Brewers rubbed salt in SF Giants fans' wounds with brutal Sunday reminder

A pair of young players who each topped the SF Giants' prospect rankings in the past are now teammates on the Milwaukee Brewers, and both have made excellent first impressions with their new team. On Sunday, starting pitcher Kyle Harrison earned his first win of the season with 5 and 1/3 strong innings of work, while outfielder Luis Matos helped him out with a base hit and an impressive assist from right field.

Harrison, who was the Giants' top-ranked prospect on FanGraphs' 2024 list, headlined the package sent to the Boston Red Sox last June in exchange for slugger Rafael Devers. Although he had not lived up to his potential in 2024, posting a 4.56 ERA in 24 starts, he was still just 23 years old at the time of the trade and retained a great deal of potential. Boston, however, barely used him down the stretch, as he made only three appearances and was left off their playoff roster before being shipped to Milwaukee in the offseason.

Former SF Giants prospects Harrison and Matos off to hot start with Brewers

Given the Brewers' reputation for getting the most out of their players, it was easy to be high on Harrison's potential after they acquired him. Two starts into the season, he looks a lot like the pitcher Giants fans dreamed of when he was the top left-handed pitching prospect in baseball.

On March 30th against the Rays, he threw five innings of one-run ball while striking out eight of the 20 batters he faced. And on Sunday, he allowed just two runs on three hits while striking out six in a Brewers win.

Harrison's performance on Sunday was aided by Matos, who preceded him as FanGraphs' top Giants prospect in 2023 and was also appearing in his second game for Milwaukee. For the same reason the Brewers were excited for Harrison to join their organization, they jumped at the chance to acquire Matos for cash considerations after he missed the Giants' final roster cut and was DFA'd at the end of Spring Training.

Matos drew a pinch-hit walk in his Brewers debut Saturday, then in his first start Sunday he collected a base hit and gunned down Royals speedster Bobby Witt Jr. trying to score on a third-inning single, preserving what was then a 3-2 lead for Harrison.

While it is still too early to say whether Matos and Harrison will thrive long-term with the Brewers, witnessing even a short burst of success from players who were supposed to be key contributors on the next great Giants team is undoubtedly painful for fans.

Since the Giants' last title in 2014, the organization has struggled to fill the roster with homegrown talent, leading to questions about its ability to develop minor leaguers. If these two former prospects continue to succeed in Milwaukee, fans will be left wondering whether president of baseball operations Buster Posey and VP of Player Development Randy Winn are the right men for the job.