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SF Giants prospects: Trevor McDonald wins NWL Pitcher of the Month

After an incredibly dominant month of August, SF Giants prospect Trevor McDonald was selected the Northwest League Pitcher of the Month.

Marc Delucchi

SF Giants prospects: Trevor McDonald wins NWL Pitcher of the Month
SF Giants prospects: Trevor McDonald wins NWL Pitcher of the Month /
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After one of the most dominant months of his career, SF Giants pitching prospect Trevor McDonald (Giants Top 41 Prospect) was named the Northwest League Pitcher of the Month for August. McDonald made six starts in August for the Eugene Emeralds (San Francisco's High-A affiliate), allowing just two runs (one earned) on 13 hits and four walks across 26 innings pitched with 28 strikeouts.

McDonald made one appearance with the Emeralds early in the season before landing on the injured list for the bulk of the summer. After spending several weeks rehabbing in the Arizona Complex League, McDonald finally returned to High-A on August 1st. He's been arguably the most dominant pitcher at the level. 

While McDonald has a short arm action that led many scouts to project him as a relief-only prospect, the righty has flashed some of the best command in the organization. In fact, McDonald is one of the few pitchers who comfortably utilizes a deep pitch mix, although his slider is his most dominant offering.

McDonald reached High-A in a breakout 2022 season. He recorded a 2.31 ERA with 120 strikeouts and 42 walks in 101.1 innings pitched (29 games) between Single-A and High-A. Following a late-season promotion to Eugene, McDonald struck out 11 in his first appearance with the Emeralds.

Coming off that success, McDonald was a top sleeper in the Giants farm system heading into 2023. Given how quickly he is proving to be ready for a new challenge, it's worth wondering where he would have gotten if health had not robbed him of a significant chunk of the minor league season.

The Giants drafted McDonald in the 11th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of George County High School in Lucedale, Mississippi. The Giants coaxed him away from his commitment to South Alabama with an $800,000 signing bonus (equivalent to the slot of a third-round pick).

The SF Giants have several impressive pitching prospects throughout the organization. However, none were more dominant than Trevor McDonald in the month of August. In fact, McDonald was the best pitcher in the Northwest League. On the season, McDonald now has a 1.04 ERA with 47 strikeouts and ten walks in 41 innings pitched (13 games) between High-A and the Arizona Complex League.

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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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