San Francisco Giants Prospect Melvin Adon Could Surprise as Reliever

After a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League, San Francisco Giants prospect Melvin Adon could be a nice surprise in 2019.

The San Francisco Giants have a big decision to make with pitching prospect Melvin Adon after a strong performance this fall.

Soon the Giants will have to make a decision on whether or not to add him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.

The 24-year-old Dominican righty has struggled through four minor league season as a starter.

In 2015 he posted his best numbers in the Dominican Summer League with a 2.48 ERA in 69 innings pitched (14 starts) with 54 strikeouts.

He made another 14 starts in Low-A the next season but had a 5.48 ERA in 67.1 innings pitched with 55 strikeouts.

At Single-A in 2017 he made 19 starts and four relief appearances with an ERA of 4.35 and 89 strikeouts in 99.1 innings pitched.

This past season he posted a 4.87 ERA at High-A over 77.2 innings pitched with 71 strikeouts.

In what was probably his last chance to prove to the Giants organization that he can be effective, they sent him to the Arizona Fall League this year.

He worked in 10 games and posted a 2.92 ERA in 12.1 innings pitched with an amazing 21 strikeouts.

The stuff has always been there for Adon with a fastball that can hit triple-digits. But he has struggled with command throughout his career averaging nearly four walks per nine innings through his minor league career.

With his upside as a dominant relief pitcher, I really think the San Francisco Giants will need to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

Not only that, I think Adon could be a huge part of the Giants bullpen in 2019.

He’s never pitched above High-A, so it would be quite the jump for him to start next season in the big leagues.

But if he has a successful spring with the Giants, I could certainly see him making an impact on with the big league club in 2019.