The Giants added to their up-and-coming farm system with a surprising pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.
With the No. 30 selection, San Francisco took two-way player Reggie Crawford out of the University of Connecticut.
Crawford is a high-risk, high-upside player and will provide the Giants with an interesting developmental project as both a first baseman and a hard-throwing left-handed pitcher.
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Originally drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 37th round of the 2019 draft, Crawford went on to play two seasons for UConn before recently committing to a transfer to the University of Tennessee.
The slot value for the pick is estimated to be around $2.49 million. If Crawford and the Giants are unable to come to terms, he likely will return to college ball and play for the Volunteers.
In two collegiate seasons with UConn, Crawford combined to hit .309/.362/.546 with 14 home runs and 78 RBI in just 64 games. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he earned All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and was named Second-Team All-Conference in his breakout 2021 campaign.
On the mound, he threw just eight innings in which he struck out 17 batters. Despite the limited action on the mound, many believe that Crawford's biggest impact will be as a pitcher more than a hitter.
Crawford underwent Tommy John surgery in the fall and missed the entire 2022 season. When he was healthy, he was a flamethrower capable of hitting triple digits.
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Prior to the draft, Baseball America ranked Crawford as the No. 57 prospect in the draft, while ESPN had him ranked No. 63 and No. 80 by MLBPipeline.
If there's one organization forward-thinking enough to develop and maximize Crawford's two-way talents, it's the Giants.