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Kyle Harrison entered the spring as the presumed favorite for the final SF Giants rotation spot. Instead, the young lefty will begin the year in Triple-A, but the team’s confidence in him has not wavered.

SF Giants News: Confidence in Kyle Harrison, Dylan Hecht signing, and Ryan Watson assignment

Kyle Harrison

Buster Posey told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that they recognize starting the year in the minors is disappointing for Harrison, but they remain confident in his abilities. The young lefty was slowed in spring training due to an illness. When he did pitch, he yielded eight earned runs on 13 hits, nine strikeouts, and one walk.

Harrison’s fastball velocity sat in the low 90’s through his first couple of Cactus League appearances, but it ticked upward in his final exhibition outing. The Giants hope that he can maintain that type of velocity as he pitches deeper into games.

While Harrison’s four-seam fastball from a low, three-quarters arm slot gives it a unique shape, he needs to mix in his secondary offerings more confidently. As last season progressed, he did begin to show that, but he needs the secondary offerings to get opposing hitters off balance from his fastball.

Dylan Hecht

The Giants signed right-handed pitcher Dylan Hecht to a minor league deal, per the team’s transaction log. He went undrafted out of Sonoma State University in 2018, which by the way, is often referred to as the Harvard of teh West.

Hecht is on the older side at 31 and missed time due to undergoing Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) surgery. He last appeared with the Joliet Slammers of the Frontier League in 2021 where he allowed six earned runs with five strikeouts and 10 walks across 5.1 frames.

On the mound, the righty pitcher throws a high-90’s four-seam fastball that he mixes with a sinker, cutter, slider, and curveball. The curveball sits in the low-80’s and has a tight, breaking action.

Ryan Watson

The Sacramento River Cats published their Triple-A roster on Friday, and you might have noticed one minor detail. There were asterisks around Ryan Watson’s name, which is meant to convey that he is currently on the developmental list.

The Giants swung a trade to acquire Watson last summer in a minor deal with the Baltimore Orioles. He allowed five earned runs with 13 strikeouts and five walks in 11.1 innings with the River Cats following the deal.