Control Still Eludes Mac Marshall

SAN FRANCISCO—The Giants are taking the long view when it comes to Mac Marshall. They have to with their 2015 fourth-round pick.

Marshall, 20, was considered a command-and-control lefthander as an amateur, but he has not thrown consistent strikes as a pro. He walked 15 in 20.2 innings in his 2015 debut, then struggled in four starts at low Class A Augusta to start 2016 before being sent back to extended spring training.

Marshall resurfaced later in the year at short-season Salem-Kaizer but walked 48 in 51.1 innings. According to one Northwest League evaluator, Marshall’s changeup and breaking ball both flashed above-average, as did his fastball. He said: “He’s throwing big league pitches . . . but is inconsistent.”

For his pro career, Marshall has averaged 8.2 walks per nine innings

Marshall was “famous” in scouting parlance as a prep at Parkview High in Lilburn, Ga. The school, alma mater of Jeff Francoeur, was BA’s No. 1-ranked high school team at the end of the 2012 season with a club that featured current Athletics outfielder Matt Olson and Marshall, who was a sophomore.

Marshall ranked No. 15 on the BA early top 50 of draft prospects for 2014, but an up-and-down spring and Louisiana State commitment saw him fall to the 21st round of the draft, where the Astros took him.

Houston came close to signing him before the Brady Aiken injury, and the Astros’ failure to sign the No. 1 overall pick affected their overall bonus pool. Marshall went to LSU but wound up transferring instead to Chipola (Fla.) JC, from where the Giants drafted him.

Marshall signed for $750,000 and has regained his fastball velocity. Where he sat 87-90 mph as a prep senior, he has shown a fastball up to 96 as a pro, including a recent viewing in instructional league.

Now, he is just trying to rediscover the zone.

GIANTICS

• No Giants rookie shined brighter late in the season than lefty Ty Blach, who tossed eight scoreless innings to beat the Dodgers in the season’s final weekend. He then earned the win in relief in the Giants’ lone victory against the Cubs in the Division Series.

• In late need of infield help, the Giants traded shortstop Rich Rodriguez to the Braves in September for Gordon Beckham. Rodriguez, 24, hit just .174/.209/.183 in an injury-plagued season at high Class A San Jose.