Tyler Cyr, RHP
DOB: May 5, 1993
BATS: R / THROWS: R
ACQUIRED: Drafted 10th Round (#306), 2015
LAST LEVEL: Double-A
VOLATILITY: Low
GiantFutures Ranks: #4 Relief Pitcher
Performance: Cyr’s 2019 was about as ideal a year as the then-26 year old could have. Coming back from a 2018 in which he had surgery to repair a fractured elbow, Cyr started the season late in Double-A but had his best pro season. He struck out 57 in 48.1 innings, while walking 22 and giving up 34 hits. His 10.5 SO9 rate was his best since 2016, and his 6.1 H9 rate was the best of his career. The only hiccup was his walk rate was the highest he’d had in the pros, jumping from 3.6 in 2017, his last healthy year.
Cyr came into 2020 with a little buzz, and spent both spring and summer training with the team, and was also at the alternate training site. He did not make his Major League debut, but Zaidi mentioned him as one of the bullpen guys who impressed at the alternate site.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Cyr doesn’t have the most overwhelming stuff. His fastball sits in the mid-90’s, although in 2019 it was reported it had gotten up to 99. Instead, he uses movement more than velocity to get batters out, with his cut fastball sitting in the low 90s He pairs that with a sinking changeup that the Fremont native learned from Tim Lincecum after standing in line at FanFest. He asked Lincecum if he could see his changeup grip instead of getting an autograph.
The pitch that turned things around is his slow slurvy breaking pitch. In 2017, it was his main out pitch against right handed batters, and it didn’t work. Going against convention, RHB hit .340 against Cyr, where he held LHP to a .179 average. In 2019, RHB hit .198 while LHB hit .193.
Control also remains a challenge, although Cyr’s control has greatly improved from college. As a pitcher who uses movement, he can afford to be a bit more effectively wild than most, but too many free passes could happen.
2021 Outlook: If Cyr, who will turn 28 early in the 2021 season, is not starting the season in Sacramento, he could very well be starting it in San Francisco. There’s not much left for the Bay Area native to prove in the minors.
Future Profile: Cyr doesn’t fit the profile for a hard-throwing closer, but his consistency over the past four seasons in the minors (barring the elbow injury) implies he could be a reliable reliever, and it’s easy to see him in a main setup role. But mostly, that consistency is great to see, and in bullpens where year-to-year inconsistency is the norm, Cyr could be an anchor for Kapler to rely on.
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