Golden Gate Sports
Fansided

San Francisco Giants: Breaking down first-round pick OF Hunter Bishop

By Justin Fried

BREWSTER, MA - AUGUST 13: From left, Martin Costes, Hunter Bishop and AJ Graffanino run to the dugout during the seventh inning of game three of the Cape Cod League Championship Series at Stony Brook Field on August 13, 2017 in Brewster, Massachusetts. The Cape Cod League was founded in 1885 and is the premier summer baseball league for college athletes. Over 1100 of these student athletes have gone on to compete in MLB including Chris Sale, Carlton Fisk, Joe Girardi, Nomar Garciaparra and Jason Varitek. The chance to see future big league stars up close makes Cape Cod League games a popular activity for the families in each of the 10 towns on the Cape to host a team. Each team is a non-profit organization, relying on labor from volunteers and donations from spectators to run each year. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BREWSTER, MA - AUGUST 13: From left, Martin Costes, Hunter Bishop and AJ Graffanino run to the dugout during the seventh inning of game three of the Cape Cod League Championship Series at Stony Brook Field on August 13, 2017 in Brewster, Massachusetts. The Cape Cod League was founded in 1885 and is the premier summer baseball league for college athletes. Over 1100 of these student athletes have gone on to compete in MLB including Chris Sale, Carlton Fisk, Joe Girardi, Nomar Garciaparra and Jason Varitek. The chance to see future big league stars up close makes Cape Cod League games a popular activity for the families in each of the 10 towns on the Cape to host a team. Each team is a non-profit organization, relying on labor from volunteers and donations from spectators to run each year. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The San Francisco Giants made it official and selected local Bay Area OF prospect Hunter Bishop with their 10th overall selection in the 2019 MLB Draft.

Some things are just meant to be. After numerous mock drafts indicated that the San Francisco Giants would wind up drafting Arizona State outfielder Hunter Bishop with their 10th overall pick, such prophecies came true on Monday night.

The Giants entered this year’s draft at a crucial point in franchise history.

An organization that at one point was one of the most successful dynasties of the 2010s has since fallen on tough times. The players that made up said dynasty are either shells of their former selves or have since departed.

The Giants have slowly decayed from their inner core and now represent a sad form of the great team that they used to be. The likes of Madison Bumgarner, Brandon Belt, Buster Posey, and even Pablo Sandoval — the individuals that were the core of the Giants’ championships teams — have all seen much better days.

With an obvious need for replacement talent and little help in sight — due to a depleted minor league system — the Giants went into the 2019 MLB Draft needing to absolutely nail their picks. Fortunately, their first-round pick appears pretty promising.

The aforementioned Bishop is a powerful left-handed bat who projects as a plus hitter at the professional level. After two mediocre seasons at Arizona State, Bishop broke out in his senior season hitting for a .347 average while totaling 22 home runs and 61 RBI during the team’s 2019 regular season.

Scouts praised his increased plate discipline and patience at the plate which allowed him to walk a whopping 47 times this past season after walking just 33 times over the previous two years. His strikeout rate also decreased significantly as he struck out just once every 3.69 at-bats over his final season as opposed to his 3.11 rate over his first two seasons.

More from San Francisco Giants

Bishop is also a plus runner who plays a very reliable center field. His speed allows him to have excellent range in center which should bode well for his chances of remaining at that position once he reaches the major league level.

This pick makes a ton of sense for the Giants for multiple reasons.

For starters, a rangy, power-hitting outfielder is a major need for the Giants at the moment as their outfield alignment has been reminiscent of a game of musical chairs thus far this season. The only real hope for the future at that spot is promising prospect Heliot Ramos but he’s still at least a couple of years away from being ready for the majors.

The team also currently has Steven Duggar at the center field spot but it remains to be seen whether he can hit enough to considered a true everyday outfielder.

More from Golden Gate Sports

On top of that, it makes sense that the Giants opted to select from the college ranks with this pick. Bishop’s development should be right in line — or at least close to — that of top prospect Joey Bart as the Giants continue to try and re-establish a new core to build around.

Perhaps Bart, Ramos, and Bishop could be the next trio to lead us into the new era of San Francisco Giants baseball. At the very least, it appears that coincidental history is on the team’s side.

In an odd twist of irony, Bishop’s background just so happens to very closely resemble that of a former Giants legend.

The legendary Barry Bonds happens to have gone to the same high school and college as Bishop on top of also being a power hitting left-handed outfielder. Now, this isn’t to say that Bishop will develop into the same type of hitter that Bonds was, but it’s an eerie coincidence nonetheless.

Next. San Francisco Giants: An analysis of the season so far. dark

Perhaps it was just meant to be though. A local Bay Area prospect from Palo Alto with a near identical background to Giants legend Barry Bonds?

Sounds like a picture perfect story to me.

Home/San Francisco Giants