The SF Giants had hoped that an Arizona Fall League (AFL) stint would help 2021 first-round pick Will Bednar acquire some valuable game representatives after missing much of the last two seasons. Nevertheless, the Giants have actually closed down Bednar due to repeating back pain, per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic.
The San Francisco Giants have decided to close down their former top pick following a short and unsuccessful stint in the Arizona Fall League. The young player has been dealing with back issues throughout his expert career, and his current performances have been especially disappointing. In six appearances in the AFL, he gave up 8 earned runs on 7 hits, nine strolls, and 8 strikeouts over 5.1 innings.
He has had to prematurely end his AFL journey for the second time, due to a regrettable injury, making it 2 successive years of AFL season cut short.
The Giants picked Bednar in the preliminary of the 2021 draft out of Mississippi State University after an electrical season and an even better performance throughout the College World Serie (CWS). This included a 1.47 age with 26 strikeouts in 18.1 CWS frames.
The pitching possibility closed down a stout Vanderbilt lineup and bested another top pitching possibility in Kumar Rocker. Bednar’s name had actually already been on the map and was forecasted to land in the back end of the first round in 2021, but his stock increased following a dominant CWS effort.
The Giants had optimistic expectations of getting a promising pitcher for their rotation, and that possibility still stays. Presently, they are desiring his complete recovery and Farhan Zaidi acknowledged that there were concerns, as reported by Baggarly.
Considering that ending up being a pro, the 23-year-old has finished simply 60.2 innings with 72 strikeouts against 30 strolls. Most of that work has come against less sophisticated hitters in Low-A, so he has not necessarily faced off against the kind of competition that a person may anticipate for a college draftee.
The back issues have afflicted Bednar over the past 2 seasons, and even when he has actually been on the mound, his fastball velocity beinged in the low 90’s compared to the mid 90’s from when he remained in college. It is a concerning trend for him and the hope is that the time off will assist him prepare for the 2024 season.
