San Francisco Giants Face Tough Rule 5 Choice With This Top Prospect

The Rule 5 draft is an annual event that can sometimes affect teams greatly, so who will be the toughest decision to protect for the San Francisco Giants?

Dec 7, 2022; San Diego, CA, USA; A detailed view of the podium before the Rule 5 draft during the 2022 MLB Winter Meetings at Manchester Grand Hyatt. / Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants have had pretty good luck when it comes to the Rule 5 draft in recent years, mainly with utility man Blake Sabol. While final lists aren't quite out yet, each year one team will dread their final choice.

The Giants are no different, and MLB Pipeline believes their potential regret is a young shortstop in the lower levels of the minors.

At 21-years-old, Aeverson Artega is San Francisco's No. 11 prospect. Artega sports two plus tools in his fielding and arm, but his hitting ability leaves a lot to be desired.

His best full season of his career came in 2022, when he played 122 games and slashed .270/.345/.431 with a .776 OPS, 35 doubles, 14 home runs, 84 RBIs, but a whopping 155 strikeouts.

Since then, his bat has slipped with just a .709 OPS in 2023, and he played only 24 games in 2024 due to a 60-day IL stint that began in March.

"While Arteaga is a plus defender at shortstop with arm strength to match, he has yet to reach Double-A and played just 24 games this year while recovering from surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome. Signed for $1 million out of Venezuela in 2019, he also has some sneaky pop that could translate into 15 or more homers per season," Pipeline wrote about the young prospect.

It's very likely he would have made it to Double-A this season had he stayed healthy. But he has fallen behind in his development.

If the Giants don't protect Artega, it's possible that a team could find his glove intruiging enough to draft him.

If so, he could be an interesting possibility for a role at shortstop should his bat rebound. There is potential for San Francisco to pursue free agent shortstop Willy Adames. But, Adames has expressed interest in moving positions after his defense at shortstop has declined recently.

Since the departure of Brandon Crawford, it has been tough sledding to find an everyday shortstop. At first it looked like Marco Luciano, but his defense didn't play and he's already on his second position change. Tyler Fitzgerald had a nice year, but it is yet to be seen if he will keep up that prooduction.

At the least, Artega would provide something the Giants haven't had: a steady glove, but again that would still be a few years away given he has yet to hit Double-A. But, to find out, the Giants need to move him to the 40-man roster. It will be a difficult decision.