With the 2014 MLB draft less than three weeks away, it’s time to take a look at who the San Francisco Giants should target and which players could end up in the team’s farm system by season’s end.
Thanks to the Giants’ 76-86 record last season, they’ll pick 14th in the draft, which gives them an excellent shot at cashing in on the abundance of pitching talent available early in the draft.
Here are a few of the realistic targets who could be on the Giants’ radar in the first round:
Jeff Hoffman
Originally slated to be a top-five pick, Hoffman is a tall right-hander coming out of East Carolina. He possesses top-of-the-rotation stuff and has a chance to make a serious impact in the majors.
Hoffman’s draft stock fell after it was announced in early May that he would require Tommy John surgery to fix a tear in his right elbow. Though that’s obviously a huge setback for the right-hander, the Giants could certainly use that to their advantage by snagging Hoffman if he falls to them.
Interestingly, ESPN’s Keith Law wrote in his mock draft (subscription required) that the Giants wouldn’t pass up Hoffman, which means it’s only a matter of him falling as far as the 14th pick.
Sean Reid-Foley
A right-hander coming out of Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville, Fla., Reid-Foley has put up dizzying numbers this year, even for a prep pitcher. He’s struck out 120 batters in 65.2 innings, allowing 17 hits—just under one every four innings—and cut his walk total by more than half of last season’s.
The reports on Reid-Foley’s repertoire differ among draft experts. MLB.com’s Jim Callis writes that Reid-Foley “commands four solid-or-better offerings,” while an ESPN scouting report states that his lack of a quality third pitch is what is keeping him from being among the very top prospects in the first round.
Solid repertoire or not, there’s no doubt that Reid-Foley’s fastball is good enough to handle big league hitters, and coupled with a slider that could top out as an above-average pitch in the majors, he stands as a solid option in a draft with plenty of deep pitching. It’s worth noting that Reid-Foley would likely be a top prep arm in any other draft, which could make him a steal for a team with a mid-first round pick, like the Giants.
Grant Holmes
Holmes is a 6’2″, 200 pound right-hander coming out of Conway High School in South Carolina, and he’s one of the more high-upside pitchers that you’ll find outside of the top few picks.
Keith Law has Holmes going to the Giants in his first mock draft, and it’s a move that makes sense for a number of reasons. For one, as Law writes, Holmes is a fireballer who is capable of reaching high velocity despite being relatively short. The last time the Giants drafted a pitcher like that, he won a pair of Cy Young awards and helped the team win a pair of championships.
Holmes already has an excellent repertoire, as well. Aside form his aforementioned fastball, which is one of his best weapons, Holmes has a filthy power curveball that touches the mid-80s. He’s quite a developed prospect, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Giants go after him.
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