Don't look now, but young SF Giants pitcher is lighting up radar gun in Triple-A

Going into spring training, left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison was seen as the favorite for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. He did not end up winning that spot, but his velocity in Triple-A has picked up recently which is a great sign.

Harrison's velocity was down a bit in spring training which may have been due to the fact that he experienced an illness early in camp which forced him to have a late start to the spring. That combined with how good both Landen Roupp and Hayden Birdsong looked in spring training is what made Harrison the odd man out as the team broke camp.

Young SF Giants starter Kyle Harrison is lighting up the radar gun in Triple-A

The Sacramento River Cats boasted a lot of starting pitching depth going into the season including Harrison. It would have been easy for him to have been discouraged by not making the MLB roster, but he has accepted the challenge and made a strong impression.

In six starts and 26 innings pitched in Triple-A, Harrison has an ERA of 3.46. He has struck out 38 batters in those innings which is a great sign especially after his strikeout rate was down with the Giants last season as he battled through injury and a velocity dip.

Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area shared on social media that Harrison's fastball velocity has been much improved in Triple-A with it touching 97 miles per hour. That is a huge development because Harrison's fastball is a major part of his pitch repertoire.

When the San Jose native was first called up to the big leagues in 2023, we saw him regularly blow guys away with a fastball up in the zone that reached 95 miles per hour with ease. His deceptive delivery made his fastball explode on opposing hitters, but when his velocity dipped down to the low-90's hitters were nowhere near as fooled by it.

Giants general manager Zack Minasian spoke about Harrison's good start in Triple-A and was adamant that he hopes Harrison, and other promising young pitchers in Triple-A, put pressure on the Giants this season to call them up. It is certainly not a bad problem to have if you have several young arms knocking on the door in the minor leagues.

It would be a great comeback story if Harrison is able to earn his way back to the big leagues after the disappointment of not making the Opening Day roster. The fact that he is pitching well and his velocity is up are both very good signs as the 23-year-old tries to get back with the Giants.