Top SF Giants lefty pitching prospect continues to excel in 2nd turn through Triple-A

Top SF Giants pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt put together another quality start earlier this week, completing seven scoreless frames against the Salt Lake Bees. He continues to excel in his second turn through the Pacific Coast League (PCL).

Top SF Giants lefty pitching prospect continues to excel in 2nd turn through Triple-A

The Sacramento River Cats recorded a 5-3 victory in Whisenhunt's latest outing. For the young pitcher, it marked his third straight start of reaching at least seven innings.

In recent years, the Giants have been relatively conservative with pitcher workload. However, that looks to be a change with the new front office, as Giants minor leaguers seem to be pitching deeper into games.

When Whisenhunt threw for the River Cats last year, his control was not sharp, especially on the road. The Giants challenged him to throw more strikes, and he has done just that. Whisenhunt has yielded just six free passes through 44 innings this year. Oddly enough, he has allowed six home runs as well. And, it bears mentioning that his home-run rate is not all that high for the PCL.

In addition to better control, the southpaw pitcher has thrown his slider with more regularity and confidence. On Wednesday, he threw 31 percent of the time, recording three whiffs in 13 swing attempts.

That slider is an important pitch in Whisenhunt's development. Earlier in his pro career, he relied primarily on a sinker-changeup mix but has added a third pitch with his gyro slider. The changeup remains his go-to out pitch, but the slider gives opposing hitters a different look.

The sinker continues to do its job, as the lefty pitcher has induced a ground ball in 49.2 percent of batted-ball events, up from 38.4 percent last season.

Whisenhunt still has some extreme home and road splits. He has a 1.46 ERA in four starts at home compared to a 6.05 ERA on the road. His strikeout rate is much higher at home as well. While his changeup is his go-to pitch, there is a good chance that it does not have the same fading action at higher elevations, which is where many PCL ballparks reside.

Hayden Birdsong and Kyle Harrison are the top young options to slide right into the rotation if a spot opens up. If Whisenhunt continues to pitch like he did earlier this week, he may not be far behind.