Everything SF Giants fans need to know about the High-A Eugene Emeralds

Everything SF Giants fans need to know about the High-A Eugene Emeralds

Pitchers (continued)

Hunter Dula

Dula had a strong season in Eugene that resulted in him getting promoted to Richmond where he struggled as hitters made much more contact against him. His fastball sits in the low-90s and he can get up to 95 mph with good life up in the zone. He compliments it with a high-70s curveball with good depth. He threw strikes in Eugene but struggled in Richmond.

Seth Lonsway

Lonsway had a very interesting season where his numbers did not look great but was heavily beaten up by balls in play and his extremely high walk rate. Despite that, however, the stuff is still there. The low-90s sinker still generates plenty of groundballs but not as high as it did in 2022. The big curveball is still the best pitch in his arsenal which is an extremely volatile pitch as it regressed in terms of control. His slider/cutter-like pitch is still there but its control also took a hit and the changeup still looked solid at best.

Ben Madison

Like several pitchers that got promoted to the high-Minors, Madison has seen his control regress considerably after showing off wipeout stuff in Eugene last season. He still has the mid-90s fastball with good life up in the zone that elicits plenty of swings and misses that he pairs up with a mid-80s slider that has great depth, but he's struggled to throw the fastball for strikes in Richmond, unlike in Eugene.

Manuel Mercedes

Mercedes logged the most innings in the San Jose pitched staff last season as he honed in his control with a much better walk rate. He dedicated himself to becoming a full-time sinkerballer where his 92-96 mph bowling ball managed to generate a high groundball rate but at the expense of his ability to generate whiffs. He still has a mid-80s slider to rely upon as his secondary pitch but the changeup moves similarly to his sinker so it is not a true swing-and-miss pitch.

Matt Mikulski

Mikulski continued to flounder as a pro with an over-inflated ERA while flashing stuff and control that looked nowhere near his college self which earned him a second-round selection a couple of years ago. The fastball was in the high-80s with decent life but can still get hitters to swing and miss at the top of the zone due to his herky-jerky delivery. That same delivery is the reason for his massive control issues. He can spin a good slider at times, but he is projected to be a one-inning lefty reliever.

Nick Morreale

Morreale has been stuck in Eugene for the past few seasons now and yet has continued to prove his worth to the team, providing great peripherals. His fastball touches 95 mph with decent life and is thrown from a downhill plane where he also cuts it quite well. The slider is his biggest strikeout pitch with good depth but he lacks a good pitch that moves inside righties to expand the strike zone.

Julio Rodriguez

Rodriguez did not have a good ERA and is a bit of an elder statesman already but he's continued to show development in terms of his stuff. He is now up to 97 mph with his fastball and he generates good life up in the zone due to the lower-than-usual release height brought upon by his low 3/4 arm slot. His best secondary pitch is his slider which has good depth and has shown to vary the depth to generate more though it is not exactly by design.

Nick Sinacola

Sinacola's high ERA last season was a result of some clunkers, but he is as nasty as anyone in the Giants system when he’s on, capable of generating upwards of 20 whiffs in a start. His fastball topped out at 96 mph last season with a slider that flashed plus and a splitter that flashed above average. The biggest issue for Sinacola is the widely varying fastball velocity as he's been in the high-80s in one start and up to 95 in the other.

Tyler Vogel

Vogel struck out the most batters as a San Jose Giant last season and while he had some occasional flare-ups, he pitched better than what his ERA would suggest. He is a great athlete with a smooth delivery that helped him generate good control of his arsenal when he’s on. His fastball topped out at 97 mph last season with good life up in the zone, a curveball that flashed plus with good power and depth while also having a decent changeup.

Hayden Wynja

The extra-tall Wynja towers at around 6'9", giving him the intimidation factor on the mound. His fastball sits in the low-90s but can look a tick or two harder due to his height and a smooth delivery that has a true 3/4 arm slot. His best pitch is his slider that flashes plus with a late break. He also has a changeup but is fringy at best. He can throw strikes but does struggle to find a consistent run of success.