Everything SF Giants fans need to know about the Low-A San Jose Giants

Everything SF Giants fans need to know about the Low-A San Jose Giants

Pitchers (continued)

Alix Hernandez

Hernandez is the youngest and quite possibly the most intriguing pitcher in the San Jose pitching staff this year. His claim to fame is his slider that exceeds 3,000 rpm. It results in a slide piece that breaks very late but sharply away from righties with good sweep as he has a slinging arm action. He can also generate crazy arm-side movement with his changeup. The big issue however is that the fastball is only in the low 90s but he can experience an uptick or two if he can fill out his frame.

Cole Hillier

Hilier was signed by the Giants last August as a minor league free agent and he projects to be one of the relievers for San Jose. He has a pretty intriguing delivery with a slight giddy-up in his tempo that could throw hitters off balance. He needs it because his fastball only sits in the low 90s with a mid-to-high 70s curveball as his main offspeed pitch. He can struggle with control at times due to the difficulty of maintaining his giddy-up.

Thomas Kane

Kane was selected late in the third day of the 2023 draft and he has the look of a potentially intriguing reliever. He only throws in the low 90s but he can generate good life up in the zone because of his over-the-top release point and a quite funky mechanics. He pairs it up with a breaking ball that flashes above average with good depth to combat the rise that he can generate with his fastball. There are times when he can make the fastball sink just to change the eye level of the batter.

Cale Lansville

Lansville was once a top prospect in high school who struggled in college before being drafted by the Giants on the third day of last year's draft. He does not have great stuff but he pretty much throws everything. The fastball sits in the low 90s but he can cut, sink, and have it stay true. He also has a slider, curveball, and changeup that he can throw in pretty much any count. The control is fringy so he has to rely on mixing up his arsenal to succeed.

Ubert Mejias

Mejias was a solid pitcher last season in the backfields after signing back in 2022 out of Cuba. He has a low-90s fastball that has average movement characteristics and he pairs the pitch with a mid-80s slider with solid depth. He throws a good amount of strikes but the big worry is that the frame is already baked without much projection remaining. He also currently lacks a workable third pitch.

Cesar Perdomo

Perdomo is considered to be an older signing when he was signed as a 19-year-old back in 2021. He's been steading climbing through the ranks and has impressed with his ability to throw strikes. His fastball is only average but it plays up because of his small stature and a true 3/4 slot giving it a flatter path to the zone when thrown high. He has a promising changeup to pair his fastball with. The only issue is that he looks pretty set in his frame and will likely not gain more velocity as he ages.

Shane Rademacher

Rademacher is the most mysterious member of the SJ Giants squad this season having been signed as a NDFA last August. He was a starter for all four seasons at Chowan University but did not have the success that he would have wanted. He was far more effective in summer league action at the Coastal Plain League, however, which prompted the Giants to sign him.

Michael Rodriguez

Rodriguez has one of the best nicknames in the organization as he was being called at college as "The Nightmare", primarily due to his massive size on the mound. Listed at 6'5", 250 pounds, he brings the intimidation factor even if the stuff is not as impressive as the physique. He sits in the low 90s with his fastball but can get on top of hitters up in the zone due to his low 3/4 release point. He pairs it up with a slurve-type pitch that has plenty of depth and could be menacing against lefties.

Cody Tucker

Tucker was signed last July as a minor league free agent and has seen time in San Jose towards the end of last season. It's a tall and fall operation on the mound for Tucker as he throws his fastball with good life at the top of the zone. He pairs it with a slider that has a late break and great depth. It is a legitimate swing-and-miss offering for him. If he can be more consistent with his strike-throwing, he has a shot of becoming a big-league arm.

Esmerlin Vinicio

Vinicio enters his third straight season of pitching for San Jose where he keeps on bouncing around the Complex and the California League since 2022. His curveball is still an above-average pitch but he's never gone to fill out his very lanky frame where he can only produce fastballs in the high 80s, up to 91 mph at best. His changeup is a good pitch at times and is a good person so it's not hard to root for him.

Joe Whitman (#22 prospect)

Whitman has the potential to become one of the best left-handed pitchers in the organization but currently needs plenty of improvement. His fastball currently sits in the low-90s with decent shape though has touched 96 in college. His still slender frame gives him room to increase his velo a couple of ticks. His best pitch is his low-80s slider, a true plus offering with a high spin rate, great depth, and sweeping action. He also has a mid-80s changeup that needs plenty of work to become a third pitch. He struggled to find the zone with his fastball during his short stint for San Jose to end the season. Hopefully, he finds the control and a third pitch to not become a relief-only look.