SECAUCUS, N.J. — The Giants once had a left fielder who went to Serra High and became a pretty good power hitter once he reached the major leagues. He even hit a home run or two into McCovey Cove. You might remember his name: Barry Bonds.
How about another Serra High and ASU alum standing in the left-handed batter’s box at Oracle Park, hitting balls into the San Francisco Bay, as he dreamed he would do as a kid?
The Giants and their new front office can see it. The set the wheels in motion Monday night when they used the 10th pick in the 2019 amateur draft to select Hunter Bishop, a 6-foot-5 center fielder who shot to the top of the collegiate prospect list with a bust-out junior season.
The Palo Alto native hit 10 home runs over his first two seasons at ASU before changing his stance and approach last summer in the wooden-bat Cape Cod League. Then, as a junior, he blasted 22 homers.
Bishop also checked off a big box for president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and amateur scouting director Michael Holmes by vastly improving his plate discipline. He walked 50 times against 61 strikeouts, helping him achieve a .482 on-base percentage as a junior.
The same trait defines the Giants’ second-round pick, Louisville first baseman Logan Wyatt. With 68 walks, he is among the Division I leaders. He is hitting .291 with a .473 on-base percentage and nine home runs. Like Bishop, he hits left-handed.
Bishop grew up watching games at Oracle Park with his brother, Braden, who was drafted by the Mariners in 2015 and reached the majors this season, and yeah, Hunter fantasized about being Bonds.
“I think every kid who watched Barry Bonds growing up dreams of hitting balls into McCovey Cove, and Barry was the best to ever do it,” Bishop said. “When we got home, I went into the backyard and hit Wiffle balls and pretended to hit balls into McCovey Cove.”
Bishop is setting himself up for lofty expectations, but none greater than his own. He believes he profiles as a mix between Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich.
“Both are pretty good players, but I think I have similarities to both of them,” he said. “I think I swing more like Cody Bellinger and run and play defense like Christian Yelich. Obviously, those guys are really talented, but I think in the future, I can grow into players like that.”
If the Giants are right about Bishop’s potential, he could provide power that has eluded them for so long, particularly from homegrown outfielders, with the added benefit that he can move. Despite his size, the Giants are not ruling him out as a center fielder in the majors.
“He’s a tremendous athlete with the power and speed combo who can impact the game on both sides of the ball,” Holmes said.
Baseball America’s pre-draft rankings said some scouts project Bishop with 70 power on a 20-80 scale. Holmes would not provide his grade but said, “Hunter has tremendous raw power. This year, he showed his power plays in this game. He certainly has the ability to be a power hitter at the major-league level. That’s certainly something we were attracted to.”
MLB.com’s scouting report said there will be some “swing and miss” with Bishop but said he has “majestic home run power to his pull side, but also the ability to drive the ball to all fields.”
Although this was Holmes’ first Giants draft, he has watched Bishop since the outfielder’s Serra High days and saw a lot of his collegiate games while working for the A’s. So did the evaluators who stayed after Zaidi was hired.
Wyatt’s profile looks a bit like Max Muncy’s and Brandon Belt’s. Although Wyatt is not viewed as quick, Holmes believes he could play some corner outfield.
Both picks helped the Giants accomplish a pre-draft goal of adding bats to the system. That sometimes runs afoul of the “best player available” mantra, but the offense-heavy nature of the draft’s top talent this year dovetailed with the organization’s biggest need.
The Giants were not scared off by Bishop and Wyatt both hitting left-handed at a park not conducive to batting from that side, believing both have the ability to drive the ball to all fields. And who knows? By the time they arrive in the majors, the park’s dimensions might be shorter.
The draft was held at MLB Network studios here, but the Giants’ executives were in a draft room in San Francisco. That includes Holmes, who returned to San Francisco last week after the death of his wife, Heather, on Wednesday.
As honorary representatives for the 30 teams assembled in the green room, Red Sox executive Gary Hughes, a lifelong Bay Arean and Serra High grad, asked them to keep the Holmeses, including son Landon, in their thoughts.
The draft continues through 40 rounds Tuesday and Wednesday.
Henry Schulman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: hschulman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hankschulman
https://www.sfchronicle.com/giants/article/Giants-get-their-power-hitting-outfielder-draft-13926658.php
2019-06-04 06:44:38Z
52780308737665
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar