Sean Hjelle, RHP
DOB: 5/7/1997
BATS: R  /  THROWS: R
ACQUIRED: Drafted 2018, 2nd Round
LAST LEVEL: MLB
VOLATILITY: High

See Full Stats Here

GiantFutures 2023 Ranks: #25 Overall, #7 Starting Pitcher

2022 Performance: Sean Hjelle finally made it to the big leagues in 2022, but he still has some distance to go.

Hjelle had a 4.92 ERA over 22 starts in Triple-A Sacramento, to the tune of a 4.92 ERA with just 80 strikeouts to 38 walks in 97.0 innings.  Hjelle did struggle with a .287 batting average allowed and a 1.55 WHIP.  But Hjelle also made his big league debut in the bullpen on May 6th with a single game.  He would make one-game callups in both June and July, shuttling between SF and Sacramento, before getting called up to San Francisco in early September and stayed there the rest of the season.  His MLB stat line in 25.0 innings was a 5.76 ERA with 28 strikeouts to eight walks, and a .311 batting average allowed.

Hjelle was used as a short reliever in his first few call-ups to the bigs, but almost all his appearances late in the season, though all were relief appearances, four of the five went at least four innings, with the only exception being a game where he was hit very hard in 1.0 innings.

While Hjelle did struggle a lot, his biggest strength was still there, with a 2.26 ground-out/fly-out ratio in Triple-A, with a 2.75 ratio in the big leagues.  But he was victimized, as he has been his entire career, with a high BABIP, including a .400 BABIP in the big leagues.  Having a strong infield defense behind him will be a big help.  But Hjelle also had confusing splits in 2022.  In Triple-A, he was pounded by left-handed hitter (.907 OPS to .730), but in the big leagues, it was righties (.970 OPS to .462).

Strengths and Weaknesses: If you’ve followed Hjelle for years, you know that his biggest strength and weakness are tied up in each other.  He’s a groundball pitcher, which means that he’s very hittable, but he keeps those hits in the ballpark.  The problem is that a lot of groundballs get through, and still do, which is one reason his ERA has been high the last two seasons.  He has a 2-seam fastball that sits 93-94 mph, with a big mid-80’s curve and a high-80’s changeup, but they are tooled more for ground balls than whiffs, which can be a problem.  Especially the change, which took a step back in 2022 and needs more separation from the fastball to be effective.

This was also Hjelle’s second straight season with subpar command.  Before the pandemic, he was keeping walks mostly around two walks every nine innings, but it’s been around 3.5 per nine in both 2021 and 2022.  He is far more effective when he’s not giving free passes, since he will always give up a lot of singles.

2023 Outlook: Hjelle has two more option years left, so I hope the Giants have a bus that gives him a lot of legroom as he shuffles between Sacramento and San Francisco all season.  He is who he is, but getting back both his changeup and his control will be key for him.  The Giants used Hjelle for extended innings in the big leagues at the end of the season, so it looks like they will try to keep him in the starter role for now.

Future Profile: Hjelle has practically been haunted by the label of “back-end rotation pitcher” in his projections, but at times this season, it looked like even that would be a reach.  That’s still within reach, however, if he can get back some of what he’s lost.  Even if not, he could still be effective in the bullpen, where his unique profile could be useful.  But he will be at his best on a team with good infield defense.