San Francisco Giants Linked to World Wood Bat Record Holder in Latest Mock Draft
![Jul 14, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants hat and glove on the bench against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Jul 14, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants hat and glove on the bench against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3954,h_2224,x_0,y_118/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/giants_baseball_insider/01j5c1stm1zg1r2n8b7k.jpg)
James Tibbs III is already a Top 100 prospect in baseball and he was selected in the first round by the San Francisco Giants just last month.
First baseman Bryce Eldridge, a former prep star from Vienna, Va., was the Giants’ first-round pick in 2023 and he’s already the No. 1 prospect in the organization and playing for High-A Eugene.
So could San Francisco get it right three years in a row next year in the 2025 MLB draft?
Bleacher Report recently projected what next July’s draft would look like with a first-round mock draft. The site had the Giants picking No. 14 overall, which would mean no playoffs for San Francisco.
The site had the Giants going back to the high school ranks to select a shortstop, Coy James, out of Davie County High School in North Carolina.
James just played in the U17 World Wood Bat Association tournament and per the Davie County Enterprise Record he put up otherworldly numbers.
With a wood bat he hit .710 (22-for-31) in 12 games.
He went 22 for 31, good for a .710 batting average. In doing so he broke the WWBA record for hits, as he finished with five doubles, four home runs, 17 runs and 15 RBIs. Incredibly, he went 0-for-3 in one game.
That’s sure to set his stock on fire with pro scouts. The Ole Miss commit has already played in the 2024 Perfect Game All-American Classic. He also played in the 2020 13U Select Festival and the 2021 14U Select Festival.
He’s also logged time in the USA Baseball development program since 2021 and played for the U.S. team in 2022 and 2023. With the U18 national team last year he played in nine games for the U.S., mostly at second base, and batted .269.
Per Bleacher Report, scouts like the hard contact he makes at the plate and he has an aggressive style. While he played second base for Team USA, he’s projected as a shortstop fit due to his quickness and athleticism.
If he’s the pick, he would be the Giants’ second prep first-round pick in three drafts.
Before Eldridge, the Giants took college players in the previous five drafts — UConn’s Reggie Crawford (2022), Mississippi State’s Will Bednar (2021), NC State’s Patrick Bailey (2020), Arizona State’s Hunter Bishop (2019) and Georgia Tech’s Joey Bart (2018).
Back in 2017 San Francisco selected current Major Leaguer Heliot Ramos out of Leadership Christian Academy in Puerto Rico.