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Giants’ top pitching prospect to make debut start on Wednesday

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© Stan Szeto | 2019 Mar 25


On Tuesday, the Giants will employ the opener strategy for the first time, when they start reliever Nick Vincent vs. the Blue Jays. Wednesday will also feature a first: the major league debut of San Francisco’s top pitching prospect Shaun Anderson, according to multiple reports.

Anderson, 24, was acquired from the Boston Red Sox in the Eduardo Nunez trade in 2017. Anderson is the Giants fourth rated prospect according to MLB.com. Here’s their scouting report of the 6-foot-4, 225 pound right hander:

Though he was stuck in the bullpen in college, Anderson has a mix of five effective pitches. He gets a lot of groundouts with his fastball, which sits at 91-94 mph and peaks at 96 with impressive sink and angle. His best secondary offering is a late-breaking mid-80s slider than he can turn into a upper-80s cutter when he wants.

Anderson also has a sinking, fading changeup that counteracts left-handers and a curveball to give hitters a softer, different look. Though he doesn’t have a true plus pitch, he throws strikes with everything in his solid arsenal. Add in his strong makeup and San Francisco thinks it has the making of a mid-rotation starter.

In seven starts with Triple-A Sacramento this season, Anderson is 2-1 with a 4.11 ERA and 1.28 WHIP.