First stop if you want informed analysis on the draft: Fla-Giant's FanPosts here and here There is actual "analysis" and "reasoning" there.
None of that on the front page! Maybe it's because of the World Series win, maybe it's because the Giants are picking so low*, but I haven't followed the draft a lick this year. Here's what I'm hoping the Giants get:
- a good player
And we'll know if he's good in a few years. Thanks for coming! Actually, I should say we'll know if he or she is good in a few years. They could surprise us with anything. And I'd trust them. They've earned it.
That's Gary Brown. Bad, bad Gary Brown. Sweet, sweet Gary Brown.
Kudos to Kevin Goldstein for complaining about the Gary Brown complainers before it was hip.Just because a guy isn't Eddie Joost in college doesn't mean he's going to be Shawon Dunston in the pros. I was skeptical of the Brown pick, but it turned out to be the last straw.
That was the one that made me think, okay, screw it, you guys just pick whomever you want. You've got this. It wasn't Jonathan Sanchez or Brian Wilson in the late rounds, it wasn't Bumgarner or Cain in the mid-to-late first round, and it wasn't Lincecum or Posey in the top of the first rounds. Well, it was all of those guys, but Brown was the one who broke me. Maybe he won't ever take a major league at-bat, but at least he's proven that he was absolutely worth a late-first pick.
That's doesn't mean that I'm not a glutton for punishment, though. And just so I have something written to make fun of in 2015 -- and to kick off the discussion -- here are the top ten players I'd like the Giants to target with the first of their two first-round picks:
- Kolten Wong
- Brandon Nimmo
- Blake Swihart
- Henry Owens
- Robert Stephenson
- C.J. Cron
- Brian Goodwin
- Derek Fisher
- Nick Delmonico
- Ricky Oropesa
Why these guys? Because I watched 30-second clips on MLB.com, did a few YouTube searches, and these were the guys who a) stood out and b) might be around when the Giants make their first pick. If there's one who is the best combination of both, though, I'll go with Blake Swihart, a switch-hitting high school catcher. He probably wouldn't be ready until 2015 or so, at which point it might not be a bad idea to have another catching option in the organization. Maybe Posey's robo-ankle will need a rest by then.
But, again, I know nothing. I love draft day, though. And there's always a chance that the Giants can draft someone who will blow our minds.
*Because of the World Series victory.