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SF Giants sign pair of nondrafted free agents, including top D2 closer

The SF Giants added two more pitching prospects to the organization, signing Cole Hillier and Shane Rademacher as nondrafted free agents.
Marc Delucchi|
SF Giants sign pair of nondrafted free agents, including top D2 closer
SF Giants sign pair of nondrafted free agents, including top D2 closer

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San Francisco Giants

Two more SF Giants nondrafted free agent signings have made their debuts with the organization this week. Right-handed pitcher Cole Hillier, who the Giants signed out of Point Loma Nazarene University, struck out four hitters across two perfect innings pitched with ACL Giants Orange on Friday. Right-handed pitcher Shane Rademacher, who the Giants signed out of Chowan University, debuted with the ACL Giants Orange on Saturday. Rademacher allowed a run on two hits, zero walks, and two strikeouts across two innings pitched.

Of the two prospects with NCAA Division-2 pedigrees, Hillier has the more notable track record. Hillier was the top reliever at Point Loma over the past two seasons, setting the University's all-time saves record (26) while racking up 106 strikeouts in 77 innings pitched with a 2.22 ERA. Following this past season, Hillier headed to the Cape Cod League, where he remained effective against top collegiate prospects, posting a 1.93 ERA with 10 strikeouts and three walks in 9.1 innings pitched (five appearances).

Hillier has flashed a standard three-pitch mix, which features a fastball, changeup, and breaking ball. His changeup has been the most promising offering, with an elite combination of arm action and movement. However, he will likely need to add velocity to reach the majors. His fastball has primarily worked in the high-80s and low-90s.

Unlike Hillier, Rademacher was far less effective in college. A starter for all four seasons at Chowan, he finished his college career with a 6.53 ERA across 213.2 innings pitched with 224 strikeouts. Rademacher was far more effective in summer league action at the Coastal Plain League. This summer, Rademacher allowed just five earned runs across eight appearances (31.2 innings pitched) while racking up 39 strikeouts and issuing just 10 walks. The Giants scouting staff clearly saw something in his performance that they believe could help him take the next step at the professional level.

Cole Hillier and Shane Rademacher round out the 2023 SF Giants nondrafted free agent class that also features a star junior college outfielder, a standout catcher at Florida A&M and a reliever at Grand Canyon, and a two-way player from UNC Pembroke (Trent Harris). While none of these prospects heard their names called during the MLB Draft, they are all professional ballplayers. If just a few things go their way, they could one day find themselves in the major leagues.

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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