SF Giants Draft Tracker: Scouting reports and analysis on every pick
As the 2023 MLB Draft continues, the SF Giants will continue to add exciting prospects to their organization. Stay tuned to this Giants draft tracker, which will have immediate reactions and updates on each pick. NOTE: This article will not automatically refresh, so manually refresh the page for up-to-the-minute updates. All players drafted on Day 1 and Day 2 of the have more in-depth articles written about them on the site that you can navigate to by clicking the link in their name (Joe Whitman and Walker Martin were written up in one article so clicking on Martin will navigate you to the writeup on Whitman as well).
East pitcher Bryce Eldridge during the Perfect Game All-American Classic high school baseball game at Chase Field. (2022)
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Round 1 (16th overall):
1B/RHP Bryce Eldridge, James Madison High School (Virginia)
With a towering 6'7'' frame, Eldridge has a unique combination of strength and athleticism. On the mound he has showcased a sinker that has reached the mid-90s with a good feel for a slider and changeup alongside a fairly consistent ability to throw strikes.
At the plate, Eldridge has massive power potential and has flashed defensive viability at first base. If he were solely a pitcher or hitter, Eldridge would have still remained a top-two round prospect by most evaluators.
Slot value: $4,326,600
Educated guess: Below-slot ($3.5 million)
Round 2 (52nd overall):
SS Walker Martin, Eaton High School (Colorado)
Martin put up videogame numbers
A standout in last year's Area Code Games, Martin posted video game numbers this year as he led all the high schoolers in the entire nation with 20 home runs with a mind-boggling .633 average and a 28.7% walk rate. Even though he's shown plenty of power this year, Martin's also known for his bat-to-ball ability and his sweet lefty swing that grades out as average or better. With a projectable frame that could potentially give him above-average raw power, Martin has a well-rounded skill set at the batter's box.
Slot value: $1,620,800
Educated guess: Significantly above slot ($3.25 million)
Compensatory Round B (69th overall):
LHP Joe Whitman, Kent State
Whitman transferred from Purdue to Kent State after pitching for just 5.2 innings in his first two seasons for the Boilermakers. He drastically improved this year with a 2.56 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 81 innings for the Golden Flashes and looked dominant in his only start at the Cape Cod League this year throwing five shutout innings with nine strikeouts and just two hits allowed.
The left-hander's best pitch is his plus slider he throws around 40% of the time with a sharp, two-plane break that generated plenty of whiffs against both lefties and righties. His fastball sits in the low-90s but can touch 96 mph on occasion and has good action up in the zone from his three-quarters arm slot. He does have a changeup and a cutter that flashed solid that he has not used much in college because of the prolific use of his slider.
Slot value: $1,074,100
Educated guess: Slightly above slot ($1.25 million)
Round 3 (85nd overall):
SS Cole Foster, Auburn
Foster is coming off a breakout junior season at Auburn, hitting .336/.429/.570 with 13 home runs in 55 games. A switch-hitter, Foster does not have any tools that jump off the page but also has no clear weaknesses either. Defensively, Foster has played primarily shortstop and second base, although most evaluators are skeptical that he will be able to stick at short.
Slot value: $820,900
Educated guess: Slightly under ($750,000)
Round 4 (117th overall):
SS Maui Ahuna, Tennessee
This spring, Ahuna hit .312/.425/.537 with 20 doubles and eight home runs in 53 games. An above-average defensive shortstop who should be able to stick long-term with some pop and speed, fans might be confused why he was available more than 100 picks into the draft. Ahuna has all the makings of a first-round pick. But concerns about his hit tool led him to fall.
Slot value: $569,100
Educated guess: Full slot
Round 5 (153rd overall):
2B Quinn McDaniel, Maine
McDaniel is an absolute darling to statistical models. Young for the class, he will not turn 21 until September, McDaniel hit .354/.513/.688 with significantly more walks (60) than strikeouts (44) in 261 plate appearances this spring with Maine. A three-year starter, McDaniel posted an 1.011 OPS over his collegiate career and took significant strides forward each year.
Slot value: $400,600
Educated guess: Slightly under ($350,000)
Round 6 (180th overall):
C Luke Shliger, Maryland
Shliger projects as a potentially average defensive catcher across the board, but solidified his draft prospects over the past two seasons with incredible production at the plate. Despite his small 5'9'' frame, Shliger has hit .320/.480/.543 over his college career with 46 doubles and 23 home runs in the past two seasons (125 games).
Slot value: $314,800
Educated guess: Full slot
Round 7 (210th overall):
OF Scott Bandura, Princeton
Bandura may be the best pure hitter out of the Ivy League in years. While a hamstring injury limited him to just eight games in 2022, he hit .363/.454/.655 with 12 home runs and nearly as many walks (31) as strikeouts (36) in 219 plate appearances.
Slot value: $246,500
Educated Guess: Below slot ($200,000)
Round 8 (240th overall):
RHP Josh Bostic, Grayson Junior College (Texas)
Bostick was a two-way player in his first year of college ball but focused on pitching this season at Grayson and became one of the top pitchers in all of junior college. He struck out nearly two batters per inning pitched this season. At the Cape Cod League this summer, Bostick showed he could be effective against better competition as well. He recorded a 3.00 ERA across 18 innings pitched (four starts) with 21 strikeouts and nine walks.
Slot value: $198,800
Educated guess: Slightly under slot ($175,000)
Round 9 (270th overall):
3B Charlie Szykowny, University of Illinois-Chicago
Szykowny spent the first four years of his college career at the University of Wisconsin-Stout before taking advantage of an extra year of eligibility to transfer to UIC. In his first taste of the Missouri Valley Conference, Szykowny hit .335/.426/.655 with 16 home runs and just 34 strikeouts in 237 plate appearances and won the conference's Newcomer of the Year Award.
Slot Value: $177,500
Educated Guess: Significantly under ($10,000)
Round 10 (300th overall):
RHP Ryan Vanderhei, TCU
Vanderhei was a highly-regarded prep prospect and was drafted in the 38th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks back in 2019. However, he opted to attend Kansas before transferring to TCU this spring. He struggled throughout his collegiate career.
Slot Value: $167,200
Educated Guess: Significantly under ($10,000)
Day 3 picks only count against the Giants bonus pool if they receive a signing bonus of more than $150,000. So unless written otherwise, the expectation is that all picks who do sign will receive $125,000 or less.
Round 11 (330th overall):
C Jack Payton, Louisville
Payton was expected to be a mid-Day 2 pick and fell to Day 3. Payton will likely get a six-figure bonus, and perhaps could cut a bit into the Giants pool, but this is great value to start Day 3. Payton's defensive future behind the plate is question, but he has flashed an above-average hit tool with some pop. He hit .374/.472/.643 with 12 home runs this spring as a junior.
Round 12 (360th overall):
LHP Timmy Manning, Arizona State
Manning spent his first two collegiate seasons at Florida before transfering to Arizona State for his junior season. Manning has always had intriguing stuff, flashing a standard starter's three-pitch arsenal (fastball, changeup, and curveball), but has lacked command. He posted a 6.53 ERA in 91 college innings (38 games) with 108 strikeouts and 48 walks. Given his struggles, he could be a candidate to move to the pen, add some fastball velo, lean heavily on his best secondary (a high spinrate curve), and end up in a big-league bullpen.
Round 13 (390th overall):
OF Jose Ortiz, Leadership Christian Academy (Puerto Rico)
Despite coming out of high school, Ortiz will likely sign for a low six-figure (probably right around $150,000). He has a minimal track record but has plus-plus speed (6.44 60-yard dash) and a plus-plus arm (97 mph outfield velocity). That's an intriguing collection of tools at this point in the draft.
Round 14 (420th overall):
RHP Cale Lansville, San Jacinto Junior College North (Texas)
Lansville was a top-100 prospect in his high school class and made five appearances as a true freshman at LSU before transferring to San Jacinto. Lansville recorded a 3.62 ERA with 106 strikeouts (29 walks) in 74.2 innings pitched (15 appearances) this spring and made a pair of appearances at the MLB Draft League this summer. Lansville is committed to Florida State, but a flood of transfer acquisitions may leave him more inclined to turn pro out of concern about his playing time with the ACC powerhouse.
Round 15 (450th overall):
LHP Dylan Carmouche, Tulane
Another former SEC arm, Carmouche was a solid reliever with Mississippi start in 2021, but transfered to Tulane and got a shot in the rotation. He's recorded 200 strikeouts (187.2 innings) during his college career but has also been hit fairly hard and has a 4.99 ERA. Carmouche relies on a deceptive arm slot, which helps his fringey fastball a bit, but his changeup is what got him drafted.
Round 16 (480th overall):
3B Justin Wishkoski, Sam Houston State
A juco transfer to Sam Houston State in 2021, Wishkoski has hit .350/.434/.534 with 35 doubles, five triples, 14 home runs, and as many walks as strikeouts (46) in 563 plate appearances over his two seasons in the WAC. A senior without much defensive upside, Wishkoski will have to hit his way into prospecthood. However, in the extremely hitter-friendly WAC environment, he will have to prove he can do it against pro competition. Nevertheless, he would not be the first player who proved to be an overlooked hitter.
Round 17 (510th overall):
C Drew Cavanaugh, Florida Southern
It's difficult to gauge whether Cavanaugh will be signable for the Giants barring Martin's deal falling through. He is a sophomore with two years of college eligibility remaining, but is already 21 and was not a prominent prospect. Regardless of his signability, Cavanaugh played for former Giants first baseman Lance Niekro at the same program Vaun Brown starred with a couple of years ago.
A transfer from junior college, Cavanaugh hit .316/.441/.588 with 12 home runs in 46 games this spring. Behind the plate, he threw out 32.8% of opposing base stealers and was voted the best defensive catcher in his conference in each of the past two seasons. Granted, there's a significant gap between juco/Division-II catching and the professional ranks. If he can handle the transition, he has the potential to be a left-handed hitting backup catcher.
Round 18 (540th overall):
LHP Michael Rodriguez, North Greenville University (South Carolina)
Nicknamed "The Nightmare," Rodriguez is a powerful 6'6'' left-handed reliever who has flashed upper 90s velocity at certain points during his college career. He posted a 2.45 ERA with 67 strikeouts and just eight walks in 40.1 innings pitched (24 appearances) this spring in the back of Division-II powerhouse North Greenville's bullpen.
Round 19 (570th overall):
LHP Tommy Kane, Maryland
Another juco transfer, Kane began his career at Rowan College of South Jersey-Gloucester before joining Shliger at Maryland this season. Strictly a reliever, Kane posted a 7.31 ERA with 29 strikeouts and 17 walks in 28.1 innings pitched (17 games) this spring. Despite his struggles, Kane has reached 97 mph with his fastball and flashed a potential above-average breaking ball.
Round 20 (600th overall):
OF Nadir Lewis, Princeton
It's surprising to see the Giants pass on any insurance for Martin in the draft. Instead, they return to a senior. This time, selected another Princeton outfielder in Lewis. Lewis has been limited by injuries over the past two seasons but has 15 home runs, 19 stolen bases, and an OPS north of 1.000 in 307 plate appearances between the Ivy League in 2022 and the Coastal Plain League this summer. If healthy, Lewis could be a steal of the class.
