Giants take RHP R.J. Dabovich with 114th pick

The San Francisco Giants selected right-handed pitcher R.J. Dabovich with the 114th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft on Thursday. Dabovich is a decently powerful pitcher from Arizona State University.

San Francisco took Dabovich with their fourth-round pick, which is their sixth of seven selections in the draft. After receiving criticism from some people for selecting a catcher (Patrick Bailey from North Carolina State) in the first round, the Giants have gone pitcher heavy, selecting Dabovich in the fourth round after taking left-handed pitchers in the third round and compensation round, and a third baseman who also pitches in the second round.

Dabovich is 21.4 years old, 6’3, and 215 pounds. He ranked 79th on Fangraphs’ big board, 102nd on ESPN’s, and 120th on MLB’s. Fangraphs and ESPN both gave him a future value of 40.

Here’s what Fangraphs had to say:

Made strides this summer on the Cape, up to 95, solid average breaker, starter traits.

And here’s a more extensive report from ESPN:

The 6-foot-3 hurler has largely lived off two pitches which flash plus. He has plenty of arm strength and can run his fastball up to 97 mph, sitting comfortably in the 93-94 mph range, and he’s working on adding more life to it. His breaking ball has hard, three-quarters tilt to it and he’ll throw it typically in the low-80s. He will work in a curve on rare occasions and he has a changeup that he wants to try to incorporate more.

Pitching solely out of the bullpen before his junior season was shut down, he was proving to be very tough to hit, but also struggled with his command. His fastball-breaking ball combination does tick up in shorter stints and he has the chance to be a very effective big league reliever.

Here’s what the Giants day has looked like:

#13 — Patrick Bailey, C, North Carolina State
#49 — Casey Schmitt, 3B/RHP, San Diego State
#67 — Nick Swiney, LHP, North Carolina State
#68 — Jimmy Glowenke, SS, Dallas Baptist
#85 — Kyle Harrison, LHP, De La Salle High School (CA)
#114 — R.J. Dabovich, RHP, Arizona State
#144