Southpaw pitching prospect to represent SF Giants in talented 2025 Futures Game

The Futures Game will begin the All-Star festivities in Truist Park next month. For the SF Giants, southpaw pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt has been tabbed as their representative.

Southpaw pitching prospect to represent SF Giants in talented 2025 Futures Game

As Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area notes, Bryce Eldridge could have been a candidate for the game. However, the power-hitting prospect is expected to miss the next three or four weeks after sustaining a hamstring strain.

The Futures Game will feature some of the top prospects in baseball, including Leo De Vries (San Diego Padres), Andrew Painter (Philadelphia Phillies), and Sebastian Walcott (Texas Rangers).

Here is a fun name to follow. Marquis Grissom Jr. will represent the Washington Nationals in the Futures Game. Grissom Jr. is a pitcher in the Nationals organization. He is the son of longtime outfielder and two-time All-Star Marquis Grissom. The elder Grissom appeared in 17 major league seasons, including his final three years with the Giants.

Carson Whisenhunt will be the Giants' lone representative. The left-handed pitcher could be a candidate to join the Giants rotation at some point this season.

Overall, Whisenhunt has registered a 4.55 ERA, 4.80 FIP, 1.27 WHIP, 8.0 K/9, and a 3.16 SO/W ratio in 16 starts with the Sacramento River Cats. He has completed 89 innings, and looks to surpass his previous career-high in that category (109.2 innings) with ease.

The 24-year-old pitcher continues to be plagued by extreme home and road splits in the Pacific Coast League. Those splits are not as extreme as last year, but he has pitched to a 3.59 ERA in nine starts at home, compared to a 5.94 ERA in seven starts on the road.

On the mound, Whisenhunt flashes a low-90's sinker with a changeup and a gyro slider. The changeup is his best offering, and he does a nice job of tunneling that pitch with his fastball. His fastball averages 92.2 MPH, but the changeup sits at 79.6 MPH, creating a 13-MPH variance between the two options.

The slider has developed into a nice option as well, and he is throwing it more confidently than he did last year. Whisenhunt has often relied on this pitch early in games while using the changeup later in the start to give opposing hitters a different look.

The starting rotation will be tested in the second half of this year. The Giants will need to rely on their internal options, with Whisenhunt being a potential option to help the club down the stretch.