San Francisco Giants: Final 2019 Top 10 Prospects

5. LHP Seth Corry

Age: 20
Acquired: 2017 draft (3rd round)
Future Value: 50  (two grades up)
Stock: +5

The previous scouting regime selected a trio of high school prospects at the top of the 2017 draft. All three—Heliot Ramos, Jacob Gonzalez, and Seth Corry—stalled during the 2018 season and some became concerned that the class could be a catastrophic bust.

While Gonzalez continued to struggle, both Corry and Ramos had career years.

As a prep pitcher in Utah, Corry drew comparisons to a young Matt Moore. Back then, he was a two-pitch pitcher who worked off a 90-92 mph fastball and a curveball with advanced feel that projected as a plus pitch. He’s since added a changeup.

Many scouts have expressed skepticism in the pitch, but according to one industry source, it generated a whiff rate of over 46 percent in 2019. That kind of effectiveness suggests it has the potential to be another above-average pitch. His fastball still sits in the low 90s, but it has an above-average spin rate and touches 95 mph occasionally. His curveball remains his best pitch, averaging over 2,600 rpms and generating whiffs on over 50 percent of swings this season.

From the onset of his pro career, Corry has missed bats, striking out roughly a batter an inning at each level. However, he tended to walk roughly a batter an inning as well.

This year, in his first full-season assignment, Corry got off to a start reminiscent of Kyle Crick’s minor league career. Into June, Corry had a great 2.58 ERA and accrued 69 strikeouts in just 45.1 innings, but he had also issued 36 walks. Then, according to one source with the team, he made a mechanical adjustment that allowed him to take off.

From the start of July to the end of the season, Corry made 11 starts. During that span, he posted a 0.99 ERA in 63.2 innings, striking out 86 while allowing just 16 free passes.

Corry has always had a better handle on his offspeed pitches than his fastball, which made me bullish on his ability to eventually control all of his pitches. Still, there is a marked difference between control and command. Other prospects like Shaun Anderson and Conner Menez saw that first hand in their first taste of the majors.

Next season will be pivotal in Corry’s progress. Maintaining his gains in control and taking another step forward with the development of his changeup could have him on top 100 prospect lists by midseason. However, any regression would call his 2019 performance into question

All things considered, his three-pitch repertoire gives him the potential to be a strong middle-of-the-rotation starter, and he could begin 2020 at High-A.