San Francisco Giants Hidden Gem Prospect is Northwest League Pitcher of Month

A pitcher the San Francisco Giants signed as an undrafted free agent is starting work his way up the prospect ladder.

Jul 14, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants hat and glove on the bench against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Even those that follow the San Francisco Giants talent pipeline closely probably haven’t heard of the Northwest League Pitcher of the Month for April.

Shane Rademacher, whom the Giants signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023, claimed the award after an impressive April for the High-A Eugune Emeralds.

He made four starts for the Emeralds in April, as he went 2-0 with a 0.47 ERA in three starts and one relief appearance. He pitched 19 innings, striking out 13 and walking one.

He only allowed one earned run and that was in his first game and his only relief appearance. On April 6, he pitched four innings, giving up three hits and one earned run.

He hasn’t allowed an earned run since. In fact, he only gave up seven hits in those four starts. In one start, against Vancouver on April 19, he threw five no-hit innings.

That brilliance has spilled over into May. Last week, in his first start of the month, he threw five innings of four-hit baseball, along with a season high 10 strikeouts. He did not receive the decision.

Rademacher is pitching like he’s bucking for a promotion to Double-A Richmond. In five games he is 2-0 with a 0.38 ERA, with 23 strikeouts and one walk in 24 innings. Batters are hitting .134 against him and has a 0.50 WHIP.

Rademacher is one of those hidden gems that scouts tend to find when they scout other players. He played his college baseball at Division II Chowan in North Carolina, near his Greenville, N.C., home. After four seasons he had a rather unremarkable record of 8-25 with a 6.53 ERA in 40 games (39 starts). He had 224 strikeouts and 70 walks in 213.2 innings.

The Giants took a shot at him as an undrafted free agent and dropped him into their Arizona Complex League rookie team for a couple of games in 2023, where he finished with a 2.25 ERA in four innings.

That earned him a promotion to Class-A San Jose last season, where he excelled in a part-time starting role. He pitched in 26 games with seven starts, as he went 7-2 with a 4.89 ERA. Even with the high ERA, it was clear the strikeout-to-walk ratio he’s showing now is no fluke.

Last year he had 102 strikeouts and 29 walks in 84.2 innings.

For his minor league career, he is 9-2 with a 3.83 ERA. At this rate, the 24-year-old will be threatening for a Major League job as soon as next year.