San Francisco Giants Holdover Starter Struggles in Latest Spring Outing

This San Francisco Giants left-handed starting pitcher was an asset last season, but is not off to a good start in spring training.

Jul 26, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Kyle Harrison (45) pitches during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Oracle Park. | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Kyle Harrison made his first start of the spring for the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday afternoon, hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Harrison, who previously made an appearance in relief, where he tossed two scoreless innings and struck out three. He hoped to build on that performance and solidify his place in the Giants’ rotation, but he struggled to get out of the gate.

His final scoreline was 1.2 innings pitched, five runs allowed, all earned, on seven hits, while striking out two and walking one. Of his 44 pitches, 19 were four-seam fastballs (43%), 16 were slurves (36%), and nine were changeups (20%).

Many of Harrison's pitches caught a lot of the plate. Of the nine pitches put in play, seven resulted in hits, and five had exit velocities over 100 mph, culminating in Gabriel Moreno’s home run, which left his bat at 110.5 mph and traveled 456 feet.

Following the home run, Harrison gave up a triple to Alek Thomas off a slurve that hung in the middle of the zone. The beauty of spring training allowed him a reprieve, as Giants Manager Bob Melvin replaced him for the rest of the inning.

Harrison struggled with command both inside and outside the zone. His fastball and slurve either missed the mark or were very hittable. His average fastball velocity was 91.2 mph, topping out at 92.3 mph.

“Obviously, the first inning wasn’t great and it doesn’t feel good, but sometimes, you have those type of days in spring training,” said Melvin to reporters, including the San Jose Mercury-News. “Today was one of those days for a lot of pitchers.”

A positive for Harrison was being allowed to re-enter to start the second inning. He calmed down and controlled the strike zone better. Victories can come from small accomplishments, and finishing on a good note could carry some positivity into his next outing.

This was his first start and only his second appearance, which raises concerns about his drop in velocity as he competes for the fifth spot in the rotation. This is particularly troubling given that Louden Roupp pitched exceptionally well on Tuesday and is also vying for the same position.

“I just really sat there and (thought), 'You know what? I’m here. I gotta go back out,'” Harrison said. “J.P. (Martinez) said something funny. He was like, ‘Don’t let us sneak back in this game.' Once we got two (runs), I was like, ‘Oh crap, it’s a little more competitive now to go out there and throw strikes.’ Just obviously, tough start.”

The Giants ultimately won the game 11-5, and Harrison’s second inning helped prevent the game from getting out of hand.

What is concerning is that his fastball is not approaching the 95-mph range seen in 2024 and the 97-mph range seen in 2023. Much of the buzz around Harrison was based on that velocity.

Hopefully, this can be chalked up to early March. That is good news for Harrison and the Giants, but if he wants to start the season in the rotation, he has competition for the fifth spot.