Giants Feature Multiple Undrafted Players Who Beat Long Odds to Become Big Leaguers

Turner Hill and Trent Harris both were overlooked, but fought their way into Major League Baseball with the Giants. And, there are similar prospects in the San Fran system on the way.

San Francisco Giants pitcher Trent Harris | Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The San Francisco Giants have rebuilt their minor league system to the point that it's now one of the very best in baseball. It was fortified even further following the moves that president of baseball operations Buster Posey made at this year's trade deadline.

On top of that, the team has been at the forefront when it comes to signing international prospects like budding superstar Josuar Gonzales.

At the same time, the team has benefited from some unlikely sources in terms of talent. Namely, undrafted players like outfielder Turner Hill and pitcher Trent Harris, who have contributed to the big-league team despite having taken some detours to get there. Both can relate the story of their journeys, and they certainly don't mirror those of blue chippers and first-round picks.

After Turner Hill and Trent Harris reached the big leagues in the same week, another undrafted player, Bo Davidson, could arrive in San Francisco soon.

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“I signed for 10 grand, which was more than I thought I was going to get,” Harris said, according to the San Francisco Standard [subscription required]. “I would’ve signed for a bus ticket... It might’ve been a little harder for us. We weren’t talked about. Our names weren’t known. They might’ve looked at us differently. But I know everybody’s the same up here. It’s a really cool experience to share the clubhouse with the veterans here, man.”

So far, Harris has had some tough luck in limited work. He's 0-0 with a 13.50 ERA in 2.2 inning pitched, but that's not quite the priority right now. Harris has made it to the highest level and still has work to do, but he can hang his hat on the honor that he achieved something that only a select few can claim.

An Unlikely Double Debut

Giants outfielder Turner Hill | Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Both players debuted in the same week, and both were seen as 'feel-good' stories. But they have the chance to be much more than that. Hill had a big breakthrough moment on Saturday, when he registered his first-ever RBI at the big-league level with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning. It was part of a 7-1 San Fran win, and it helped to validate Hill on the MLB roster.

“I was a late bloomer,” Hill said. “In high school, it was hard for me to get college scouts to take a look at me just because I was so undersized, but I always felt like I had the skills to be able to play the game. I just needed some opportunities.”

There are more undrafted players in the Giants organization who should be in The Show soon, also. Prized outfield prospect Bo Davidson and utility player Parks Harber, both standing at the cusp and performing well for the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, will also make the jump at some point.

Those pieces of the puzzle, overlooked or not, won't be if they help bring winning baseball back to the Bay.