NEW YORK -- The road to a big league matchup began with a FaceTime call.
Right after he was selected by the Giants with the No. 10 pick in the 2019 MLB Draft on Tuesday night, Hunter Bishop grabbed his phone and talked to his brother. Braden Bishop, five years older, has already accomplished a big part of the dream, making his MLB debut this season with the Mariners. Braden has played in nine games and should see plenty of action for a rebuilding team.
"It was one of the coolest moments of my life," Hunter said of the call. "Obviously he's had so much of a track record in baseball and I've gotten to see him do awesome things. For him to have a moment where he's calling me and telling me he's proud of me, it's one of the coolest moments of my life."
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.
It was a pretty cool moment for Braden, too. He said he was very happy to see the Giants call his younger brother's name.
"This is a huge milestone and he's among such a select group every year that gets the opportunity to be the team's first pick," Braden said. "The Giants have a storied history, and one I got to experience through Hunter and my upbringing. I know they are getting a hungry, smart-working, competitive player who wants to learn and grow."
Hunter has always followed in Braden's footsteps, with a twist. Braden was a baseball and football star at St. Francis in Mountain View and Hunter was on that path before transferring from St. Francis to nearby Serra after his sophomore year of high school. Like Braden, Hunter was a two-sport star, good enough to commit to Washington as a football player at one point.
As Hunter approached draft eligibility at Arizona State, he received a message from his older brother, who did play at Washington.
San Francisco Giants
"He kind of laid it on the line and told me that he really struggled his junior year with expectations and the pressure of what it took," Hunter said Monday night. "Before the season he kind of told me how he struggled and where it went wrong. He told me not to let that get to me. It's easier said than done.
"Obviously I took care of my business and didn't listen to the social media world and any negative thoughts or anything like that. He's been a huge help for me."
There will be more help coming, but at some point the brothers could meet as opponents on the field. Braden, 25, is one of Seattle's top prospects. Hunter, 20, has the tools to move quickly, but first there will be a few more moments where he'll be following a path first set by his brother.
[RELATED: Look at top pick Bishop wearing Giants uniform as child]
"He'll have fun on buses for a couple of years, but I'm really excited he gets to do it while in the Giants organization," Braden said.