Second Round Pick Swiney Signs With Giants
Nick Swiney has officially joined former NC State teammates Patrick Bailey and Will Wilson as a member of the San Francisco Giants organization.
The left-handed pitcher, who as drafted in the second round with the 67th overall pick last month, signed his first professional contract Friday. According to MLB.com, his deal includes a $1.2 million signing bonus -- slightly higher than his draft slot value of $976,700.
With the cancellation of the minor league season, it's uncertain when and where Swiney will begin his professional career. But like Bailey, the Giants' first round pick, and Wilson, who came to the team in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels in December, Swiney has been added to San Francisco's 60-man pool of players eligible to participate in workouts and games.
Swinney spent his first two seasons with the Wolfpack working out of the bullpen before making a successful transition into the weekend rotation during the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season.
He was 4-0 with a 1.29 earned run average and 42 strikeouts in 28 innings of his four 2020 starts, a breakout performance that earned him second-team All-American status from CollegiateBaseball.com.
His most dominant performance came on Feb. 29, indoors at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis in the Cambria College Classic. Facing Purdue, he gave up a hit in the first inning then returned the final 22 hitters he faced, striking out 15 on the way to a a 6-0 shutout victory.
"The great thing about him is he's not only left-handed, but we've seen him with a plus changeup and we've seen him with a plus breaking ball and we think there's velocity in there," Giants scouting director Michael Holmes said of Swiney in a teleconference shortly after the draft.
"His fastball characteristics will play in all quadrants of the strike zone and he's got a competitive edge to him. We think he's going to be a vital starting piece for us for a long time to come."
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