Velocity gains led to breakout season in 2025 for SF Giants southpaw pitching prospect

SF Giants pitching prospect Luis De La Torre put together a breakout season in 2025. The young southpaw pitcher credits hard work and velocity gains that led to a strong summer in the lower minors.

Velocity gains led to breakout season in 2025 for SF Giants southpaw pitching prospect

Last season, De La Torre recorded a 2.78 ERA, 2.93 FIP, 1.03 WHIP, 13.2 K.9, and a 4.04 SO/W rate in 74.1 frames split across two levels. He began the season in the Arizona Complex League and earned a promotion to the San Jose Giants upon the conclusion of that season.

De La Torre's 13.2 K/9 and 36.1 percent strikeout rate ranked fifth among minor league pitchers with at least 70 innings pitched last year.

The 22-year-old pitcher has the traits to move quickly through the system. Given that he is eligible for the Rule 5 draft next winter, that could influence the Giants to be more aggressive with his development.

De La Torre only has 111.2 pro innings to his ledger, including two seasons in the Dominican Summer League (DSL). If it feels like he is only getting better with experience, there is a good reason for that. De La Torre is still relatively new to pitching. He has played baseball since he was five years old, but did not pick up pitching until he turned 18.

The transition to pitching almost happened by accident in 2022. De La Torre was playing in a local game in Utah when a fly ball was hit in his direction. It was a routine play in center field, but there was a runner on third base. De La Torre showed off his arm as he unloaded from center field and got the runner out with ease at home plate.

The player that he threw out talked him into joining a training program. That training program is Dominicana Baseball Training in West Haven, Utah. De La Torre was sitting in the mid-80's with his fastball, but the trainers were impressed with his velocity without having any formal training. He was beginning to garner interest from local community colleges during his training. After working out for eight months, his fastball was reaching 90 MPH.

This caught the attention of Giants scout Carlos Reyes. Shortly thereafter, De La Torre received a $10,000 signing bonus to join the organization and begin his pro career.

De La Torre, who is represented by the Ballengee Group, began his pro career in the DSL. He made 19 appearances, including one start, in two seasons with the DSL Giants Black. This laid the foundation for the lefty pitcher as a pro. "It was my first experience against pro competition," he said. "What I took from it was the basics, such as creating a routine, staying focused, and not getting ahead of myself."

Not only was De La Torre new to pro ball, but he was relatively new to pitching. He saw improvement in his time in the DSL. In 2023, he pitched to a 7.27 ERA in only 8.2 innings, but that improved to a 3.14 ERA in 28.2 innings in 2024.

After the 2024 season, De La Torre worked with the Giants to build out a training regimen. "I was focused on my strength and trying to get more out of my body," he said. "I was always working. As soon as I got home, I would watch videos [of his starts] and look for ways to get better in everything that I do."

That hard work paid off last summer, as De La Torre opened a lot of eyes, both inside and out of the organization. His fastball, which had sat in the mid-80's not that long ago, now averaged 95 MPH and can reach as high as 97 MPH.

The left-handed pitcher has a curveball that he relies on to steal a strike early in the count. He has a slider that can be effective, especially when he locates down and in against right-handed hitters. However, he is adding a new pitch this season. "I added a splitter," De La Torre said." He recently tested it out for the first time against live hitters.

De La Torre already has a purpose for this new pitch, "I needed the extra pitch to work with my fastball." He does a nice job of changing sightlines, which can disrupt a hitter's preparation. The fastball plays up in the zone, whereas the splitter typically plays lower in the zone. It generally has more velocity and downward movement than breaking pitches.

De La Torre highlighted pitching coach Luis Pino as someone who tirelessly helped him improve on the mound. Pino is now the pitching coach for the Eugene Emeralds. He wants to reach the majors someday, but in the short term, he hopes to reunite with Pino, even as soon as this season.