Durable SF Giants pitching prospect takes home PCL Pitcher of the Week honors

Durable SF Giants pitching prospect Carson Seymour is off to a hot start in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). On Monday, he was awarded PCL Pitcher of the Week honors after collecting five scoreless frames against the Las Vegas Aviators, per a league announcement.

Durable SF Giants pitching prospect takes home PCL Pitcher of the Week honors

The Giants originally acquired Seymour in a five-player swap that sent Darin Ruf to the New York Mets. Since then, he has been one of the Giants' more durable pitching prospects, throwing over 100 innings in each of the past three seasons.

At times, pitching prospects are still building up arm strength when they reach the majors. However, Seymour appeared in 29 games with the River Cats last season, so he is built up to handle a full workload.

The right-handed hurler had a successful 2024 campaign with the River Cats, registering a 4.82 ERA, 5.32 FIP, 1.57 WHIP, 8.8 K/9, and a 2.20 SO/W rate across 134.1 frames. This does include a strong 53.5-percent ground ball rate as well.

As is the case with many River Cats pitchers, Seymour was much better at home with a 3.92 ERA in 14 appearances compared to a 5.66 ERA in 15 starts on the road. From an elevation standpoint, Sutter Health Park is much more comparable to many of the ballparks in the majors. Many PCL ballparks sit at much higher elevations where the thinner air tends to affect pitch quality and result in more long balls.

Those home and road splits were not much of an issue through Seymour's first two starts this season. He has tallied 13 strikeouts and two walks in nine scoreless innings to start the year. This includes his five-inning effort against the Aviators on the road.

Similar to Carson Whisenhunt, the Giants want to see Seymour pitch more effectively in the strike zone. The early returns have been promising, as he has a 65 percent strike rate.

On the mound, the 6-foot-6, 255-pound pitcher flashes a mid-90's sinker and four-seam fastball. He has no problem maintaining velocity as his pitch count ticks up. He relies more on his sinker and throws it to contact, as it generally induces a high ground ball rate. Seymour mixes in a gyro slider as his primary secondary offering, and he uses it to get swinging strikes. He will throw an occasional changeup as well.

The Giants added Seymour to the 40-man roster in the offseason, so he is a candidate to pitch for the club this year.