SF Giants hard-throwing reliever flashing old form after major injury

One of the more encouraging and promising stories in SF Giants camp so far has been seeing hard-throwing reliever Melvin Adón back on the mound. The 28-year-old has put his name back on the map after missing nearly three years due to circumstance and injury.

SF Giants hard-throwing reliever flashing old form after major injury

Like any recent prosect, Adón lost a year of development due to the canceled 2020 season. However, this was compounded by the fact that he sustained a shoulder injury in winter ball of 2020 that would eventually require surgery. This knocked him out for the entire 2021 season before he returned midway through last season.

For Adón, there was nearly a three-year gap between pro outings. At one point, the hard-throwing pitcher was considered one of the better prospects in the Giants system. He originally came up as a starting pitcher, but he transitioned to the bullpen in notable fashion.

Adón was assigned to the Scottsdale Scorpions during the Arizona Fall League (AFL) in 2018 where he worked exclusively out of the bullpen, recording 2.92 ERA with 21 strikeouts against three walks across 12.1 frames.

The pitching prospect flashed a fastball that reached triple digits along with a developing slider. Not Surprisingly, the strikeout numbers ticked way up in shorter outings, so the bullpen felt like a natural role for Adón.

It has been a long time since that AFL stint and a long road to recovery for the 28-year-old prospect. He returned to the mound in 2022 and tallied a 3.65 ERA with 28 strikeouts against 13 walks in 24.2 innings across three levels. Most of last season was a rehab assignment for him and the results were not necessarily important as it was just encouraging to see him back on the mound.

Now, Adón is flashing some of that potential that made him an intriguing prospect. He was invited to camp this year and has taken advantage of the opportunity. In 5.2 frames, the bullpen prospect has yielded two earned runs on three hits, nine strikeouts, and two walks. He is tied for the team lead along with Taylor Rogers for most strikeouts by a reliever.

His fastball still can reach triple digits and the slider has developed quite a bit since 2018. He will not make the team out of camp, but Adón can quickly be an option this season if he is able to perform in Triple-A.