-- Joe Ross rumors have been pretty strong lately. Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus have both projected Ross to go to the Giants with the 29th overall pick in their most recent mock drafts.
Ross, a right-handed high school pitcher out of Oakland (attends Bishop O'Dowd), sits between 90 and 94 with his fastball, with a solid changeup (80 to 82) and the potential for an above-average curve. Keith Law said the following on him:
Joe's older brother Tyson has reached the big leagues with Oakland despite one of the worst deliveries I've seen in any recent draft, but Joe brings more to the table than Tyson does, sharing in his brother's athleticism but with a cleaner, more traditional arm action.
Good to hear, considering that Tyson has been enjoying some success this year.
On the Giants' projected pick, Kevin Goldstein said: "I've heard nothing but high school arms here, but Tyson's younger brother has come up often."
Ultimately, Law says Ross projects as a number-two starter in the majors. He has him at #25 on his Top 100 Draft Prospects List.
-- Andrew Susac, catcher at Oregon State, has been projected by Keith Law and MLB Bonus Baby to be selected by the Giants in the first round.
Law writes:
I'm mostly hearing them on arms, especially prep arms, but the idea that they're taking a catcher has gained momentum -- although it could just be an overreaction to the Buster Posey injury.
There are a few first-round talents at catcher, but Susac seems most appealing.
Austin Hedges out of UCLA is "bar none, the best defensive catching prospect in this draft," but his bat is really iffy, and it's going to be difficult for a team to buy him out of his commitment to UCLA. Probably not worth pursuing.
Blake Swihart (switch-hitting catcher, Cleveland High), on the other hand, has good offensive potential. He's pretty raw -- has only been catching since summer of 2010 but he's got a good skillset -- plus arm, bat speed, athleticism. Keith Law has Swihart ranked 19th on his top 100. One thing to note, however, is that Swihart has a commitment to the University of Texas, and could be a pricey pick. It's entirely possible he won't even fall to the 29th pick though. Boston seems to have a lot of interest in him, and they could take him at 19 or 26.
Susac, a collegiate catcher, provides a nice balance of defensive skills (there's no doubt in scouts' minds that he'll remain at the catcher position, where he has a plus glove) and offensive potential: as Gobroks (of MLB Bonus Baby) writes: "Susac is very polished and has a well rounded game at C both offensively and defensively."
Though he broke his hamate bone (just like Pablo Sandoval) in April, that shouldn't prove to be a long-term problem. If the Giants do decide to go with a catcher in the first round, Susac seems to be their best bet.
-- Other mock drafts project the Giants to go with HS LHP Henry Owens (The Hardball Times) and college OF Brian Goodwin (Jonathan Mayo). The Goodwin pick doesn't really make sense to me, as I think the Giants will, in all likelihood, select a pitcher or catcher (or perhaps middle infielder). Owens, on the other hand, is consistent with their interest in prep arms, and is from California (Edison High), so could have additional appeal as a local.
Other names that have been thrown out as projected picks for the Giants, or in connection with the Giants: Joshua Osich, Kolten Wong, and Robert Stephenson.
The Process Report has a nice -- albeit brief -- profile on Kolten Wong, which you should check out.
-- SFGiants.com had an interesting article on the upcoming draft. Here's the segment I found interesting:
For the Giants, that means ranking the top 800 prospects, in order and by position. Barr compared the process to gathering "all the players in one playground. Who are going to be the best players in five years?"With the Giants employing a BPA (best player available) philosophy, it's hard to know what to expect. They could in fact take Goodwin, for example, if they do believe he's the best player left when it comes time for their pick.
This system reflects Barr's belief in taking the best player available when the Giants' turn comes, rather than drafting to fill a particular void.
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The first round of the draft will be held on June 6 at 7 PM ET.
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