Drafting someone like Buster Posey. I’m sorry, I’m just not that high on the kid. Picking up someone like Aaron Crow or Brian Matusz would just be a head scratcher.

Question is, if both Tim Beckham and Smoak are available, which one do you take? Beckham has more upside, obviously, but he’s not nearly as polished and our system isn’t very adept at producing raw hitters. So, does that mean you go after the guy that’s more of a sure thing in Smoak? That’d be a tough decision for me, given our organization. The true nightmare scenario for me would be drafting a bust. I don’t mind taking risks here and there, but when you’re in the position we’re in, it’d be nice to have something work out.

I want Alvarez or Smoak. I think it’s unlikely we get a shot a either of these guys but the Giants need a refined guy who can move quickly through the system. While G Beckham probably fits in this category also the Giants do have some decent middle infielders in the system. T Beckham is just too much of a longterm thing for me.

Unless Tidrow goes ga-ga over another pitcher SF is likely to find a nice hitting prospect. What was the story about drafting a 1b in the top selections and the HOF? I know Yonder Alonso doesn’t get enough publicity but everything I read about this kid reminds me a lot of former great Tony Perez. Sitting pretty at #5 SF should find a gem.

Gotta go with Skipper Neukom. Kid’s a gamer.

is a stud. Really ,whats bad about him other than the fact that he plays the same position as AnVil?

is the organization deciding that they want a “signable” player and draft someone rated much lower. I don’t think that’s very likely, but that’s why it’s a nightmare.

Boy, I sure hope Patrick Willis falls to us.

But I think Smoak would look very good in french vanilla. As mentioned previously by SLO and Dan, I’d stay very far away from Tim Beckham. And, to me, you just don’t draft a catcher at #5, as good as Posey is projected to be.

Draft day strategy

Managing general partner Peter Magowan said the Giants want to select a position player with their first pick in the June 5 amateur draft.

In an interview Friday, Magowan was discussing the team’s long-held strategy of drafting as much pitching as possible, which served the Giants well until market conditions made it more difficult to acquire position players via trades or free agency.

“The last few years we have been changing direction,” Magowan said. “Four of the first six guys we drafted last year were position players. We hope to get a position player this time.”

The Giants have an obvious power shortage and a need for corner infielders. Over the years, other teams have added offense relatively quickly by drafting college hitters. Dick Tidrow, the Giants’ vice president of player personnel, has been an advocate for drafting pitching, particularly when the Giants were winning and did not get to pick until the end of the of the first round. By then, Tidrow said, the remaining hitters were not as good as the pitchers still available.

This year, the Giants have the fifth overall pick. Among the highest-rated prospects are Florida State catcher Buster Posey, Vanderbilt third baseman Pedro Alvarez and South Carolina first baseman Justin Smoak.

It’s hard to come up with a nightmare scenario because there are just too many decent options available. We’d have to really reach to pick up someone i didn’t like. I guess if we passed on Alvarez, i’d be pretty disappointed, but i doubt he’ll be there to pass on. If we’re ignoring pitchers for a moment, then my preferences would be:

1) Alvarez
2) T. Beckham
3) Smoak
4) G. Beckham
5) Posey

Giants beat writer shares a little extra from my interview with Brian Sabean.He writes that he’d wager this is the most time Sabean personally has invested in the draft in many, many years. Maybe since he was scouting director with the Yankees. Sabean certainly didn’t miss with the sixth overall pick in 1992, when Derek Jeter first entered Yankee lore. Is high school shortstop Tim Beckham another Jeter? If he lasts to the fifth pick, we’ll soon find out if Sabean thinks so.

Interesting read and Sabes answers a few questions.

With the draft just weeks away it seems to be taking some shape. The Rays have the first selection and have seemed to narrow their choice down to two players – Beckham and Posey. Picking second the Pirates will attempt to right their ship with the choice of Pedro Alvarez. MLB.com Kansas City beat writer believes the Royals have narrowed the third selection to either Alvarez or Justin Smoak. The Baltimore Orioles have the fourth pick and both Jim Callis of BA and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com believe the Birds will go with LHP Brian Matusz.

This leaves our beloved SF Giants the choice of:

• Buster Posey C
• Tim Beckham SS
• Eric Hosmer 1b
• Gordon Beckham SS
• Aaron Crow RHP
• Yonder Alonso 1b