SF Giants pitching prospects rundown (5/7 - 5/13)

SF Giants pitching prospects rundown (5/7 - 5/13)

Flying Squirrels Pitching Prospects

Notable Performers

Bryan Brickhouse: 1 G (1 GS), 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 K, 0.00 ERA
Ryan Walker: 2 G, 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 0.00 ERA
Gray Fenter: 1 G (1 GS), 4.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 HBP, 2 BB, 5 K, 0.00 ERA
Chris Wright: 3 G (1 SV), 3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 5 K, 2.45 ERA

Bryan Brickhouse had the game of his life this week with a stellar outing against Harrisburg. Who is Bryan Brickhouse though, you might ask? Well, Brickhouse is originally from the Kansas City Royals organization when they drafted him in the third round of the 2011 Draft and he has an incredible story to tell. His career with the Royals in the early going has been riddled with elbow-related injuries and has decided that his baseball journey is done in 2017 and took up real estate. He then began doing yoga in his home by watching Yoga with Adriene on YouTube (my sister is also a fan of hers) for peace of mind and body and the elbow pain that plagued him was gone. He also shed weight, took up weighted ball training, and was back in pro ball pumping gas in 2018, touching 100 MPH. He bounced between the Cubs and the Dodgers before signing with the Giants in a MiLB deal this season. He's been thrown into a rotation role with the Dodgers club last year and the Giants committed to it this year. The ERA might not be pretty right now but Brickhouse has a puncher's chance of reaching the big leagues.

For more on Brickhouse's story, read here.

After scuffling out of the gate, Ryan Walker is back to his usual shenanigans with seven straight scoreless outings. Out of that stretch, Walker threw 7.2 innings, struck out 11 batters, and has only allowed one walk and hit. The ERA might not look pretty now but the Ryan Walker that we know as a highly deceptive, strike-throwing righty with a sinker-slider combination from a low 3/4 arm slot is back. We all love Ryan Walker here and if you are not, then you are missing out.

I think Gray Fenter should be a starter for the Flying Squirrels for the rest of the season because he looks comfortable with the role, yeah? Look at this:

As a starter: 13.1 IP, 3 H, 1 HBP, 9 BB, 21 K, 0.68 ERA
As a reliever: 7.1 IP, 7 H, 5 BB, 6 K, 6.14 ERA

Fenter is still struggling to throw strikes but at least he can throw better in a rotation/opener role. If that is the roadmap for Fenter's big league journey, then I'm all in.

Let's end off the Flying Squirrels rundown with Chris Wright. Last season, Wright was one of the best relievers in the system and has flirted with top 30 consideration. This season though is a different story. Yes, the ERA is a stellar 1.98, but the peripherals tell a different story, specifically with his strike-throwing. He is inside the top 15 pitchers in the Giants system with the highest walk rate (15.8%) and he has struck out less than a batter an inning this season. Strike-throwing has been an issue for him. He's been working on a sweeping breaking ball that looked nasty when on but he has struggled to land it for strikes for the most part. It will be interesting to see where Wright will finish after this season.