San Francisco Giants MLB Draft: Options for the 14th Pick
The San Francisco Giants have the 14th overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft. This is the highest draft pick the Giants have had since 2009, when they selected Zack Wheeler with the sixth overall pick. They also landed Madison Bumgarner with the 10th pick in 2007 and Buster Posey with the 5th pick in 2008.
The MLB Draft will take place from June 5-7th, and it consists of 40 rounds. The Giants can certainly load up on prospects, but with their first-round pick, Brian Sabean and the Giants want to try to pick a future star.
Giants scouting director John Barr has said that they will be pleased with whoever they get at the 14th pick, given the depth of this Draft. Barr also said that they’re staying open about which player to draft and which position to target.
"“We’re definitely considering pitching with our [first] pick,” he said. “There are also some position players who we’re considering. The Draft right now is being perceived as stronger with pitching than it is with position players from a depth standpoint. We’re not at this point tied to taking one or the other.”"
It’s always difficult to project which prospects will still be available in the middle of the first round, especially this year. Barr called this draft “unpredictable,” because there is uncertainty surrounding some of the top prospects.
For example, UNLV’s Erick Fedde and East Carolina’s Jeff Hoffman were expected to be the two top prospects to come out of this draft, but they both have had Tommy John surgery recently. Some teams higher up in the Draft might be willing to take a risk on them, but it’s not clear.
The Giants’ depth and strength of their minor league system has recently been criticized. Despite the Giants having an abundance of homegrown talent on their current roster (Bumgarner, Posey, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Pablo Sanodval, etc.), many teams believe the Giants have struggled recently with developing position players and that their lack of starting pitching depth in the minor leagues has limited them in going after certain blockbuster trades.
To address this criticism, the Giants must have a great Draft this year, and they must make a good selection with the 14th pick.
There are many prospects that the Giants could choose to draft with the 14th pick. First of all, if either Fedde or Hoffman fall to the 14th pick, the Giants could snag either one of those pitchers.
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Fedde went 8-2 this season, and he had a 1.76 ERA, 82 strikeouts, and just 21 walks in 76.2 innings. The right-hander had Tommy John surgery last month, so there would be some risk drafting him.
Hoffman was expected to be the number one overall pick in the Draft this year, before he had to undergo Tommy John Surgery. It’s unclear how this will affect his draft stock, but the right-hander is a consistent pitcher who could become the future ace at the major league level.
Some power right-handed pitchers that the Giants could go after with the 14th pick are South Carolina’s Grant Holmes, Vanderbilt’s Tyler Beede, Virginia’s Nick Howard, Sandalwood High School’s Sean Reid-Foley (committed to Florida State), and Coral Springs Christian Academy’s Touki Toussaint (committed to Vanderbilt).
It’s rare for a team to draft a relief pitcher so high, but if the Giants decide to go that way, they could draft Louisville’s Nick Burdi. The right-handed closer had a 0.76 ERA, 16 saves, 62 strikeouts, and just 13 walks in 35.2 innings in 2013.
In terms of position players, the Giants could select University of San Francisco outfielder Bradley Zimmer, who is expected to go in the first round. Zimmer is 6’5″ and 205 pounds, but he moves well for his height. He hit .368 with seven home runs and 31 RBI this season, and he stole a career-high 21 bases. He also had a .461 OBP and a 1.034 OPS.
Another outfielder the Giants could select is Oregon State’s Michael Conforto. This season, Conforto is hitting .351 with seven home runs and 55 RBI. He also has a .506 OBP and a 1.062 OPS.
There aren’t any signifcant trends on if the Giants prefer to draft position players or pitchers early on in the Draft. It seems like the Giants should target a starting pitcher, given the amount of power right-handed starters in this Draft. However, Sabean and the Giants often do the unexpected, so they could certainly surprise some people with their 14th pick.