Photo Credit: Richmond Flying Squirrels
So far in the Top 50:
#50-46 (Lisbel Diaz, Hayden Wynja, Alix Hernandez, Carson Ragsdale, Ben Madison)
#45-41 (Jose Cruz, Tyler Myrick, Eric Silva, Nick Zwack, Josh Bostick)
#40-36 (William Kempner, R.J. Dabovich, Scott Bandura, Cole Foster, Nick Avila)
#35-31 (Jairo Pomares, Manuel Mercedes, Ryan Murphy, Erik Miller, Spencer Miles)
#30-26 (Kai-Wei Teng, Cole Waites, Randy Rodriguez, Maui Ahuna, Liam Simon)
#25-21 (Gerelmi Maldonado, Carson Seymour, Adrian Sugastey, Onil Perez, Diego Velasquez)
#20-16 (Heliot Ramos, Trevor McDonald, Landen Roupp, Victor Bericoto, Wade Meckler)
#15-12 (Tyler Fitzgerald, Joe Whitman, Vaun Brown, Reggie Crawford)
A big split divides and defines Keaton Winn’s career thus far. The first half of his pro career, starting way back in 2018, was all scuffling, waiting, hurting, and the second, beginning in 2021, was suddenly rushing, advancing, triumphing.
And, of course, in the split, during the split, came the split — the weapon that now defines him. In a way, Winn’s progress mirrors the organization that has nurtured him — and the split that it underwent. It was the previous regime that identified him as such a desirable talent that they drafted him twice. But it was the current one, with its data-driven pitch-lab infrastructure that looked at his arm-stroke and saw a fit for a pitch they are quickly turning into a organizational signature.
And in between the former times and current ones came the missing years — the ones that divided his tepid opening act from his triumphant TJ return. It was those years — missing from the record book but not missing from his development story — that the changes that have turned Winn into a major leaguer happened, far away from notice or attention, in gyms and bullpens, on his own or under the watchful eye of the Giants’ braintrust.
A split…and a splitter. This is the story of how a two-time draftee from an obscure Iowa Junior College grew into a keenly anticipated rookie who would seem to have a rotation spot with his name on it as he reports to camp this week as an honest-to-God big leaguer!
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