The Giants spent much of Day One of the 2026 MLB draft adding arms, but they still found room for a familiar name. Their lone position-player pick was outfielder Peyton Bonds, taken in the third round out of Rutgers University.
Bonds is the nephew of Barry Bonds and a relative of the late Bobby Bonds. Once his signing is finalized, Peyton Bonds will become the fourth Bonds to play for the Giants organization. The other is Bobby Bonds Jr., who spent time in the Giants organization in the late 1990’s.
San Francisco took Bonds with the No. 90 pick, which comes with a slot value of $887,000. He put together a strong second season at Rutgers, hitting .352/.436/.535 with six home runs, 29 RBI, and 31 runs in 166 plate appearances. His 12.7 percent strikeout rate also fits the kind of hitter the Giants targeted in last year’s draft.
That bat stood out because the Giants otherwise went pitcher-heavy on the first day, using four of their first five selections on arms. Jackson Flora and Carson Bolemon opened the group in the first round.
Flora is expected to sign for an underslot deal, which would give the Giants more flexibility to spread savings to prep pitchers Bolemon and second-round pick Kaden Waechter.
Waechter came out of Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida, and MLB Pipeline ranked him as the No. 57 prospect in the class. Pipeline highlighted the right-hander’s unusual blend of traits:
"[Kaden] Waechter offers an exciting combination of MLB family ties, projection in a 6-foot-3 frame, athleticism and feel for pitching... Ceiling and pitchability don’t often come in one package, and that’s why scouts will be watching this Florida State recruit very carefully in the spring."
Waechter is committed to Florida State University, giving him leverage in negotiations, though signability in the first 10 rounds is rarely a major obstacle once a player is drafted. His pick carries a slot value of $1,763,000.
The Giants closed out the day by selecting pitcher Carlos Martinez from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. San Francisco has long maintained a strong scouting presence in the Northeast, and that showed again with the Bonds and Martinez picks.
Martinez was unranked in this year’s draft class, but he posted a 3.30 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 11.3 K/9, and a 3.56 SO/W rate over 76.1 innings this season. The 21-year-old is a fourth-year senior, so he could be another candidate to sign for an underslot deal. His slot value is $658,100.
Before the draft, the Giants’ farm system was short on pitching depth, and Day One was clearly aimed at addressing that need.
In Other News...
Giants Fans Were Furious After Ugly Oracle Park Scene Went Viral
What should have been a routine July 9 night at Oracle Park against the Colorado Rockies turned ugly when a fight broke out among fans and quickly spread across social media. Videos from the scene showed multiple people trading punches in the stands, turning a home game into an embarrassing flashpoint for a Giants crowd that expects a much different kind of energy inside the ballpark.
Among the most visible figures in the footage was a man wearing a black Raiders No. 52 jersey, who appeared to escalate the confrontation as the scuffle unfolded. Officials have not yet said whether there were any arrests, injuries or disciplinary steps tied to the incident, leaving the aftermath of the viral scene still unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Bullpen Disaster Just Made A Bad Problem Feel Even Worse
The Giants got enough from their bullpen early to think they might have steadied a shaky part of the roster. Dylan Smith worked out of a bases-loaded mess, and Keaton Winn, back from the injured list, helped cover important outs in a game San Francisco still had a chance to steal. For a club trying to patch together innings and protect close leads, those were encouraging signs even in a night that ended with a 4-3 loss.
But the bigger picture around the roster keeps getting more complicated. San Francisco activated Winn, sent Carson Whisenhunt to Triple-A Sacramento after his Thursday start, recalled Grant McCray for his first Giants appearance of the season, and placed Victor Bericoto on the injured list with a left oblique strain. Add in the update that Matt Chapman will not be back until the second half because of an abdominal strain, and the Giants are left juggling both the bullpen problem and the lineup uncertainty at the same time. [Read more 🡒]
Patrick Bailey Trade Suddenly Looks Bigger For Giants Than Fans Realized
The Giants draft haul added another layer to the Patrick Bailey trade, one that was easy to miss in the moment but is now shaping the way the move is viewed in the organization. San Francisco came away with a pair of pitching prospects in the early rounds, headlined by right-hander Jackson Flora at No. 4 overall, while the return from Cleveland also helped position the club to keep building its farm system with more arm talent.
Baileys first stretch in Cleveland has been uneven, which only sharpens the scrutiny on what San Francisco gave up and what it got back. Left-hander Matt Wilkinson has already logged time at both Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento, and the Giants are also betting on the upside of a high school arm with real stuff and plenty of projection, making this one of those trades that may not be fully judged for a while. [Read more 🡒]