Could the Giants Bolster Their Shortstop Pipeline With a Prepped Star in the MLB Draft?

The San Francisco Giants have performed admirably with their recent selections in the first round of the MLB draft.

In the previous year, they chose an outfielder. James Tibbs III from Florida State. This powerful-hitting outfielder possesses traits that have the potential to elevate him to stardom in the future.

In 2023, San Francisco proceeded with Bryce Eldridge , a prep first baseman out of Vienna, Va. He has quickly shot up the minor league ladder. He is the Giants’ No.1 prospect, a Top 100 prospect in baseball and is sees as the franchise’s first baseman of the future.

The Giants hope to strike gold for a third straight season with the No. 13 overall pick this July. To do so, they’ll have to be conscious of what they already have on their roster.

Recently, MLB Pipeline re-ranked its MLB draft board. In doing so, it noted 10 draft prospects that are on the rise in the eyes of scouts and general managers.

That board led to a change in the No. 13 overall player in the rankings, which, theoretically, would be the player the Giants would take — if they were going by the Pipeline board.

In this scenario, that would be shortstop Steele Hall from Hewitt-Trussville High School in Alabama.

Incredibly, Steele wasn’t even ranked in Pipeline’s last board. There’s a good reason for that. The prep recruit opted to reclassify for the 2025 MLB draft in November. In other words, Hall is planning to get out of high school this year as opposed to 2026.

The Pipeline staff says this draft is heavy with pitchers and shortstops, so Hall is joining a large group of well-regarded shortstops by reclassifying. He may have to grow as a hitter, but he already has highly respected skills in other areas.

"He is rated as a 70-to-80 runner, and he excels defensively as a shortstop," according to MLB Pipeline.

Naturally, this poses a bit of an issue for his long-term growth. The Giants have dedicated seven years to him. Willy Adames the All-Star shortstop they acquired during the off-season.

scouts indicate that shortstop is the position he is most likely to play in the Major Leagues based on his profile. Shifting him would mean transitioning to third base, which is a spot where the Giants are already set. Matt Chapman long-term, or second base position, which is held by Tyler Fitzgerald in San Francisco.

However, that’s an issue for later. A prospect like Hall probably won’t follow a path akin to Eldridge’s. It will most likely take him three or four years within the minor league system before he could potentially earn promotion consideration.

However, as of now, that’s where Hall would be positioned with the Giants in the overall rankings.

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The article was initially posted on www.si.com/mlb/giants as Could the Giants Strengthen Their Shortstop Pipeline With a High School Star in the MLB Draft? .