Giants Envision Joe Whitman As Future Three-Pitch Starter
For someone who threw a grand total of 5.2 innings as a Purdue freshman and sophomore, lefthander Joe Whitman quickly and effectively is making up for lost time.
After two undistinguished college seasons, Whitman transferred to Kent State, where he thrived with a 2.56 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 81 innings.
That prompted the Giants to select the 6-foot-5 southpaw in the second round last year. Whitman began this season with Low-A San Jose and earned a promotion to High-A Eugene in mid June.
Through 23 starts, he had a 4.63 ERA to go with 108 strikeouts in 103 innings.
“People develop at different times, and Joe was kind of a later-developing kid,” Giants farm director Kyle Haines said. Haines said Whitman’s long, lanky frame might have contributed to his relatively slower development.
Whitman believes it was simply a matter of opportunity—one he didn’t get at Purdue but did at Kent State.
“I never had any doubts,” Whitman said. “I just wanted the ball. That’s pretty much what I told the coaches at Kent: ‘Hey, I just want the ball.’ ”
Whitman features a low-to-mid-90s fastball with what Haines terms a “swing-and-miss” slider.
“The fastball/slider combo is what makes him” effective, Haines said, adding that Whitman’s “easy, fluid delivery” helps his pitches “really explode on the hitter.”
Refining his changeup will be key for Whitman.
“I definitely need work on my changeup,” Whitman said, “just getting it in the zone more and getting it more consistent. Sometimes I have a tendency to keep it a little flat because I’m more of a natural supinator than I am a pronator.”
One area in which Whitman improved this season was his walk rate. He walked nearly 12% of batters in 12 starts with San Jose. That mark fell to 5% through 11 Northwest League starts. His strikeout rate remained steady at both stops.
Haines believes that if Whitman gains greater command of his changeup, then the Giants will have a “three-pitch starting pitcher who can throw any pitch in any count—and have three plus pitches.”
