SF Giants pop-up pitcher considered top sleeper prospect in the organization

As the SF Giants prepare for the upcoming season, there will be a handful of prospects to follow as well. Baseball America highlighted SF Giants pitcher Trent Harris as the top sleeper prospect in the organization.

SF Giants pop-up pitcher considered top sleeper prospect in the organization

Deservedly, Bryce Eldridge and Carson Whisehunt receive much of the attention in terms of top Giants prospects. More recently, Josuar De Jesus González has received a bit of attention after signing with the club earlier this month.

Harris is not in the same category as those prospects but he is a name that could help the Giants as soon as next year. As Baseball America points out, Harris is just one of four pitchers in the minors to strike out 100 or more batters in fewer than 100 innings without making a start.

That speaks to how unhittable he was last season. Perhaps, he was assigned a little too conservatively at Low-A to start the year. That was due in part to having no draft pedigree.

The right-handed pitcher received a $10,000 signing bonus as an undrafted free agent out of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in 2023. It is hard for a player to separate themselves from the crowd when they are drafted in the later rounds. It is even harder as an undrafted player.

That did not deter Harris at all. He breezed through the lower minors last season as he posted a 1.64 ERA with 104 strikeouts and 24 walks in 76.2 frames split between the San Jose Giants and Eugene Emeralds. He reached Double-A by the season's end but only made two appearances.

Harris is on the older side at 26, so the real test will be how well he throws in the upper minors. He flashes a mid-90's four-seam fastball with a big, 12-to-6 curveball while mixing in a slider and changeup as well. He commands his pitch mix well and knows how to miss bats with both his fastball and curveball. Harris likes to locate his four-seamer up in the zone, whereas the curveball gets swinging strikes both in the zone and as a chase offering.

The pitching prospect did often throw in multi-inning efforts and it would be interesting to see the Giants stretch him out as a starter. For now, there is a good chance that he gets an invite to spring training but he will be a name to watch when the minor league season begins.