Giants pick up Mississippi State offensive star Jordan

The Giants continued to stock up on power-hitting outfielders on Day 2 of the 2024 MLB Draft on Monday, selecting Mississippi State’s Dakota Jordan in the fourth round and the University of San Diego’s Jakob Christian in the fifth round.

The additions of Jordan and Christian came one day after the Giants drafted Florida State’s James Tibbs III with the 13th overall pick. San Francisco forfeited its second- and third-round picks after signing two free agents who turned down qualifying offers -- Blake Snell and Matt Chapman -- forcing the club to wait until the fourth round to make its second selection.

The Giants still landed a potential steal at No. 116 overall, nabbing the 6-foot, 220-pound Jordan, a slugging outfielder with perhaps the best bat speed in the 2024 Draft. MLB’s No. 34 overall Draft prospect paced Mississippi State’s offense as a sophomore this spring, posting a team-best .354/.459/.671 slash line and leading the Bulldogs with 20 home runs.

“We were trying to make the most of the place we were at, not having a second- or third-round pick,” senior director of amateur scouting Michael Holmes said. “To be able to get that type of talent in the fourth round, we’re really excited.”

Jordan, 21, delivered a standout performance in NCAA regionals, homering in three of MSU’s four games and turning in a 5-for-5 day against St. John’s on June 2. The second-team All-SEC outfielder, who walked things off against the Johnnies with a homer two days before, was named to the Charlottesville all-regional team.

The right-handed hitter was a top-100 recruit out of Jackson Academy in Mississippi, where he broke school records for batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, homers and RBIs. Still, Jordan went undrafted in 2022 because he planned to play both baseball and football at MSU, although he ended up sticking to one sport.

“He’s a guy that’s extremely talented,” Holmes said. “He has five tools. He can really run, throw, hit and hit for power. His athleticism alone, his physicality, kind of sets him apart. We’re really excited about the upside he has moving forward.”

According to MLB Pipeline, Jordan’s power and run tools are his best attributes, with each receiving a 60 grade on the 20-80 scale. For his speed, though, Jordan isn’t aggressive on the basepaths -- he stole just three bases in five attempts in 2024. Strikeouts remain an issue for Jordan, who fanned 84 times in 290 plate appearances in 2024 (29.0%) after a 25% strikeout rate the year before. While Jordan possesses power to all fields, he often has trouble laying off breaking balls out of the zone.

Christian, 21, spent the first two years of his college career raking at Division II Point Loma Nazarene University and then continued to put up big numbers after transferring to Division I San Diego this year. He was named the 2024 West Coast Conference Player of the Year after batting .364 with 26 home runs and a 1.288 OPS for the Toreros. A right-handed hitter, Christian is listed at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds and has shown he can mash fastballs, though there are concerns about his pitch recognition and his ability to pick up spin.

San Francisco went with a local product in the sixth round, selecting Santa Clara third baseman Robert Hipwell, a Santa Cruz, Calif. native who grew up a Giants fan and attended Scotts Valley High School. Hipwell, 21, was on track to be an early round pick after batting .329/.500/.706 with 14 homers over 43 games as a sophomore, but his stock fell after he was suspended for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

The left-handed-hitting Hipwell returned to the Broncos’ lineup on April 20 this year and slashed .273/.442/.515 with three homers over 18 games. Holmes said the Giants met with Hipwell at the MLB Draft Combine in Phoenix last month, which helped assuage any concerns over his makeup.

“We’ve been following his career for quite some time now,” Holmes said. “I got a chance to sit down and talk with him and really get to know him as a person. I was really impressed with who he is and felt comfortable with where he was at and what he’ll be moving forward. It’s important for us to draft talent, but we also want to put the right people in our organization, and we feel that Robert is that type of person and player.”

The Giants capped their Day 2 haul by selecting Alabama left-hander Greg Farone (seventh round), Southern Mississippi right-hander Niko Mazza (eighth round), University of Illinois at Chicago shortstop Zane Zielinski (ninth round) and Murray State University right-hander Cade Vernon (10th round).

Day 3 of the Draft starts at 11 a.m. PT on Tuesday and will consist of Rounds 11-20.