Per Jim Callis of MLB.com, the Giants have agreed to terms with first-rounder Hunter Bishop on a $4.1MM, below-slot deal. The deal is over $500K south of the approximately $4.74MM slot value for the 10th overall selection.
Bishop, the brother of Mariners outfielder Braden Bishop, is an outfielder who attended the same high school (Serra, in San Mateo, CA) and college (Arizona State) as Giants legend Barry Bonds. The 6’5 lefty came late to baseball after devoting much of his pre-university energies to football, a sport he initially pledged to play at the University of Washington.
Bishop’s freshman and sophomore outputs were muted, but an offseason swing change unlocked a full range of theretofore unseen offensive talents, including top-scale bat speed and a plate discipline that endeared him to club executives across the league. Baseball America takes particular care to laud his “70-grade power” and “plus running ability” while noting that, though he’s possessing of the requisite tools to remain in center field, he may better suited for a corner. FanGraphs’ scouting report is notably bearish on Bishop’s current 30-grade arm, which the publication believes could be an issue in seasons to come.
Regardless, Bishop will hope to pair with other highly-touted offensive talents Joey Bart, Heliot Ramos, and the electric Marco Luciano to form the core of what the Giants hope will be the club’s next championship squad.
Bishop’s signing was just one in a slew of high-round inkings for the club today: as Callis notes, the Giants also agreed to terms with second-rounder Logan Wyatt (for $1MM; slot value: $1.47MM), fourth-rounder Tyler Fitzgerald (for full-slot $497.5K), and eighth-rounder Caleb Killian (for $400K, more than double the pick’s $176.3K slot value).
