Mikulski highlights SF's pitching-heavy Day 2
After picking right-handed pitcher Will Bednar from Mississippi State on Sunday, the Giants continued to replenish their pipeline by loading up on arms on Day 2 of the 2021 MLB Draft.
The Giants opened the Draft by taking nine consecutive pitchers -- including eight from the college ranks -- before using their final pick on Monday to select Florida Southern outfielder Vaun Brown in the 10th round.
“We’re super excited about what we were able to do,” director of amateur scouting Michael Holmes said. “We went on a nice little run of pitching there today. I wouldn’t say it was primarily our focus when we started the day. It just started to kind of play out that way. We felt like one of the depths of this year’s Draft was the pitching market. Although there were a lot of position players that we had a lot of extensive talk about and we were in play on, it just kind of fell by way of the pitcher.”
The Draft concludes with rounds 11-20 on Tuesday, starting at 9 a.m. PT, with no delay between selections, all heard on MLB.com.
Here’s a rundown of the Giants’ Day 2 selections:
Round 2, 50th overall: Matt Mikulski, LHP, Fordham
Notable skill: Mikulski was ranked among the Top 200 prospects heading into the 2020 MLB Draft, but he wasn’t selected in the five-round Draft and ended up returning to Fordham for his senior season. After overhauling his mechanics, Mikulski began throwing harder, sitting at 94-95 mph and topping out at 98 with his fastball. He pairs his firm heater with a plus slider that misses a ton of bats and an above-average changeup. Mikulski showed the ability to maintain his velocity deep into outings this year, but scouts aren’t certain he’ll remain a starter moving forward.
Fun fact: Mikulski logged a 1.45 ERA with 124 strikeouts over 68 1/3 innings for Fordham this year. He averaged 16.3 strikeouts per nine innings, the highest rate in Division I baseball.
Quotable: “I’ve always been an underdog. I’ve always had that chip on my shoulder. I love playing that role. There are plenty of times I’ve faced adversity, and I’ve come out on the other side.” -- Mikulski to News 12 in the Bronx
Round 3, 85th overall: Mason Black, RHP, Lehigh
Notable skill: Listed at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, Black boasts one of the better fastballs, at least in terms of velocity, in this year’s Draft class. He’s hovered in the 97-100 mph range and will top out at 99 in short stints, though he sat around 94 mph as a starter this spring. Black also features a hard 87-88 slider, though he’s had some command issues at times.
Fun fact: Black earned Patriot League Pitcher of the Year honors after posting a 3.11 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 72 1/3 innings in 2021.
Quotable: "I think the goal was to go out and be myself for the most part. I'm not going to be the guy that's going to try and light up the radar gun and throw a hundred miles an hour. That's not who I am. So the game plan was to pretty much just do what I've tried to do all year and pound my fastball, show a good mix of my pitches and remind them in the time that I've had off that I'm still the pitcher and the person that they scouted." -- Black to Josh Liddick of Lehigh Sports Communications
Round 4, 115th overall: Eric Silva, RHP, JSerra Catholic HS (Calif.)
Notable skill: The first prep arm selected by the Giants this year, Silva has a fastball that has touched 97 mph, along with a slurvy breaking ball and a changeup. Listed at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Silva is a UCLA commit.
Fun fact: The 18-year-old Silva helped lead JSerra to a Trinity League championship this year, striking out nine and tossing a complete game in the regional title game against Orange Lutheran in May.
Quotable: “This is why he came here, for big moments in this league. Silva has a huge heart and huge gusto. He leaves it all out on the mound and gives it everything he has.” -- JSerra coach Brett Kay to the Orange County Register
Round 5, 146th overall: Rohan Handa, LHP, Yale
Notable skill: Handa is an intriguing pick, as he made only four appearances for Yale last year before the season was canceled due to the pandemic. The Ivy League didn’t hold a 2021 season due to ongoing health concerns, prompting Handa to join the Mystic Schooners of the New England Collegiate Baseball League for additional reps. The 21-year-old revamped his mechanics over the past year and is now hitting 97 mph with a plus slider.
Fun Fact: Take a look at Handa’s 80-grade ‘stache:
Quotable: “I needed to take a good look at myself and realize there was a lot of stuff I needed to work on. When you’re at home, and you can’t really go anywhere, you think a lot. And when you think a lot, you think about the things that you love. And when you think about the things that you love, and you’re not really the greatest at it, you want to work harder to get toward the peak." -- Handa to the Hartford Courant
Round 6, 176th overall: Seth Lonsway, LHP, Ohio State
Notable skill: Lonsway finished his fourth year of college with the Buckeyes in 2021 after redshirting and missing a season due to a transcript issue. The 22-year-old lefty led Division I baseball with a 21 K/9 rate in '20, but he’s battled command issues at times. His best pitch is his low 80s curveball, which has drawn comparisons to that of former A's and Giants southpaw Barry Zito.
Fun fact: Lonsway is the 108th Ohio State player taken in the MLB Draft since 1966.
Quotable: “He’s most well known to people for his fastball-curveball mix, but there is a slider in there. I think there is a changeup in there. We’re going to try to develop him as a starter. We know that he has kind of a plus two-pitch mix with his fastball and his curveball, but he’s lowered his arm slot this year. He’s kind of controlling the moves in his delivery a little bit better. He’s always been a really good athlete. I actually think once we get into player development, with the help of our coaches in our system, under the leadership of Justin Lehr, Brian Bannister and the guys, I really think the sky’s the limit.” -- Holmes
Round 7, 206th overall: Nick Sinacola, RHP, University of Maine
Notable skill: Sinacola, 21, went 9-3 with a 2.04 ERA and 139 strikeouts over 79 1/3 innings to earn America East Pitcher of the Year honors for the Black Bears this year. The 6-foot-1 right-hander mixes a low 90s fastball with a good slider and splitter. He is the first University of Maine pitcher to be named a first-team All-American.
Fun fact: Sinacola averaged 15.77 strikeouts per nine innings this season, the second-best rate in the nation, behind only Mikulski.
Quotable: “Nick is a blue-collar type of arm that simply gets outs and competes. He has good life on the fastball with a good slider. He brings a blue-collar mindset that is essential to the culture here." -- Maine coach Nick Derba
Round 8, 236th overall: Ian Villers, RHP, California
Notable skill: Villers, 20, posted a 2.84 ERA with 36 strikeouts over 38 innings out of the Golden Bears’ bullpen in 2021, garnering an All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention. Listed at 6-foot-6, 245 pounds, Villers sits in the low- to mid-90s and has touched 97 mph with his fastball. He also throws an assortment of secondary pitches, leading some to think that he could have some starting potential down the road.
Fun fact: A native of Walnut Creek, Calif., Villers was drafted in the 19th round by the Padres in 2018, but he didn’t sign and elected to honor his commitment to Cal.
Quotable: “He was more of a reliever in the Cape and at Cal, so kind of the way we approach his role will just be up to [director of player development] Kyle [Haines] and the pitching crew from the player development side. We just looked at it as an opportunity to get a bigger, strong-bodied kid who can really throw hard and has the ability to spin the ball.” -- Holmes
Round 9, 266th overall: Mat Olsen, RHP, Central Arizona College
Notable skill: Not to be confused with A’s slugger Matt Olson, Olsen logged a 2.13 ERA with 133 strikeouts over 88 2/3 innings for Central Arizona in 2021. A native of Florence, Ariz., Olsen led the NJCAA with 13 wins and 16 starts and ranked second in strikeouts.
Fun fact: Olsen is an Arizona State commit, so he could opt to continue his college career with the Sun Devils if he decides against turning pro and signing with the Giants.
Round 10, 296th overall: Vaun Brown, OF, Florida Southern
Notable skill: Brown, a fifth-year senior, appeared in 26 games in 2021 and hit a conference-leading 13 home runs, tallied 43 hits and scored 40 runs. He also led the Moccasins in batting average (.387), RBIs (31), slugging percentage (.793), OPS (1.254) and stolen bases (nine).
Fun fact: Brown was named the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year and earned spots on both the All-South Region first team and the NCAA Division II All-American Second Team.