Star Slugger for Disappointing SEC Power Lands with Giants in MLB Mock Draft

The San Francisco Giants could use some help in their outfield and a recent MLB mock draft provided them with a potential answer.

Texas A&M Aggies' Jace LaViolette (17) is hit in the hands by a pitch as Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies during the SEC baseball tournament at Hoover Met in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, May 22, 2025. | Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Perhaps no college baseball team disappointed more in 2025 than the Texas A&M Aggies.

Even after a coaching change in the offseason, with Jim Schlossnagle moving to rival Texas, the Aggies were seen as one of the most loaded teams in college baseball. Aggies were named No. 1 in many preseason polls.

Texas A&M didn’t just fail to live up to the hype. It failed to make the NCAA Tournament, making it the first preseason No. 1 to fail to make the field of 64 in decades.

But that doesn’t mean that the Aggies don’t have talent worth taking in July’s MLB draft. In fact, in a recent mock draft, MLB.com has the San Francisco Giants taking one of those players at No. 13 overall.

Why Jace LaViolette Makes Sense for Giants

Many college baseball and MLB mock draft evaluators have LaViolette, a junior, as the top outfielder in the draft class. He played left field and right field for the Aggies. He slashed .285/.432/.651 in three college baseball seasons, with a 1.083 OPS. He hit 68 home runs and drove in 202 RBI.

MLB.com, in assignment the right-handed hitting LaViolette to the Giants, noted his blend of speed, power and athleticism. It also noted that he has some swing-and-miss in his game. In three seasons he struck out 222 times.

But San Francisco could use some corner infield power, especially in right field where Mike Yastrzemski is set to be a free agent after this season. Not that LaViolette would be ready for the Majors by 2026. And that’s the other significant issue for the team that drafts him.

Whoever selects him may be waiting a bit for him to make his professional debut. During the SEC Tournament in May, he fractured a bone in his left hand when he was hit by a pitch. He left the game and later returned to the dugout with it wrapped up in a splint.

Aggies coach Michael Earley did confirm that LaViolette had a fractured hand. But LaViolette played the next game against Auburn. There were reports that he had surgery between games to have a pin inserted. Whichever team drafts him will not only have to mind his medicals but give the fracture time to heal. It’s possible he won’t make a pro debut in 2025.

But, as the Aggies’ all-time home run leader, he may be worth the way. San Francisco could add him to their stable of young, power hitting outfielders, which includes James Tibbs III, who was the Giants’ first-round pick last year. The former Florida State star is at High-A Eugene in his first full professional season.