Hunter Bishop, OF
DOB: June 25, 1998
BATS: L / THROWS: R
ACQUIRED: Drafted 1st Round (#10), 2019
LAST LEVEL: Short-A
VOLATILITY: Medium
GiantFutures Ranks: #2 Corner Outfield
Performance: Bishop came out of the 2019 draft with a big reputation, but he didn’t make the biggest splash out of the gate with his bat. Combined between a brief stay in the AZL and nearly a month in Salem-Keizer, Bishop slashed .229/.438/.429. While he didn’t make a lot of contact, he did have a 41.6% XBH rate, with as many home runs as doubles and triples combined. And although he struck out at a 26.7% rate, he walked nearly as much, at a 26.0% rate.
Bishop wasn’t in the plans to help out the big league team in 2020, but his stay at the Alternate Training Site was delayed as he was the first person in the Giants organization to test positive for COVID-19. He finally did get there, and got a lot of time in the instructional league. While official stats weren’t kept, Kyle Haines said that Bishop had the second most at-bats at the league other than Marco Luciano, and he had an OPS over 1.000, hitting a lot of doubles and triples.
Strengths and Weaknesses: At 6’5 and with great batspeed, Bishop has a lot of raw power in him that he only started to unlock in his senior year of college, which he hit 22 home runs after only 10 combined in his previous two seasons. He has more raw power than most of the Giants farm system inside his swing. The power has become more real as he has worked better counts, being more picky about the pitches he swings at and taking walks.
Even if he’s not hitting for extra bases, Bishop has the speed to steal more of them. His basestealing skills are raw, but he’s faster than a lot of the other top outfield prospects the Giants have, and he could easily put together 25-25 seasons, and maybe even better. The speed also makes him a very rangy outfielder, although his arm is only about average.
2021 Outlook: Rough years in short-season ball are not a big surprise for anyone, and reportedly Bishop looked great in training during 2020, but now he needs to put that to work in games. He could very well start the year up in Eugene for High-A, as High-A was even a possibility for him in 2020 had that season happened.
Future Profile: Bishop has a very high ceiling regardless of which outfield position he plays, with All-Star level skills if things work out right. Like most sluggers, he will likely be a strikeout machine all his career, and if he lets those takeover, he’ll have some tough years. But his combination of power and speed are real, and if he puts them into games, he’ll be a star.
Recent Comments