SF Giants move lefty pitching prospect and 2023 2nd-round pick up to San Jose

The San Jose Giants roster got very crowded recently with a handful of promotions. One more name can be added to the list as the SF Giants moved left-handed pitching prospect Joe Whitman up to San Jose as well, per a team announcement.

SF Giants move lefty pitching prospect and 2023 2nd-round pick up to San Jose

In that announcement, pitching prospect Seth Corry was transferred to the Eugene Emeralds. This is not considered a promotion since he was on a rehab assignment after undergoing shoulder surgery in 2022.

Corry was once considered one of the better prospects in baseball, ranking as high as No. 99 according to MLB.Com prior to the 2020 season. However, the left-handed pitcher has battled control issues and injuries that has limited him to just 88 games as a pro since being taken in the third round of the 2017 draft.

The 24-year-old pitcher has posted a 5.02 ERA with 43 strikeouts against 16 walks in 13 rehab appearances across two levels. The results are not necessarily as important as the fact that he is healthy and able to pitch again.

On the other hand, Joe Whitman is one of the top pitching prospects in the organization after being selected in the second round of this year's draft out of Kent State University. The 21-year-old had a solid season in college, posting a 2.56 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 11.1 K/9, and a 3.45 SO/W ratio in 18 starts.

Given his heavy workload, the Giants have been cautious with his introduction to pro ball as he has tallied just six innings of work. He did make his San Jose debut over the weekend where he recorded three strikeouts against one walk in two innings.

Whitman flashes a three-pitch mix, including a low-90's fastball, a slider, and a changeup. He relies on his fastball-slider combination heavily while mixing in an occasional changeup. His four-seam fastball plays up because he commands it well and because it has late movement. The velocity is not overwhelming, but the Giants have had success in improving fastball velocity with prospects like Hayden Birdsong and Landen Roupp.

The slider is his best pitch as it has both vertical and horizontal movement. At times, he commands his slider better than his fastball and it is a pitch that gets a lot of swinging strikes. The promotion to San Jose is a good opportunity for Whitman to get his feet wet before he begins his first offseason in the Giants organization.