Giants Stroke of Lottery Luck Leads to Power-Hitting Outfielder in Mock Draft

The San Francisco Giants could add one of the most powerful hitters in college baseball if this mock draft is accurate.

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The San Francisco Giants didn't get the first overall pick in the MLB Draft lottery earlier this week, but they did get lucky.

The lottery balls went their way and the Giants ended up moving up to the No. 4 overall selection in next July’s draft. Per MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis, the Giants will get more than $3 million more in signing bonus money. The higher selection guarantees nothing. But San Francisco hopes it leads to a player that can make a Major League impact soon.

After the lottery, Baseball America (subscription required) put together its first mock draft for 2026. San Francisco ended up with Virginia outfielder AJ Gracia.

Who is AJ Gracia?

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Gracia has emerged as one of the best power-hitting outfielders in college baseball entering his junior season. The former Duke star — he transferred to ACC rival Virginia this offseason — has a .299 batting average but an OPS of more than 1.000. He’s had a highly consistent slugging percentage (.558) and has 29 career home runs, with 112 RBI.

The left-handed power hitter is sure to be on national watch lists when they’re unveiled early next year. With Duke he was an all-ACC second team selection in 2025. During his freshman season he was third-team all-ACC, all-ACC freshman and a freshman all-American per multiple outlets.

Gracia probably won’t have quite the ascent of a player like Wyatt Langford, who needed less than a year to reach the Majors with the Texas Rangers. But he could fill a power gap in right field in a couple of years if he develops quickly.

Giants Recent First-Round Picks

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Going back to 2017, San Francisco has had uneven luck with their first-round picks. For instance, current left fielder Heliot Ramos was the first-round pick in 2017, but it took him five years to make his MLB debut. Catcher Joey Bart was selected in the first round in 2018 and made it to the Majors, but he never made much of an impact and was traded to Pittsburgh in 2024. Outfielder hunter Bishop, their 2019 selection, is still in the Giants’ system at Triple-A Sacramento.

Starting catcher Patrick Bailey was selected in 2020 to replace Buster Posey, who was the Giants first-round pick in 2008. Following Bailey, the Giants selected pitcher Will Bednard in 2021, who has dealt with injuries and hasn't made a Major League debut. Same goes for 2022 with Reggie Crawford, a two-way star out of UConn but has endured injuries and surgeries. He won’t play until next year.

Fortunately, 2023 first-round pick Bryce Eldridge made his Major League debut last September. He is expected to share time with Rafael Devers at first base and DH in 2026. Outfielder James Tibbs III was the pick in 2024 and has been traded twice. San Francisco used him as part of a package to acquire Devers in June and then he was shipped by Boston to the Los Angeles Dodgers in July. Last year, San Francisco selected shortstop Gavin Kilen, who played at Tennessee under new manager Tony Vitello.