Well, well, well! I wasn't planning to post my draft board until we reviewed about 20 players since it seemed almost certain the Giants would draft #15 but they moved all the way up to #4 in yesterday's draft lottery and we've reviewed 8 players so let's rank 'em and see who comes in at #4(We only rank players we've already reviewed):
1. Roch Cholowsky SS, College(UCLA): DOB: 4/5/2005. B-R, T-R. 6' 2", 200 lbs.
2. Grady Emerson SS, HS. DOB: 2/21/2008. B-L, T-R. 6' 2", 180 lbs.
Emerson is a HS SS with a sweet swing and tools to play shortstop at the MLB level. He has been on scouting radars since was 14 years old. He was on both 15U and 18 U Team USA twice. He bats from the left side with a wide stance and a quick swing that goes direct to the ball. He does a good job of keepin his elbows bent which helps him get around on inside stuff but he uses all fields with gap power. He still has a young looking body which should fill out and gain more power with maturity and showed present power in the HS HR Derby. He comps himself to Corey Seager SS. Committed to Texas but should challenge for the #1 overall pick in the draft.
3. Drew Burress OF, College(Georgia Tech). DOB: 12/5/2004. B-R, T-R. 5' 9", 175 lbs.
Lots of power in a compact, athletic frame. Not much to dislike in those stat lines. Second team All-American as a freshman, first team in his second season. Probably fast and athletic enough to be a true CF. Could challenge Roch Cholowsky for #1
4. Justin Lebron SS, College(Alabama). DOB: 11/3/2004. B-R, T-R. 6' 2", 175 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.
6. A. J. Gracia OF, College(Virginia). DOB: 10/27/2004. B-L, T-L. 6' 3", 195 lbs.
2025: .345/.470/.519, 7 HR, 3 SB, 16.4 BB%, 17.3 K%, 323 PA.
At one point there was talk of Curiel being a first round pick out of high school but his stock fell after a disappointing senior season. He opted to play college ball at LSU and had an impressive freshman season as an ultra high contact leadoff hitter. Played mostly LF and will try to further raise his stock by moving to CF as his primary position as a draft-eligible sophomore. Current gap power will have to generate more home runs if he has to
8. 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.
Comment: 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). corner OF in the pros. As it stands now, Cholowsky and Emerson make up the clear top two. It's still way early in the draft cycle so their stock could fall or some other players stock might rise and there is always signing bonus machinations that can impact draft position. I think you can put #3-7 names in a bowl and draw them out at random. Any of those 4 should yield an impact MLB hitter. I have seen some comments on other blogs about cutting across the grain and grabbing a pitcher. Although I would be A-OK with that approach if they were drafting out of the #15 slot but I don't think you go off the board for a pitcher. I like Carson Boleman as a pitcher but the kid had elbow surgery at age 12! No, no, no at #4!
Giants lost 2 RHP pitchers in the Rule 5 draft but got a catcher in a trade with the A's: Miguel Caraballo, now SF's #15 prospect.
ReplyDeleteRyan Watson, was in AAA, 28 yo, bought from the Orioles last year, now an Athletic.
Spencer Miles, 25 yo, has had problems staying healthy, appeared in 10 games in 4 years. Toronto must have seen something there (he didn't pitch in 2023 or 2025), it would be a surprise if he stays with the Jays for the year.
It looks like either of #3-7 would be fine to land with the Giants. Luck of the draw ... maybe the baseball gods finally smiled down at Buster and crew.
ReplyDeleteIt never even occurred to me that the Giants could move up in the draft, given their history. Might be a good sign.
ReplyDeleteChristmas came early and the Giants get to pick a big ticket item from the gift catalog! Until we start to see some separation amongst this group or someone not on the list rises up it is really hard to choose one! And adding in their bigger draft pool, they will also be getting some nice extra gifts later in the draft. Plus now having Vitello’s insight and experience with the college game and with recruiting high school players just adds to the excitement. Doc, your research workload probably just got cut down by at least 66%, but it probably wouldn’t hurt to profile a few dark horse prospects and helium picks even though Buster and Co. don’t seem inclined to spring for a helium pick and picking this high they probably shouldn’t play the signability game. I’d also be a bit wary about the high ranking pitchers in a draft with so many good hitters available at #4.
ReplyDeleteSo lots of shortstops available to draft. Willy Adames's contract runs through 2031. I read somewhere about the idea of shifting him to 2B. Does anyone know what he thinks of that idea?
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