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By Jackson Roberts
Contributing Sports Writer
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Every Major League Baseball team hopes to bat 1.000 on its first-round picks, but in such a tough sport, that goal is just wishful thinking.
The 2019 draft featured an impressive list of first-round talent, with five future All-Stars going in the first 11 picks, highlighted by the Kansas City Royals' second-overall selection of shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. But one of the top 10 selections has still yet to make his major league debut.
That player is San Francisco Giants outfielder Hunter Bishop, a former Arizona State star who has had a tough injury streak in the minors on top of some underwhelming seasons. After playing 96 games for Triple-A Sacramento this season, Bishop was eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, but before that process could unfold, he simply exercised his right to choose his own team for next year.
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On Thursday, Bishop elected minor-league free agency, according to the transactions log on his official roster page. After six partial seasons in the Giants organization, he can look to catch on with a new team, though it's not impossible he could return to San Francisco on a minor-league deal.
The Giants selected Bishop 10th in that famed 2019 draft, one spot ahead of former Toronto Blue Jays All-Star Alek Manoah and preceding Corbin Carroll, George Kirby, and Michael Busch as well.
Bishop's extensive injury history includes a hamstring issue in his debut season of 2019, a shoulder injury that cost him most of the 2021 campaign, and Tommy John surgery that wiped out his entire 2023 season. He's never played more than 123 games in a single year.
In total, Bishop's minor-league slash line is .238/.328/.389, with 36 home runs and 54 stolen bases in 353 games.
Bishop's older brother, Braden, played 47 major league games for the Seattle Mariners from 2019 to 2021, but Hunter was always considered the bigger prospect.
Entering his age-28 season next year, perhaps a fresh start will enable Bishop to finally earn his first crack at big-league playing time.
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