SF Giants: Wrenzie’s five 2021 draft prospects to watch

Wrenzie’s 5 SF Giants Draft Prospects to Watch:
Sam Bachman, RHP, University of Miami (Ohio)

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The Giants are one of the most prominent users of the latest innovations in pitch design. What if a pitcher is seemingly born out of a modern pitching lab that could be available when they make their selection? Enter, Sam Bachman.

An Indiana native, he only received two scholarship offers out of high school but has worked extremely hard to improve over the past two years. Bachman lowered his arm slot to a low three-quarter angle and ditched his four-seamer to a two-seam variety. Those changes, along with adding muscle to his frame, allowed him to achieve the current success that he is enjoying this year with Miami of Ohio.

Bachman might have the best pitching repertoire in the entire draft class. His sinker sits in the high-90s and will touch 100 with good tailing action and sink. Bachman has also been able to hold his velocity deep in his starts. With that high-end velocity and movement, his heater might be comparable to Giants prospect Camilo Doval.

His high-80s slider is another potential plus. It lacks significant movement but has a late bite that contrasts well with his fastball. Even though it remains a relatively new pitch, his changeup is a potential strong offering because of its noticeable fade.

With all that said, there are a couple of things that hold his value back. First, he is not competing against the toughest of competitions. The second part, which is the most important drawback, is that his arm action is not clean. It gets pretty long, shows the ball early, again like Doval.

The closest pitchers that I can think of with similar arm action are Kyle Hendricks and Nate Jones. Not only does this potentially put added stress on his arm, it also creates legitimate concerns about the repeatability of Bachman’s delivery, which could push him to the pen.

There is a lot to like with Bachman, with the sheer stuff, strong frame, and deception in his low arm slot that is sure to give hitters plenty of fits. Even if he only settles to average command, it is still a potential mid-rotation arm with a high ceiling that comes with some reliever red flags. Bachman is my pick if the Giants finally tap into the pitching side with their first pick this year.