SF Giants award Jim Gabella Scout of the Year Award

What do SF Giants prospects David Villar, Grant McCray, and Vaun Brown have in common? They were all signed by Jim Gabella.

The SF Giants announced that longtime amateur scout Jim Gabella was selected as the team's Dick Tidrow Scout of the Year Award winner. Gabella has spent a decade with the Giants organization, currently working as an area scout focused on Central and North Florida. He is most notably credited with the team's recent selections of David Villar, Grant McCray, and Vaun Brown. Three of the team's most exciting hitting prospects in 2022.

The scout credited with the SF Giants selection of David Villar won the organization's Scout of the Year Award. (2022) / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Gabella has spent nearly 50 years working in professional baseball, starting his career as a player in 1976 when he was signed by the Chicago White Sox. A decade later, Gabella became a scout with the Brewers, where he signed Gary Sheffield before returning to minor-league dugouts as a coach.

Gabella returned to scouting with the Montreal Expos (now Washington Nationals) from 1995-96 and with Cleveland from 1997-2003 before managing in the Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres farm systems from 2004-2013. He was hired by the Giants in 2014, and has remained with the organization ever since.

Villar, an 11th-round draft pick by the Giants in 2018 out of the University of South Florida, had a breakout season in 2023. The right-handed third baseman won the Pacific Coast League MVP, hitting .275/.404/.617 with 27 home runs in just 87 Triple-A games. He also caught fire over the final month of the big-league season with the Giants. Highlighted by a two-homer game against the Dodgers and another two-blast performance in the final game of the season, Villar posted a .787 OPS in 181 MLB plate appearances.

Brown was the Giants 10th-round pick in 2021 and came out of nowhere to be selected as the organization's hitting prospect of the year. Brown had one of the best minor-league seasons in recent history, recording an incredible .346/.437/.623 triple-slash with 44 stolen bases against Single-A and High-A competition.

McCray was drafted by the Giants in the third-round of the 2019 draft out of high school. He emerged as one of the organization's most exciting prospects in 2022, winning the San Jose Giants MVP award. He hit .291/.383/.525 with 21 doubles, nine triples, and 21 home runs in 106 games with San Jose. On top of his excellent performance at the plate, McCray was voted the best defensive outfielder in the California League. He also earned him a late-season promotion to High-A Eugene where he recorded a solid .810 OPS in 14 games.

The SF Giants are clearly excited about the future of young players like David Villar, Vaun Brown, and Grant McCray. With all three having breakout seasons in 2022, it's no surprise that the scout credited with their selections (Jim Gabella) won the organization's Scout of the Year Award.