Disclaimer: The MLB draft is a crapshoot. Let's just get that out of the way.
This isn't an exact science. It's far from it. We're talking about 17 to 21-year-olds who then have to succeed through multiple levels in the minor leagues just to turn pro. Mistakes have been made and there will be more in the future.
The Giants certainly hope to hit a home run with their top pick in the upcoming draft, which begins June 10. They own the No. 13 overall pick for the first time and could go a number of different ways. San Francisco could continue its pattern of taking hitters in the first round, or they could look for a top pitcher in the draft.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
One thing the Giants don't want to do is pass on a generational talent. We've already discussed when they passed on Mark McGwire with the No. 9 pick in the 1984 draft to take Alan Cockrell. In the 1990s, however, it was even worse. The Giants twice passed on Hall of Fame pitchers, starting with Mike Mussina.
MLB.com's Andrew Simon looked at the biggest misses at each draft slot, and the Giants landed on the list twice, starting with 1990.
[GIANTS INSIDER PODCAST: Listen to the latest episode]
The Giants owned the No. 19 pick in the draft after being swept by the A's in 1989 World Series and whiffed by taking San Diego State catcher Eric Christopherson. One pick later, the Baltimore Orioles added Mussina.
San Francisco Giants
Christopherson never reached the major leagues. He finally made it to Triple-A for the Giants in 1995, but hit just .220. Mussina was an All-American right down the road at Stanford, yet the Giants passed on for some reason. All he did was win 270 games between the Orioles and New York Yankees, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year.
Five years after passing on Mussina, the Giants did the same with Roy Halladay.
With the No. 16 pick in the '95 draft, the Giants went with Joe Fontenot. The Toronto Blue Jays then took Halladay at No. 17. Both were right-handed high school pitchers, but only one is enshrined in Cooperstown.
[RELATED: Why Keith Law believes Giants have 'big advantage' in draft]
Halladay was a two-time Cy Young award winner and became just the second pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the postseason. Fontenot was traded to the Florida Marlins in November 1997 in oder to acquire Robb Nen. The former Giants first-rounder made eight starts with the Marlins, going 0-7 with a 6.33 ERA in 1998.
The Giants are set up nice with seven picks in the five-round draft this year. It's anyone's guess how they'll do. For their sake, hopefully they're on the right side of history.