The San Francisco Giants selected right-handed pitcher Will Bednar with the No. 14 pick in the 2021 MLB Draft on Sunday night.
Bednar is proven against top competition and in high-pressure situations, as he just led Mississippi State to the College World Series win, while winning Most Outstanding Player for the tournament after having a 1.47 ERA in 18.1 innings.
Now let’s get excited:
Bednar is 6’2, 230 pounds, and 21.1 years old. This season — his second at Mississippi State — he had a 3.12 ERA and 1.061 WHIP while striking out 139 batters in 92.1 innings.
The Giants had more options than most people thought they would have, as plenty of teams ahead of them went under slot, and drafted players who were projected behind the Giants on most mock drafts. But ultimately they joined that trend, as Bednar was ranked No. 17 on ESPN’s big board, and No. 44 on Fangraphs’. The Giants may be able to go under slot with him, and open up a little more flexibility for them in the coming rounds.
Here’s ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel’s assessment of Bednar:
Got a late start to the spring due to a neck issue, then kept gaining steam all spring before shoving in Omaha; 65-grade slider is the separator here.
Bednar was the only pick that the Giants had on Sunday, which covered the first round and the Competitive Balance Round A. They Giants will have nine more picks on Monday, which covers rounds No. 2 through 10, as well as the Competitive Balance Round B. The draft concludes on Tuesday with rounds No. 11 through 20.
One more time, let’s get excited for the newest Giant, whose brother David is a pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
