With the 64th pick of the 2013 Draft, the San Francisco Giants took Ryder Jones, a high-school player listed as 3B/RHP on Baseball America's top-500 list. Also of note is that Jones was ranked #197 on said list. The Giants are being quirky again!
If you're thinking this is a signability pick, it isn't. Jones is committed to Stanford, so he isn't going to sign for $50 and a Will Clark rookie card. This makes two straight picks that made the talking heads and pundits say "Whaa?" Still trust you, Giants! Still trust you. Kind of.
A snippet of Baseball America's scouting report:
He has a big frame with room to add strength at 6-foot-3, 185 pounds and projects to have at least average power. He lacks bat speed, which brings up questions about his overall hitting ability. He is committed to Stanford but may be more signable than the typical Cardinal recruit. His talent would fit in the fifth or sixth round, which would not be enough to buy him out of Stanford. Jones also has the fallback of moving to the mound, where he shows a fastball in the low 90s and sharp slider.
And here's Keith Law:
Whoops! Looks like Law never mentioned him, which indicates this is a strong overdraft, at least in comparison to pre-draft expectations. Still trust you, Giants! Kind of. Sort of. Maybe.
And a review from John Sickels:
Whoops! Nothing there, either. How about Pitchfork?
What’s most disappointing about the album is how Ryder-Jones has almost completely abandoned taking any sonic risks. His vocal is dulled and rasping throughout, and the songs never blossom like those on If..., seemingly hamstrung by his limited range.
DAMMIT, NO. I will accept a lack of bat speed, but if you're taking someone who doesn't even take sonic risks in the second round ... man, I don't even know.
Video:
The Giants are confounding experts, which might be a bad thing. Or maybe they're just ahead of the game. Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket. Still trust you, Giants? Maybe?