Giants agree to deals with undrafted OF, RHP

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants continue to scour the landscape for amateur talent following the conclusion of last week’s MLB Draft.

With the Draft shortened to five rounds instead of the usual 40, the Giants have turned their attention to attempting to recruit non-drafted free agents, who became eligible to sign with any team for bonuses of up to $20,000 on Sunday. Their initial foray into the pool has already resulted in the addition of two more prospects to the organization: North Carolina Central outfielder Carter Williams and Illinois right-hander Ty Weber.

• Team-by-team: Undrafted free agent signing tracker

Williams, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound senior sign out of Brown Summit, N.C., slashed .329/.410/.477 with 13 home runs and 41 steals over 157 career games at North Carolina Central. The left-handed hitter walked (81) nearly as many times as he struck out (85), showing the type of control of the strike zone that the Giants have increasingly valued under second-year president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi.

Weber, another senior sign from Menomonee Falls, Wis., logged a 3.97 ERA over 260 2/3 innings over 49 career pitching appearances for Illinois. Listed at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Weber went 2-0 with a 1.31 ERA over four starts before the 2020 season was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic in March.

“Proud to announce that I have accepted a free agent deal with the San Francisco Giants,” Weber wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to all of my friends and family for the support throughout my career. Thank you @illinibaseball for the best 4 years of college. Excited to get to work!”

Jack McGeary, a Stanford product who pitched in the Minor Leagues before joining the Giants as a baseball operations analyst last year, recently offered some insight into how San Francisco is attempting to persuade non-drafted free agents to sign with the organization. McGeary highlighted the Giants’ commitment to player development and their willingness to fast-track top prospects to the Majors as key selling points for players who are interested in bringing their talents to San Francisco.

“Modern baseball players need coaches that understand way more than coaches of previous generations,” McGeary wrote in a blog post. “Today’s coaches need to be fluent in analytics, probability, biomechanics, pitch design, swing design, and how to use technology, among other things.

“With this in mind, the Giants have built an insanely talented and multi-dimensional staff with a broad set of skills and a long history of developing great Big League players. With the Giants, you’ll optimize your body, you’ll improve your baseball skills, and your approach on the mound or in the box will be the one that gives you the highest probability of success. With us, you’ll have a development plan rooted in data, with the sole purpose of helping you become the best player you can possibly be.”