Two years ago, starting pitching was easily the weakest position in the system, a group that was missing both stardom at the top, and depth among the rest. Well, the Giants have changed that.
This list of ten players features 7 pitchers who made their debut in 2021. There are three draft picks from 2020, and two drafted in 2021, and they make up five of the top six players on the list. Throw in a trade for a recent draft pick who hadn’t yet made his debut, and a 2019 international signing, and you have a revamped list of pitching for the Giants.
The system isn’t perfect. There’s no real future ace in the system, though they have a couple of guys who have a ceiling of a #2 starter in a good rotation. But what absolutely is true, there is now a lot of depth. The system should spend the next few years promoting a number of interesting pitchers on a regular-ish basis.
#1 – Kyle Harrison
Not the first round pick of the 2020 Giants pick, but definitely the highlight of it, local boy Kyle Harrison had a breakout year in San Jose. Harrison has been quick to move up everyone’s ranks, and is considered a Top 100 prospect overall by many, so how could he be anywhere but at the top?
#2 – Will Bednar
The 2021 first round pick by the Giants, Bednar was the Most Outstanding Player in the College World Series after leading Mississippi State to the title over the favored Vanderbilt Commodores. He hasn’t had much chance to show anything in the pros yet, but 2022 could be his year.
#3 – Nick Swiney
A surprise concussion stole away much of his 2021, but when Swiney was on the mound, he was dominating the competition in Low-A. The lefty could be a huge breakout candidate for the 2022 season.
#4 – Matt Mikulski
The Giants got a steal in the 2nd round of the 2021 draft, as college senior Mikulski was still there after going undrafted in 2020 and using that as fuel to make some dominating adjustments. With some serious strikeout material, it’ll be interesting to see where he goes after a full season in the pros.
#5 – Sean Hjelle
The guy who’s known for being tall tripped up on some roadblocks on his first trip to Triple-A. However, with some adjustments, and a baseball that’s not the lively 2020 MLB baseball, Hjelle could get back on track and make a Major League impact this year.
#6 – Ryan Murphy
It’s fair to say that a lot of people overlooked Murphy as the final pick in the 2020 draft (albeit in just the fifth round). An excellent year has caught the attention of most, and it’ll be worth watching where Murphy can go now that he won’t be sneaking up on anyone.
#7 – Seth Corry
Corry still has a dominating fastball and curveball…when he has control of them. Unfortunately, in Eugene in 2021, Corry didn’t have much control over anything until the very end of the season. There might not be many more chances for Corry to pull his amazing stuff together.
#8 – Prelander Berroa
One of the Giants’ mid-season trades in 2019, Berroa was one of the regular starters in High-A, though with some strict inning limits. If his control can improve, Berroa has some of the best potential to move far up this list in 2022.
#9 – Carson Ragsdale
The Giants pulled out a pitching prospect out of a preseason trade with the Phillies in 2021, and Ragsdale went on to be one of the top strikeout pitchers in all of the majors. Not bad, though the 6’8” pitcher is now only the second-tallest pitcher in the system.
#10 – Esmerlin Vinicio
One of the top signings of the 2019 international signing period for the Giants, Vinicio had a solid debut in Arizona. The lefty was the top pitcher at the rookie level for the team, and offers a solid chance to make it as a starter out of the group.
Other Prospects To Note:
It was an interesting year for Kai-Wei Teng, who struggled at times and gave up a lot of bases, but also had a ton of strikeouts. He just missed this list thanks to an inconsistent streak that was frustrating to deal with, though he finished strong…If the 2020 draft was really about Harrison, then some theorized the 2021 was really about high school senior Eric Silva, drafted in the 4th round. That doesn’t track, as Silva didn’t get a monster bonus to sign, but his mid-90’s velocity could still grow, as does hopefully his control…Quietly, Wil Jensen had a solid year in San Jose, posting a 3.59 ERA and 109 strikeouts to 25 walks in 102.2 innings. The undrafted free agent might make this list if he can repeat in 2022…Down in Arizona, Trevor McDonald had a mixed year, with a 3.86 ERA in 15 games, but also one bad start in San Jose…Down on the Dominican, 19-year old Mikell Manzano posted 70 strikeouts to five walks in 48.1 innings across 12 games, 11 of which were starts. It’s hard for any international signing to become a big leaguer, but 2021 was just his first year despite being 19, so Manzano might get the time to develop…It was a rough year for oft-injured Tristan Beck, who lost 2.5 months to injury after a rough start in Richmond. He finished with a 6.27 ERA overall across three levels…No one got big by the Triple-A jump harder than Matt Frisbee. Frisbee had a 1.24 ERA in Double-A after five starts, 32 strikeouts to one walks in 29.0 innings, jumped to Sacramento, and gave up 77 hits in 53.0 innings at the level. He got bounced back to Richmond where he seemed more human after the experience…The Giants like Conner Nurse a lot, and he started all season in Eugene, but gave up 112 hits to 114 strikeouts in 113 innings, headed to a 4.86 ERA
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