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New York Times
17 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Giants keep coming up short, lose to Pirates in pitcher Carson Whisenhunt's debut
SAN FRANCISCO — Carson Whisenhunt made a nice adjustment in his major league debut Monday night. He wasn't so sharp at the outset. He felt an abundance of adrenaline and he isn't the sort of pitcher who can convert that into fuel. When your best pitch is your changeup, more tends to be less. Whisenhunt, the last well regarded pitching prospect who remained in the Giants' thinned-out minor league system, threw some good changeups in the first inning that faded past major league bats. He snuck one of them past Oneil Cruz and his freakish bat speed while recording his first career strikeout. But other changeups were too firm and stayed in the middle of the zone. Almost every attempt at a slider kicked up dirt in front of the plate. Whisenhunt did not have the element of surprise in his favor, either. There was a time not long ago when a pitcher coming up from Triple-A was such a total mystery he might as well have arrived in a flying saucer. Those days are gone. The Pittsburgh Pirates had so much data on Whisenhunt that they could've taken out an auto loan in his name. They knew his pitch shapes and his sequences and that he usually had a changeup in his holster. So they hunted for it, and he served them enough hittable ones. After two innings against the lowest scoring team in the major leagues, Whisenhunt had given up four runs. Advertisement 'It kind of seemed like they were sitting changeup early on,' Whisenhunt said. 'And we wanted to flip the script a little bit.' Whisenhunt threw more fastballs after the second inning — the pitch that Triple-A hitters hit .377 against — and he put enough of them on the corners to keep the Pirates off the board. He retired nine of the last 10 hitters he faced, completed five serviceable innings, and by the time he handed over the baseball, the Giants had come back to tie the game. As debuts go, Whisenhunt's was neither a disaster nor an eye opener. It was something in between, which is what the Giants' decimated rotation needed. Whisenhunt might have displayed a little growth and moxie in the process, too. A very special night for the Whisenhunt family 🧡 — SFGiants (@SFGiants) July 29, 2025 Here is where the silver lining ends and the nor'easter begins. The second Carson of the night to take the mound, right-hander Carson Seymour, gave up a tiebreaking, two-run home run to Andrew McCutchen in the seventh inning. The Giants' spirited comeback attempt in the bottom of the ninth fell short in a 6-5 loss. For another team and another set of circumstances, Monday night's result would've included all the plaudits and pablum of a team focused on developing at the major league level. A second-round pick reached The Show. The hitters did enough grinding with two strikes to put the winning run on base. There was progress, even if it didn't show up on the scoreboard. But the Giants are not burning a pile of cash so they can celebrate incremental development successes. There was nothing festive about their 10th loss in 12 games to continue what's been a sudden and unexpected fall to the fringes of contention. The Giants were 12 games over .500 as recently as June 11. They are just one game over .500 now and four games behind the San Diego Padres for the third and final National League wild card spot. The trade for slugger Rafael Devers in mid-June was supposed to provide afterburners for a team on the rise. What a brilliant move by club president Buster Posey, the thinking went. Not only did they acquire the best hitter who will be moved at the trade deadline, but getting it done so quickly means that they'll have six more weeks for Devers to make an impact. Advertisement Instead, the Giants have spent most of those six weeks sitting in an impact crater. They are 13-22 since the trade — the worst record in the major leagues. They've scored 132 runs over that span — tied with the Pirates for the fewest in the majors. Devers is human, of course. He's adjusting to new teammates, a new coaching staff, a new city, a vastly different home hitting environment, and he's learning first base on the fly. He has a .729 OPS in 35 games as a Giant, which is 13 points above the major league average. He hasn't elevated the lineup as anticipated, but he isn't wholly to blame for the Giants' lack of run production, either. Even on a night when they received four hits with runners in scoring position, which counted as banquet fare after they were 0 for 23 with runners in scoring position last weekend against the New York Mets, it wasn't enough. The Giants have two more games to play before Thursday's trade deadline and they'll have to win at least one of them to get there with a winning record. Every signal is that Posey is not entertaining a selling posture. But you'd have to believe that winning just two of their last 12 games might be reducing his enthusiasm to make further sacrifices from the farm system in order to buy in a meaningful way. (Does it signify anything that closer Camilo Doval was summoned to pitch the ninth inning with the Giants trailing by two runs?) Of course, all of this context was secondary to Whisenhunt's family, including his jet-lagged father, Dennis, an aerospace engineer who was on a business trip in the Philippines trying to retrieve the wallet he left on his arriving flight when he got the word of his son's promotion. For everyone else, getting to San Francisco from North Carolina was an easy trip by comparison. Giants amateur scouting director Michael Holmes, who led the effort to draft Whisenhunt and also makes his home in North Carolina, flew in to mark the occasion as well. There was no minimizing the exhilaration and celebration and family pride of experiencing a childhood dream achieved. Whisenhunt had been scratched from his start for Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday, leading him to wonder initially if he'd been traded. Instead, he was told to report to the Giants' waterfront ballpark on Sunday so the team could stash him on its taxi squad. By midday Sunday, he knew he'd be making his major league debut the following night. Advertisement It was his last chance to request a different number from the No.66 he was issued in spring training. He didn't need to build up the courage to do it. Clubhouse manager Brad Grems acted first. He sought out Whisenhunt and asked if he preferred anything else. 'You got 88?' Whisenhunt said. 'I've never had anybody ask me that question,' Grems replied. When Whisenhunt threw his first big league pitch, he became the first No.88 in Giants history. Only 20 other major leaguers have worn the number. Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. is the best-known current representative; it might be more than coincidence that he chose the number after signing an $88 million contract before making his debut in 2020. Feared slugger Albert Belle wore the number for two seasons with the Baltimore Orioles; his No.8 was already the sacred property of Cal Ripken, so Belle chose to duplicate it. Between all the retired numbers in Giants history, plus several that Grems unofficially sets aside (think Tim Lincecum's 55 or Bruce Bochy's 15 or Posey's 28), there aren't many traditional alternatives that remain for a pitcher making his major league debut. If Whisenhunt was going to get stuck with a football number, he figured he might as well use the one that his father wore on the high school gridiron. Whisenhunt's mother, Mandi, graduated from college in 1988. He has an aunt with an August 8 birthday, too. The Giants are likely to need at least one more start from the left-hander wearing No.88. Then they'll hope Landen Roupp's inflamed elbow will permit his return. They'll see what else the trade deadline might bring. Perhaps the next time out, Whisenhunt will take the mound with less adrenaline behind his changeup. But for the Giants, less cannot be more. They've gotten too little for too long.
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Giants Calling Up Top Pitching Prospect For MLB Debut Vs. Pirates
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Situated in third place in the NL West while sitting three games out of a wild card spot, the San Francisco Giants are giving the ball to their top pitching prospect on Monday night. Carson Whisenhunt, a 24-year-old left-hander, will be called up to make his MLB debut on Monday night at Oracle Park against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. The move comes after starter Landen Roupp was placed on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation. Whisenhunt was a second-round pick out of East Carolina in 2022, after he was suspended for his junior season due to a positive test for a performance-enhancing drug. He's the No. 3 overall prospect and the top pitching prospect in the Giants' system, per MLB Pipeline. ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 12: Carson Whisenhunt #18 of the San Francisco Giants leaves the field in the seventh inning during the 2025 All-Star Futures Game at Truist Park on July 12, 2025 in Atlanta,... ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 12: Carson Whisenhunt #18 of the San Francisco Giants leaves the field in the seventh inning during the 2025 All-Star Futures Game at Truist Park on July 12, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. MoreDespite that high ranking, Whisenhunt has put up some rough numbers at the Triple-A level. In 43 starts for the Sacramento River Cats, he's posted an 11-10 record with a 4.94 ERA and 1.478 WHIP. He has racked up strikeouts, though, recording 221 strikeouts in 202 1/3 innings pitched. Overall in his minor league career, he's gone 12-11 with a 4.18 ERA in 65 appearances (64 starts). The call-up comes after the Giants were swept at home by the Mets over the weekend. San Francisco has gone 13-21 since acquiring Rafael Devers in the blockbuster trade in mid-June. Facing the Pirates could be as soft a landing as possible for Whisenhunt, as Pittsburgh ranks dead lat in MLB with 358 runs scored this season -- 18 fewer than second-worst Colorado. The Pirates also have the worst team OPS at .640, well behind the 29th-ranked White Sox at .659. The Pirates have, however, won five of their last six games, including a three-game sweep of the Tigers. More MLB: Mets Predicted to Acquire $50 Million All-Star From Lowly White Sox
San Francisco Chronicle
13-07-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Giants prospect Trent Harris goes from undrafted to Futures Game: ‘No words for it'
ATLANTA — The Futures Game is the domain of No. 1 picks, big-bonus prospects and the most high-profile young players from Latin America. And yet there was San Francisco Giants Triple-A reliever Trent Harris, an undrafted former utility infielder and pitcher, a late addition to the National League squad seemingly out of nowhere, and he worked a scoreless fifth, allowing a hit and striking out two in the NL's 4-2 win at Truist Park. 'That's the most people I've played in front of, and on the biggest stage,' Harris marveled afterward. 'There's just no words for it.' The moral to this story: Listen to Buster Posey. When the Giants' top prospect, 2023 first-round pick Bryce Eldridge, was promoted to Sacramento last month, Posey, the team's president of baseball operations, instructed reporters not to sleep on Harris. 'I saw that, that was awesome!' Harris said in the NL clubhouse before Saturday's game. 'Just to have my name out there a little bit, and hearing that come out of Buster's mouth — he's the head of baseball ops and a legend — it's surreal.' Saturday, Harris and current Giants top pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt got to play for another legend, Hall of Famer Chipper Jones, and pitching coach Tim Hudson, a four-time All-Star and a member of the Giants' 2014 championship team. Whisenhunt, 24, faced two batters in the seventh and recorded a strikeout and lineout. Whisenhunt, a lefty starter, had no idea he'd have such a nice quick day of work, but that was welcome for a pitcher who leads the minors in innings pitched with 94. 'Two guys, that's it?' he said. 'I feel great!' The Giants have been putting their top young starters in relief roles initially of late, so Whisenhunt now has some bonafides in the bullpen. Hudson called Posey, his former catcher, to get the lowdown on Whisenhunt and Harris (and to try to talk Posey into drafting some pitchers from Hudson's alma mater, Auburn, on Sunday). 'I was like, 'I've got a couple of your guys this week, I'll try to get them back to you in one piece,' ' Hudson said. 'I'm excited about Whisenhunt, he's one of our better arms so we're saving him for near the end to try to shut things down a little bit. And Harris: I didn't know he went undrafted, but as an overachiever myself, I love that. I was never a big prospect in high school or even college so having a kid like that be able to take advantage of this opportunity is great.' Whisenhunt, 24, was San Francisco's second-round pick in 2022 and he's been to big-league spring training two years in a row. Harris, 26, had Tommy John surgery in 2021, didn't get selected out of UNC-Pembroke in 2023 and signed a $10,000 minor-league deal with the Giants that July. 'Development and progress is not a one-size-fits all,' Giants director of player development Kyle Haines said. 'How great is it to see Trent go from non-drafted free agent to the Futures Game in just two years?' Being overlooked can be an extra motivating factor for players. They have to fight for everything. 'You know you do, that's the deal,' Hudson said. 'You know there are going to be some opportunities built in for the top guys, the big prospects, the guys they have a lot of money invested in, which is understandable. That's just how it is: When you're under the radar a little bit, you hope and pray that when you do have that opportunity you don't totally fall on your face, but when you do show you can succeed and look and feel like you belong, when you show you have the confidence to do it, that's half the battle.' It's not as if Harris has zero name recognition: Harris' dad, Greg W. Harris, pitched for eight years in the majors, with San Diego, Colorado and Minnesota, and his brother, Greg, spent six years pitching in the Dodgers' and Rays' systems. Even if he was overlooked in the draft, Harris knows how to handle himself like a professional, and he performed at every level, zooming through the system after putting up a combined 0.43 ERA at two levels in 2023, with 33 strikeouts in 21 innings, then a 1.81 ERA at three levels last year, with 105 Ks in 79 ⅔ innings. It was more of the same at Double-A Richmond this season, a 1.69 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 16 innings before getting promoted June 3. He's struggled in the Pacific Coast League, which is an extreme hitters' league, allowing 18 hits and 14 runs in 13⅓ innings, but he's struck out 17 and over his 75 minor-league outings, Harris has 180 strikeouts and just 41 walks in 130 innings and opponents have hit .190 against him. 'I'm throwing a splitter rather than a changeup; the splitter has been my work in progress this year,' Harris said. 'I'm throwing it a lot and I've found some success with it. It's definitely something that fades away to lefties, and that's what I need.' Former Napa High and St. Mary's pitcher Matthew Yourkin, a Giants minor-league instructor, was a major key for getting that pitch up and running (and if Harris needs more tips, Hudson wielded a nasty splitter). 'I was working with Yourkin in Arizona, playing around with different grips with him, and we found one to stick with, it had great shape in the spring,' Harris said. 'In the PCL, with the high altitudes, you need something offspeed to get the ball on the ground.' Like Mets prospect Jonah Tong, who worked a scoreless inning with a strikeout, Harris' delivery gets compared to Tim Linecum, in part because of their slim builds, but even more for the arm angle. 'I hear Lincecum a bunch,' Harris said. 'I think it's being so over the top. And I was a huge Lincecum fan, just loved the way he went about his business, and he had so much success. He really figured it out and I would love to do the same.' Harris was not the only undrafted player on Jones' roster Saturday, and not even the only undrafted Harris in the bullpen. Braves left-hander Hayden Harris was also out there, and asked about having two such unheralded players on his squad, Jones — one of the all-time great No. 1 overall picks — was so enthusiastic, he broke in before the question was even finished. 'It's such a cool story, man, that's what,' Jones said. 'To quote Brad Pitt (playing Billy Beane in 'Moneyball') 'How can you not be romantic about baseball? ' 'This is such an underdog type of sport, because there are 1,000 ways to hit a baseball. There are 1,000 ways to get people out. If you understand who you are and how to execute to the best of your ability on a consistent basis, it doesn't matter if you're a five-tool prospect or an undrafted free agent. We all pull for those underdog stories.'
Reuters
16-04-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Showboats head coach Ken Whisenhunt steps down
April 16 - Ken Whisenhunt stepped down as head coach of the UFL's Memphis Showboats on Wednesday. He previously took a leave of absence in late March but had returned to the team, which is off to an 0-3 start. "The time has come for me to step away from the game and take a break from football," Whisenhunt said in a statement. "I am so grateful for my time with the players and wish them the best." Offensive line coach Jim Turner, who filled in as interim coach during Whisenhunt's earlier absence, will resume that role for the remainder of the 2025 season. Whisenhunt, 63, previously as head coach of the NFL's Arizona Cardinals (2007-12) and Tennessee Titans (2014-15). He went 45-51 with the Cardinals and 3-20 with the Titans. His 2008 Arizona squad lost 27-23 in Super Bowl XLIII to the Pittsburgh Steelers. --Field Level Media
USA Today
26-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Arizona Cardinals HC Ken Whisenhunt takes leave of absence from UFL gig
Former Arizona Cardinals HC Ken Whisenhunt takes leave of absence from UFL gig Whisenhunt was set to coach the Memphis Showboats in 2025. He steps away before games begin. Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt is stepping away from his head-coaching gig in the UFL, according to ESPN. He took a leave of absence from his position as head coach of the Memphis Showboats for personal reasons before he ever coaches a game. He was hired in September after the Showboats went 2-8 last season. While he is away, offensive line coach Jim Turner will take over head-coaching duties. Should he come back, he will be able to take over again. "If and when Ken Whisenhunt is ready to return to the UFL family, we will welcome him with open arms," UFL president and CEO Russ Brandon said in a statement. "... We take pride in the UFL being a family first league and we respect Ken's decision to take a leave of absence for personal reasons at this time." Whisenhunt was the Arizona Cardinals' head coach from 2007-2012. He led the Cardinals to two division championships in 2008 and 2009, taking them to the Super Bowl in 2008. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
