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Following yesterday's move that placed Sergio Romo on the 15-day disabled list, the Giants announced late last night that it would be Derek Law who'd be getting the call-up to the fill the roster spot. If my calculations are correct, he'll be the 7th Giant on the active roster to have been born in the 90s.
Derek Law has, of course, been one of the Giants more intriguing pitching prospects of this decade. In 2013 at San Jose (A), he posted a 45:1 K:BB. In Spring Training 2014, Brian Sabean himself suggested that Law had a chance to make it to the big leagues that same year. Unfortunately, pitchers and elbows tend to have torrid love affairs, ending in pain and misery. Law had Tommy John surgery less than six months after Sabean's proclamation.
While his repeat of AA last season didn't elevate back into top relief prospect status, his 4:1 K:BB is a strong sign that the stuff is back. Command and control might be a more pressing need for the pitching corps, but stuff is stuff.
Law pitched 5.2 innings in Spring Training and was one of only 13 (out of 38!) pitchers to post a sub-5.00 ERA (4.76). He struck out 7, but also gave up 8 hits and 3 walks (1.94 WHIP).
Sadly, this is the only video I could find of Derek Law from Spring Training:
But by all accounts and a decent sampling of statistics, Derek Law has strikeout stuff. He's got a good fastball and a pitch that the Giants call a curveball but Law calls a slider. But Brian Sabean also said it's like a splitter. The confusion -- or, to sound more professional, disagreement -- likely stems from Law's Tiantesque delivery, which you can see a little bit in the embedded video above but *really* see in this MLB.com video.
I'm all for tantalizing stuff. I need it, I love it, I want some more of it. Anything to shorten the game.
It's more likely that Hunter Strickland will be the temporary setup man, but you've gotta believe there's a chance that if Strickland struggles it'll be Law who gets the next opportunity to fill the role.
In the meantime, and despite the fact that this was going to be Sergio Romo's final season as a Giant, let's hope that wasn't the last time we saw him throw a pitch in a Giants uniform.