Pair of SF Giants pitching prospects earn Pitcher of the Week honors

Last week was a good week for several SF Giants pitching prospects. In particular, Shane Rademacher and Carson Whisenhunt earned Pitcher of the Week honors for the Northwest League and Pacific Coast League, respectively.

Pair of SF Giants pitching prospects earn Pitcher of the Week honors

If Rademacher sounds familiar, it is because he took home Northwest League Pitcher of the Week honors last week, too. He completed five scoreless innings against the Tri-City Dust Devils in a 4-2 loss to earn it the first time.

How do you top that? Well, all it takes is completing another five shutout innings without allowing a hit or a walk. The right-handed pitcher struck out three batters in a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canadians.

The Giants signed Rademacher as an undrafted free agent out of Chowan University in 2023. In his first full season as a pro, he tallied a 4.89 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 10.8 K/9, and a 3.52 SO/W rate across 84.2 frames with the San Jose Giants. This season, he has allowed one run with eight strikeouts and one walk across 14 innings with the Eugene Emeralds.

On the other hand, Carson Whisenhunt is one of the many Giants pitching prospects in the upper minors pushing for a spot in the Giants rotation. The rotation has been a surprising weak spot to start the year. Logan Webb and Landen Roupp have thrown the ball well, but Justin Verlander, Robbie Ray, and Jordan Hicks have not.

Whisenhunt, Hayden Birdsong, Kyle Harrison, and Carson Seymour could push for a rotation spot if the veterans continue to struggle. For now, the Giants will be patient.

The Giants wanted Whisenhunt to improve his control in his second stint with the Sacramento River Cats. He has done just that, allowing two walks across 20 innings to start the year.

The left-handed pitching prospect had an excellent start against the Salt Lake Bees, as he completed six shutout frames with nine strikeouts and one walk in a 5-0 win.

On the mound, Whisenhunt flashes a low-to-mid 90's sinker that he pairs with a good changeup. The changeup is his go-to pitch, as it has late fading action that is tough for opposing hitters to pick up on because he tunnels it well with his sinker. The lefty pitcher has mixed in a gyro slider recently that has some functionality against right-handed pitchers. It is not a pitch he throws often, but he will mix it in to give hitters a different look.