Will Bednar helps keep San Jose's K-roll going
SF Giants Minor Lines, April 21, 2022
We have incoming! In their ongoing search for greater depth, the Giants made a deal to bring RHP Cory Abbott over from the Cubs yesterday. In return, the Cubs get the opportunity to really consider some cold, hard cash. Abbot was a 2nd round pick by the Cubs in 2017, after turning in one of the bigger pop up performances of the 2017 college season. A new slider grip that he claimed to have learned by watching videos of Noah Syndergaard greatly improved Abbott’s fate, as he used that devastating new pitch to throw the first Perfect Game in Loyola Marymount’s history and turn in one of the best D1 seasons in his class. Two years later, he was leading the Double A Southern League in strikeouts.
But his rocket trip up the development ladder threw a rod during the coronavirus season of 2020, when he reportedly struggled at both the Cubs’ alternate site and instructional camp. In 2021, he turned in a career worst performance in Triple A Iowa (5.91 ERA) and had a rough MLB debut with the Cubs (6.75 ERA). Abbott’s Baseball Savant page suggests a pitcher with fringy stuff and below average command who gives up far to much hard contact — but that’s what happens when the only sample is a small and somewhat rocky major league debut. The fastball definitely is fringy, but the slider is still a strong pitch, and he’s historically been a better strike thrower than he showed on the northside last year. Like several of the other depth arms the Giants have on the 40-man (Sam Long, Jakob Junis), he’s probably more of a swing man than a true starter candidate. Here he is making Starling Marte look silly.
To make room for Abbott, Jaylin Davis was Designated for Assignment. Davis has tremendous power and has made a lot of hard contact this spring with the Sacramento River Cats, but he had also whiffed on 54% of the swings he’s taken this year (45 of 84). That’s an area of his game that the Giants’ have been looking for Davis to improve for the last two years (ever since his quick demotion early in the 2020 COVID-shortened season), and it just hasn’t happened for him. Hopefully, Davis will get another opportunity at big league success at his next stop. We wish him all the luck in the world and give him a There R Giants tip of the cap!
The Giants now have seven days in which to work out a trade for Davis or place him on irrevocable waivers.
I mentioned the other day that the new pitch clock rule is having a dramatic effect on game times. That effect is the result of strict enforcement. I haven’t watched a game in the past week that hasn’t had, at least, one automatic ball or strike call. Most come and go quickly and without incident, but there have been occasional flare ups. Particularly for hitters, there is some ambiguity to the rule, which states that they must be “alert to the pitcher” with 9 seconds left on the pitch clock. Last night’s Sacramento game began with a hitter from Oklahoma City being ejected after an automatic third strike was called on him. In Erie, Brett Auerbach was rung up despite being in the box as the home plate umpires determined he was not “alert to the pitcher” quickly enough, leading to a vigorous protest (no ejection, though. Brett said his piece and left). It’s interesting to watch the evolution develop. This is coming to the majors at some point and, in my opinion, will be beneficial to the game.
HITTER of the Night: Jhonny Pereda (Sac), 3 for 4, 2b, Run, 4 RBI
PITCHER of the Night: Raynel Espinal (Sac), 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 2 HR
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