While much of the attention in Double-A has focused on Melvin Adon, another hard-throwing pitching prospect is putting his name on the map in the San Francisco Giants organization.
Tyler Cyr is a right-handed pitching prospect who was drafted by the San Francisco Giants out of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the 10th round of the 2015 MLB Draft.
Not surprisingly, only one player drafted out of that school has ever made it to the major leagues in St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Daniel Ponce de Leon.
Since starting his pro career, Cyr has steadily climbed the minor league ranks. In 191 minor league innings, Cyr has posted a 2.73 ERA with 222 strikeouts against 87 walks.
He clearly has swing-and-miss stuff, and he’s been even better in his 95.2 innings at the Double-A level, logging a 2.54 ERA and 106 strikeouts for a 10.0 K/9 strikeout rate.
A fractured right elbow limited him to just nine innings of work last season before he underwent season-ending surgery, so he is back at Double-A Richmond for a second year.
Since returning from that injury, he’s been extremely impressive, pitching to the tune of a 2.17 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 41 strikeouts in 37.1 innings of work.
Part of that success has no doubt stemmed from a surprising uptick in fastball velocity:
Tyler Cyr has a 0.96 ERA in his last 13 appearances since June 5. Fastball has been up as high as 99 mph. And this all coming off last year's surgery following an olecranon fracture in his right elbow. #SFGiants https://t.co/V3Yuc8iMqN
— Trey Wilson (@treywilson757) July 17, 2019
If the San Francisco Giants do decide to move some of their bullpen arms before the trade deadline, it’s possible that Cyr could reach Triple-A by the end of this season.
While he has not been mentioned specifically by name by Farhan Zaidi, Cyr could certainly be part of the minor league depth referenced below:
Zaidi suggested he could deal from bullpen depth in majors and minors to get a younger, controllable players who can help this year and beyond. Specifically mentioned a starter or infielder. #sfgiants
— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) July 26, 2019
This comment was made on the heels of Sam Coonrod making an impressive appearance which included two strikeouts against the Chicago Cubs in an extra-inning win last Tuesday night.
The San Francisco Giants have had one of the better bullpens in baseball all season, and their minor league depth in that area is enviable. They should have the depth to fill at least a couple of potential vacancies in the bullpen if they decide to sell off some veteran pieces. Cyr may not be the next name called up, but he is excelling in his second trip through the Eastern League.
In today’s game, teams can never have enough pitchers who feature a 99 mph fastball, and that is something Tyler Cyr can Cyr-tainly bring to the table. Okay, I’ll stop.