San Francisco Giants Flamethrowing Bullpen Prospect Wins Prestigious Award

The San Francisco Giants have gotten some surprise production from an unheralded reliever.

Michael Brauner | Mar 19, 2025

San Francisco Giants hat and glove on the bench / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are just about a week away from the start of the season, and the roster is starting to finally take shape as things draw nearer.

When it comes to filling out a roster, and especially a pitching staff, teams often wind up finding production from unexpected places.

For the Giants, it's been a non-roster invite this spring who has gotten a significant portion of the attention, and though he probably will not be on the Opening Day roster, he has made a serious impression.

A post on the team's official social media account revealed they have selected their annual winner of the 2025 Barney Nugent Award in a vote by teammates, coaches, training staff and clubhouse staff.

The honor went to right-hander Joel Peguero after what has been an extremely impressive spring.

"The Barney Nugent Award is named in honor of the Giants' former athletic trainer who worked for the Club from 1993 to 2003," the post said. "The award is presented to the player in his first big league camp whose performance and dedication in Spring Training best exemplifies the San Francisco Giants spirit, much like Nugent did in his time with San Francisco."

Not only has the 27-year-old made an impression on his teammates and coaches with his attitude, he has been impressive on the mound as well.

After throwing 101 mph in his first bullpen session, Peguero did not slow down from there.

The flamethrower has yet to give up a run in 6.2 innings pitched with just five hits allowed and eight strikeouts as well. He has also shown command, walking just one hitter and throwing a ton of strikes even at the high velocity he possesses.

Last season with the Detroit Tigers' Double-A affiliate, Peguero posted some solid numbers with a 3.14 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 51.2 innings pitched.

He wound up electing free agency and signed a minor league deal with San Francisco.

Throughout his minor league career, which has now spanned over eight seasons, Peguero's 4.69 ERA does not indicate stardom at the next level, but if the right-hander has found another gear and the ability to harness his powerful arm, perhaps he can contribute to the Giants bullpen sooner rather than later.

Seeing where he begins the year remains to be seen, though it seems Peguero has turned himself into a pitcher San Francisco must keep an eye on to potentially make his big league debut at some point this season.

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