2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 20-11

2022 Pre-Season SF Giants Prospects: 20-11

18. Eric Silva

Position: RHP
Age: 19
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 185 lbs.
Projected Level: San Jose (Low-A)
MLB ETA: 2025

Tool Grades: (Present/Future)

FB 45/55 | SL 40/50 | CB 40/50 | CH 40/50 | CMD 30/55

PV 30 | FV 40

Hailing from the loaded 2021 JSerra class that featured plenty of top talents such as Gage Jump and Cody Schrier, Silva was the only one that was lured away from their UCLA commits when he got drafted in the third round by the Giants and signed to just under a million dollars over slot value. Silva was held back from pitching until deep in the ACL season, where he made a couple of appearances to get his pro debut nerves out of the way.

As a former shortstop, Silva brings his plus athleticism on the mound even though he looks diminutive at the top of the rubber. Do not get fooled, however, as Silva has the feel of a college pitcher in terms of stuff and pitchability. On the mound, the fastball currently has a big velocity range where it is clocked between 91-98 MPH. It has late sinking movement released from a high-¾ arm slot and as a broad-shouldered athlete, Silva has projectability in his frame that will help him sit in the mid-90s in a full start as opposed to his velocity falling off in the later innings.

In terms of his secondaries, Silva has two distinct breaking balls. His slider is a low-80s offering with a big, sweeping break that Silva drops his arm slot to a true-¾ release point at times. His curveball is a low-to-mid 70s offering that has a 10-4 to 11-5 break that looks like a slower version of his slider. He does not have a good feel for his changeup at this point, but it has potential because of how well Silva throws it with fastball arm speed.

Silva is not quite like Kyle Harrison in terms of the frame, but the two have similar traits: good athleticism (though Silva is more athletic), highly competitive, and has a solid feel for his arsenal. Silva needs plenty of seasoning in all facets of his game, but his athleticism could turn his command into something special. He projects as a back-end starter who could rely mostly upon generating weak contact over whiffs while also relying on his athleticism to become a great fielder for his position. If there is a velocity increase, though, he could turn out like Harrison: a stud.