The Fourth Overall Pick
Before breaking down the names that are realistically going to be available at four, it should be mentioned that if any of the top three prospects fall into the Giants lap, they will take them without hesitation.
Roch Cholowsky appears to be a perfect fit, as he grew up a Giants fan and played shortstop at UCLA — where San Francisco legend Brandon Crawford played — but the chances he falls to them are next to none. The same goes for Vahn Lackey and Grady Emerson, despite their fit not being as ideal as Cholowsky’s.
Honorable Mentions:
Drew Burress – OF, Georgia Tech
.357/.484/.720, 1.204 OPS, 60 HR, 189 RBI in 179 collegiate games.
Tyler Bell – SS, Kentucky
.314/.438/.556, .993 OPS, 19 HR, 75 RBI in 97 collegiate games.
The Realistic Three
Jacob Lombard – SS, Gulliver Prep (FL) | Bat/Throw: R/R
Lombard is undoubtedly the second-best prep shortstop in this year’s class and is the younger brother of George Lombard Jr. — the Yankees’ best prospect. The 18-year-old is an above-average athlete at a premium position and brings a healthy blend of tools to the table.
While the pure ability to hit needs to come along a good bit, the power is comfortably above average, and he should have no trouble running into his long balls. Defensively, he’ll be completely fine sticking at shortstop long term.
Lombard has been the name most consistently linked to the Giants with this fourth overall pick over the last few months, even if it doesn’t make the most sense. Of course, in baseball, you take the best player available, but the Giants do have three teenage shortstops in the Top 100 developing on a relatively similar timeline and there’s some risk in this profile.
Jackson Flora – RHP, UC Santa Barbara
Despite being far and away the best pitcher in this year’s draft, Flora is also the most logical pick for San Francisco here. Not only did he grow up a Giants fan, but this system currently lacks top-flight starters, let alone one that’s anywhere near the big leagues.
While there’s a slight concern about the talent he was consistently facing in college, the stuff should play at any level. The fastball is the true calling card, sitting between 96-98 mph and touching triple digits rather consistently while holding good shape. The sweeper/slider combinations will have to get a tad more consistent in terms of shape but have both been above average when he’s going right.
If the changeup can come along, Flora could find himself in San Francisco’s rotation at some point in the back half of the 2027 season. I mean, the kid did just throw 102 innings at a 1.06 clip while striking out nearly 12 hitters per nine in his third season at UCSB.