Giants have three Carsons knocking on door of big leagues

Giants have three Carsons knocking on door of big leagues originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SCOTTSDALE — The Giants’ front office made life a bit easier for the clubhouse staff this spring by limiting the number of non-roster invitees to big league camp, but Brad Grems and his crew had a little fun with veterans who planned to spend the first few days getting to know the small group of newcomers.

In the middle of the room, Carson Seymour and Carson Ragsdale are lockered side by side. One wears No. 78 and one is No. 77. Both are tall right-handers, and you can’t even differentiate them by service time. They were added to the 40-man roster on the same day this offseason.

How, then, should teammates tell them apart?

“He’s a little bit taller,” the 6-foot-6 Seymour said of the 6-foot-8 Ragsdale. “But I like to say I’m a little bit more handsome.”

To further complicate matters, there’s a third Carson, also a pitching prospect who spent last season in Triple-A. And like Seymour and Ragsdale, Carson Whisenhunt has a good shot at pitching this season at Oracle Park. He’s not on the 40-man roster, but he is considered the best prospect of the trio. Whisenhunt is also the only one who is truly homegrown.

After a few years in charge, Farhan Zaidi found that Bobby Evans’ group had left him some undervalued assets, and the new front office is hopeful that the same will one day be said of the Carsons. Whisenhunt was a second-round pick in 2022 and is considered by many in the industry to be a top 100 prospect in the game, but Seymour and Ragsdale were acquired in trades.

The New York Mets took Seymour in the sixth round in 2021, and a year later, he was thrown into the Darin Ruf-J.D. Davis swap, which was a heist for Zaidi regardless of what the Giants ended up getting out of the three pitching prospects in the deal. Three years later, Seymour is the only one from that deal in big league camp, and he’s coming off a season that was better than it looked on paper.

The 26-year-old had a 4.82 ERA overall in Triple-A, but the Pacific Coast League is full of ballparks that play like Coors Field, and that figure was 3.92 at home with 9.7 strikeouts-per-nine. At a time when the organization was limiting starters, Seymour proved to be a reliable innings-eater, getting quick outs with his sinker.

Last year was the first time he was teammates with Ragsdale, who was promoted midseason after posting a 3.49 ERA in Double-A. Like Seymour, he looked more comfortable when the River Cats were at home in their neutral ballpark, and he continued to pile up strikeouts at an intriguing rate. In 267 2/3 innings in the minors, Ragsdale — who leans on a mid-90s four-seamer, a curve and a splitter — has 365 strikeouts.

The 26-year-old was on his way back to Florida in November when he got the call he had been waiting for. He was worried that he would be on a flight during the deadline to add players to the 40-man roster, but director of player development Kyle Haines called with the good news right before he boarded. It was a big step for a player who was acquired in exchange for reliever Sam Coonrod in 2021.

Whisenhunt is still waiting for that call that he’s on the 40-man, but whenever it comes, he’ll likely also be told that his bigger dream is coming true. The 24-year-old is the best Giants pitching prospect who has not debuted yet, but he’s closer to the big leagues than ever. Whisenhunt had a full season Triple-A last year and struck out 11.6 batters per nine innings. Giants officials never worried about the elevated overall numbers, pointing out that he had a 2.34 ERA when pitching in Sacramento.

Whisenhunt never lost sleep about numbers, either. His main focus last year was on sharpening his repertoire, and he made a notable change, ditching his curveball and turning to a slider as his third pitch. With one of the best changeups in the minors and a firm fastball, Whisenhunt has the weapons to pitch out of the big league bullpen right now, but the Giants view him as a key part of their rotation long-term, so he’ll need that third pitch.

“The changeup has been a key to my entire arsenal, but the big thing we talked about at the end of last year was, let’s find a good third pitch because the curve wasn’t consistent enough,” he said. “We went to the slider and I’m consistent with it. I feel good enough right now to where I can throw it and save the changeup for later in counts or in games.”

As he continues to make adjustments, Whisenhunt at least doesn’t have to worry about getting confused for the others. He has long, blonde hair and throws left-handed, differentiating himself from his fellow Carsons. All, though, have the same goal in mind for 2025.

The Giants view young starting pitching as the strength of not just their active roster, but the entire organization. Part of that belief is because of three Carsons, all of whom should start the season in the Triple-A rotation. It always seemed likely that Whisenhunt’s development would set him up for a 2025 debut, but the path is now there for Seymour and Ragsdale, too.

It was an easy call for the Giants to add them to the 40-man roster in the offseason. They know they’re going to need them at some point.

“It’s upper-level starting pitching, both have really good arms, both have success in their past,” general manager Zack Minasian said. “Both pitchers are pitchers I’m really familiar with having been acquired in trades, and our player development people really liked them. Yeah, it felt like easy adds.”

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