Giants draft college players on second day of MLB Draft

After tabbing two high-school hitters with their first two picks of the MLB draft, the Giants went with all college players on day two, taking five pitchers and three hitters. The list:

3rd round - Chase Johnson, RHP, Cal Poly
4th - Brian Ragira, 1B, Stanford
5th - Daniel Slania, RHP, Notre Dame
6th - Nick Vander Tuig, RHP, UCLA
7th - Brandon Bednar, SS, Florida Gulf Coast
8th - Tyler Horan, LF, Virginia Tech
9th - Donald Sneltan, LHP, Minnesota
10th - Tyler Rogers, RHP, Austin Peay St.

We talked about Johnson (whom Baseball America ranked #183 on their top-500 list) here. He supposedly was a closer for Cal Poly, and then he ... wasn't, even though his stuff didn't decline and he could still get outs. It's like his coach was rapunzeling him or something, trying to protect him from the scary baseball world.

When the Giants picked Ryder Jones (BA #197), I had a note about his Stanford commitment because I've always been fascinated by the "Stanford Swing." As in, I don't get why recruits keep going to Stanford. Well, okay, I get why most of them do, but I'm talking about the super-high-profile guys who are very likely to play in the majors. The coaches at Stanford teach a specific swing, the story goes, and it's not something that translates to pro ball or wooden bats. There just haven't been a lot of successful hitters coming out of Stanford.

Well, sure, Ryan Garko.

That written, Brian Ragira (BA #142) is an interesting prospect:

Tiny stride! That's all I got. That and he can hit really well when Coasters songs are playing.

Daniel Slania (BA #153) is instantly one of my favorite prospects, if only because he's built like Ben Grimm.

Neat camera angle, Notre Dame. But around :35 in that video, there's a nasty running fastball that got my attention. And he's also flashing a whatsit pitch in this video about 18 seconds in:

No idea. But I like it. Here's what ESPN's Chris Crawford had to say about him:

Slania has a big fastball, hitting 97 on several occasions and sitting mostly in the mid 90’s. He’ll also throw a slider and curve, with the latter profiling as the better pitch. Some believe that Slania could start because of his size, but I actually think it’s a detriment and profiles best as a bullpen arm. He also doesn’t have the cleanest arm action, so I’d take him in the first three rounds and see if I can fast track his heat into my bullpen.

Let's see, Nick Vander Tuig (BA #145) is a righty from UCLA who can throw in the low-90s:

Brandon Bednar (BA #262) doesn't have a lot of video on the webs, but MLB.com offers this scouting report:

He has a strong arm and is good enough defensively to handle shortstop. Bednar's plus speed could help him run down balls in the outfield and make him a fit as a super-utility player. His future role will depend on his bat, which is not as advanced as his glove. Bednar has a quick, line-drive swing, allowing him to make a lot of contact.

Tyler Horan (BA #293) is another big dude who likes to hit and do fielding drills while obnoxiously great bumper jams play in the background:

Donald Snelten (BA #143) is a 6'7" left-handed pitcher from Minnesota, and here's his scouting report from MLB.com:

Snelten's fastball sits in the low-90s and he regularly touches 94 mph. His curveball and changeup both need work, but with some improvement he could have a solid Major League arsenal. He attacks hitters and has good poise on the mound. Snelten is more athletic than his 6-foot-7, 230-pound frame might suggest.

So, he's a 6'7" lefty who can touch 94. Doesn't that make him, like, one of the best pitching prospects in baseball? Of course, I know it doesn't, but it seems like it should. I'll never understand scouting.

And with their last pick Friday, the Giants took Tyler Rogers (N/A) out of Austin Peay. He was the first Giants draftee without a scouting report. You laugh, but there were years where the Giants' second rounders didn't have any, and everyone freaked out. MLB.com has greatly increased their coverage of the draft, which why that isn't happening now.

There were 16 Tylers on Baseball America's top-500 list. Tyler Rogers was not one of them. Hey, it's the 10th round.

Thanks to Bullpen Banter for having so many relevant videos accessible on YouTube!