Giants take college pitchers with seven of first 10 draft picks | Giants Extra

I suppose I could have been snarky and made the headline read "Giants throw up their hands and admit they can't develop hitters" but why spoil an otherwise great day for the organization? The trend of drafting projectable, near MLB-ready collegiate pitchers continued through rounds 15.

from mercurynews.com:
Giants take college pitchers with seven of first 10 draft picks | Giants Extra:


With their first 10 picks in the MLB draft the Giants chose seven college pitchers. Here’s the latest (Google is a magical thing!):

MARTIN AGOSTA, RHP, ST. MARY’S: The local product was a high school teammate of promising Single-A catcher Andrew Susac and went 9-2 with a 2.18 ERA. Agosta’s 19 career victories at St. Mary’s are tied for third most in Gaels history. The Giants selected him 84th overall.

“I don’t even know what to say,” Agosta told the St. Mary’s website. “Seeing my name pop up with my friends, my family and my advisor, there are no words to describe this I’m just thankful for the opportunity. I can’t believe my home town team selected me, I was joking with my dad ‘I’ll probably get drafted by the Dodgers’ and to be selected by the Giants is just a total dream come true.”

from mlb.com:
When the year started, scouts may have been more interested in going to St. Mary's to see third baseman Patrick Wisdom. They may have left more intrigued by Agosta, the team's Friday starter. Some of that is because while Wisdom scuffled, Agosta has excelled, using a solid three-pitch mix to succeed. He's not the biggest right-hander in the Draft, which will certainly scare off some, but he's shown an ability to run his fastball up to 94 mph while sitting comfortably at 92 mph. Above-average run and sink make it an even better pitch. Agosta's curve and changeup both have the chance to be solid Major League average pitches, and he has a solid idea of how to keep hitters guessing. Undersized right-handers always have a tougher time proving themselves, but with the way he's pitched, a team that's willing to buck that conventional wisdom should take a shot within the first few rounds.

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MAC WILLIAMSON, RF, WAKE FOREST: The 115th overall pick hit 17 homers this season and had 36 in 159 career games at Wake Forest. He came to the school as the top pitching prospect in North Carolina before switching tracks.

“It was kind of a shock. I didn’t know what to expect, and I didn’t get any calls today beforehand,” Williamson told the Wake Forest website. “I was just watching on the MLB website, and they called my name.”

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STEVEN OKERT, LHP, OKLAHOMA: The 6-foot-3 lefty had five saves and a 2.78 ERA this season. According to the MLB.com scouting report, he “has been lights out (as a closer) and is one of the main reasons Oklahoma has done so well this year. In pro ball, he will definitely come out of the bullpen and could make it to the Majors quickly.”

from mlb.com:
Okert switched between the bullpen and the starting rotation before coming on strong as a closer this year. He has been lights out in that role and is one of the main reasons Oklahoma has done so well this year. In pro ball, he will definitely come out of the bullpen and could make it to the Majors quickly.

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Stephen Johnson, RHP St Edwards U, TX 6-4, 205
Sometimes a role change is all a player needs. When Johnson went from starter to reliever, his Draft stock took off. Johnson was up-and-down as a starter for Division II St. Edwards. He gave the bullpen a try over the summer, threw extremely well and then stayed there for the 2012 season. His plus fastball plays extremely well in a short relief role, touching triple digits. He throws a hard breaking ball that is a bit inconsistent as well. Poor arm action hinders his command. If he can improve his mechanics to help his control, he has the chance to close at the next level like he did in college. His arm strength out of the pen is sure to intrigue many teams.

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Here is mlb.com's thumbnail on 1st rounder Chris Stratton:

Starting the year as a reliever, Stratton eventually took over Friday starting duties for Mississippi State. His success there has seen him shoot up boards as the Draft approached. Stratton has the chance to have an exciting four-pitch mix, all coming from the kind of ideal pitching frame scouts love. He throws a sneaky fastball, up to 94 mph with ease and with good movement. His slider is the better of his two breaking balls, a strikeout pitch with good rotation and bite. His curve is a notch behind, but it has the chance to be Major League average with a slurvy break to it. His changeup, also a future average offering, has some sink. He has above-average control, throwing all four pitches for strikes and showing an understanding of how to use his stuff well. Stratton has been a very consistent performer since moving into the rotation and his combination of size, stuff and pitchability have him moving into first night of the Draft conversations.

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