Tyler Forner (left) and friend Luke Bottari. Courtesy Tyler Forner
Sure, the Giants made every attempt to put themselves in the best light.
They lit up his inbox at 6:01 a.m., West Coast time. Included was a video that introduced him to the staff, to the tradition, to the facilities, to the culture the Giants are both building and have built. There was a Zoom with Gabe Kapler, GM Scott Harris and farm director Kyle Haines, the organization’s top recruiting team.
Yet, Tyler Forner did not have to be wooed. The Giants unwittingly had been luring him his entire life.
Forner, an outfielder from Camas High School in Washington, grew up in San Mateo. One of his earliest memories takes place at the now-named Oracle Park, watching childhood hero Barry Bonds launch balls deep into the summer.
“I was pretty much sold right away,” Forner, who was born in Vancouver, moved to the Bay Area as a baby and stayed for four or five years before settling in Washington, said on a recent phone call. He left the Bay Area but made frequent trips back, stopping in often at the ballpark. “I’ve been a huge fan [of the Giants] my whole life.”
He’s now more than a fan. Forner became the third known undrafted free agent to sign with the Giants last week — having signed virtually, over the computer — hoping to become another fan favorite, a title that is easier to earn when the player was a fan first.
Forner is the only high schooler from the crop thus far, having decided before the coronavirus hit that he is better off going pro than the college route, turning down several Division-I offers. If that seems a bit hard-headed, Forner is not your typical baseball player — in that he’s a football player, too.
Forner was an All-State linebacker for the Camas state champions last fall and had hoped to add a baseball ring to his collection, too, before the pandemic took hold. A toolsy outfielder, who has the body and speed and power of a top prospect without the full baseball resume to match it yet, was not able to leap onto a draft board that only contained five rounds this year.
His coach, Stephen Short, said he “flew under the radar.”
“He’s an incredible athlete, and I think he needed to develop those tools. You see some kids that come in as freshmen as the best players on the field, but they don’t have the tools yet,” Short said over the phone. “He was more of a raw baseball player who came in to put in the work to develop those tools.
“He really sprung on the scene last year as a junior for us during the spring, had an incredible year, great in big moments, lots of big moments.”
Courtesy Tyler Forner
The moments continued into the summer, Forner winning MVP at the Northwest Scout Games, a showcase event. A pair of Giants scouts talked with him after and they stayed in touch through the football season, through the beginnings of a baseball season, through the shortened draft and undrafted signing period.
Forner, listed at 5-feet-10 and 185 pounds, runs a 6.6 60-yard dash, according to his coach. The power in his righty swing is untapped, and it’s easy to see why a Giants regime with so much faith in player development and coaching views him as a project with real potential.
“He’s got a real nice power-speed combination. He runs really well, he’d be a good fit in center or left field,” Short said. “He’s very strong, not a real big kid but he’s very strong. And he’s a plus defender, excellent defender. He’s an incredible worker. He has tools.
“… He works like a professional. You really started to see that — there’s a difference between some kids who want it and some kids who understand you have to work like a pro to be one.”
During this break in action, Forner has been working out with what Short termed is a “who’s who” of local baseball players in the area — college athletes like Grant Heiser, pros like Brady Whalen, who’s in the Cardinals organization.
As the unthinkable was happening and his senior season was wiped away before his path to get drafted was blocked, Forner kept training and shoved aside any second-thoughts about college. He wanted to go pro.
He believed he would be on teams’ radars; he is neighbors with a Mets scout and said there were other clubs he’s talked with. He wanted to be a Giant.
His Zoom with team brass included the pictures included in this post, of a boy watching the team he dreamt playing for. His gamble paid off.
“He’s got work to do, but he’s willing to do the work,” Short said. “[The Giants] might have stolen one here.”