San Francisco Giants Receive Surprising Middling Draft Grade After Generally Solid Draft

The San Francisco Giants didn't have many picks, but may have gotten the steal of the draft.

Mississippi State outfielder Dakota Jordan (42) hits a two run home run against Ole Miss in the 6th inning at Swayze Field in Oxford, Miss., on Friday, Apr. 12, 2024. / Bruce Newman/Special to the Clarion

The San Francisco Giants didn't have a lot of capital in the 2024 draft. Because of their offseason signings, they only had one pick in the top 100, which came at 13th overall. Despite that, they came away with an above average grade from CBS Sports. Along with selecting an MLB Pipeline top 15 prospect, they also drafted five other top 250 prospects, including one that is being considered a steal.

At 13 overall, the Giants took Florida State outfielder James Tibbs III. Tibbs won ACC Player of the Year after a huge breakout in his junior season. The outfielder hit .363 while racking up 28 homers and 95 RBI with a 1.264 OPS, all of which were career highs.

His plus hit tool and above average power will help him move through the system quickly, but he will have to play a corner outfield spot as he is a below average runner. He's more of a safe player with a high floor than he is a big upside prospect, which is something the Giants could use in their farm system.

After picking Tibbs at 13, their next selection wasn't until 113 overall. With that pick, the Giants took Mississippi State outfielder Dakota Jordan, who is one of the players considered to be the steal of the draft. Ranked 34th overall by MLB Pipeline, he fell much further than most expected.

A plus runner with plus power, he has the upside to be the best power-speed threat in the draft. Although he posted a 1.129 OPS in 2024, the big concern is the strikeouts. In 63 games, Jordan struck out 84 times, which is something that will need to be cleaned up if he is to hit his ceiling.

The Giants went extremely college heavy, taking only one high school player who was drafted in the 11th round.

In the sixth round, San Francisco selected Robert Hipwell, a college third baseman with a lot of power. He only played in 18 games this last season, but in 2023 he had a .706 slugging percentage. The Giants will be hoping he can tap back into that.

They also selected first baseman Jeremiah Jenkins, a college bat who hit over 40 home runs over the last two seasons.

The Giants were limited in their picks due to some of their free agent signings, so a B grade is great considering only one pick in the top 100. With Dakota Jordan falling to them, that grade hinges on him hitting his full power potential, but their first two picks could be big pieces of their future.