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LHG
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There is a big drop off in the quality of 2nd round picks compared to 1st round picks (found here) in the past ten years, with one notable exception. Unfortunately, the Giants have not benefited from that pick. Here are the 2nd round picks of the Giants for the past ten years:
2015 - Andrew Suarez - This pick looked like a gem for a bit (which you will see will be a bit of a theme for this round). Steadily climbing the org ladder, Suarez made it to the Giants in 2018 with some fanfare that he could be a mid to back of the rotation starter for some years to come. He looked solid enough in 29 starts for the Giants that year, posting a 4.49 ERA and 1.297 WHIP. However, the wheels began to fall off in 2019. Moved to the bullpen, he was knocked around in SF, earning a demotion to Sacramento, where he looked just as bad in 15 starts (and 3 relief appearances). He did look good in 6 relief appearances with the Giants in 2020 but they nevertheless demoted him to their minor league complex and didn't recall him the rest of the season. The writing was on the fall. He signed with a Korean team in 2021 and looked impressive in 22 starts there (2.12, ERA, 1.145 WHIP), where he parlayed that into a deal with a Japanese team for 2022. That season was disastrous and he landed stateside with the Cardinals for 2023. He posted solid but not really good numbers in Memphis' bullpen and got into 13 games with Saint Louis, where he got knocked around. He only got into 10 games with the Orioles' AAA affiliate, getting knocked around and then getting released May 15th.
2016 - Bryan Reynolds - Yes, the one that got (traded) away. Dealt to the Pirates in January 2018 for Andrew McCutchen, Reynolds made his big league debut early in 2019 and hasn't looked back. Other than a down sophomore season in 2020, he has posted an OPS+ of at least 111 every season. He is the 2nd most valuable 2nd round pick by the Giants, by measurement of WAR, after Bob Knepper in 1972 (Barry Bonds does not count since the Giants didn't sign him). He only needs 2.2 WAR to surpass Knepper.
2017 - Jacob Gonzalez - One of many on this list who has not (yet) played in the big leagues, Gonzalez started his professional career well enough, posting a .876 OPS at a 19 year old in the AZL. Things quickly went south from there. He spent the next two years in low A ball, neither of which saw an OPS better than .679. After the 2020 layoff, the Giants started him in 2021 in high A Eugene. He only got into 27 games, posting an OPS of .502 and getting a demotion to the ACL, where he performed much better (.856 OPS). The Giants let him go that offseason, only to get snatched up by the Pirates (hey, why not?). He hit well in 24 games with their low A club (1.128 OPS at age 24) but came down a bit at high A ball (.756 OPS in 88 games). The Pirates promoted him to AA, where he proceeded to earn a release after posting a .644 OPS in 88 games. He is currently out of professional baseball.
2018 - Sean Hjelle - The tallest pitcher in the Giants' system (and one of the tallest in all of professional baseball), Hjelle looked overwhelmed in his professional debut in short A ball. He still got promoted to low A ball to start 2019 and dominated both in low and high A leagues before hitting a wall in AA. Returning to Richmond when minor league ball resumed in 2021, he did well enough to get a mid season promotion to Sacramento. That is where his career really stalled. He posted mediocre to bad numbers in 2021, 2022 and 2023 in AAA but still got promotions to the big club in 2022 and 2023, where he got knocked around pretty badly. He looked like a dfa candidate this year when he finally settled into a long relief role with the Giants this year. It remains to be seen if he can continue to get better.
2019 - Logan Wyatt - Hopes that the Giants found Brandon Belt's replacement never came to realization. Wyatt went from rookie ball to short A ball to low A ball in 2019, posting diminishing numbers at each stop (OPS of .865 to .788 to .702). He emerged in 2021 as the 1st baseman with Eugene that year but got only about a half season's worth of games due to injuries and managed to post only a .693 OPS there. Injuries stole even more games from him in 2022, where he got into only 11 games with San Jose and 18 games in the ACL (combined OPS of .530). He was back in Eugene in 2023, where he posted an .801 OPS there in 53 games, before being promoted to Richmond. He managed an .781 OPS in 64 games (which isn't too bad considering the league). He returned to Richmond this year, but was clearly buried in the depth charts, managing only 14 games over the first couple of months before going on the IL. He finally decided to retire around mid June rather than continue his career.
2020 – Casey Schmitt – The first of the vaunted 2020 haul, and the only of the 3 2nd round picks to make the big leagues thus far, I think most of us are familiar with Schmitt’s story. Known for being all glove, questionable bat in the draft, he showed his need for offensive adjustment in his debut with San Jose in 2021 (.724 OPS). Nevertheless, the Giants moved him up to start 2022 with Eugene and we all know what happened next. After 93 games with the Emeralds (.837 OPS), he moved up to Richmond, where he spent a month posting good offensive numbers (29 games - .895 OPS). He then spent 4 games with Sacramento, going 5 for 15 with a double and home run. He returned to Sacramento to start 2023, where he did fine (.781 OPS) and saw his big league debut with the Giants. The numbers were the worst thus far in his career (.580 OPS). He has bounced between the RiverCats and Giants in 2024. While his numbers have been better than 2023 at both places (.813 in AAA, .655 in MLB), he is now blocked at his natural position and has a lot of competition at 2nd base. It seems the Giants are no longer considering him at shortstop. He is tottering on bust status with 366 MLB plate appearances in 2 years.
2020 – Nick Swiney – Arguably the least known among the 2nd round picks from 2020, Swiney has stalled out at AA. Despite the fact that he was a college pitcher, the Giants stuck him first in extended spring training and then in the ACL to start 2021. He looked good in 5 starts (8 IP), posting a 1.13 ERA but had a concerning 1.625 WHIP. He got promoted to San Jose where he threw in 7 games (all starts, totaling 24.1 IP) and showed great run prevention (0.74 ERA) and improved prevention of runners (1.151 WHIP). The Giants continued to move him slowly, having him pitch a full season with Eugene in 2022. He made 20 starts and posted a decent 3.84 ERA and 1.213 WHIP. He then was converted to relief pitching in 2023 at Richmond, where he threw in 6 games (1.15 ERA, 1.021 WHIP) before getting moved quickly Sacramento. Things got ugly there, posting a 5.63 ERA and 1.775 WHIP in 26 games. Instead of returning him to Sacramento, he spent the entirety of 2024 in Richmond. He continued to get smacked around, posting a 5.25 RA and 1.472 WHIP.
2020 – Jimmy Glowenke – Glowenke was a reach for the 2nd round, evidenced by his signing bonus, which was less than half what Swiney signed for. There were concerns from the beginning that he wouldn’t be more than org filler. Teams certainly need those players, but they aren’t typically drafted this high. His debut with San Jose seemed to suggest that he may have been better than expected, posting a .812 OPS in 97 games. However, 2022 saw his bat take a step big in an injury riddled season with Eugene (75 games, .713 OPS). He returned to Eugene in 2023, playing in 26 games, and posting a spectacular .956 OPS before moving up to Richmond. He continued to hit decently there, posting a .744 OPS in 75 games. The Giants decided to keep him at Richmond for the start of 2024 and it has been an unmitigated disaster. He played in 105 games and posted an OPS of .609. A shortstop in college, Glowenke has played mainly 2nd base in the organization. It remains to be seen if he’ll ever make it to the big leagues.
2021 – Matt Mikulski – Another college pitcher who is little talked about in prospect conversations, he hasn’t even reached AA yet. The Giants started him in rookie ball, throwing just an inning or two per start, where he was decent (1.80 ERA, 1.400 WHIP) before moving up to San Jose in 2022. He got absolutely shelled in 18 starts (and 4 relief appearances) that year, giving up 6.95 runs per 9 and allowing 1.582 runners per 9. Nevertheless, he was promoted to Eugene for the 2023, mainly being used as a relief pitcher (but started 7 games). The numbers got arguably worse (6.75 ERA, 1.875 WHIP). He returned to Eugene for the 2024 seasons and got somewhat better, lowering both his ERA (5.58) and WHIP (1.626). It will be interesting to see if the Giants keep him a third year at Eugene or if he gets moved up to Richmond.
2022 – Carson Whisenhunt – Now here is a pitcher who has garnered some attention. He started his career with 7.2 IP of scoreless baseball (0.913 WHIP) between the ACL and San Jose. Then he had a meteoric ascent through the org ranks in 2023, starting first at San Jose (4 games – 3.29 ERA, 1.171 WHIP), then Eugene (6 starts – 1.42 ERA, 0.671 WHIP) and finally Richmond (6 starts – 3.20 ERA, 1.373 WHIP). The Giants decided to continue the aggressive promotion and sent him to Sacramento for the 2024 season, where he stalled out in his numbers. In 23 starts, he posted a 5.86 ERA and 1.665 WHIP. Here is to hoping that he figures out AAA in 2025 and begins to contribute at the big league level.
2023 – Walker Martin – Another shortstop, it is fair to wonder how the Giants view him in their long term plans. A high school pick, they have used him sparingly thus far and seem to favor other shortstop options in the org. The Giants chose to rest him for the 2023 season (something they’ve expanded doing in the 2024 draft) and sent him first to the ACL for the 2024 season. IN 44 games there, he posted a .795 OPS and got moved up to San Jose when Maui Ahuna and Cole Foster both hit the IL. He split time at shortstop with Ramon Peralta, posting a .691 OPS in 25 games with San Jose.
2023 – Joe Whitman – Another under the radar 2nd round pick, and another pitcher, Whitman has held his own but shown some disappointing numbers for his pick status. Another under slot signing for the 2nd round, he started off well in 4 IP with the ACL in 2023 (no runs, 0.500 WHIP) and did pretty well with San Jose (3.18 ERA, 0.882 WHIP in 5.2 IP). He began the 2024 season with San Jose and looked like a back of the rotation started for them (4.29 ERA, 1.371 WHIP in 12 starts) but got promoted to Eugene where he regressed a bit more (4.96 ERA, 1.177 WHIP in 11 starts). He may continue the trend among pitchers in this round and get moved to the bullpen in 2025.
2024 - None
2015 - Andrew Suarez - This pick looked like a gem for a bit (which you will see will be a bit of a theme for this round). Steadily climbing the org ladder, Suarez made it to the Giants in 2018 with some fanfare that he could be a mid to back of the rotation starter for some years to come. He looked solid enough in 29 starts for the Giants that year, posting a 4.49 ERA and 1.297 WHIP. However, the wheels began to fall off in 2019. Moved to the bullpen, he was knocked around in SF, earning a demotion to Sacramento, where he looked just as bad in 15 starts (and 3 relief appearances). He did look good in 6 relief appearances with the Giants in 2020 but they nevertheless demoted him to their minor league complex and didn't recall him the rest of the season. The writing was on the fall. He signed with a Korean team in 2021 and looked impressive in 22 starts there (2.12, ERA, 1.145 WHIP), where he parlayed that into a deal with a Japanese team for 2022. That season was disastrous and he landed stateside with the Cardinals for 2023. He posted solid but not really good numbers in Memphis' bullpen and got into 13 games with Saint Louis, where he got knocked around. He only got into 10 games with the Orioles' AAA affiliate, getting knocked around and then getting released May 15th.
2016 - Bryan Reynolds - Yes, the one that got (traded) away. Dealt to the Pirates in January 2018 for Andrew McCutchen, Reynolds made his big league debut early in 2019 and hasn't looked back. Other than a down sophomore season in 2020, he has posted an OPS+ of at least 111 every season. He is the 2nd most valuable 2nd round pick by the Giants, by measurement of WAR, after Bob Knepper in 1972 (Barry Bonds does not count since the Giants didn't sign him). He only needs 2.2 WAR to surpass Knepper.
2017 - Jacob Gonzalez - One of many on this list who has not (yet) played in the big leagues, Gonzalez started his professional career well enough, posting a .876 OPS at a 19 year old in the AZL. Things quickly went south from there. He spent the next two years in low A ball, neither of which saw an OPS better than .679. After the 2020 layoff, the Giants started him in 2021 in high A Eugene. He only got into 27 games, posting an OPS of .502 and getting a demotion to the ACL, where he performed much better (.856 OPS). The Giants let him go that offseason, only to get snatched up by the Pirates (hey, why not?). He hit well in 24 games with their low A club (1.128 OPS at age 24) but came down a bit at high A ball (.756 OPS in 88 games). The Pirates promoted him to AA, where he proceeded to earn a release after posting a .644 OPS in 88 games. He is currently out of professional baseball.
2018 - Sean Hjelle - The tallest pitcher in the Giants' system (and one of the tallest in all of professional baseball), Hjelle looked overwhelmed in his professional debut in short A ball. He still got promoted to low A ball to start 2019 and dominated both in low and high A leagues before hitting a wall in AA. Returning to Richmond when minor league ball resumed in 2021, he did well enough to get a mid season promotion to Sacramento. That is where his career really stalled. He posted mediocre to bad numbers in 2021, 2022 and 2023 in AAA but still got promotions to the big club in 2022 and 2023, where he got knocked around pretty badly. He looked like a dfa candidate this year when he finally settled into a long relief role with the Giants this year. It remains to be seen if he can continue to get better.
2019 - Logan Wyatt - Hopes that the Giants found Brandon Belt's replacement never came to realization. Wyatt went from rookie ball to short A ball to low A ball in 2019, posting diminishing numbers at each stop (OPS of .865 to .788 to .702). He emerged in 2021 as the 1st baseman with Eugene that year but got only about a half season's worth of games due to injuries and managed to post only a .693 OPS there. Injuries stole even more games from him in 2022, where he got into only 11 games with San Jose and 18 games in the ACL (combined OPS of .530). He was back in Eugene in 2023, where he posted an .801 OPS there in 53 games, before being promoted to Richmond. He managed an .781 OPS in 64 games (which isn't too bad considering the league). He returned to Richmond this year, but was clearly buried in the depth charts, managing only 14 games over the first couple of months before going on the IL. He finally decided to retire around mid June rather than continue his career.
2020 – Casey Schmitt – The first of the vaunted 2020 haul, and the only of the 3 2nd round picks to make the big leagues thus far, I think most of us are familiar with Schmitt’s story. Known for being all glove, questionable bat in the draft, he showed his need for offensive adjustment in his debut with San Jose in 2021 (.724 OPS). Nevertheless, the Giants moved him up to start 2022 with Eugene and we all know what happened next. After 93 games with the Emeralds (.837 OPS), he moved up to Richmond, where he spent a month posting good offensive numbers (29 games - .895 OPS). He then spent 4 games with Sacramento, going 5 for 15 with a double and home run. He returned to Sacramento to start 2023, where he did fine (.781 OPS) and saw his big league debut with the Giants. The numbers were the worst thus far in his career (.580 OPS). He has bounced between the RiverCats and Giants in 2024. While his numbers have been better than 2023 at both places (.813 in AAA, .655 in MLB), he is now blocked at his natural position and has a lot of competition at 2nd base. It seems the Giants are no longer considering him at shortstop. He is tottering on bust status with 366 MLB plate appearances in 2 years.
2020 – Nick Swiney – Arguably the least known among the 2nd round picks from 2020, Swiney has stalled out at AA. Despite the fact that he was a college pitcher, the Giants stuck him first in extended spring training and then in the ACL to start 2021. He looked good in 5 starts (8 IP), posting a 1.13 ERA but had a concerning 1.625 WHIP. He got promoted to San Jose where he threw in 7 games (all starts, totaling 24.1 IP) and showed great run prevention (0.74 ERA) and improved prevention of runners (1.151 WHIP). The Giants continued to move him slowly, having him pitch a full season with Eugene in 2022. He made 20 starts and posted a decent 3.84 ERA and 1.213 WHIP. He then was converted to relief pitching in 2023 at Richmond, where he threw in 6 games (1.15 ERA, 1.021 WHIP) before getting moved quickly Sacramento. Things got ugly there, posting a 5.63 ERA and 1.775 WHIP in 26 games. Instead of returning him to Sacramento, he spent the entirety of 2024 in Richmond. He continued to get smacked around, posting a 5.25 RA and 1.472 WHIP.
2020 – Jimmy Glowenke – Glowenke was a reach for the 2nd round, evidenced by his signing bonus, which was less than half what Swiney signed for. There were concerns from the beginning that he wouldn’t be more than org filler. Teams certainly need those players, but they aren’t typically drafted this high. His debut with San Jose seemed to suggest that he may have been better than expected, posting a .812 OPS in 97 games. However, 2022 saw his bat take a step big in an injury riddled season with Eugene (75 games, .713 OPS). He returned to Eugene in 2023, playing in 26 games, and posting a spectacular .956 OPS before moving up to Richmond. He continued to hit decently there, posting a .744 OPS in 75 games. The Giants decided to keep him at Richmond for the start of 2024 and it has been an unmitigated disaster. He played in 105 games and posted an OPS of .609. A shortstop in college, Glowenke has played mainly 2nd base in the organization. It remains to be seen if he’ll ever make it to the big leagues.
2021 – Matt Mikulski – Another college pitcher who is little talked about in prospect conversations, he hasn’t even reached AA yet. The Giants started him in rookie ball, throwing just an inning or two per start, where he was decent (1.80 ERA, 1.400 WHIP) before moving up to San Jose in 2022. He got absolutely shelled in 18 starts (and 4 relief appearances) that year, giving up 6.95 runs per 9 and allowing 1.582 runners per 9. Nevertheless, he was promoted to Eugene for the 2023, mainly being used as a relief pitcher (but started 7 games). The numbers got arguably worse (6.75 ERA, 1.875 WHIP). He returned to Eugene for the 2024 seasons and got somewhat better, lowering both his ERA (5.58) and WHIP (1.626). It will be interesting to see if the Giants keep him a third year at Eugene or if he gets moved up to Richmond.
2022 – Carson Whisenhunt – Now here is a pitcher who has garnered some attention. He started his career with 7.2 IP of scoreless baseball (0.913 WHIP) between the ACL and San Jose. Then he had a meteoric ascent through the org ranks in 2023, starting first at San Jose (4 games – 3.29 ERA, 1.171 WHIP), then Eugene (6 starts – 1.42 ERA, 0.671 WHIP) and finally Richmond (6 starts – 3.20 ERA, 1.373 WHIP). The Giants decided to continue the aggressive promotion and sent him to Sacramento for the 2024 season, where he stalled out in his numbers. In 23 starts, he posted a 5.86 ERA and 1.665 WHIP. Here is to hoping that he figures out AAA in 2025 and begins to contribute at the big league level.
2023 – Walker Martin – Another shortstop, it is fair to wonder how the Giants view him in their long term plans. A high school pick, they have used him sparingly thus far and seem to favor other shortstop options in the org. The Giants chose to rest him for the 2023 season (something they’ve expanded doing in the 2024 draft) and sent him first to the ACL for the 2024 season. IN 44 games there, he posted a .795 OPS and got moved up to San Jose when Maui Ahuna and Cole Foster both hit the IL. He split time at shortstop with Ramon Peralta, posting a .691 OPS in 25 games with San Jose.
2023 – Joe Whitman – Another under the radar 2nd round pick, and another pitcher, Whitman has held his own but shown some disappointing numbers for his pick status. Another under slot signing for the 2nd round, he started off well in 4 IP with the ACL in 2023 (no runs, 0.500 WHIP) and did pretty well with San Jose (3.18 ERA, 0.882 WHIP in 5.2 IP). He began the 2024 season with San Jose and looked like a back of the rotation started for them (4.29 ERA, 1.371 WHIP in 12 starts) but got promoted to Eugene where he regressed a bit more (4.96 ERA, 1.177 WHIP in 11 starts). He may continue the trend among pitchers in this round and get moved to the bullpen in 2025.
2024 - None
