Giants draft Georgia high school pitcher Zack Wheeler at No. 6

Laurence Miedema
Mercury News

Zack Wheeler had been on the Giants' scouting radar for nearly two years, but he wanted to give Brian Sabean a little something extra to remember him by when the general manager visited the right-hander's high school game in rural Georgia in late March.

"That's when I hit 98" mph for the first time on the radar gun, Wheeler recalled. "I figured I'd boost it up a couple miles an hour for him."

Performances like that persuaded the Giants to select Wheeler with the sixth overall pick in the 2009 baseball draft Tuesday. The Giants concluded the first day of the three-day draft by addressing some of their offensive shortcomings, selecting high school catcher Tommy Joseph in the second round and Louisville third baseman Christopher Dominguez in the third round.

The Giants didn't help their offense in the first round, but much of that was because this draft is universally considered pitching heavy. But in Wheeler, 19, the Giants envision another Matt Cain (or at least Madison Bumgarner or Tim Alderson) who already has made significant competitive and physical strides before their eyes.

The skinny kid from Dallas, Ga., a town of about 5,000 people in the northwest corner of the state, has filled out to 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds, and probably still is growing. The Giants' interest peaked this spring when Wheeler was 9-0 with a 0.54 ERA in 13 starts, with 151 strikeouts and just 20 walks in 772/3 innings.

"Every time we went back, we liked him a little bit more," said John Barr, a special assistant to Sabean and the Giants' de facto scouting director.

Although Wheeler's status had been gaining momentum on a lot of draft boards, several other highly touted pitchers were available when the Giants picked. But Barr and Sabean said Wheeler was their top-rated player remaining.

"We got a really good player at a place in the draft where need to get a good player," Sabean said.

The addition of Wheeler adds another polished arm to the Giants' minor league system.

Wheeler, whose fastball sits in the low 90s and who reportedly throws an advanced power breaking pitch, projects favorably to the Giants' heralded 2007 picks, Bumgarner and Alderson, who both are at Double-A Connecticut after breezing through the Class A California League with the San Jose Giants.

"We compared him to Cain, we compared him to Bumgarner, we compared him to Alderson," Sabean said. "It all came back that this kid was very reminiscent of those types of picks.

"With his size, strength and ability, he should be on the fast track."

Wheeler, who signed a national letter-of-intent to play at Kennesaw State College, said he's eager to begin his pro career, so signability isn't expected to be an issue.

"It's a good organization to go to," Wheeler said. "They develop a lot of pitchers, I know that.

"(Signing) as soon as possible would be great so I can start playing."

With the 55th overall pick, the Giants selected Joseph out of Alderson's alma mater, Horizon High in Scottsdale, Ariz. Joseph (6-1, 215) hit .494 with 15 home runs and 36 RBIs in 27 games this spring.

Dominguez (6-4, 225) was rated the biggest power threat in the draft by Baseball America and has led three leagues in home runs, including the Cape Cod League last summer, but there are questions about his ability to make consistent contact.