by MLB Mock Draft: Who Experts Selected Giants at #16 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The 2023 MLB Draft is here and the Giants have a chance to bolster their exciting farm system with another potential future cornerstone player.
San Francisco has the No. 16 pick in the first round of the draft after finishing the 2022 season with an 81-81 record.
After selecting two-way player Reggie Crawford and left-handed pitcher Carson Whisenhunt in the first and second rounds of last year’s draft, and 25 total pitchers in the last two drafts combined, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi expects a more balanced approach to this year’s design.
“I think we’re probably going to take a balanced approach… I don’t think we’re going into this draft with the fixed idea that we’re really going to hammer one side or the other,” Zaidi told reporters on Friday.
“I think it’s a very good design, a very deep design. We pick in the middle of the first round and usually when you’re picking [at] 16, you think it’s a 15 player draft, that’s how it goes. We have over 16 players that we would really like to add. I think it’s a very good journey at the top.”
RELATED: Kapler still sees Winn contributing to Giants down stretch
The first and second rounds of the draft begin on Sunday, July 9 at 4 p.m. PST on ESPN and MLB Network, with rounds 3-10 on Monday and rounds 11-20 on Tuesday. These are the draft experts of the players the Giants mocked at pick #16.
Giants – Enrique Bradfield, OR, Vanderbilt
“With Lowder and Dollander gone, there’s no college arm the Giants will look at, so if they want to pitch, it could be left-hander Thomas White,” Mayo wrote. “But they’re more likely to go for a college batter like Bradfield, Troy, or Shaw instead. They’re going to keep looking at the top high school hitters, with Miller perhaps at the top of that list.”
Giants — Walker Martin, SS, Eaton (Colo.) HS
“Martin has been a hot name here for weeks, and being brought here is probably his highlight, while also being different from what the Giants normally do,” McDaniel wrote. “I’ve heard mostly college bats here otherwise and would expect San Francisco to go that way if Martin isn’t the choice, with local kid Tommy Troy as the lead option.”
Giants — Noble Meyer, RHP, Jesuit High (Portland, Oregon)
“I’ve heard several times that the Giants have something in place with Colorado prep infielder Walker Martin, but that might be their second pick at number 52 as they have extra money to play with thanks to an offset pick for the loss of Carlos Rodón. They may be Meyer’s floor, and I’ve heard them with Bradfield, Troy, and Eldridge, too.”
Giants – Enrique Bradfield, OR, Vanderbilt
“Sounds like Bradfield could come from the back of the top 10 anywhere in the middle of the first round,” Collazo wrote. “He’s harder to place than some hitters who don’t have the same impact demands, but Bradfield’s speed and defensive resources are also by far the best in the draft class. San Francisco sounds like one of the teams that could take him.
“Walker Martin is also often mentioned here, and Nolan Schanuel could also be appropriate. I’m curious if the Giants would take a pitch here — Noble Meyer, Hurston Waldrep, and Thomas White are all available in this scenario — but I’m usually hearing bats. Tommy Troy, Matt Shaw and Aidan Miller might be a good fit here.”
Giants — Bryce Eldridge, 1B/RHP, Madison HS (VA)
“Eldridge wants to play both ways and the Giants recently proved willing to experiment with this with Reggie Crawford,” Longenhagen wrote. “There are scouts who think they’re also attached to Colorado high school shortstop Walker Martin, though he may be rich in this choice.”
Giants — 1B/RHP Bryce Eldridge, Madison High School (VA)
“Eldridge is the best two-way player in this draft with a powerful 6’7 frame, 223 pounds delivering mid-90s fastballs and a plus slider on the mound and some of the best raw power in the 2023- class in the batter’s box.
He has expressed interest in remaining a two-way player, although most prefer him as a batsman. The Giants are a frequent hypothetical landing spot, in part due to their selection of UConn two-way player Reggie Crawford ranked No. 30 overall last year.
Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast
