3 young SF Giants players to be excited about as the season winds down

3 young SF Giants players to be excited about as the season winds down

3. Reliever Camilo Doval

It is a toss-up between Camilo Doval and Logan Webb at the moment. I suppose the difference is that Webb has been with the Giants for the past four years, whereas Doval is still relatively young from a viewer standpoint. It bears mentioning that they are both the same age.

Webb's starts are exciting to watch because he continues to establish himself as one of the best pitchers in the National League, which is a trend that dates back to the beginning of last season. Doval has quickly become one of the better closers in baseball and the transition from young, inexperienced reliever to legitimate closer has been seamless.

The right-handed hurler flashes a pitch mix that few pitchers can match. He boasts a high 90's sinker that he pairs with a devastating slider. Opposing hitters have posted a .168 batting average against the slider while the sinker induces a launch angle of -17 degrees. Hitters struggle to do any meaningful damage against either pitch and it has made his appearances very relaxing to watch.

That is not something that you would expect to see from a closer as the final inning of the game tends to be the most stressful. That stress does not affect Doval as he is rarely fazed by the situation or the hitter.

In 58 innings, the hard-throwing reliever has recorded a 2.64 ERA, 3.08 FIP, 1.25 WHIP, 10.7 K/9, and a 2.65 SO/W ratio with 21 saves in 24 opportunities. He has already surpassed his previous career high for innings pitched in a season at 56.1 innings, so the Giants may want to be careful with him down the stretch.

That said, he probably only has a handful of appearances left in this season, so the increased workload should not be too concerning. He has been fantastic in his first full season with the Giants and he is clearly the closer of the future. This offseason will be focused on how the Giants will get the ball to him in the ninth inning.