Hello and happy Monday.
For the second straight year, the San Francisco Giants selected a player in the first round of the MLB Draft that they hadn’t been linked to in mock drafts — when players they had been linked to, at the same position, where still available.
In 2020, the Giants were frequently linked to local high school catcher Tyler Soderstrom, but opted for North Carolina State backstop Patrick Bailey instead (right now that decision looks awful, but it is extreme early days). This year the Giants selected Mississippi State pitcher Will Bednar, opting to pass over college pitchers Jordan Wicks and Ty Madden, who had both been linked to San Francisco a few times.