Grant McCray

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked San Francisco Giants #7 prospect in 2025
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High.
  
  Track Record: McCray is the son of former MLB outfielder Rodney McCray, who got 14 at-bats over three seasons with the Mets and White Sox. Grant debuted in Rookie ball in 2019 after he was the Giants’ third-round pick. He lost the 2020 season because of the pandemic-scuttled season. In 2022, a series of mechanical changes unlocked his potential and put him firmly in the mix as one of the system’s best prospects. His career since then has been filled with highs and lows, but he made his big league debut in 2024 and swatted five home runs in 37 games.
  
  Scouting Report: McCray has a reputation as a bit of a slow starter, and the same was true in 2024 at Double-A Richmond. He finished April with a .528 OPS, then boosted that figure all the way to .994 in May. When he’s going right, McCray has the kind of combination of power and speed scouts dream of finding. In his short big league stint, McCray’s exit velocities and barrel rate were both well above-average, and his sprint speed and arm strength were near-elite among his peers in center field. The next step in McCray’s development will be to make more contact. He struck out at a 28.7% clip in the minor leagues and then racked up 56 strikeouts in 130 big league plate appearances, including chase and whiff rates of roughly 31% and 44%. Without major improvements in those areas, McCray might be largely relegated to the bench or the minor leagues for the remainder of his career. If he can make marginal gains, he’ll have a shot to scratch the surface of his tremendous upside.
  
  The Future: McCray will be given a chance to earn a roster spot out of spring training. To do so, he’ll need to make contact at a much higher rate.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 55 | Run: 60 | Field: 60 | Arm: 70.
• 
  Ranked San Francisco Giants #10 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record: McCray was part of an excellent one-two punch of low-profile prospects identified by Florida area scout Jim Gabella, who found McCray in 2019 and then Vaun Brown in 2021. In his first two years as a pro, McCray showed tools but little in the way of production. The next year, 2022, was a different story. Mechanical changes helped him turn his tools into production, and he put himself on the map as one of the better prospects in San Francisco’s system by hitting .289/.383/.514 with 23 home runs and 43 stolen bases, mostly at Low-A San Jose.
  
  Scouting Report: After a breakout 2022 season, McCray struggled with consistency but showed flashes of his big-time potential. His 2023 began on a low note with a .554 OPS at High-A Eugene in April. A month later, that figure was .909. At his best, McCray should fit into a hit-over-power mold. When he tries to reverse that profile, things tend to go awry. McCray hits the ball plenty hard--his 103 mph 90th percentile exit velocity was above-average for his level--but his miss rates on pitches both in and out of the zone were concerning. His 171 strikeouts were the most in the Northwest League and the second-most in all of High-A. McCray’s defense alleviates a bit of the pressure on his bat. He’s got a plus glove in center field, a plus throwing arm and double-plus speed. NWL managers voted McCray the best outfield defender on the circuit.
  
  The Future: McCray has plenty of tools. Now, he needs to settle on a consistent approach in order to put them together more often. The 2024 season--which will likely be spent at Double-A--will represent the biggest test of McCray’s career. If he puts it together, he could be a classic table-setter at the top of San Francisco’s lineup.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 70 | Field: 60 | Arm: 55
• 
  Ranked San Francisco Giants #4 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Very High
  
  Track Record: The Giants have done a fantastic job unearthing hidden gems in Florida in recent years. The first find came in 2019, when they selected McCray--the son of former big leaguer Rodney McCray--out of high school in Bradenton. The younger McCray played football and ran track in high school, but the Giants thought enough of his abilities on the diamond to give him $697,500 to keep him from a commitment to Florida State. McCray spent most of his first two seasons--sandwiched around the pandemic--at the lowest levels of the minor leagues. His tools began to translate in 2022, when he was among the system's biggest breakouts.
  
  Scouting Report: A series of mechanical adjustments helped unlock some of McCray's offensive potential. Opposing scouts noticed a shorter swing, a shorter load and a stance that was a little more open and upright than what they'd seen in 2021. The next step will be better swing decisions and a slightly less steep bat path to help him improve 26% rates of swing-and-miss both in and out of the zone. If those changes happen, McCray has the potential to be an average hitter with above-average power. McCray's average exit velocity (88.9 mph) and rate of hard contact are already excellent but would play even better if he could get the ball in the air more often. McCray is regarded internally as the system's best defensive outfielder. Opposing scouts see it similarly, universally grading him as at least a plus defender with double-plus speed and an above-average arm. Managers in the California League also took notice, voting him the league's best defensive outfielder in annual Best Tools survey.
  
  The Future: McCray ended 2022 in High-A Eugene and likely will return there in 2023. If everything clicks, he could be an everyday center fielder who provides standout defense and some offensive impact.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 50. Power: 55. Speed: 70. Fielding: 60. Arm: 55

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #221 prospect in 2019 draft
  The son of former big leaguer Rodney McCray, Grant is a toolsy center fielder with plus speed, wiry strength and physical projection remaining in his 6-foot-1, 172-pound frame. He received a lot of buzz late this spring, and his athleticism will suit him well in center field as he progresses. McCray ran track and played football in high school, but his upside is highest on the baseball field because of his speed and quick hands in the lefthanded batter's box. A Florida State commit, McCray could be drafted at some point in the middle of Day 2.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Very High
  
  Track Record: The Giants have done a fantastic job unearthing hidden gems in Florida in recent years. The first find came in 2019, when they selected McCray--the son of former big leaguer Rodney McCray--out of high school in Bradenton. The younger McCray played football and ran track in high school, but the Giants thought enough of his abilities on the diamond to give him $697,500 to keep him from a commitment to Florida State. McCray spent most of his first two seasons--sandwiched around the pandemic--at the lowest levels of the minor leagues. His tools began to translate in 2022, when he was among the system's biggest breakouts.
  
  Scouting Report: A series of mechanical adjustments helped unlock some of McCray's offensive potential. Opposing scouts noticed a shorter swing, a shorter load and a stance that was a little more open and upright than what they'd seen in 2021. The next step will be better swing decisions and a slightly less steep bat path to help him improve 26% rates of swing-and-miss both in and out of the zone. If those changes happen, McCray has the potential to be an average hitter with above-average power. McCray's average exit velocity (88.9 mph) and rate of hard contact are already excellent but would play even better if he could get the ball in the air more often. McCray is regarded internally as the system's best defensive outfielder. Opposing scouts see it similarly, universally grading him as at least a plus defender with double-plus speed and an above-average arm. Managers in the California League also took notice, voting him the league's best defensive outfielder in annual Best Tools survey.
  
  The Future: McCray ended 2022 in High-A Eugene and likely will return there in 2023. If everything clicks, he could be an everyday center fielder who provides standout defense and some offensive impact.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 50. Power: 55. Speed: 70. Fielding: 60. Arm: 55
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Very High
  
  Track Record: The Giants have done a fantastic job unearthing hidden gems in Florida in recent years. The first find came in 2019, when they selected McCray--the son of former big leaguer Rodney McCray--out of high school in Bradenton. The younger McCray played football and ran track in high school, but the Giants thought enough of his abilities on the diamond to give him $697,500 to keep him from a commitment to Florida State. McCray spent most of his first two seasons--sandwiched around the pandemic--at the lowest levels of the minor leagues. His tools began to translate in 2022, when he was among the system's biggest breakouts.
  
  Scouting Report: A series of mechanical adjustments helped unlock some of McCray's offensive potential. Opposing scouts noticed a shorter swing, a shorter load and a stance that was a little more open and upright than what they'd seen in 2021. The next step will be better swing decisions and a slightly less steep bat path to help him improve 26% rates of swing-and-miss both in and out of the zone. If those changes happen, McCray has the potential to be an average hitter with above-average power. McCray's average exit velocity (88.9 mph) and rate of hard contact are already excellent but would play even better if he could get the ball in the air more often. McCray is regarded internally as the system's best defensive outfielder. Opposing scouts see it similarly, universally grading him as at least a plus defender with double-plus speed and an above-average arm. Managers in the California League also took notice, voting him the league's best defensive outfielder in annual Best Tools survey.
  
  The Future: McCray ended 2022 in High-A Eugene and likely will return there in 2023. If everything clicks, he could be an everyday center fielder who provides standout defense and some offensive impact.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 50. Power: 55. Speed: 70. Fielding: 60. Arm: 55
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Midseason Update: When McCray was an amateur, Giants amateur scouts were convicted that he had the tools to give him a very high ceiling. They&#39d need to be turned into skills once he got into the minor leagues, but they were there. They were right. A few adjustments—standing more upright in the batter&#39s box, utilizing a slightly more open stance and reducing the load in his swing—have turned McCray into one of the game&#39s bigger breakouts. You can find scouts who will hang five plus grades on McCray&#39s skill set, though some are a little more conservative with the hit tool and believe he will need to make further refinement in that department. He&#39s got the speed and range to play center field and should provide lefthanded thump as well. May Update: One of the best-kept secrets in the Giants&#39 system, McCray—the Giants&#39 third-rounder from 2019—has shown an impressive set of tools in his full-season debut. His double-plus speed contributes to his potentially plus defense in center field. McCray has big-time bat speed which contributes to at least plus raw power and potentially average in-game power. There&#39s still some swing-and-miss in his game, and some scouts still see a player whose vulnerability to breaking balls could lead to a fringe-average hit tool.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 45. Power: 55. Run: 70. Field: 60. Arm: 55.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  The son of former big leaguer Rodney McCray, Grant is a toolsy center fielder with plus speed, wiry strength and physical projection remaining in his 6-foot-1, 172-pound frame. He received a lot of buzz late this spring, and his athleticism will suit him well in center field as he progresses. McCray ran track and played football in high school, but his upside is highest on the baseball field because of his speed and quick hands in the lefthanded batter's box. A Florida State commit, McCray could be drafted at some point in the middle of Day 2.