There R Giants Pitcher of the Year: Kyle Harrison
...and Sometimes Seasons Reward High Expectations
Photo Credit: Trey Wilson | Richmond Flying Squirrels
At the end of March, just days before the 2022 season began, I wrote this about my future Pitcher of the Year, then just my #3 (THREE!) prospect on the There R Giants’ Top 50:
Here’s the thing: Kyle Harrison could be the #1 prospect in this system. Perhaps he will be, someday soon. And he’ll be a good one! He’d be a good #1 prospect in many systems.
Points for the “someday soon” prediction I suppose, but let’s face it, that was a blunder. I should have had the kid who blazed through 2021 a wee bit higher than #3 (count on him being so this winter!). Some of that placement was due to an apparently overabundant amount of confidence in the state of Luis Matos’ development, but a lot of it had to do with the unpredictability of pitching prospects. As I wrote in my summation of that piece:
Hoping for best case development out of pitching prospects is always a recipe for getting your plans smashed to smithereens.
Here’s the thing though: sometimes, it’s not! Sometimes great hopes are rewarded in the highest degree — and when that happens…well, here’s something else I concluded that Top 50 profile with:
If that [strike throwing] part of his game comes together, then look out world, there’s no telling how fast this kid could move.
Ok, I got one thing right there!
If the topic of Wednesday’s post was the delightful ways that baseball can surprise you with its plot twists, today’s post is all about the joys of high expectations being met — exceeded, even — and best case scenarios locking in true. The tale of There R Giants’ Player of the Year, Vaun Brown, focused on the unexpected rise of a rather anonymous (at the time) low round draft choice. The story of my Pitcher of the Year follows an almost diametrically opposed minor league journey. Brown, who signed for $7,500 in 2021, was one of those drafted players who help all the bonuses “fit,” as Director of Amateur Scouting, Michael Holmes put it. Kyle Harrison, on the other hand, a 3rd round pick who signed for “1st round bonus money” of $2.5 million in 2020, was one of those drafted players who need to be “fit around.”
Last chance for my Offseason Sale is tomorrow! 30% off of annual subscriptions!
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to There R Giants to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.