SAN FRANCISCO–Before Giancarlo Stanton had a chance to say no to the Giants this offseason, the Giants said no to him.

In fact, so did every other Major League team.

In the 2007 draft, Stanton wasn’t taken until the 77th pick, going to the Florida Marlins 66 picks after the Giants took Madison Bumgarner.

David Price, Mike Moustakas and Matt Wieters were considered the cream of the crop that year, and all were taken among the first five picks. Though certain players like Price, Bryce Harper of the Nationals and Carlos Correa of the Astros were can’t-miss No. 1 overall selections, Major League Baseball’s draft is hardly an exact science.

The Giants hit one out of the park by taking Bumgarner at No. 10, but whiffed on high school pitcher Tim Alderson with the 22nd pick and struck out on high school outfielder Wendell Fairley with the 29th selection. Get San Francisco Giants news in your inbox. Sign up now for the free Giants HQ newsletter.

Fairley spent six seasons in the Giants’ organization, but never progressed past Double-A. He’s not the only outfield prospect who struggled to move through the Giants’ Minor League system, either.

Since Chili Davis earned an All-Star nod in 1986, the Giants have used 14 first round or supplemental first round draft choices on outfielders. Of the seven who eventually made it to the big leagues, none hit more than eight career home runs for the Giants.

Though a handful of second-round selections like Fred Lewis and Nate Schierholtz enjoyed a limited stretch of productive years for the Giants, the organization hasn’t had a homegrown outfielder participate in an All-Star game since Davis did so more than 30 years ago.

Vice president of baseball operations, Brian Sabean, who has spent more than a quarter century with the Giants, wasn’t even with the franchise yet when Marvin Benard, a 50th round draft choice, became a long-term starting outfielder in 1992. Since Benard, the Giants haven’t developed one.

“I wish I had a deeper insight or a better way to explain it,” Sabean said last spring. “It’s just been a drought, simple as that.”

While San Francisco has produced a homegrown All-Star at every other position on the diamond within the last 10 years, the Giants could have played the lottery for three decades and had more success than they had grooming outfielders.

The Giants’ odds of drafting and developing a Major League-caliber starting outfielder started to feel worse than the odds of a right-handed hitter homering beyond the fence in Triples’ Alley at AT&T Park. And that’s why this story exists.

On Monday night, 2012 third round draft choice Mac Williamson sent a soaring shot halfway up the right center field bleachers. On a cold, dreary night at China Basin, Williamson’s 464-foot two-run blast landed in Barry Bonds territory.

“I just haven’t seen many balls hit there, even in (batting practice) with the wind blowing,” Bochy said. “That’s impressive. It shows you how strong this guy is. It’s an area where few guys can hit a ball. I think all his teammates were impressed, too.”

Williamson entered spring training in 2017 with a chance to compete for the starting left fielder job with Jarrett Parker. But after straining his quad in the middle of March, Williamson was forced to start his season at Triple-A.

Parker, a second round pick in 2010, became the first homegrown outfielder to start on Opening Day for the Giants since John Bowker did in 2010. Bowker started 17 games that year and was shipped to Pittsburgh in the Javier Lopez deal, while Parker broke his collarbone crashing into the outfield wall last April. He returned to the field in August, but was released at the end of spring training this season.

Unlike Williamson, Parker was out of Minor League options this spring. Even if he had one, the Giants didn’t necessarily have space on their Triple-A roster for him. Instead, they have a handful of younger outfield prospects lined up to break a drought.

While a continued power surge from Williamson can help him supplant Hunter Pence as the Giants starting left fielder, the club is preparing for Triple-A center fielder Steven Duggar to eventually take over as the every day center fielder.

A sixth round choice out of Clemson in 2015, Duggar nearly earned an Opening Day roster spot before being optioned to Sacramento. After a slow start, his batting average has crept up to .281.

“I felt like the numbers didn’t speak the whole truth of him,” Williamson said of Duggar’s first Triple-A at-bats. “He was having long at-bats, eight, nine pitches, but he just wasn’t finding the barrel at the end of his at-bats. If you look at the percentage of quality at-bats, it’s only a matter of time.”

Though Duggar is viewed throughout the organization as the Giants’ center fielder of the future, he might not be the next outfielder to earn a call-up. Related Articles SF Giants Gameday podcast: What does scoreboard watching in 2020 look like?

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Austin Slater, the Giants’ 2014 eighth round draft choice, has the versatility to play in both corners and the range to fill in as a center fielder if necessary. Nine of Slater’s 15 hits for Sacramento this season have gone for extra bases, and the Giants believe he’ll unlock more power as he adjusts to Major League pitching.

How the Giants fare over the first three months of the season could dictate if and when Duggar and Slater are called up, and what capacity the club will use them in. If Austin Jackson and Gregor Blanco struggle in center field, Duggar could be tabbed to help keep the team in contention. If the Giants tumble down the standings and want to create an opportunity for Slater, San Francisco could trade Andrew McCutchen who, like Pence, is playing on an expiring contract.

Beyond Williamson, Duggar and Slater, the Giants have two more promising prospects expected to make an impact at the Major League level.

2015 first round draft choice Chris Shaw needs more seasoning at Triple-A, but his power and maturity opened eyes during spring camp.

The jewel of the Giants’ Minor League system, though, is still a few years away. 2017 first round selection Heliot Ramos has the five tools needed to become a star, and each time general manager Bobby Evans picks up the phone, he’s bound to receive inquiries regarding Ramos’ availability.

If the homegrown assets preparing to compete for jobs in the Giants’ outfield don’t break droughts dating back to Benard and Davis, there are more than a few scouts who think Ramos has a high enough ceiling.

Though it’s been more than 30 years since the Giants watched a homegrown outfielder roam in an All-Star game, they’ll take comfort in watching Williamson lift a few more home runs out of AT&T Park for the time being.