The MLB Draft got closer towards normalcy this year, with an increase to 20 rounds; the Giants are now through half of those picks after Monday and have a very firm theme thus far: pitching. San Francisco spent the first nine of its draft picks on pitchers, waiting until pick No. 10 to add an outfielder.
The following recaps are from the Giants.
LHP Matt Mikulski, Fordham University – Round 2, Pick 50 (Ranked 50th overall by MLB.com):
With their second selection (50th overall), the Giants selected LHP Matt Mikulski out of Fordham University. Mikulski became the second-highest drafted player out of Fordham behind Pete Harnisch – a 1987 supplemental first-round pick selection by Baltimore (No. 27 overall).The southpaw made 11 starts for Fordham in 2021, going 9-0 with a 1.45 ERA while striking out 124 of the 265 batters he faced (46.8%) over 68.1 innings. He was named both a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist and the Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year.
RHP Mason Black, Lehigh University – Round 3, Pick 85 (Ranked 154th overall by MLB.com):
The Giants selected RHP Mason Black out of Lehigh University with their third selection (85th overall). Black became the highest-drafted pitcher in program history and the third Lehigh player drafted in the top three rounds in the last 15 years. He went 7-3 with a 3.11 ERA in 13 starts for Lehigh in 2021, throwing four complete games (two shutouts) and striking out 95 batters over 72.1 innings.
RHP Eric Silva, JSerra Catholic High – Round 4, Pick 115 (Ranked 126th overall by MLB.com):
With their fourth selection today (115th overall), the Giants drafted RHP Eric Silva out of JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, CA. Named an All-Trinity League pitcher, Silva helped lead his JSerra team to a Trinity League championship and Division 1 SoCal Regional championship in 2021 by throwing a complete game and striking out 11 hitters in the regional title game. He also threw a no-hitter against Santa Margarita this past season.
LHP Rohan Handa, Yale University – Round 5, Pick 146:
The Giants selected LHP Rohan Handa with their fifth round selection (146th overall) out of Yale University. Handa, the first Ivy Leaguer taken in this year’s draft, is the fourth-highest draft pick in Yale history. He did not play in 2021 with the Ivy League canceling its season due to COVID-19. Handa made a total of 20 appearances for the Bulldogs in two seasons (2019, 2020). He pitched for the Mystic Schooners of the New England Collegiate Baseball League this summer, posting a 0.52 ERA with 25 strikeouts, eight walks and nine hits allowed in 17.0 innings.
LHP Seth Lonsway, Ohio State – Round 6, Pick 176 (Ranked 153rd overall by MLB.com):
LHP Seth Lonsway, the Giants’ sixth round selection (176th overall) out of Ohio State, finished the 2021 season with a 3-5 record and a 4.37 ERA while leading the Buckeyes with 98 strikeouts in 68.0 innings. He ranked fourth in the Big Ten conference and 20th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings at 12.97 K/9.0ip. He also allowed the second-fewest hits per nine innings of any Big Ten pitcher at 5.29 H/9.0ip. Lonsway had a career-best game vs. Indiana on April 3, striking out a career-high 17 batters in a 7.0-inning, two-hit shutout.
RHP Nick Sinacola, University of Maine – Round 7, Pick 206:
The Giants selected RHP Nick Sinacola in the seventh round (206th overall) out of the University of Maine. The right-hander posted a 9-3 record with a 2.04 ERA his junior year this season. He struck out a school-record 139 batters in 79.1 innings and threw five complete games – tied for seventh-best nationally – with one shutout. Sinacola was named a second-team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. He also received a Northeast All-Region first-team nod from the American Baseball Coaches Association. He became the first pitcher to ever be named a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper first-team All-American, and was the first Black Bear to be chosen the District I Player of the Year by the NCBWA.
RHP Ian Villers, University of California, Berkeley – Round 8, Pick 236
RHP Ian Villers, out of the University of California, was the Giants’ eighth round selection (236th overall). The Walnut Creek, CA native went 4-1 with a 2.84 ERA in a team-leading 29 appearances (five starts) for the Cal Bears in 2021. He struck out 36 batters with 11 walks in 38.0 innings while stranding 11 of his 15 inherited runners. He earned an All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention as a junior.
RHP Mat Olsen, Central Arizona College – Round 9, Pick 266
The Giants selected RHP Mat Olsen in the ninth round (266th overall). The Central Arizona College junior appeared in 18 games (16 starts) this past season and went 13-0 with a save and a 2.13 ERA while striking out 133 batters in 88.2 innings (13.50k/9.0ip). His 13 wins and 16 starts were most in NJCAA and his 133 strikeouts were second-best overall.
OF Vaun Brown, Florida Southern College – Round 10, Pick 296
With their final selection of the day in the 10th round (296th overall), the Giants chose OF Vaun Brown out of Florida Southern College. The outfielder appeared in 26 games in 2021 and hit a conference-leading 13 home runs, tallied 43 hits and scored 40 runs. He also led the Moccasins in batting average (.387), RBI (31), slugging (.793), OPS (1.255) and stolen bases (nine). Brown was named the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year and made both the All-South Region first team and the NCAA Division II All-American Second Team.
