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You want the draft to be over because you're sick of these mock-draft updates. Hear me out. This one is different.
The good folks at Baseball America have updated their mock draft, and they have the Giants taking a high school outfielder.
Projected Pick: OF Derek Hill (Elk Grove HS)
This is news for a couple reasons: One, the last decent high school outfielder the Giants have drafted was Rob Deer. That is not hyperbole. The list of high school outfielders drafted in the first 10 rounds since Deer:
Dave Hengel
David McNeil
Lester Mosley
Michael Fay
Joe Speakes
Jason McFarlin
Renaldo Bullock
Adam Hyzdu
Julio Vega
Nate Holdren
Derek Reid
Julian Frazier
Macey Brooks
Arturo McDowell
Wendell Fairley
Gus Benusa
Shilo McCall
Chuckie Jones
Of those high school outfielders who made the first round, only one made the majors. That was Adam Hyzdu, the unqualified success story of high school outfielders drafted in the first round in the last 36 years. Everyone else washed out before getting even a cup of coffee. Tony Torcato was drafted as a third baseman, but if you wanted to include him in the list of outfielders, fine. He's in a knife fight with Hyzdu for the top spot. Wheeeee.
The second interesting thing about this mock draft selection is that Hill's dad is a Dodgers scout. That leads to videos like this, in which a horrible person is screaming instructions at a teenager.
If he stopped batting practice and walked over and pulled some of Lasorda's eyelashes out, he'd be a possible #1 overall pick. As is, he might be available for the Giants in the middle of the first round.
Note: His one confirmable skill is his defense. Scoff if you must, but that's the skill that makes Juan Perez a viable major leaguer, even if he's not in the major leagues. Hill is supposedly the kind of fielder that would make him valuable if he were a .650 OPS guy in the majors.
If you want some sort of tangible evidence of this claim, okay:
Looks fun.
The whole distinction of "high school outfielder" is mostly meaningless. Was Nate Schierholtz much older than the typical HS draftee? No. Pablo Sandoval was younger. The Giants' current roster is successful because they took players in their teens and early 20s and made them into major leaguers.
I'm still freaked out by high school outfielders, though. They have tools. The Giants are running a writer's workshop, and they don't know what to do when some dude shows up with a Sawzall. Tools scare them.
On the other hand, it seems like this pick would sure irritate the Dodgers, though. At least a couple of people in the organization. That sounds just delightful. The folks at Dodgers Digest seem to like him.
I'm probably more excited about Grant Holmes, but Hill would be an interesting player to watch. Tools. Plus, he could hit an inside-the-park dinger against the Dodgers, then climb into the stands and pull Lasorda's eyelashes out. It would be worth the wait.
It would be worth the wait.