SF Giants promote two top pitching prospects from the 2020 draft class

The 2020 draft class is beginning to look like a good one for the SF Giants. Two top pitching prospects from that class earned promotions on Tuesday.

SF Giants promote two top pitching prospects from the 2020 draft class

Reliever R.J. Dabovich was promoted to Triple-A, whereas starter Ryan Murphy moved up to Double-A. Dabovich becomes the first Giants draft pick since 2019 to reach Triple-A with the organization.

The two caveats to this nugget are that former Giants prospect Caleb Kilian (eighth round, 2019) has already debuted for the Chicago Cubs and middle infield prospect Will Wilson (first round, 2019) was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Angels. Wilson was promoted to Triple-A earlier this season.

On the other hand, Murphy rejoins top pitching prospect Kyle Harrison, who was also selected in the 2020 draft.

Dabovich had an impressive 2021 campaign where he registered a 2.78 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 17.3 K/9, and a 4.77 SO/W ratio in 31 appearances split between High-A and Double-A. He received an invitation to the Arizona Fall League where he posted a 2.53 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 10.2 frames with the Scottsdale Scorpions.

The 23-year-old hurler returned to Double-A in 2022 and picked up where he left off. In 22 appearances, Dabovich tallied a 2.70 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 12.8 K/9, and a 6.33 SO/W ratio across 26.2 innings in the Eastern League. His command has improved considerably this year as he produced a 2.0 BB/9 ratio.

Murphy has quickly emerged as one of the Giants' top starting pitching prospects after being selected in the fifth round out of Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York.

In his first season as a pro last year. Murphy recorded a 2.52 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 13.8 K/9, and a 6.31 SO/W ratio in 21 starts split between Low-A and High-A. This performance opened a lot of eyes as he was ranked as the No. 10 prospect in the Giants system prior to this season according to Baseball America (subscription required).

Murphy has carried his momentum from last season in 2022. He began the year in High-A where he has registered a 2.90 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 13.6 K/9, and a 3.92 SO/W ratio in seven starts. It was only a matter of time before he was promoted to the next level and that time is now.

This is an exciting day for the Giants as two key prospects are one step closer to putting on a Giants uniform. In the case of Dabovich, that could come this summer, but Murphy does not seem far behind either.