SF Giants pitching prospects week in review (6/27-7/3)

SF Giants Prospects Weekly Rundown: Double-A

Notable Performers

Michael Plassmeyer: 1 G, 1 GS, 1 W, 5.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 8 K, 1.69 ERA
Ronnie Williams: 2 G, 1 W, 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 HBP, 3 BB, 9 K, 0.00 ERA
Norwith Gudino: 2 G, 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 0.00 ERA

Michael Plassmeyer made his home debut for the Flying Squirrels this week and struck out eight. Excluding his Richmond debut where he got tagged for seven runs, the left-hander acquired from Tampa Bay has been as expected, if not a bit more. In his last three starts, Plassmeyer has an ERA of just 1.65 with an 18-to-three strikeout to walk ratio across 16.1 innings pitched. A known strike-thrower, 71% of his pitches have been strikes with a CSW of 29%. There’s a good chance that the 24-year old will make my Top 30 prospects lists in mid-season.

One of the best pitchers on the team after two months of play is Ronnie Williams, with the right-hander pitching throwing one of his best outings in the Giants organization as he threw three hitless innings with six strikeouts. After a strong week, Williams’ ERA is down to a measly 1.08 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 33.1 IP. His 17 walks and five HBP stand out, but he’s able to get through trouble cleanly and throw multiple innings. The six-foot right-hander has big-league potential with his low approach angle to his low to mid-90s fastball and when he is on, his breaking ball flashes above-average.

Another one of the pitchers who was quietly dominant this season out of the bullpen for the Flying Squirrels is Norwith Gudino. The 25-year old has an ERA of 1.44 this season with a 39-to-10 strikeout to walk ratio in 25 innings pitched. The right-hander has been used as more of a set-up man after the promotions of both Jose Marte and R.J. Dabovich to the Richmond roster. He’s still more control and command for most of the year but he’s able to be effective against Double-A hitting with his mid-90s fastball and a fringe-average slider.

Before the start of the season, I had Luis Amaya as a potential break-out prospect that could potentially be the best left-handed relief prospect in the organization. After two months of play, that did not happen as his ERA is at 4.82. However, if the first two outings of his year were removed, his ERA would only be 3.31 as he had a seven-game stretch of shutout baseball. His strikeout rate is at a career-best 33% and there’s potential for improvement in the second half of the season as his BABIP is at a very unsustainable .429.