San Francisco Giants draft history: Reviewing 2010

Welcome back to our second look back at the Rule 4 drafts of yore. Before we move on, I wanted to present to you the All ‘90s Giants Draft Team:

C - Doug Mirabelli
1B - Damon Minor
2B - Jay Canizaro
3B - Bill Mueller
SS - Cody Ransom
OF - Calvin Murray
OF - Marvin Benard
OF - Dax Jones

SP - William VanLandingham
SP - Jamie Brewington
SP - Russ Ortiz
SP - Ryan Vogelsong
SP - Jerome Wiliams
CL - Joe Nathan

Players like Brad Lidge and J.D. Drew don’t count. Neither does Keith Foulke or Chris Singleton, who succeeded somewhere else. We’re talking about players who actually helped the Giants. Ryan Vogelsong made it on a technicality, but also because it was him or Kurt Ainsworth.

Point is: The ‘90s drafts stunk. Compare it to the team of the ‘00s:

• Basically the team you’re watching now, give or take

I like this incarnation better. It just needs a Bonds.

Today’s draft subject is 2010, which was just a dandy year in general.

First pick: Gary Brown (first round, #24 overall)

Before you rail against the Giants for this pick, remember they picked #24. They had nothing but flawed and raw prospects staring back at them. In the 49 years of the draft, nine players drafted #24 overall have been worth a win. Two of those — Bob Geren and Steve Nicoscia — were worth a single, lousy win. You don’t get stars at #24. You get projects who probably aren’t going to work out, and if you’re lucky, a part-time player.

There’s still a chance for Brown to be a part-time player. There’s still a chance for him to be a relatively good part-time player if a couple of tumblers click into place. He can hit lefties, run like the dickens, and field well. Juan Perez with more speed, less arm, in other words. I’d rather have Noah Syndergaard, but that’s hindsight.

Best pick: Adam Duvall (11th round, #348 overall)

It’s probably a little early for this category, and it’s only going to get worse as the series advances. There are a lot of players who could still make an impact, like fifth-rounder Heath Hembree, 20th-rounder Brett Bochy, or starting center Joe Staley. Just because Mike Kickham is still giving up runs in an alternate universe, doesn’t mean he can’t still be a productive major leaguer.

The answer still might be Gary Brown, but I’ll go with Duvall. His power is a legitimate major-league tool, and finding that in the 11th round isn’t easy. He’s hit enough to stick on a 40-man roster, at least, which you can’t say about almost anyone drafted before or after him.

Best name: Raymond Ruggles (43rd round, #1,308 overall)

It was a weak class, but at least Ray Ruggles sounds like something from a Joseph Heller book.

Other notable players:

Aside from Hembree, Bochy, Kickham, and Duvall, the 2010 draft featured Jarrett Parker, Carter Jurica, and Austin Fleet.

2010 Giants draft fan fiction

Golden Tate: Wait, you’re from the future?

Me: You have to come with me. You’re going to be a professional baseball player, but your future self is in grave danger. There’s no time to explain.

/Tate gets in
/time machine whirs and clicks
/door closes, then opens

Tate: Whoa. Amazing. It sure is hot and humid in the future. Look at the size of that fern! Wait, is that an ankylosaur? Where did you take me?

/kicks Tate out of time machine

Me: See you in the future, loser.

/time machine disappears

Breakdown

High school: 10
Four-year college: 33
Junior college: 7

The Giants like college players. I’m not going to argue with them.