Better control, closer to the majors.

Some really good comments here. I am STUNNED at the 4% success rate for lefties chosen in the first round.

You guys know a lot more about it than I (who am an expert only on Tim Lincecum. Why else do you think he would be the only pitcher I talk about. :), but personally I would take Alderson.

I didn't really like the mechanics of EITHER pitcher when I saw them on the draft-day tapes. But there is no denying that Alderson made an exciting debut last season, albeit in just five innings at the rookie league level.

My own choice would have been to take Rick Porcello instead of Mad Bum with that #10 pick. But the Giants would rather gamble $126 million on Barry Zito than $7 million on a guy who has a shot at pitching like the early Zito, but over a long career.

The Giants aren't going to be any good for a few years, so they really need Angel Villalona, their six picks in last year's overall top 51, their #5 overall pick this year and their likely high draft choices for two or three years after that to come through. Not all will, of course, but the Giants really need for a goodly percentage to come through -- particularly the ones with high ceilings.

Lincecum and Cain -- they keep us sane. The rest of team -- they make us scream.

unless my farm system desperately needed a LH starter.

Alderson looks like he can handle the hitter-friendly Cal League (small sample size, however), and a promotion to AA mid-season is not out of the question. He could be on much the same schedule as Cain was, and considering he is even more polished than Cain at the same stage in their development, Alderson looks like he could have a fine career ahead of him.

Those big strong LH who throw in the mid to upper 90's sure are tantalizing though...

Bumgarner struck out at least 3 in his first outing on curve balls. You need to throw out the high school scouting reports and see his stuff now.

Like most here, I like Alderson. I don't care about his funky delivery: I care about results, and with the same small-sample-size caveat others have mentioned, he's handling high A at age 19. His arsenal seems good enough, and his control seems nice. Double-A will be the big test, I think.

However, 4%-shot or no, Bumgarner has serious gas from the left, and I have never heard he was a one-pitch pitcher. Small sample as well, but he's got 10 Ks and 0 BBs in 8 IP. And he doesn't turn 19 until August. Low A is nothing at which to sniff, either, if you put up numbers like that at a young age and have velocity to go with both. The last 18yo the Giants pumped through the Sallie League with better than a K an inning was Matt Cain. If Bumgarner ends up as the lefty Matt Cain, you'll want him.

..though I wanted the Giants to have taken Heyward with that pick. Someone else can have the high-ceiling pitching project if I can have the high-ceiling hitter, every time.

it was a bad angle on milb.tv, but it sure looked like bumgarner was throwing some good breakers tonight.

They SHOULD have taken a power bat with their first pick, preferebly Jason Heyward.

this is hard to answer, because a lot of it depends on which is your favourite team and what they need.
i'm a big fan of the red sox and blue jays.
if i'm the farm director of the red sox system i'd be equally happy with both, but might give bumgarner the edge because 1). our system is strong 2). our starting pitching in the big leagues is full of young and talented pitchers, as such we can take the time to develop someone like bumgarner who has a high ceiling, but is more raw.
if i'm the farm director of the blue jays i'd probably pick alderson because he's closer to the big leagues and our current system is pretty weak, and has a better chance of being a no.2/3 pitcher than bumgarner does.

High era, but 0 walks to 10 ks, which is pretty encouraging.