SF Giants eyeing catcher Tyler Soderstrom in the 2020 MLB Draft

The SF Giants look very likely to target catcher prospect Tyler Soderstrom in the 2020 MLB Draft.

The SF Giants and the rest of the MLB world are under a week away from the 2020 MLB Draft that promises to be like no other draft before.

In the weeks and months leading up to the draft, the Giants have been connected to a number of top prospects in the class. From hard-throwing hurlers to promising batters, mock drafts have been all over the place when it’s come to the Giants.

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But with only five rounds this year, the team better make that first-round pick count.

While numerous players have been projected to San Francisco, one player’s name seems to be coming up more than others. That player is Northern California native, Tyler Soderstrom.

Soderstrom is a catching prospect from Turlock and is considered by many to be the top catcher in the class. A UCLA commit, Soderstrom’s left-handed bat is perhaps the best out of any catcher prospect this year and he looks to be a surefire Round 1 pick.

But a catcher?

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His position will no doubt draw questions from some fans who remember the team drafting Joey Bart second overall just two years ago. Bart is the unquestioned top prospect in the Giants’ system and is nearing his permanent call-up to the majors.

But it’s important not to get caught up on Soderstrom’s position. For starters, the 18-year-old also has experience playing both the corner infield and the corner outfield and players rarely stick to the same position they were drafted at for their entire baseball career.

On top of that, it’s never a bad thing to have too much talent at one position. A good front office knows how to turn an excess into a profit and that’s exactly what the Giants could do if given that opportunity.

Bart shouldn’t stop the Giants from drafting Soderstrom if they feel he’s the top prospect available when they pick at No. 13 overall. And it doesn’t seem like it will.

According to Baseball America’s Jim Callis, the Giants are eyeing a catcher in the draft, and Soderstrom is atop their list.

"“He’d fit nicely in the Giants organization. You don’t draft for need, they obviously spent the No. 2 pick in the draft a couple years ago on Joey Bart, but like I said you can always put Soderstrom at third base. I think the interest is very real at No. 13, the question is the White Sox really like him at No. 11 also, and I think unless a surprising college pitcher drops in the White Sox’ laps at 11, that he might not even make it to the Giants at 13.”"

There’ no doubt that Soderstrom isn’t an intriguing prospect. He has the athleticism needed to excel at other positions aside from catcher and his bat is incredibly promising.

The Giants are interested, but will he even make it to them? That’s a question that remains unanswered.

If not Soderstrom, a few other prospects that Callis connected to the Giants were high-school outfielder Robert Hassell, high-school pitcher Nick Able, UCLA outfielder Garrett Mitchell, NC State catcher Patrick Bailey, and Oklahoma pitcher Cade Cavalli.

Giants fans should be keeping an eye on a number of prospects this week, but none more so than Soderstrom.