12. Carson Whisenhunt LHP. DOB: 10/20/2000. 6' 3", 214 lbs. 40-man roster, 3 Options.
2025(AAA): 9-5, 4.43, 107.2 IP, 7.94 K/9, 2.93 BB/9, 1.40 GB/FB.
2025(MLB): 2-1, 5.01, 23.1 IP, 6.17 K/9, 4.63 BB/9, 1.07 GB/FB.
The Whiz is basically a 2-pitch pitcher. He has a sinking fastball that averaged 92.6 MPH and a changeup that has been rated as a 70 on the scouting scale. He threw a slider just 14% of the time in his small MLB sample. During his MLB stint I saw some really good pitches but he battled inconsistency. It's hard to set up the changeup if you don't command the fastball and he needs to throw the slider more, especially to lefty batters. I would think he starts out 2026 in AAA Sacramento to work on those items.
Regarding the changeup, the best changeup I ever saw was Noah Lowry's. I might have seen one or two of Whisenhunt's changeups that compare favorably to Lowry's but again, most of them didn't and he needs to find more consistency.
It was a shame about Lowry’s arm trouble. He was getting very good.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, the Cardinals’ haul for Donovan wasn’t impressive. I wonder what they demanded from the Giants.
Wow, did you see what St Louis got for Donovan?
ReplyDeletePer MLB.com:
Mariners gave up two recent first-round picks, a recent second-rounder and a Competitive Balance Round B selection for 2026 (No. 68 overall).
The cost underscored how badly they wanted Donovan to round out what they believe will be one of the most complete rosters in the American League.
Ha! Two comments re. Donovan. One raves about the Cardinals haul and one saying it's not impressive. As Vin Scully would say, "go figure!"
ReplyDeleteI was curious about the differences between changeups and split fingered fastballs so I asked Chat:
ReplyDeleteWhat the Data and Trends Suggest
• Analysts note that traditional changeups have declined in usage, partly because the “splitter revolution” offers pitchers a more violent late drop that hitters struggle to track.
• Both pitches disrupt timing, but splitters tend to miss more bats, while changeups excel at neutralizing opposite‑hand hitters and inducing weak contact.
• Circle changeups remain extremely effective for pitchers with natural arm‑side run, while splitters shine for pitchers who want a vertical‑action off‑speed pitch without relying on pronation.
Apparently a changeup is easier to learn and throw well. I do hope that Carson does well. We still have 2 of them left in the system on the 40 man.
Excellent points regarding split-change vs circle change. I could be wrong but I think Whiz's change is more of a circle change like Lowry's than a split like Tim Lincecum's.
DeleteMy experience in coaching kids to throw both pitches is that the splitter comes out frequently a lot like a knuckleball and as it gets to the plate, the lack of rotation causes it to, well, knuckle and generally drop quickly through or out the bottom of the zone. A person has to have hands large enough to fit the ball in there. I liken it more to the spitball of days gone by (RIP Gaylord Perry).
DeleteThe circle change is released off the middle, ring, and pinky fingers and the hand throws down and through the ball creating an under-spin from a fastball arm motion. The deception of the pitch is the arm motion of the fastball but the lack of "finish" the pitcher puts on the ball at the release reduces it's velocity again causing the ball to drop as it reaches the zone. In both cases, the ball almost passively comes out of the hand instead of the pitcher pushing or flicking it out as with the fastball. YMMV
The finger placement on the circle change makes it fade to the arm side in addition to dropping making it a great weapon against opposite-handed batters.
Delete....movement is a lot like a screwball.
DeleteTotally opposite ends of the spectrum! In any case, the Giants brain trust knows more about baseball and baseball players than the casual fan does or thinks they know. If the trade didn’t happen it’s because one or both sides didn’t believe it was in the best interests of the team. Kruk was on the KNBR morning show and mentioned, among other things, that Arraez was signed to just a one year contract so the Giants could see what kind of improvement he could make defensively and that he could always be signed to an extension if things work out. He also blasted Arraez’s naysayers who lean only on advanced stats, countering that the results on the field are what matters. And interestingly he brought up Nico Hoerner as a possible free agent target next year as well as the possibility that the Giants long term second baseman might already be in their system.
ReplyDeleteThe Giants are in a strange position that they can't really sell high on any of their best prospects. Eldridge was almost out of the category, but then there's been a couple biggish name analysts who kicked his tires and thought he was a little flat. Most of the rest of the Giants best are just coming to the US or jumping into full season ball, and even very talented kids that low sell for 50 cents on the dollar. I happen to be an Eldridge fan- He has good work ethic and I don't see the holes in his game as unfixable. He mostly needs 400 hours instruction on how to be a good 1B with slow feet, and two months of hitting when he isn't allowed to swing for dingers- The hit tool could be adequate if he didn't have everyone telling him he's king kong- That shit flies when you're in A ball and really are King kong and might go months at a time without choking up on the bat. /PH
DeleteEldridge seems to be in the nit-pick phase of prospect evaluation where every "hole" in his game that people saw in a very small sample becomes amplified and the things he does really well are temporarily forgotten. He's a big, tall, power-hitter with a beautiful swing and a good eye at the plate. Guys like that are going to strike out. Aaron Judge struck out 44% in his MLB debut in 2016 and still strikes out in the mid-upper 20%'s. Historically it takes power hitters longer to develop. Eldridge looks like a special one. He should not be traded and the Giants need to be patient with him.
DeleteGreat Noah Lowry reference! But for pure filth, we cannot forget Tim Lincecum's circle change that literally just "fell off the table" and had many elite, HOF-level batters completely flumoxed for years. I remember a montage (maybe it still exists on YouTube?) of great hitters committing a full swing at that pitch before it bounced in the dirt.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis of Whisenhunt is spot on: it doesn't matter how good any one pitch is if professional batters can just sit on it because you can't locate your other pitches. Continuing to develop that slider could unlock his potential significantly and help us as a team very soon.
I personally consider the split change and circle change to be two different pitches although the finger placements are somewhat similar. I felt like later in his career, Timmy became a 2-pitch pitcher and hitters learned to recognize the split change and lay off it.
DeleteI recall a conversation I had with Ralph the Mouth about how Lowry wasn't Rueter 2.0 back in the day. Even that far back I had to convince him that if you have a great change up, you only need 1 other 'go to' pitch. And the AI is talking out it's butt on splits vs. real change ups. You can only throw a split 1 speed, but a plus plus change you have almost a ten mph range to work with. And a split puts a lot more pressure on that pesky old ACL.
DeleteMy opinion, your milage may vary. /PH
Barbieri...the Razor. PH, if you got him to listen, you've got skills. LOL
DeleteIt's pretty cool to have Prospect Hound and DrB back in the same forum again.
DeleteWow, well done, we're all better prospectors for the history of posting you two have. I'm a fan. Cheers.
SF fan in Michigan
Back then Ralph would talk to anybody and KNBR used to be more of a participant. It's hard to convey how much more accessible people were in the pre/early internet era.
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