SF Giants prospect news: Liam Simon, Jhonny Level, and Joe Whitman

SF Giants general manager Zack Minasian joined the Murph and Markus show on KBR on Thursday to discuss a number of topics relating to the team. The Spring Breakout game was brought up, giving Minasian a chance to discuss some of the players on the Giants' roster, including Liam Simon, Jhonny Level, and Joe Whitman

SF Giants prospect news: Liam Simon, Jhonny Level, and Joe Whitman

Pitcher Liam Simon

The Giants drafted pitcher Liam Simon in the fifth round of the 2022 draft out of the University of Notre Dame. Since then, he has made only 23 appearances as a pro, spanning a total of 42.2 innings pitched.

Despite this, Simon has often been mentioned as a prospect to follow by several prospect sites. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023, but he did make a handful of appearances toward the end of the year for the Arizona Complex League Giants.

Minasian is encouraged by Simon's progress thus far. "He's back healthy," Minasian said. "Just watching him in the backfields has been super exciting."

The pitching prospect has a posted a 5.48 ERA as a pro. He has tallied high strikeout and walk totals, so there is lot of development left for him to realize. Simon flashes a mid-90's sinker with a slider that gets above-average, two-plane movement.

Pitcher Joe Whitman

The Giants selected pitcher Joe Whitman in the second round of the 2023 draft out of Kent State University. The lefty pitcher had a productive first full season as a pro, recording a 4.63 ERA in 23 starts split across two levels.

Whitman flashes a low-90's four-seamer with a slider that missed a lot of bats in the lower minors. At times, he has a better feel for his slider than his fastball. The southpaw pitcher is trying to mix in a changeup more regularly, especially as an option to use against right-handed hitters. Zack Minasian had a brief note about Whitman, suggesting that he could move quickly in 2024.

Middle infielder Jhonny Level

Young middle infielder Jhonny Level had a huge season in the Dominican Summer League in 2024. This led to him moving quickly up the Giants' prospect lists with MLB Pipeline ranking him at No. 5.

There has been some buzz surrounding Level as is, but Minasian says that Giants fans will hear more about him in the coming years. The Giants general manager even highlighted him as one of his personal favorites while appreciating the energy he brings to the field.

The Giants signed Level for just under $1 million out of Venezuela in 2024. He recorded a .275/.393/.517 line (140 wRC+) with 10 home runs, 46 RBI, and 44 runs in 215 plate appearances in the Dominican Summer League last year.