The Giants will start Mason Black against the Phillies on Monday, manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle) during Sunday's pregame media session. It will mark Black’s Major League debut, and the Giants will have to make space for the right-hander on both the 26-man and 40-man rosters.
MLB Pipeline rates Black as the seventh-best prospect in the San Francisco farm system, while Baseball America puts the him in the eighth spot. Black’s slider and sinking fastball each earned 60 grades on BA’s scouting report and 55s from Pipeline, though the problem is that these two plus pitches account for virtually all of Black’s arsenal, as his changeup is only okay and he has only lightly experimented with other offerings. Baseball America thinks Black could eventually end up as a reliever due to his limited array of pitches, and since Pipeline notes that Black’s velocity has hit the 100mph mark (up from his usual 92-94mph range) “in shorter stints,” there is some intrigue in a move to the pen down the road.
For now, however, there’s plenty of potential in Black as a starting pitcher. A third-round pick for the Giants in the 2021 draft, Black has a 3.22 ERA over 262 1/3 career minor league innings. This includes an eye-opening 1.01 ERA in six starts and 26 2/3 innings at Triple-A Sacramento this season, as Black has a 29% strikeout rate and eight percent walk rate to add to his impressive numbers.
While a 4.01 xFIP and a .246 BABIP indicate that Black isn’t as entirely dominant as his ERA seems, the performance still stands out in the batter-friendly environs of the Pacific Coast League. BA’s scouting report suggests that Black’s tendency to pitch on the fringes of the strike zone might play better in the majors than in the minors, as human umpires could be more forgiving than the automated ball-strike system.
Since Blake Snell went on the injured list on April 24, San Francisco has used bullpen games to cover Snell’s two scheduled turns in the rotation. Black hasn’t thrown more than 71 pitches in a game this season and could be on something of a short leash, as Daulton Jefferies (called up to the roster today) might act behind Black in a piggyback capacity. However, given Black’s status as a prospect of note, the Giants are likely to give him a longer look if he pitches well. The Phillies are a very tough draw for a pitcher’s first Major League game, yet there is some symbolism at play, as Black was born in Scranton and grew up a Phillies fan.
With Snell, Robbie Ray, Alex Cobb and Tristan Beck all on the IL, San Francisco has gotten good results from rookies Kyle Harrison and Keaton Winn, Jordan Hicks has looked very sharp as a starter, and ace Logan Webb has been his typical solid self. There’s some room for Black to bank some starts as a regular fifth starter, and he should get two outings since the Giants don’t have another off-day until May 16.
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