  Ponce was once a second round draft pick by the Brewers in the 2015 draft(wow! That's like a lifetime ago!).  He got some pre-draft buzz for touching triple digits on the fastball.  Ponce made it to the major leagues but struggled and never found traction.  He went to Japan and also struggled there.  He landed in the KBO and had breakout numbers:  17-1, 1.89, 180.2 IP, 12.6 K/9, 2.0 BB/9.  This was accompanied by reports of much improved conditioning and better stuff.  I can understand the excitement here and maybe the BJ's can afford to take a risk on upside but there are real questions about strength of competition here for a guy who is a one season wonder.  The contract is not backbreaking if it doesn't work out.