San Francisco Giants Select Top Pitching Prospect to Start vs. Miami Marlins

The San Francisco Giants are turning back to another one of their top pitching prospects for a start on Saturday vs. Miami.

May 17, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Mason Black (47) throws against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning at Oracle Park. / John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

Mason Black will start for the San Francisco Giants as they prepare to take on the Miami Marlins on Saturday night at Oracle Park.

Giants manager Bob Melvin told media prior to Friday's game that Black would start. He is not on the 26-man roster yet, so the Giants will need to make a move to open up a spot for Black to make his first start since May 17.

Black, a 24-year-old right-hander, is the Giants’ No. 8 prospect per MLB.com. He is the Giants’ third-highest ranked pitching prospect behind Carson Whisenhunt and Joe Whitman. Whisenhunt is also at Triple-A with Black.

He made his last start against Colorado, as he threw three innings and gave up four earned runs. He also gave up six hits and struck out two.

Black pitched in one more game in relief on May 23 against Pittsburgh, as he allowed four earned runs in 2.2 innings, along with three hits. He struck out two and walked two.

The Giants promoted him in early May and he took three turns in the rotation, as he lost his debut against Philadelphia on May 6th. He will return to the Giants with an 0-1 record and an 8.79 ERA.

He has spent the bulk of his season with Sacramento, where he has gone 5-6 with a 4.59 ERA. He has struck out 87 and walked 39 in 84.1 innings.

Black, a Scranton, Penn., native, was selected in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Lehigh, where he was named the Patriot League Pitcher of the Year after he went 7–3 with a 3.11 ERA and 95 strikeouts his junior season.

The Giants held him out of pro ball in 2021 and he was named an MiLB Organization All Star in his first full pro season. In 2022 with Class-A San Jose and High-A Eugene, he went a combined 6- 4 with a 3.21 ERA in 24 starts, throwing 112 innings and striking out 136.

He spent last season with Double-A Richmond and Sacramento, where he went a combined 4-9 with a 3.71 ERA in 29 starts. He struck out a career-high 155 and walked 52 as he threw a career-high 123.2 innings. San Francisco opted to keep him with Sacramento to start this season.

It's been a campaign where the Giants have tapped into their young pitchers. Hayden Birdsong recently graduated from prospect rankings, where he was considered a Top 100 prospect. San Francisco also has Kyle Harrison in the rotation, a young left-hander in his first full season in the Majors.