SF Giants prospects position preview chat: Starting pitching

SF Giants prospects position preview chat: Starters (Part 2)

M: Yeah I’m high on Sam Long’s chances, but it’s hard to have a lot of confidence in him sticking in the rotation. Blake Rivera is another one who has that premium stuff that I like to bet on, but we’ll have to see how it plays and how long the Giants will give him to start. Plus, Rivera is not on a minor-league roster, so he’s probably dealing with an injury to start the season.

W: Long was a shrewd find by the front office, and I wish him lots of success. However, I am really still on the “Long is a reliever” boat. Age is not really on his side. It’s disappointing that we did not see Rivera in any roster. I hope the injury is not serious because when he is on, he is as good as any pitcher in the system in terms of generating whiffs.

M: Definitely. Seth Corry and Sean Hjelle have kind of gotten buried by the emergence of Harrison and Long without a minor-league season. What do you see their potential as at this point?

W: It was interesting that we did not see any Corry and Hjelle news, especially Hjelle after he was pegged as the most-ready starting pitcher in the farm system. I just keep in the back of my mind that the Giants are being considerate to Hjelle in that his newborn child was born right when the league shut down their operations last year. But this year, we’ve seen him pitch at minor league camp.

I’m still a big believer of the two, to be honest. Corry when he’s on can locate his fastball to his glove-side with a changeup and curveball that flashed above-average to plus. The question is how consistent will he be in terms of his control and command. Corry really gives me the lefty Logan Webb vibes because everything that he throws moves, is a fine athlete, but will suffer from consistency issues.

If there was a minor league season last year, it is probably safe to say that Hjelle could’ve made his MLB debut late in the season. He’s as advanced as they come, even with generally average stuff. His release height gives the Giants another unique vantage point for hitters to face. Imagine trying to hit Tyler Rogers then Hjelle! I really see Hjelle as a back-end starter with a pitchability profile. Extracting more velocity out of Hjelle might be the job for the big league coaches to figure out.

SF Giants prospects position preview chat: Starters (Part 3)

M: So if you had to pick the next five starting pitching prospects to make their debuts with the Giants, who you going with?

W: Right off the bat, I’m picking Hjelle. The next one that I am picking is Tristan Beck. I am really impressed with the way he improved when he got traded to the Giants. Really playing off his fastball-curveball combo with good feel for the strike zone as well as a potential above-average changeup.

The next three is actually really tough since Corry needs more time and Harrison is still yet to pitch in pro ball. The next three I am picking are Nick Swiney, Kai-Wei Teng, and probably Long. Swiney and Teng can be quick-movers given their pitchability.

M; Ooo, I like Swiney and Teng. I don’t think it will be all of them, but I’m fairly confident two out Hjelle, Beck, and Matt Frisbee will get a chance to start in the bigs. I think both Beck or Frisbee could be moved to a long-relief role before then, but we’ll see. Honestly, after that I think there’s a good chance it is Harrison. He’s young and inexperienced, but there are not really any “quick-moving” starters in the system aside from Teng and if Harrison is that elite-level prospect, he could be at High-A by the end of this year.

For the next spot Teng would probably make sense, but if Corry builds off his 2019 momentum he could rise quickly. I’m not sure what the lost season will do to him, but I was really excited for his 2020. So for the sake of the exercise, I’ll say it’s Frisbee, Hjelle, Harrison, Corry, and Teng in that order. This organization is willing to bet on upside and I could see them promoting guys like Corry aggressively even if they aren’t confident he can consistently give them seven innings, but can go four-five with seven strikeouts consistently.

W: Pegging Harrison to be the youngest lefty since Bumgarner to make his MLB debut for the Giants, I like it! I kind of forgot Frisbee but I would’ve picked him if I got another chance haha! Frisbee was a revelation in 2019 and I never really saw anything for me to think that he will not be a big leaguer one day.

I just thought that if the front office were indeed aggressive on Corry, they would’ve moved him to San Jose towards the back-end of the 2019 season. I mean it’s great that we saw Corry really dominating the competition when he found his groove in June, but I do hope that they are more aggressive with him this time after a lost season.

SF Giants prospects position preview chat: Starters (Part 4)

M: So who are some names that people might not know that you could see cracking a rotation down the line?

W: There are a couple of names that I think are worthy of our attention this year. First is Caleb Kilian, the 8th round draft pick a couple of years ago. There’s innate deception in his mechanics and he has a good feel for his three-pitch mix. The velocity ticked up in pro ball, now hitting 94-95 regularly, and the curveball flashes plus at best. A sleeper that should not be slept on I should say.

The next two are really young, Conner Nurse and Esmerlin Vinicio. Nurse is being brought up slowly by the front office, but I am still a fan of him. Vinicio is the top pitching prospect signed by the Giants in the 2018-19 IFA cycle. Really projectable and has the ability to spin a curveball and replicate his arm speed with his changeup. Very promising but I am unsure how he will be affected by the DSL that looks to be only operating at half-capacity.

M: Totally agree on Nurse and Vinicio. Nurse is one of my top breakout candidates. There’s also a lot of players who this will be the last time they’ll get a chance to start too, Rivera, Jake Wong, and Prelander Berroa are obvious ones that come to mind (although I’m pretty sure Wong had an offseason surgery that could change that). Both have been two-pitch guys that haven’t dominated as starters and could follow Santos and Kervin Castro to the bullpen soon.

W: I agree with you there. I think that this the end is near for Rivera and Wong in terms of their starting pitcher aspirations. With Berroa, age is still by his side so there’s potential for him as a starter but the mechanics just screams reliever. Although to be honest, it’s pretty weird to see Wong be a reliever because of his full repertoire.

The most interesting prospect though is Chris Wright. He was drafted as a reliever but I’ve read somewhere that he now looks to be a starting pitcher heading to the 2021 season. I am unsure what to think about it, but it is interesting.

M: Sadly, I thought I saw someone from one of the teams mention that he’s a reliever, but we’ll see.

SF Giants prospects position preview chat: Starters (Part 5)

M: It does feel like we’ve short-changed the recent draft picks a bit, you mentioned Kilian and Swiney, but what about Trevor McDonald?

W: I think so as well. Probably because we have talked about them a good bit on our own platforms before? Haha. I would still be siding into the “McDonald is a starter” camp. Sure, the arm action is funky and is long on the back, but his arm slot gives hitters fits and I liked his changeup and slider. I think there’s relief risk with McDonald, but I still like his chances in the rotation.

Aside from McDonald, there’s also Ryan Murphy, the below-slot signing in the fifth round in the 2020 draft. He’s actually someone that we haven’t really talked a lot. I am constantly following him on his Instagram where he’s posting a lot of his pitching videos. I must say that I am pleased with what I am seeing. With feel for his stuff and a crossfire delivery, he is definitely an eye-catcher.

M: Good call. To wrap this up, I’ll mention Carson Ragsdale, who was the Phillies fourth-round pick last year before they traded him for Sam Coonrod. He’s a potential elite reliever, but has an above-average fastball and breaking ball and put up huge K numbers his last yaer in college. If he can refine his command and either find a third pitch or take his others to another level, he could have a lottery ticket chance of exploding as a prospect.

W: Ragsdale is really interesting. I think he’s a reliever all the way but hey, if there’s an organization that I am banking on in terms of developing their pitchers, this is definitely one of them.

M: Alright Wrenzie, really glad to have worked with you on this series. More importantly, I can’t wait to finally watch some minor-league baseball. Maybe we can do some chats with fans once games get underway?

W: Thanks, Marc! I had a lot of fun chatting about SF Giants prospects. It’s certainly fun to have someone as knowledgeable as you talking about the future of the Orange and Black. I can’t wait to watch the games as well and write about the games! One day, I’ll get into one of these games in person. One day!

I have no problem chatting with fans! I’m open to the idea and most especially, I really can’t wait for these players to just show how much work they put in over the past year and a half.

M: Sounds good. Great talking to you as always.

W: You too! I’m glad that your Niners drafted Lance instead of Mac Jones, though. (Just have to sneak this!)

M: Haha thankfully. By the way, if anyone is interested, I graded the 49ers draft class over at my other gig for Niners Wire.

As the minor-league season gets underway, stay tuned to Around the Foghorn for plenty more SF Giants prospects coverage.