The SF Giants designated right-handed pitcher Jordan Humphreys for assignment to clear a space on the 40-man roster. He was claimed by the San Diego Padres and is now headed to their NL West rival. The move gives the Giants room to add recently signed LHP Jose Alvarez to the 40-man roster.
Humphreys may not be the most recognizable name to Giants fans, but he was acquired from the New York Mets for speedy outfielder Billy Hamilton last year. Following the season though, the Giants designated him for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster, and he was claimed by Cleveland. Then, later in the offseason, the Giants reacquired Humphreys after Cleveland exposed him to waivers. Now he will head to his fourth different organization in the past year.
SF Giants RHP Jordan Humphreys acquired by San Diego Padres.
The right-handed hurler was drafted in the 18th round of the 2015 draft out of Crystal River High School, but he has very little mileage on his arm. In four minor-league seasons, he has registered 2.60 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 9.4 K/9, and a 5.90 SO/W ratio across 169.2 frames.
He has never pitched above Single-A and missed the entire 2018 season due to Tommy Surgery. Of course, there was no minor league season in 2020 as well, so there might still be a lot of development for Humphreys left to realize.
Humphreys ranked among the Giants’ top 31 prospects after he was acquired last summer. Here is an excerpt from his scouting report:
"In his limited sample last year[2019], he[Humphreys] was sitting 90-93 mph with his fastball and flashed an above-average slider. According to the pro scout who scouted him in Arizona, “he has back-end rotation floor… swing and miss stuff is there. Like the upside and coaches spoke well about his makeup, hard worker.” Most pundits though, see Humphreys more as a back-end piece."
The SF Giants have prioritized pitching depth throughout Farhan Zaidi’s tenure. However, at this point, they have enough to warrant attention from other organizations. Jordan Humphreys may be an interesting young pitcher, but the San Diego Padres will now have the opportunity to help him tap into his potential.