Young SF Giants pitcher shows off velocity spike in 2026 Cactus League debut

On Monday, young SF Giants pitcher Trevor McDonald made his 2026 Cactus League debut while helping the club secure their third win of the spring. He completed a scoreless frame and flashed a notable bump in velocity. 

Young SF Giants pitcher shows off velocity spike in 2026 Cactus League debut

McDonald struck out two in n a clean inning of work, as the Giants recorded a 6-2 win over the A’s. Victor Bericoto tallied the first home run of the spring by a Giants hitter.

The most notable part of McDonald’s outing was the spike in velocity. His sinker velocity averaged 95.2 MPH while reaching as high as 97.2 MPH. At the end of last season, he was averaging 93.0 MPH with his sinker, so that is a sizable increase.

It is not uncommon for pitchers to show a spike in velocity in their season debut or returning from injury. This is especially true for pitchers throwing in a shorter outing. The question will be if McDonald can sustain that velocity deeper into his starts. The Giants will learn the answer to that as the spring progresses. 

It was a promising impression on the coaching staff after finishing last season on a high note. McDonald made only three appearances, but posted a 1.80 ERA with 14 strikeouts and two walks across 15 innings. This included a 53.5 percent ground ball rate.

This did raise the question of why the Giants did not give McDonald more of an extended look at the end of last season. His overall numbers, including a 5.31 ERA in 29 putting, in Triple-A were not all that strong. That said, he had one of the highest home-run-to-fly-ball rates in the minors at 21.2 percent. Some of that was likely due to bad luck, along with the Pacific Coast League (PCL) being an extreme hitter’s park.

Many Giants pitchers struggle more on the road in Triple-A. That was also the case for McDonald, who put up a 5.51 ERA on the road compared 4.41 ERA at home. However, he had a much higher home run rate at home. While Sutter Health Park is one of the fairer parks in the PCL, it still leans in favor of the hitter. 

McDonald would probably be happy to never return to the PCL. If the fastball velocity shows a sustainable uptick, he could pitch his way onto the Giants sooner rather than later.