The San Francisco Giants signed their first-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft
, infielder Gavin Kilen, earlier this week with a $5.25 million signing bonus. The Giants selected Kilen with the 13th overall pick. His bonus was slightly below the full $5,524,300 slot assigned to the pick, creating some savings the organization is able to allocate to other selections.Kilen hit .357/.441/.671 with 15 home runs and more walks (30) than strikeouts (27) with Tennessee this past season, his first in the SEC.
Prior to last season, he had been Louisville’s starting shortstop from 2023-2024. In 2024, he hit .330/.361/.591 with 23 doubles, nine home runs, seven walks, and 22 strikeouts in 234 plate appearances.
As made clear by his stats, Kilen has an excellent penchant for contact, and gap-to-gap power. The Giants have said they plan to give him a chance to stick at shortstop, but without exceptional athleticism, or first-step reactions, or arm strength according to most evaluations, the industry expectation is that Kilen will eventually move to second base. Given that scouting report, there are plenty of similarities between Kilen’s profile and former Giants second baseman Joe Panik, who was the team’s first-round selection back in 2011.
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