Part 2 of my Giants draft review picks up with round 6. The Giants added 5 potential power arms with their first 5 selections and would continue to add arms for the next few rounds. Let's not waste any time. On to round #6:
6. Seth Lonsway, lhp, Ohio State, #161. 35+ FV
I always felt like the "low man" on Seth Lonsway. He was getting some 2-3 round buzz during the 2020 draft cycle which felt rich to me. Lonsway came in at #107 on my final 2020 board and probably would have dropped further had the entire 2020 college season played out because of his walk issues (18 walks in 18 innings). Lonsway wasn't selected in the shortened 5 round draft and returned to Ohio State for another go at the D1 level.
Lonsway set a personal best in BB/9 in 2021 at 5.7 BB/9 which narrowly beat his 5.8 BB/9 in 2019 and was a tick better than his 6.1 BB/9 career rate. There were flashes of brilliance mixed in with the usual inconsistencies that have followed Lonsway throughout his career. His April 3rd start against Indiana was a prime example of what Lonsway is capable of when everything is "on". That masterpiece performance included 7 shutout innings, 2 hits allowed, 1 walk, and 17 strikeouts. 81% of the outs Lonsway recorded came via strikeout and he even pitched an immaculate inning. That game against Indiana was the beginning of a solid 5 start stretch where Lonsway pitched to a 1.40 ERA over 32.2 innings. However, there was a 5 walk and 4 walk performance mixed in there. The trajectory was still encouraging as his BB/9 was well below his career rate after those 5 starts. I considered moving him up my board but decided to wait and see how he finished. His last 3 starts were troubling and he ended up allowing 14 free passes in 14.2 innings. Lonsway also finished the year with 12 wild pitches and 12 hit batters.
The unpredictability from start to start is frustrating and will likely limit Lonsway to a bullpen role moving forward. He is susceptible to big innings where he struggles to repeat his delivery and get things in sync. A lot of times it takes a fresh inning (or fresh start) to get him back on track. I think I overrated his fastball with a current 55 grade. He can sit 92-94 (he's touched 96) during starts and it has some decent shape to it, but the 25/30 grade command of the pitch causes it to play down. The fastball will also flatten out at times which combined with poor control/command makes it susceptible to hard contact. I'd probably adjust that fastball grade to a present 50 with a future grade of 55. What draws you in are the breaking balls. His curve is a fairly consistent double-plus pitch with true 12/6 movement. It's a huge weapon for him and he has no problem doubling up on the pitch. It's one of those pitches that hitters can sit on and still end up swinging through. He also shows a slider that is a plus pitch when he can throw it hard in the mid-80s and it gives Lonsway a pitch with some lateral action. When he's able to differentiate the curveball and slider and throw both pitches for strikes he's almost unhittable. Lonsway can manipulate the spin on both his breakers and can alter the shape and feel of each offering. His changeup is rarely used but does show some promise though he may never really use it if he's used in a pen role.
I'm sure Lonsway will get a chance to start in pro ball but his long term struggles with strike-throwing make it hard to see that working. It's unusual to see an older college player (Lonsway is 22.08) with this level of variance in potential outcomes. If he's able to get even 40 level command he's a legitimate weapon at the MLB level. He may also struggle to get past AA if all things remain where they are now. Lonsway wasn't someone I was all that interested in but I like this pick at this point in the draft. Every pitcher at this stage will have areas they need to improve, but very few have fastball velo from the left side and two legitimate plus breaking balls. I like taking the risk on Lonsway in the 6th round. You can check out some video of Lonsway below courtesy of Burke Granger:
7. Nick Sinacola, rhp, Maine, #500, 35 FV
I decided to throw Sinacola on the board at the final spot mostly as a statistical bet. He was a strikeout artist up in Maine this year. Sinacola finished the 2021 season with 139 strikeouts in 79.1 innings (15.8 K/9) and had double-digit strikeouts in 11 of his 12 starts. For the season, he finished with a 2.04 ERA, 2.6 BB/9, 6.04 K:BB ratio, 59 hits allowed, and 4 homers surrendered. A very successful 3rd season for Sinacola at the University of Maine, but it came against only conference opponents in a less than stellar D1 conference. Still, we've seen plenty of pitching talent come from smaller northeast schools so Sinacola certainly warranted attention.
I had never heard of Sinacola prior to this season. I didn't notice him until mid-to-late April and my first viewing of him came via a Geoff Pontes tweet which you can check out HERE. I reached out to Geoff in regards to Sinacola as he's someone whose analysis I value highly. I'll paraphrase Geoff's words a bit, he said this was a probable day 2 pick (good call by the way) with a slider heavy approach. Day 2 pick you say? Sounds like my type of draft prospect. Thankfully, finding American East games over on ESPN+ is relatively easy so I was able to see him shortly after talking to Geoff.
So yes, I saw the slider. It's a very nice weapon for Sinacola. The ones I saw him throw were all 50 or 55 grade pitches, with more 55s than 50s. It's by far his best pitch and he actually threw a higher percentage of sliders than fastballs. Apparently, he threw more sliders than fastballs throughout the entire season. He commands the pitch extremely well, better than his fastball, and can play around with the usage of the pitch for maximum effect. He had no problem starting batters with sliders to "steal" strikes and he also showed supreme confidence in the pitch by using it when he was even/behind in the count. I haven't seen any of Sinacola's pitch data but Sinacola's slider looks somewhat familiar to me. It kind of reminds me of the pitch that former Giant (a brief encounter) Nick Tropeano started throwing in 2020 out of the pen. Tropeano's slider isn't a high spinner by any means but he's able to generate a good amount of downward movement (drop) on the pitch which makes it effective when thrown down and away to righties and towards the backfoot of lefty hitters. I think Sinacola has better command of his slider than Tropeano does, which might allow Sinacola's to play better in the strike zone. Tropeano's slider was used mostly as a chase pitch. Neither Sinacola nor Tropeano throw their sliders particularly hard, sitting in the 77-81 range for both pitchers. You can see Tropeano's slider movement in the GIF below.
Sinacola's fastball is currently a fringe average pitch. There were reports of some added velocity towards the end of the season, but it was still only in the 90-93 range. He has fringe average (45) command of the pitch but was generally in or near the zone when I watched him throw. However, simply filling the zone at 90-93 MPH with generic fastball shape isn't going to cut it in the pros. I think this is where playing in the American East helped him as hitters in more competitive conferences would likely do a lot more damage off that fastball. Sinacola throws from a higher/vertical slot with some deception which could give the fastball some added playability if he can throw it harder. He tunnels the fastball and slider well which allows both pitches to play to their max efficiency. Sinacola throws a splitter/changeup hybrid that is actually a pretty decent pitch. The potential with this pitch was a pleasant surprise. It wasn't a pitch that I saw him use often but there's a chance for a quality changeup if it's developed and optimized further. It has some solid horizontal movement to his arm side which gives him a different movement profile from his fastball/slider. The changeup would give Sinacola a better shot at starting and a dependable weapon against lefty hitters.
There are some mechanical things that I think Sinacola can address as a pro that could push his prospect stock to a higher level. There are some timing issues that need to be cleaned up and I think a shorter arm action could help correct that. Sinacola's arm lags behind his delivery most of the time and it doesn't look like he's able to fully incorporate his lower half. If he can sync things up there might be some added velocity in store for both the fastball and slider. For now, Sinacola is looking like a slider-heavy, righty bat-focused relief specialist or perhaps a multi-inning type reliever like Nick Tropeano. I don't think I'd change my assessment of Sinacola in terms of where I ranked him, but there are some sneaky developmental opportunities here for the Giants. Check out the video below from ProspectsLive to see more of Sinacola in action.
8. Ian Villers, rhp, Cal, #404, 35 FV
Villers was a preseason sleeper for me as his fastball was reportedly in the upper 90s (with a rumored 99 MPH reading) prior to the season starting and had shown 97 MPH velocity in 2020. The size (6'5/240), plus arm strength, and high level velocity were enough to pique my interest. Like many 3rd year players in power conferences, Villers didn't have much of a track record coming into 2021 because of the cancelled 2020 season. Prior to 2021, Villers accumulated only 26.2 innings almost entirely out of the bullpen. Villers made 5 starts in 2021 but none of them lasted more than a few innings. For all intents and purposes, Villers was a pure reliever at Cal this year. He pitched well as a trusted member of the Golden Bears' pitching staff and completed his 3rd campaign with a solid 2.84 ERA. In 38 innings Villers finished with 36 Ks, 11 BBs, a 3.27 K:BB ratio, 36 hits allowed, and just 2 homers surrendered. He decided to give the Cape Cod League a try prior to the draft which turned out to be a really good decision. Villers had 2 hitless outings where he struck out 7, walked no one, and gave up only 3 hits in 8 innings. I guarantee this impressive performance on the cape helped improve his draft stock. I put him in a bucket (I'm stealing an Eric Longenhagen term here) of college arms slotted around the 400th overall spot on my board that all performed well but struck me as late-day 2/early day 3 type talents.
You probably have to project Villers in the pen at this point. He's never really started and his usage seemed to be manicured at the beginning of the year as he rarely pitched on back-to-back days early on. As I mentioned earlier, Villers is a big, physical dude with massive arm strength. He doesn't need to throw with much effort to get to his upper level velocity. Take a look at this GIF I made from a clip provided by PerfectGame:
It looks like he's just playing catch with the backstop. The ability to throw so hard with such little effort can sometimes lead to a couple of things. 1. It could mean more velocity in the tank, especially if Villers is allowed to "air it out" in a pen role 2. future command gains. It's much easier to command pitches when you are in control of your body. You can see that he throws from a pretty high slot and Villers shows the ability to work downhill off the mound. I only saw a couple of Villers appearances the past two years, but this Cape Cod League look is similar to what I saw this spring. There have been some timing issues in his delivery and some trouble repeating his arm slot. He looks better in this clip which could explain the better results. Despite easy mid 90s velocity or better, Villers' fastball does not play to that level. It's a much more hittable pitch than you'd expect and it hasn't been a consistent bat misser. His fastball showed mostly two-seam movement (with solid spin rates) and was a bit too flat in the zone for my tastes. Reshaping the fastball should be one of the first things the Giants attempt to work on with Villers. It's a "soft" 50 grade pitch currently, but it certainly has plus potential. The development of a reliable secondary pitch was a huge development for Villers and the gains with his slider from 2020 to the end of 2021 are pretty remarkable. It can feature sharp breaking action in the mid 80s with two-plane movement. I have it conservatively graded as a 55 present pitch, mostly because this is a relatively new development. If this slider is consistently at this level with quality command (PerfectGame was impressed with the slider command on the cape) it might be a plus pitch. Villers also has a curveball which is a bit behind the slider but is certainly usable. I didn't see this pitch when I watched him during the season but the reports/clips I've seen are promising. It's been described as slurvy and it can blend in too much with the slider. If Villers can remove some of the laziness behind the pitch, he could have another legitimate weapon. His changeup is rarely used and the feel for the pitch is minimal. I put it down as a 40 offering as I think it can be somewhat useful because it's thrown at a velocity range well below where his fastball is. He's a control over command pitcher currently, but that could improve with pro instruction and more experience on the mound.
Villers might get a chance to pitch as a starter for the Giants. He certainly has the size you look for and he isn't a max effort hurler. The advancements he's made with his secondary pitches definitely improve his chances as there is some potential for a 4 pitch mix. I really like this pick in the 8th round for the Giants. Another pitcher with an "up" arrow developmentally with a big arm to sculpt in the pros.
9. Mat Olsen, rhp, Central Arizona College (JC), UR, 35 FV
Olsen was one of the final cuts to my final top 500 board. He showed some impressive stuff early last year at CAC which caught my attention. He sort of flew under the radar for me this year which can happen with juco pitchers. I try to pay extra attention to junior college players because they are so often undervalued. Sometimes, like with Olsen, I lose track of them. If I was given a "redo" to my rankings I think Olsen would have been slotted around the same area as Ian Villers.
You don't typically associate 5'11 righties as power pitchers but that's how Olsen operates. He comes at hitters from a higher 3/4 slot with a very uptempo delivery. It's a high-effort delivery and he does a good job getting extended allowing his stuff to play up. It's a deceptive delivery with a lot of body gyration during his high leg kick. Olsen shows an impressive combination of strength and athleticism with near plus arm speed to go with it. I don't have any pitch data but I'd bet he throws from a low release height with a lot of vertical carry on his fastball. The fastball shows four-seam shape and will feature rising action at the top of the zone. Sound familiar? The Giants have selected several of these types of pitchers through 9 rounds. I'm a little concerned with the velocity. In the start I watched through a stream, Olsen was 90-92 for the majority of the outing. Other reports from outlets like Perfect Game and Prep Baseball Report had him 92-94 and up to 96. But there were also a lot of 89-91 outings in there too. A smaller, high-effort pitcher with some serious velocity fluctuation is a bit concerning to me. But it looks like his fastball has the chance to play above its velocity. We'll have to see where he's sitting in pro ball. The only secondary I saw was a curveball which I probably underrated. It's an above-average pitch that has sharp biting action that he can land for strikes. His curveball command was better than his fastball command during the outing I saw. You could call it a future 60 grade pitch if you are feeling generous. It plays well off of his fastball and Olsen tunnels the two pitches well. I didn't see a changeup. The reports I checked out made it sound like a promising pitch with some arm-side movement that should help him in his battles against lefty hitters.
My guess is that the Giants draft model really liked Olsen. He's young for the class with a reported age at draft time of 20.11. He has the fastball/breaking ball they clearly look for and he was a strong statistical performer during his Central Arizona career. Olsen had a 2.09 ERA with 194 K's in 125 innings at CAC. He could move quickly as a reliever but I'm not sure if the Giants will start him off in the pen. Some video from Baseball Prospectus below:
10. Vaun Brown, of, Florida Southern (DII), UR
There were only about two dozen or so players drafted this year that I had never heard of. Naturally, the Giants drafted four of those players starting with Brown. The amount of video available here is extremely limited so there's not much info for me to provide at this point. Brown is all but guaranteed to be a significant underslot signing. He's a 23 year old outfielder with a limited track record of success at the DII level. To his credit, Brown did have a productive season for Florida Southern. His OPS was over 1.200, his isolated power (ISO) was above .400, and he hit 13 homers in only 130 plate appearances. That's some prodigious power even if it came at a lower level of competition. Brown also spent some time in the Florida Collegiate Summer League (FCSL) and continued to mash with a 1.140 OPS. You can see a clear uptick in production, especially on the power side, starting in 2020. Perhaps this is a legitimate breakout. We'll have to wait and find out.
I decided to reach out to Wayne Cavadi on Twitter. He follows DII baseball very closely and I thought he might be able to provide some info on Brown. Wayne said he's a tooled-up player who can do a bit of everything well. He led the Sunshine State Conference in home runs and was second in slugging. Wayne liked his simple swing, bat speed, and the way his power comes so easily. Cavadi also said that Brown was named an all-star in the FCSL which is one of the better wood-bat leagues in the south.
Thanks, Wayne!
The power/speed combination (Brown hit 15 homers and stole 20 bases across two levels this year) and centerfield defense are definitely enticing. The walk and strikeout numbers are a red flag for me. 55 walks to 153 K's at a DII school is typically enough for me to move on entirely. He had a 12:26 BB/K rate in 2021. Better, but still underwhelming given the context. I'm not expecting much from Brown, but it sounds like there are some legitimate tools here. He wouldn't be the first older DII guy to surprise people in pro ball. We'll see if the Giants can catch lightning in a bottle with this pick.
Day 3: Rounds 11-20
I may not go into as much detail on some of these11-20 round selections. There are a few that I've never seen/heard of before and a bunch that I only saw play a handful of times. The Giants started day 3 with a selection of yet another player I'd never heard of. This time a prep outfielder from the midwest.
11. Donovan McIntyre, of, Marian Catholic (IL), UR
The Giants went back-to-back on players whose names were completely foreign to me. The 11th round is usually when you'll see teams start targeting some higher quality prospects compared to the late day 2 rounds. Teams will use those late day 2 rounds to save bonus pool money that can be spread elsewhere. Teams are also not at risk of losing money from their bonus pool if they fail to sign a player after the 10th round. This allows teams to take some more risks at this point in the draft. For example, just 5 high school players were drafted between rounds 8-10. 7 high school players were selected in the 11th round alone.
Many draft observers (myself included) expected the Giants to take a prep player that may have dropped down the board because of larger bonus demands. The Giants used this strategy in 2019 by selecting Trevor McDonald in the 11th round. A few of the guys on my draft wish list for day 3 were actually taken during the 11th round. Roc Riggio, Gage Ziehl, and Adam Shoemaker were all high school players I thought would be of interest to the Giants. The Giants ended up taking McIntyre who didn't get a ton of exposure as a prep outfielder from Illinois. He committed late to Kent State after a solid showing at the WWBA World Championship. There is very little video or info available on McIntyre but the consensus seems to be that he's a very good athlete with contact ability who can really run and defend in center. The pictures/clips I've seen show an undersized player with a healthy amount of projection remaining on his body. He's listed at 6'0/155 which probably leaves room for another 20 pounds or so to add some much-needed strength. The late commitment and under-developed body signal to me that McIntyre might be a late bloomer with a big upward projection arrow. There are some profile similarities to 2019 3rd round pick Grant McCray, though McCray was a bit more "known" at this stage.
McIntyre wasn't the overslot prep that I wanted in this spot but he's a lot more interesting after learning a bit about him. There are plenty of talented high schoolers that fly under the radar and then exceed expectations in pro ball. I look forward to seeing how he looks in games this summer and early next year. Perfect Game named him as one of the top uncommitted players following the WWBA World Championship and had this to say about him:
This is what a lead-off and centerfield prospect should look like. The 6-foot-1, 150 pound frame has room to fill but the quick wrists and range are showing up right now. McIntyre, a left-handed hitter, hit .333 at the WWBA while scoring six runs while trying to swipe bases every time he stepped on first base. He can make a pitcher uncomfortable in a hurry.
12. Landen Roupp, rhp, UNC Wilmington, #481, 35 FV
Roupp was the Friday night starter on a team that was really fun to watch. UNC Wilmington was a clean 9th inning away from winning the Colonial Athletic Association and getting to regional play. The Seahawks went 32-22 in a sneaky good conference with Roupp as their ace. A 4th-year junior, Roupp has been a consistent performer during his Wilmington career and racked up over 250 innings. His career ERA was 2.99 with both his 2020 and 2021 season ERA falling below that line. In 2021 Roupp had a 2.58 ERA in 101 innings with 118 strikeouts, 42 walks, a 2.81 K:BB ratio, 8 homers allowed, and just 69 hits against. He surpassed his previous career-high in innings by 20 so I doubt we'll be seeing him pitch much (if at all) the rest of this year.
Roupp looks the part of a workhorse starter with a strong and durable build at 6'2/205. He throws from a lowish 3/4 slot and the overall operation looks clean and repeatable. There really isn't a standout tool or attribute here. Roupp is one of those types of players where the sum is greater than the individual parts. His fastball is a pretty generic sinker at 90-94 and his command of the pitch is slightly below average. But I think the pitch plays to an average level because of the way it pairs with his slider. I'm calling it a slider because that's what it looks and plays like to me. It's an interesting pitch because it can have some big sweeping action despite only mid 70s velocity. It's a unique pitch and it gets results. Roupp racks up most of his K's on the slider and most of the contact generated is weak. Roupp relies heavily on the slider and throws it more frequently than his fastball. Roupp also has a decent changeup that will flash average, but it's not used very often.
Roupp's profile is eerily similar to Nicholas Sinacola's. Low 90s fastball, heavy breaking ball usage, decent changeup. Both pitchers miss a ton of bats and limit hitters to mostly ground ball contact. Roupp will likely fill a rotation spot at first and there are some start elements. All of his pitches play well off each other but the slider/sinker combo is best suited in the pen. Roupp's stuff doesn't pass the eye test but he keeps on performing at a high level. Perhaps there is some kind of hidden trait/skill that I and others are missing.
13. Jared Dupere, of, Northeastern, UR
I "greened" Dupere (pronounced like Dupree) prior to the draft in my draft database. Guys in green are players that I haven't ranked/graded but do some things that set them apart from the other players without a grade. Basically, a higher tier.
I saw Dupere face off against Ryan Cusick and the rest of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on opening weekend. He wasn't really on my radar at that point, but his double off of Cusick earned him a place in my database. Dupere just kept hitting the rest of the way and he finished with a .343/.457/.781 line. Dupere slugged 21 bombs and over 55% of his hits went for extra bases. He wasn't just one of the best power bats in the CAA (Colonial Athletic Association), he was one of the top power hitters in the entire country. I saw Dupere again during conference tournament play but he went 0 for 4 and was pitched around the entire game. I hesitated to put him in the 35 FV tier and ultimately held off on doing so. I figured someone would take a chance on him during day 3 and sure enough, the Giants were the ones to make that happen.
Dupere's physicality really stands out. He was one of the most impressive hitters I saw in that conference from a pure body/strength standpoint. Dupere is a bit shorter at 5'11, but there is a lot of compact strength to impact the baseball. He hits from a crouched stance and really leans in with his upper half at the plate. Dupere looks like he's daring pitchers to bust him in where he can use his immense bat speed and physical strength to turn on hard stuff inside. He's short-limbed and those short arms allow him to cover the inner half of the plate despite crowding that area so much. Dupere maintains impressive balance and doesn't look like he's swinging out of his shoes to get to his power. Dupere is hard to beat inside and he does a good job of covering the outer portion of the plate as well. There might be 60/70 grade raw power here and it's not solely strength-based. The power plays to all fields and has obviously shown up in games. Unfortunately, Dupere can be susceptible to breaking stuff. He's an aggressive hitter who wants to put the bat on the ball. He makes a surprising amount of contact considering his penchant for chasing out of the zone, but Dupere will get himself out by swinging at pitcher's pitches. When Dupere plays to his strengths he's an extremely dangerous hitter. How he adjusts to more advanced pitching remains to be seen, but his plate discipline/approach will need to take a step forward. You can see some similarities between Jared Dupere and Arizona Diamondback outfielder Kole Calhoun (as mentioned by one of my Twitter followers). Calhoun has a similar compact build and made a significant swing change in 2018 that incorporated a crouch/hunch in his stance. Calhoun has averaged 37 homers per 162 in the three seasons since changing things up. Take a look:
Dupere also runs really pretty well. He's played some infield and was Northeastern's starting centerfielder in 2020. Dupere may have above average raw speed, but I think there will be a good amount of slow down as he matures. He profiles as a corner outfielder and should be solid-average there as a pro. Dupere stole a base in the game I saw against Wake Forest and he's a heads-up baserunner overall. He may steal some bases in the pros because of his instincts on the basepaths. I like taking a bet on a player with these kinds of tools and performance at a smaller conference. Dupere profiles as a power/ISO heavy platoon bat at the next level. Here are some Dupere highlights provided by Northeastern's youtube account:
14. Tyler Myrick, rhp, Florida Atlantic, #376, 35 FV
I may have jumped the gun a bit when I moved up Myrick early in the season. He's someone I've monitored closely over the years as he's shown some electric stuff on the mound. Myrick has battled through multiple injuries including Tommy John surgery which caused him to miss the 2019 season. He struggled mightily with his control/command upon returning in 2020 but dominated in his first two starts of 2021. I thought this was Myrick turning the corner. Myrick gave up just 2 earned in those two starts with 20 strikeouts and 1 walk over 12 innings. It was mostly a mixed bag from there as Myrick's control and consistency issues returned. Myrick was rocked by Vanderbilt's offense during regional play as he allowed 8 earned runs and didn't get out of the 2nd inning. That disaster of a start inflated his already mediocre ERA to 5.43. I kept him as a 35 in spite of his later struggles because I still believe there is solid reliever potential here. Myrick was thrust into a weekend rotation role for an FIU team that needed him to eat up important innings. But it's clear that Myrick would have been a better fit as a late-inning pen arm.
Myrick straddles the 5'11/6'0 line but is built strongly and pitches with a lot of moxie. He's an above average athlete with near-plus arm speed and he moves pretty well on the mound. It's surprising how much he's struggled with repeating his delivery considering how well he controls his body, but perhaps there are still some lingering effects from his TJ surgery. He topped out at 97 this year and will hold 92-95 (with some 96's sprinkled in) early in outings. His fastball velocity will drop down to the 90-94 MPH range but he's shown that he's capable of reaching back for that 95-96 velocity when the situation calls for some added gas. Myrick's fastball plays best at the top of the zone where he can get some riding life at times but it can flatten out over the middle. He also can get some sinking action down low but it's not always consistent. The fastball plays down because of his lack of command. It was a clear plus pitch for me when I saw him against Miami Ohio in his second start of the season. Myrick's breaking ball (I had it as a curveball but it's developed into more of a slider) has shown promising progression over the last few years and can be a swing and miss pitch at times. The pitch can show tight breaking action with some nice vertical movement. He can spin it hard in the mid 80s with power. It's a pitch that can be effective against both righty and lefty hitters. Like his fastball, the pitch isn't consistent to date. There is a chance for a plus breaker here but I've left it as a future 55 pitch. His changeup has shown some promise but it was a distant third pitch that wasn't utilized as much as it should have been.
Myrick has a pretty lengthy history of flashing premium stuff. The problem is that it comes and goes at a moment's notice. With his injury history, advanced age (he's already 23), and struggles as a starter you'd have to assume that the bullpen is his likely destination. There is a chance for a couple of plus pitches if he can find some consistency out of the pen. Some PerfectGame video of Myrick below:
15. Brooks Baldwin, ss, UNC Wilmington, UR
I think the Giants did well with both of their college bat selections on day 3. Dupere and Baldwin have some major league quality tools that you don't typically find this late in the draft. Baldwin was announced as a shortstop when he was drafted which caught me by surprise. I had only really noticed him in the outfield where he spent the majority of his time in 2021. He's bounced around defensively at Wilmington (and in the CCBL) getting some time up the middle on the dirt. Baldwin was an impressive defender for me in right field but I have no idea how he'd play at either short or second base. With his arm (above average) third base might be an option as well.
Baldwin looked bulkier this year as he started filling out his 6'2 frame and the offensive production followed. After back-to-back years with a sub-.700 OPS, Baldwin broke out and finished with a .933 total. He also hit 15 home runs and stole 11 bases. He's a good athlete and there are loose actions at the plate. He's very hard to beat with velocity especially inside because of some great bat speed. What's most impressive about Baldwin is his ability to manipulate the barrel. His barrel rates this season were fantastic and it allowed him to get to all of his above average power this spring. What holds back the profile is a poor approach. He expands the zone often which leads to low walk rates and high strikeout totals. Even during his offensive explosion, Baldwin struggled to keep his plate discipline in check. He finished with just 9 walks (a sub 4.0% walk rate) and he struck out 4 times for every walk. This issue was also evident during his time on the cape just prior to the draft. Baldwin showed some impressive pop with the bat but he was taken advantage of by more advanced pitchers. His K rate exceeded 25% and he walked just 4 times in 74 plate appearances. Similar to Dupere, he needs to make major improvements to his approach to survive in the pros.
You aren't going to find perfect prospects in the 15th round. Baldwin has his flaws but there are very few players at this point in the draft with his level of bat-to-ball ability and power from an up-the-middle position. Baldwin checks a lot of draft model boxes with his defensive versatility, age (he's still under 21), and game power.
16. Julian Bosnic, lhp, South Carolina, #191, 35+ FV
Bosnic was a preseason sleeper for me coming into 2021. I actually wrote quite a bit about him in this piece HERE. TLDR: Bosnic is a Tommy John bounceback showing a premium fastball/breaking ball combo.
I had Bosnic ranked #191 overall on my board and he was a draft board mainstay for several months. He started out the season in the weekend rotation but transitioned to a pen role after 4 starts. He got roughed up during back-to-back starts against Texas and Vanderbilt which prompted his move to the bullpen. Bosnic was excellent the rest of the way and he became one of South Carolina's most trusted relievers by the end of the season. After Vanderbilt kicked him around in late March, Bosnic lowered his ERA from 5.51 to 2.84. His ERA was 1.58 in 34.1 innings with 48 strikeouts and 11 walks after moving to the pen. 4 of those 11 walks came in one outing. Take a look at Bosnic's ratios to get an idea of how electric he was out of the pen:
Outside a couple of 1 inning appearances against Charleston Southern and North Florida, those numbers above came against SEC opponents. Bosnic also wasn't limited to single inning appearances. He pitched multiple innings in 11 of his 17 relief appearances. Bosnic became one of the best relievers in college baseball right under our noses.
Whether Bosnic can start or not is up for debate. He has a crossfire delivery with a longer arm action that adds a layer of deception to his game. Repeating mechanics like this can often be a struggle for young pitchers. He's just an OK athlete. There is some effort in there but Bosnic does a pretty good job of staying in control of his mechanics. The fastball is any easy 60 grade pitch when he commands it. He's been up to 96-97 MPH (he's usually 90-94) this spring and when he's throwing his fastball that hard it grades better than plus. The fastball also plays up because of his ability to backspin the pitch which gives it great life and carry through the strike zone. Like many of the other arms the Giants drafted, Bosnic's fastball plays exceptionally well at the top of the zone. His ability to command his fastball improved as the season went on. He combines that fastball with a big curveball that is thrown in the upper 70s. The pitch will flash 12/6 or 1/7 shape with some serious biting action. Like the fastball, it's a plus pitch when he commands it. He's also thrown a changeup and slider in the past but they will need further development. The fastball/curveball combo would be enough in a pen role, but he might be on the verge of a 4 pitch mix. How his control/command holds up will determine his future role. Bosnic made huge strides in that regard as the season progressed and didn't run into any issues with walks in relief. Control and command are usually the last pieces to develop for a pitcher coming off TJ surgery. Perhaps the improvements we saw are Bosnic simply moving further away from that TJ date. It's also important to note that Bosnic had just 6.2 innings at South Carolina before this season. This is a fresh arm.
Getting Bosnic in the 16th round is a fantastic value. The Giants can give Bosnic $125,000 without it counting against their total bonus pool. I'd expect him to sign somewhere north of that. Bosnic felt more like a 5-6 round talent so getting him signed on day 3 would still be quite the steal even with an overslot bonus. Follow the link HERE to see a clip of Bosnic from Perfect Game.
UPDATE: South Carolina's Twitter account sent out a tweet today (7/23) that Bosnic would be returning to campus and not signing with the Giants. This is a fairly significant blow to the Giants 2021 draft class as Bosnic was easily the best player selected on day 3 for me.
17. Brett Standlee, rhp, Oklahoma State, UR
All I really knew about Standlee is that he threw hard and had a luscious orange beard. Zack Littell would certainly approve. He was originally a starter at OSU but settled in as the team's closer in 2021. I remember him being mostly an upper 80s sinkerballer but apparently his stuff ticked up out of the pen. He can sit 91-95 from a higher slot and an uptempo delivery. He works fast and attacks hitters head-on. Standlee definitely looks and acts the part of a power reliever. Standlee does a good job repeating his mechanics with low effort. There's some good arm strength here. He can throw two different breaking balls (a mid 80s cutter/slider hybrid and a mid 70s curve that flashes two-plane break) for strikes. There isn't a standout tool that I can see but his ability to command three pitches is of interest to me. Standlee will be close to 23 so he's very much on the older side. Everything I've read about his personality has been very strong with praise for both his team-first attitude and work ethic. Seems like a good character guy who should be popular with his teammates and fans. You can see him close out a win against Texas below:
18. Hunter Dula, rhp, Wingate (DII)), UR
I only had Dula in my database because I had heard his name mentioned after Wingate won the D2 championship. I then saw his name pop up on a Cape Cod League roster. He was named MVP of the South Atlantic Conference and was a member of the All-Region team. His teammate Tommy McCollum was throwing 95 MPH fastballs but I had no information on Dula. I once again reached out to Division II superfan Wayne Cavai for some information. Here is what Wayne had to say:
Now, Dula I did see in Cary at the championship. He was a hitter with nice pop, but I think those days are done. He's listed at 6'1, 200 but he looked bigger in person. I saw a three-pitch mix, he's pretty much over the top and has a pretty simple delivery, although it may need some refinement at the next level. I saw him reach back and strike a guy out on three-straight pitches with the bases loaded. I was in the media tent, so I wasn't straight on, but the way he froze a very good hitter, you have to think he gets some nice movement on the fastball. It did appear to have some sink. I also liked the curve, it flashes above average when he is on.
Great stuff Wayne!
There is hardly any video I can find on Dula so I guess we'll just have to wait and see how he looks in pro ball. A two-way player in college that commits to one side of the ball can sometimes see a quick burst of development in pro ball.
19. Irvin Murr III, 3b, Winter Springs (FL), UR
Never heard of Murr. I've got nothing on him. I saw some clips of him from last summer where his physicality and big body stood out to me. He might have plus bat speed and there looks to be some raw juice in the swing. Murr did record some impressive exit velos at smaller events according to Prep Baseball Report. He has a junior college commitment which probably makes him signable even as a high school selection this late.
20. Vance Honeycutt, Salisbury (NC), UR
Another player I've got nothing on. Honeycutt is committed to the University of North Carolina and might be a tough sign for the Giants. Honeycutt was a two-sport athlete at Salisbury as the school's starting quarterback. The body looks loose and projectable and his athleticism receives a lot of praise from scouting publications.
I wish I had a little more for you guys with some of these day 3 picks. The Giants didn't fully cooperate with my plans. Rude! But some of these selections, especially true with Donovan McIntyre, add a layer of mystery to this class. One of my favorite Coen Brothers scenes suggests we should "accept the mystery". I think we should all give that a try with this draft.
The Giants started out the 2021 draft with a long run on pitchers. They targeted power pitchers throughout their three days of drafting and restocked their supply of arms down on the farm. The Giants took a more balanced approach on day 3 and selected some unheralded but tooled hitters in McIntyre, Dupere, and Baldwin. On the pitching side, they targeted arms with very high strikeout rates. Bednar, Mikulski, Black, Lonsway, Sinacola, Olsen, Bosnic, and Standlee all had K/9 rates near 12.0/9 or higher. This was clearly a skill the Giants targeted this year. Many of those pitchers, including some others that I didn't list, accomplished those loud K totals in unique ways. But the Giants seemed to select an inordinate amount of arms that had fastballs that could play at the top of the strike zone that paired very well with advanced breaking balls down in the zone. I talked about this combination being part of the "pitching meta" in part 1. Beyond this, the Giants also took a bunch of arms with heavy breaking ball usage and an excellent feel for spin. Pitchers like Nick Sinacola and Landen Roupp don't have "big stuff" but they have major league quality breaking balls. They have demonstrated an ability to use those pitches frequently and effectively in a large sample of innings. This may also be something the Giants value highly. It was hard to not make a connection between some of the pitchers drafted this year to Jay Jackson who I was watching throw slider after slider against the Dodgers while working on this review.
I don't like to grade draft classes or picks. I let my feelings be known in part 1 and on social media. There were several other teams that had drafts I would have preferred. But the Giants seem to have a competitive advantage in the way they are able to sculpt and mold young talent as has been witnessed with some of their recent selections/signings. Kyle Harrison, Ryan Murphy, Armani Smith, Caleb Kilian, and Brett Auerbach have all exceeded expectations so far. The MLB draft is just a part of a much longer process in finding talent and a lot will change and develop over the next several years. I'm always eager to see how things playout for the Giants' draft choices and I'm sure there will be plenty of surprises in store. I'll end this review by ranking my favorite "value" picks and a ranking of my favorite day 3 picks:
Favorite/Best Values:
Julian Bosnic, Round 16
Matt Mikulski, Round 2
Jared Dupere, Round 13
Eric Silva, Round 4
Mat Olsen, Round 9
Favorite Picks From Day 3:
Julian Bosnic, Round 16
Jared Dupere, Round 13
Donovan McIntyre, Round 11
Brooks Baldwin, Round 15
Tyler Myrick, Round 14
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