The SF Giants went into this weekend’s MLB Draft with a real need to keep building the farm, especially on the pitching side. They own the fourth-overall pick and the fourth-largest bonus pool, giving them room to chase college talent or try to pull high school players away from their college commitments.
One name that had been tied to that mix was Brody Bumila, the towering left-hander who checked in at 6’9” and could run his fastball up to 100 mph. MLB Pipeline’s latest mock draft had the Giants taking him with their second selection, No. 29 overall, and it was easy to see why.
Bumila was named the Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year after going 4-0 with a 0.60 ERA, striking out 85 and walking seven in 35 innings. His season also included a 20-strikeout, seven-inning no-hitter in May, according to Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.
He was committed to Texas before the draft, but as MLB.com’s 23rd-ranked prospect, he still looked like a possible target for a team willing to make a run at him.
That picture changed after Bumila’s velocity dropped in his final high school starts. An MRI showed damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, the same elbow on which he already had internal brace surgery last year.
It’s a familiar risk with high school pitchers who are asked to max out pitch after pitch. They want to show off the best version of themselves, coaches want the attention that comes with elite velocity, and the damage can pile up fast. In Bumila’s case, it appears to have taken a real toll on his draft stock.
The Giants have shown a willingness to chase pitching, and their system could use it at every level. But even with that need, Buster Posey, Zack Minasian and the scouting staff will likely turn elsewhere now. The safer bet is that Bumila is no longer in play for San Francisco in the first couple of rounds, even if the organization still makes sense as a team that would be interested in arms.
At the end of the day, the draft is about choices, and most prospects never make it to the majors anyway. Some are traded before they ever get there. Whether the Giants go with a pitcher, another middle infielder or something else entirely, the path they take this weekend doesn’t appear to run through Brody Bumila anymore.
In Other News...
Giants Bullpen Has Felt Tyler Rogers Absence More Than Expected
The Giants have felt the Tyler Rogers trade in a way that goes beyond simply losing a dependable arm from the late innings. Before he was dealt, the bullpen had settled into a 3.26 ERA, a mark that reflected how much stability Rogers brought to the group as one of the more trusted relievers on the roster. Since then, the relief corps has been more vulnerable, and the overall run prevention has slipped enough to become a real talking point around a team that has leaned on pitching to stay competitive.
Rogers has also looked right at home in Toronto, where his new deal has given the Blue Jays a long-term piece and his results have backed up the investment. For San Francisco, the harder part is not just watching a former bullpen anchor thrive elsewhere, but seeing the innings he used to cover turn into a wider problem back home. The Giants knew they were moving a valuable reliever, but the size of the gap left behind has been sharper than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Heliot Ramos Just Delivered The Kind Of Night Giants Needed
Heliot Ramos gave the Giants the kind of jolt they have been waiting for in the middle of a long season, turning his return from a right quad strain into a statement night against the Blue Jays. Back in the lineup after a rehab assignment, Ramos has wasted little time getting comfortable again, and his power has shown up immediately, with four home runs in his first eight games since coming off the injured list.
The bigger picture for San Francisco is encouraging, too, because the outfield is almost whole again and the club is starting to see what it can look like when Ramos is healthy and driving the offense. Harrison Bader remains the lone holdout while he works back from plantar fasciitis, leaving the Giants with one last health question in the grass even as Ramos keeps giving them reasons to feel better about the lineup. [Read more 🡒]