MLB Draft 2020: Why Giants have ‘big advantage,' Keith Law believes

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The 2020 MLB Draft being shortened to only five rounds is a detriment to countless players and baseball as a whole. As far as how it plays out for teams, the Giants are in the driver's seat.

They might not be in as good of a position as the Baltimore Orioles or Kansas City Royals, each of whom will have three selections within the top 41 picks, but San Francisco is sitting sweet going into this year's draft. Thanks to handing Will Smith and Madison Bumgarner qualifying offers before they left for new teams in free agency, the Giants now have seven picks in the five-round draft.

"The Giants having the extra picks and having the extra money associated with those picks is absolutely a big advantage," The Athletic's Keith Law said Saturday on KNBR. "They've got a chance to really boost this farm system. I already think they've done a great job boosting the farm system. I think it can take a pretty big leap forward because most of your value in the draft comes in the first couple of rounds anyways." 

In the past year, the Giants' farm system has been one of the highest risers in all of baseball. They now have multiple top 100 prospects with young stars knocking on the door. Law has spoken highly of their prospects and the minds that president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has surrounded himself with. 

The Giants landed at No. 10 in Law's preseason farm system rankings at the beginning of March, and he said later that month that they're building baseball's next elite group of prospects. Having four picks in the first 68 of the draft this year only can help San Francisco's rise. 

[GIANTS INSIDER PODCAST: Listen to the latest episode]

"I think the Giants can really do some damage by moving their money around and getting multiple first-round talents with the seven picks," Law said. 

The question now is, who do the Giants take with the No. 13 overall pick on June 10? For now, Law is sticking with catcher/third baseman Tyler Soderstrom of Turlock High School. 

"I still say Soderstrom," Law said. "Now, I'm gonna do another mock draft on the day of the draft, on Wednesday morning, and maybe it'll change by then. ... I have not heard anything to make me change the pick from Soderstrom on Wednesday." 

[RELATED: Three hitters Giants could target with No. 13 pick in draft]

In his most recent mock draft on June 3, Law said of Soderstrom and the Giants, "This connection comes up again and again."

Anything can change, though. Perhaps Soderstrom is the Giants' guy once again after taking his father, Steve, with the No. 6 pick in the 1993 draft. They could go another way, too.

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