Early reports are that this years crop of college hitters could end up being the best of the decade. IF that turns out to be the case, it should be a great year for the Giants to have the number 5 pick.
In fact, here are 3 Pre-Season All-Americans that the Giants should take a long, long look at as reported by Baseball America.
Yonder Alonso, Miami
Alonso was easily the best all-around hitter in the Cape Cod League last summer, batting .338 with league bests in walks (36) and on-base percentage (.468). He has patience and a willingness to use the whole field, not to mention a short stroke and good balance at the plate. He has led the Hurricanes in homers in each of the last two years, and he'll develop plus wood-bat power as he learns to pull and lift more pitches. His value lies solely in his bat, as he'll never be more than an adequate defender at first base.
Pedro Alvarez, Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt produced the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft in David Price, and he may not have been the most talented player on the team. Alvarez has been a first-team All-American and the top hitter on Team USA in each of his first two seasons, and his bat speed and strength make him the best hitter for both average and power in college baseball. His range is limited and his hands are average at best, but he has worked hard on his defense and has enough arm strength for the hot corner.
"He's the best position player in the draft," a front-office executive said. "He can hit and he can stay at third base. He stacks up with Evan Longoria and Alex Gordon, who got put in that same category. He's a better hitter than we had last year, when the top guys were Matt Wieters and Matt LaPorta."
Justin Smoak, South Carolina
Smoak faced adversity for the first time when he struggled with Team USA last summer, but scouts believe that was just an aberration. He proved he could hit with wood bats as the Cape Cod League MVP in 2006, and he's a switch-hitter with huge power from both sides of the plate and patience to boot. Though he's a below-average runner and athlete, he's agile around the bag and a potential Gold Glover at first base.
"I like Smoak more than Alvarez," the AL scouting director said. "Pedro has tremendous power but Smoak is more consistent with his at-bats. I like his approach better than Pedro's."
At least one of these guys should be available at the 5 spot. These three should be considered as good as, if not better than, the top pitchers in the draft.
Here is the link to the Baseball America article for those interested.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/co ... 65573.html