Hunter Pence’s appearance at Friday night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels gave SF Giants fans a little extra to smile about. He was there with his wife Lexi and his nephew Striker, and Striker looked every bit like the kind of arm that can change a draft room fast.
That’s because the 17-year-old is already throwing over 100 miles per hour, stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 215 pounds, and is projected to go in the first round of the 2027 MLB Draft. He was also decked out in Giants gear, which only made the whole scene feel a little more pointed for a fan base that knows a potential ace when it sees one.
Striker Pence is listed as a two-way prospect for now, though it would not be a surprise if he eventually settles in as a full-time pitcher. And if he’s still on the board when San Francisco gets its first shot in 2027, the Giants should be all over it.
That’s not a trivial decision, either. Because the Giants landed the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 draft through the lottery, the earliest they can select next year is No. 10 overall. That puts them in a tougher spot, but Striker’s recent mock draft slot at No. 19 overall keeps him within reach.
Yes, taking a pitcher that young in the first round would carry real risk. But the upside is obvious, and the alternative might be worse: passing on him and watching him become somebody else’s problem. For a team that already drafted the nephew of Barry Bonds earlier this month, adding another relative of a franchise legend would fit the moment just fine.
The fit gets even cleaner when you look at what San Francisco already did in the 2026 MLB Draft. The Giants went heavy on pitching, selecting Jackson Flora, whom many analysts viewed as the best college arm in the class, and Carson Bolemon, regarded as the top high school pitcher.
If the organization is serious about building up its pitching pipeline, Pence would slide right into that plan. It also lines up with the only obvious path back to the “pitching and defense” model in the majors, since the Giants are clearly not spending their way there.
Nothing about a prospect like this comes with guarantees, but it’s easy to imagine a Giants rotation in 2030 with Flora and Pence in it. That’s a long way off, sure. Still, if Pence is there when San Francisco picks in the first round next year, it may be too tempting to let him get away.
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