Giants prospect Trent Harris goes from undrafted to Futures Game: ‘No words for it'

San Francisco Chronicle​

3 days ago

ATLANTA — The Futures Game is the domain of No. 1 picks, big-bonus prospects and the most high-profile young players from Latin America.
And yet there was San Francisco Giants Triple-A reliever Trent Harris, an undrafted former utility infielder and pitcher, a late addition to the National League squad seemingly out of nowhere, and he worked a scoreless fifth, allowing a hit and striking out two in the NL's 4-2 win at Truist Park.
'That's the most people I've played in front of, and on the biggest stage,' Harris marveled afterward. 'There's just no words for it.'
The moral to this story: Listen to Buster Posey. When the Giants' top prospect, 2023 first-round pick Bryce Eldridge, was promoted to Sacramento last month, Posey, the team's president of baseball operations, instructed reporters not to sleep on Harris.
'I saw that, that was awesome!' Harris said in the NL clubhouse before Saturday's game. 'Just to have my name out there a little bit, and hearing that come out of Buster's mouth — he's the head of baseball ops and a legend — it's surreal.'
Saturday, Harris and current Giants top pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt got to play for another legend, Hall of Famer Chipper Jones, and pitching coach Tim Hudson, a four-time All-Star and a member of the Giants' 2014 championship team. Whisenhunt, 24, faced two batters in the seventh and recorded a strikeout and lineout.
Whisenhunt, a lefty starter, had no idea he'd have such a nice quick day of work, but that was welcome for a pitcher who leads the minors in innings pitched with 94. 'Two guys, that's it?' he said. 'I feel great!'
The Giants have been putting their top young starters in relief roles initially of late, so Whisenhunt now has some bonafides in the bullpen.
Hudson called Posey, his former catcher, to get the lowdown on Whisenhunt and Harris (and to try to talk Posey into drafting some pitchers from Hudson's alma mater, Auburn, on Sunday).
'I was like, 'I've got a couple of your guys this week, I'll try to get them back to you in one piece,' ' Hudson said. 'I'm excited about Whisenhunt, he's one of our better arms so we're saving him for near the end to try to shut things down a little bit. And Harris: I didn't know he went undrafted, but as an overachiever myself, I love that. I was never a big prospect in high school or even college so having a kid like that be able to take advantage of this opportunity is great.'
Whisenhunt, 24, was San Francisco's second-round pick in 2022 and he's been to big-league spring training two years in a row. Harris, 26, had Tommy John surgery in 2021, didn't get selected out of UNC-Pembroke in 2023 and signed a $10,000 minor-league deal with the Giants that July.
'Development and progress is not a one-size-fits all,' Giants director of player development Kyle Haines said. 'How great is it to see Trent go from non-drafted free agent to the Futures Game in just two years?'
Being overlooked can be an extra motivating factor for players. They have to fight for everything.
'You know you do, that's the deal,' Hudson said. 'You know there are going to be some opportunities built in for the top guys, the big prospects, the guys they have a lot of money invested in, which is understandable. That's just how it is: When you're under the radar a little bit, you hope and pray that when you do have that opportunity you don't totally fall on your face, but when you do show you can succeed and look and feel like you belong, when you show you have the confidence to do it, that's half the battle.'
It's not as if Harris has zero name recognition: Harris' dad, Greg W. Harris, pitched for eight years in the majors, with San Diego, Colorado and Minnesota, and his brother, Greg, spent six years pitching in the Dodgers' and Rays' systems. Even if he was overlooked in the draft, Harris knows how to handle himself like a professional, and he performed at every level, zooming through the system after putting up a combined 0.43 ERA at two levels in 2023, with 33 strikeouts in 21 innings, then a 1.81 ERA at three levels last year, with 105 Ks in 79 ⅔ innings.
It was more of the same at Double-A Richmond this season, a 1.69 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 16 innings before getting promoted June 3. He's struggled in the Pacific Coast League, which is an extreme hitters' league, allowing 18 hits and 14 runs in 13⅓ innings, but he's struck out 17 and over his 75 minor-league outings, Harris has 180 strikeouts and just 41 walks in 130 innings and opponents have hit .190 against him.
'I'm throwing a splitter rather than a changeup; the splitter has been my work in progress this year,' Harris said. 'I'm throwing it a lot and I've found some success with it. It's definitely something that fades away to lefties, and that's what I need.'
Former Napa High and St. Mary's pitcher Matthew Yourkin, a Giants minor-league instructor, was a major key for getting that pitch up and running (and if Harris needs more tips, Hudson wielded a nasty splitter).
'I was working with Yourkin in Arizona, playing around with different grips with him, and we found one to stick with, it had great shape in the spring,' Harris said. 'In the PCL, with the high altitudes, you need something offspeed to get the ball on the ground.'
Like Mets prospect Jonah Tong, who worked a scoreless inning with a strikeout, Harris' delivery gets compared to Tim Linecum, in part because of their slim builds, but even more for the arm angle.
'I hear Lincecum a bunch,' Harris said. 'I think it's being so over the top. And I was a huge Lincecum fan, just loved the way he went about his business, and he had so much success. He really figured it out and I would love to do the same.'
Harris was not the only undrafted player on Jones' roster Saturday, and not even the only undrafted Harris in the bullpen. Braves left-hander Hayden Harris was also out there, and asked about having two such unheralded players on his squad, Jones — one of the all-time great No. 1 overall picks — was so enthusiastic, he broke in before the question was even finished.
'It's such a cool story, man, that's what,' Jones said. 'To quote Brad Pitt (playing Billy Beane in 'Moneyball') 'How can you not be romantic about baseball? '
'This is such an underdog type of sport, because there are 1,000 ways to hit a baseball. There are 1,000 ways to get people out. If you understand who you are and how to execute to the best of your ability on a consistent basis, it doesn't matter if you're a five-tool prospect or an undrafted free agent. We all pull for those underdog stories.'