San Francisco Giants Can’t Let Former Ohio State Busts Affect Their View Of Seth Lonsway
It is difficult to find Ohio State Buckeyes’ success stories in professional baseball. Nick Swisher is arguably the most well-known success story from the Buckeyes. Ryan Feltner, pitching in the Colorado Rockies organization, made his MLB debut in 2021. He shows promise, however, is likely not going to develop into a frontline starter. While recent San Francisco Giants 2021 Draft Pick, Seth Lonsway, is a far way off from the major leagues, he’s got enough promise and potential to garner him as a potential Buckeyes gem.
I can’t predict where Lonsway will end up, as San Francisco has some incredible pitching depth in the minors. Kyle Harrison, a high school draftee in 2020, Will Bednar, Mason Black, Matt Mikulski, and Eric Silva, all 2021 picks, seem to be a bit more ahead of Lonsway on the Giants’ pecking order. I’d argue, outside of Silva, the four other names have had higher pedigrees before San Francisco came calling, whether that have been from the college or the prep ranks. Harrison will likely end up as baseball’s best left-handed pitching prospect, although, he could lay claim to the best overall pitching prospect. I don’t believe any other arms cement Lonsway as a bullpen arm or minor league depth. He’s fighting to be a starter in a loaded Giants system.
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I have a high amount of optimism about the current Giants pitching staff on their minor league rosters. This contributes to why I’m a bit higher on Lonsway than I am on someone who’s had some minor success in the majors like Feltner (despite him already making his MLB debut). I’m a firm believer in the right development affecting a player. Lonsway, while he doesn’t have the most polished offerings at the moment (more on that very soon), he’s poised and mature on the mound. I can say that firsthand as I saw the San Jose Giants pitcher during a game against the Fresno Grizzles.
Despite being a bit rattled by the Grizzles hitters, Lonsway maintained himself and pitched a 5.1-inning game. Taking his arsenal of pitches out of the equation, a pitcher who can keep himself composed on the mound, that’s more telling to me than what he’s throwing at the Lo-A level.
Speaking of what he’s throwing, Lonsway features a low-90s fastball. I’ve heard from some it touches 95; I didn’t see that during my viewing. The fastball is by far my least favorite pitch he’s offering. The pitch wasn’t striking out batters and had about as much movement as the wallflower at the high school dance. The pitch was getting hit relatively often. It was only when Lonsway started incorporating the slider and curveball that the fastball had a more prolific effect.
Touching on that curveball and slider, I’d argue (well, I shouldn’t have to argue) that those are his best pitches. Lonsways’ curve is absolutely devastating. He will use it as his out pitch almost every time; usually with the same strikeout result. I’d view his curve as the most effective pitch he maintains (currently). The slider comes in second to his curve. Both pitches have the ability to plus plus pitches, however, despite what some say, the slider might end up as his best offering.
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We’ve clearly identified Lonsway’s best offerings, but I’d also like to mention an additional pitch he threw into the mix. I didn’t see much scouting on Lonsway going into the matchup. I was pleasantly surprised to see a very effective changeup in his repetiteur. The change touched around 83-81 mph, catching Fresno victims, Warming Bernabel and Hunter Goodman off guard. I’d like to imagine this will be Lonsway’s best offering, however, he did not throw it near enough for me to consider a pitch he will rely on (which he should).
As my discussion on Lonsway nears its end, his fastball (89-92 mph), slider(88-86 mph), change (82-85 mph), and curve (79-76 mph) are all offerings that could develop as plus pitches. The slider and change possibly reach plus plus level. I’d love to see more of the change being thrown as well. The fastball does give me a bit of uneasiness. I am willing to look past that for now, however, I will be tuned in to his future outings to see if the pitch improves.
My optimism about Lonsway has gone a full 180 since the game I was able to watch him. At the very least, he’s a 4 or 5 starter in the majors. The only way he’s settling in as a pen arm is if San Francisco truly has more arms than rotation spots. That’s a distinct possibility, as I also fear Lonsway not really getting that fastball up to par. I’m going to gamble though that this Buckeye has a bit more success than those before him.
Image Source: Casey Cascaldo
Daniel is a guru of baseball and basketball prospects. He’s a very experienced Amusement Park traveler as well. Follow him and his hot takes on Insta @dgentleman9288
