SF Giants midseason top 30 prospects: New No. 1, power hitter falls from top spot

SF Giants midseason top 30 prospects: New No. 1, power hitter falls from top spot

21. Dylan Cumming P
FB 45/50 | SL 60/60 | CH 50/50 | CB 40/45 | CMD 40/45
PV 40 | FV 40

Cumming entered the 2024 season as one of my favorite prospects that I did not rank due to his unique pitching profile. He has flashed shades of Sergio Romo, Ryan Walker, and other slingshot siderarmers with a great slider. Now, he's becoming one of the organization's most complete pitchers, seeing great success.

Any conversation about Cumming starts with his frisbee slider, which he can toy with a bit to either add or subtract velocity or depth to confuse the batter. His lively sinker also gained a couple of ticks as he is now around 91-94 mph and with a still slender frame, there is likely still more to come. He also has an improved changeup with plenty of arm-side run that shape up to be another swing-and-miss pitch and a curveball that he throws to keep hitters honest. His overall control has looked good and he is not afraid to throw any pitch at any count. Even though he is on the old side, his development as a pitcher has been astonishing to watch and he should continue to improve as a late-bloomer.

22. Aeverson Arteaga SS
Hit 40/40 | Raw Power 55/55 | Game Power 30/40 | Speed 55/55 | Arm 60/60 | Field 55/55
PV 30 | FV 40

Arteaga has not been able to play this season due to a thoracic outlet injury which would likely keep him out until next season.

23. Trent Harris P
FB 55/55 | CB 60/60 | SL 50/55 | CH 40/40 | CMD 40/40
PV 30 | FV 40

Harris was an intriguing UDFA from UNC Pembroke who dominated the Papago backfields when he signed last year and later with San Jose. There is certainly plenty of promise heading into the 2024 season but he's remained under the radar. Well, now is the time for him to shine as he continued his domination of the low-Minors by destroying Cal League competition with the Northwest League looking to be the next on the chopping block. The demolition job also came from a transition of workload from pitching late in games in short bursts early on to piggybacking a starting pitcher currently.

There was a viral post on Twitter about Harris looking a bit freaky on the mound with the mechanics reminding them of Tim Lincecum. While he is far from the skinny frame that Timmy had, Harris has a comparable athleticism to the Giants legend. His over-the-top release point allows him to generate plenty of life with his mid-90s fastball at the top of the strike zone while also having some tailing action as well. His specialty pitch though is his high-70s to low-80s curveball that pairs very well with his fastball given its 12-6 shape with plenty of bite. He also has a hard slider that compliments the heater and the curve, giving him three unique looks. The slider tends to hang sometimes but at best also looks like a plus pitch. His mechanics make him hard to have pinpoint control as a true starting pitcher but this looks like another W for the Giants pitching lab.

24. Ryan Murphy P
FB 50/50 | SL 55/55 | CB 50/50 | CUT 50/50 | CH 45/50 | CMD 45/45
PV 40 | FV 40

Murphy has seemingly flown under the radar for the past two seasons. His performance last season was solid if not spectacular. He was once again off to a solid 2024 campaign with Richmond. However, development is still of the utmost importance and he's shown positive strides this year as he makes his way to the Majors.

Control has been one of the, if not the, best assets that Murphy had back in 2021 when he plowed through the California League but has taken a step back as he battles a recurring back injury. Now fully healthy, the control that he's shown before is back and is now able to locate his fastball in the corners more consistently and not give away as many free pitches as before. His low-90s fastball has solid carry up in the zone that he compliments with a mid-80s slider that is an above-average offering with sharp two-plane action. He continues to develop his other pitches and now has a high-80s cutter as a compliment to the slider, a changeup that has looked good but the quality is inconsistent, and his high-70s curveball that still looks solid. Having a consistent quality in his pitches is the next step in Murphy's development but as it stands, he has the ingredients to become a back-end, big-league starter.

25. Christian Koss SS
Hit 40/45 | Raw Power 40/40 | Game Power 30/40 | Speed 60/60 | Arm 50/50 | Field 50/50
PV 40 | FV 40

Koss has been a pleasant surprise ever since getting traded to the Giants from the Red Sox before the 2024 regular season started. He was off to a stellar start in his first week of play but was hit with an injury that caused him to miss a month and a half of action. He returned to Richmond in June after a rehab stint in the ACL. From there, he seemed to not miss a beat once he came back, winning the Eastern League Player of the Week before heading off to Sacramento to continue his hot-hitting ways.

The performance of Koss has him enter the top 30 as he continues to see the ball very well. He swings with his right arm extended which could leave him vulnerable to pitches inside. However, he's shown the ability to rotate his hips quickly and time pitches on time to seemingly not have any issues so far. He has shown the ability to hit double-digit home runs when he was younger but has not carried it as he got older, instead settling for gap-to-gap ability. He has lost a tiny bit of speed as he got older but is still quite rangy in the infield and in the basepaths. There could be a possibility of him playing multiple positions to earn a job in the big leagues.