SAN FRANCISCO -- Striving to cope with a subpar season, the Giants will receive a fresh influx of hope with next week's MLB Draft.
The 2017 Draft will take place from Monday through Wednesday, beginning with the Draft preview show on MLB Network and MLB.com at 3 p.m PT on Monday. MLB Network will broadcast the first 36 picks (Round 1 and Competitive Balance Round A), while MLB.com will stream all 75 picks on Day 1. MLB.com will also provide live pick-by-pick coverage of Rounds 3-10 on Day 2, starting at 10 a.m. PT. Then, Rounds 11-40 can be heard live on MLB.com on Wednesday, beginning at 9 a.m. PT.
Go to MLB.com/draft to see the Top 200 Prospects list, projected top picks from MLBPipeline.com analysts Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, the complete order of selection and more. And follow @MLBDraft on Twitter to see what Draft hopefuls, clubs and experts are saying.
Here's how the Draft is shaping up for the Giants, whose first selection is the 19th overall pick.
:: 2017 MLB Draft coverage ::
In about 50 words
The Giants have a first-round selection, which is a welcome change for them. San Francisco forfeited its first-round pick last year by signing free-agent right-hander Jeff Samardzija the previous offseason. This time, Giants scouting director John Barr said, he and his crosscheckers won't "have to sit there and wait, and watch names come off the board."
The scoop
Under Barr, who will be overseeing his 10th Draft for San Francisco, the Giants have maintained a simple approach: They take who they deem is the best player available when their turn comes, regardless of position. Drafting based on need, he pointed out, rarely works. 
"You don't really have players who are going to be jumping up there [to the Majors] that quickly," Barr said. "Not where we're picking. Not at 19."
First-round buzz
The Giants have frequently been linked to University of Kentucky first baseman Evan White, who isn't a pure slugger, but has displayed considerable aptitude at the plate with his ability to hit to all fields. White is also considered an above-average defender, an essential trait for anybody hoping to play regularly at AT&T Park. Ballard High School outfielder Jo Adell, from Louisville, Ky., and hard-throwing right-hander Tanner Houck from the University of Missouri are also said to be on San Francisco's radar.
"I don't think it's set in stone on who's being taken ahead of us," Barr said. "I think there's still a lot of uncertainty about players. We have a pretty good idea of 10 guys who won't be there, but after 10, anything can happen."

Money matters
Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team has an allotted bonus pool equal to the sum of the values of that club's selections in the first 10 rounds of the Draft. The more picks a team has, and the earlier it picks, the larger the pool. The signing bonuses for a team's selections in the first 10 rounds, plus any bonus greater than $125,000 for a player taken after the 10th round, will apply toward the bonus-pool total.
Any team going up to 5 percent over its allotted pool will be taxed at a 75-percent rate on the overage. A team that overspends by 5-10 percent gets a 75-percent tax plus the loss of a first-round pick. A team that goes 10-15 percent over its pool amount will be hit with a 100-percent penalty on the overage and the loss of a first- and second-round pick. Any overage of 15 percent or more gets a 100-percent tax plus the loss of first-round picks in the next two Drafts.
This year, the Giants have a pool of $6,363,600 to spend in the first 10 rounds, including $3,101,700 to spend on their first selection.
Shopping list
As Barr indicated, drafting strictly for need is a questionable strategy, because a club's priorities are bound to change by the time most draftees are ready for the Majors. However, the Giants never leave a Draft short on pitching, possibly due to the influence of former general manager Brian Sabean, who remains the team's chief of baseball operations, and player personnel director Dick Tidrow. They were responsible for drafting Player Page for Matt Cain, Timothy Lincecum and Madison Bumgarner, who proved instrumental in San Francisco's three World Series titles in 2010, '12 and '14.
Trend watch
The Giants largely defy trends. Their top selections in the last eight Drafts have encompassed every type of performer: college position players and pitchers, as well as high school position players and pitchers. However, they have focused primarily on more developed players in recent years, taking college players with six of their last seven top picks. The most successful member of this group was second baseman Joe Panik, the Giants' top pick in 2011 who started for them in the postseason three years later.
Recent Draft history
Rising fast
After beginning the season at Double-A Richmond, Chris Shaw was recently promoted to Triple-A Sacramento. And if the left-handed batter continues to demonstrate the skill that has made him the organization's top power-hitting prospect, he won't stop there. Selected in the supplemental round (31st overall) in 2015 out of Boston College, Shaw played almost exclusively first base before moving to left field this year -- a possible indication of where the Giants expect him to make an impact.

Cinderella story
Drafted in the 12th round in 2011, Kelby Tomlinson has proven to be the type of performer every club needs -- able to play virtually everywhere, adept enough to start several days in a row if necessary or come off the bench to fill an important pinch-hitting or defensive role. Tomlinson still has a Minor League option remaining, explaining why he has divided this season between Sacramento and the Majors. Otherwise, it'd be easy to envision him appearing in as many as 100 games with the Giants.
In the Show
Outfielder Austin Slater took a classic path to the Majors, ascending step by step since the Giants selected him in the eighth round of the 2014 Draft. If Slater was ever overmatched, he didn't show it, as he hit .292 or higher at five different levels. He was called up to the Giants on June 2.

The Giants' recent top picks
2016: Bryan Reynolds, CF, Class A Advanced San Jose
2015: Phil Bickford, RHP, Class A Advanced Carolina (Milwaukee)
2014: Tyler Beede, RHP, Triple-A Sacramento
2013: Christian Arroyo, INF, Triple-A Sacramento
2012: Chris Stratton, RHP, Triple-A Sacramento