Giants' Latest First-Round Pick Hot-Hitting Hero for High-A Eugene

The San Francisco Giants' 2025 first-round draft pick, infielder Gavin Kilen, often gets lost in the shuffle when it comes to the team's top prospects.

It's not because of a lack of ability or work ethic — those are just fine. Kilen often finds himself in the shadows because of the position he plays. As a natural shortstop, he's considered stuck behind three supposed studs at that spot — Josuar Gonzales, Jhonny Level, and Luis Hernandez. And to make matters worse, the entire trio is younger than him.

But Kilen has looked past the logjam and just played ball, regardless of what his eventual position (or even team) might be in the years ahead. Instead, he's been establishing himself as a professional first, before being bothered with big league banter.

Playing his first full season as a pro for the High-A Eugene Emeralds, the 22-year-old is hitting .288, with 31 walks, and currently leads the Northwest League with 67 runs driven in.

As Gavin Kilen's MLB Draft profile states, he has the skills to be a good hitter at the MLB level, but he must continue to cultivate his power at the plate. Overall, however, he receives high marks for his approach at the plate. The report pointed out that his home run numbers went up every year in college and that his only significant weakness is choosing contact over walks.

Looking Ahead for Gavin Kilen

2025 first-rounder Gavin Kilen clubs his 7th homer of the year for the High-A @EugeneEmeralds onto a nearby roof!

See what else #SFGiants + #Mariners prospects have in store for FREE: https://t.co/7xBadLh8HR pic.twitter.com/GdCMRn6hfI
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 26, 2026

To be fair to Kilen, if he were a part of any other franchise,he would already being called that club's 'shortstop of the future' and we would all watch the stopwatch closer in terms of his time in the minors.

But with San Francisco's situation, Kilen will likely have to shift to second base, third base, or left field if he is going to be in the Giants' starting lineup someday. You have to believe that one of the triumvirate of Gonzales, Level, and Hernandez will stick at short. One will also take up another position elsewhere, and the odd man out is most likely a trade chip. That leaves Kilen waiting until the smoke clears at the top of the food chain before he gets to feast on Major League pitching.

For now, Gavin Kilen is doing everything he can do. He's establishing himself as a professional hitter now, and that will carry him to the game's highest level. In his case, it will be a case of have bat, will travel. Meaning, whatever position he plays, or even what team he may end up on, he's already shown that he's got a place reserved in The Show someday soon.

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