Viral prospect Hjelle's latest outing should earn him real shot

MILWAUKEE -- Sean Hjelle's latest shot at the big leagues seemed to be particularly well-timed. 

The Giants needed Hjelle to soak up some innings during a doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers, which meant he would be pitching a drivable distance from his childhood home -- in Minnesota -- as well as his college friends from Kentucky. There were a lot of Hjelle fans at American Family Field, including his mother and best friend, but his father wasn't able to make the trip. He recently got a new job that came with a promotion and more responsibility, and the first day at work was Friday. 

"He’s bummed about that, but I told him I understand and we’ll let it slide this one time," the younger Hjelle said, smiling. 

If he keeps pitching like he did Thursday, his father will get plenty of opportunities to see him in the big leagues. 

The Giants got swept Thursday, falling seven games under .500, but the night game came with a huge -- quite literally -- silver lining. Hjelle was at his best, shaking off some rough early cameos in the big leagues to throw five strong innings. The lone run came when he hit his final batter and then watched him score off another reliever. Hjelle struck out six and his sinker ticked up to 96 mph, the best velocity of his career. 

"I think it was really promising," manager Gabe Kapler said. "One thing that I think is going to be his calling card is the fact that he was in the strike zone throwing a ton of strikes, allowing his movement to play. He does see a dip in his velocity as the outing matures. But he also seems to get a little more movement on his ball. So one initiative is how can we get him to maintain that kind of 95 throughout the outing. 

"He got some good swings and misses and did everything we could’ve asked for. I think it’s a nice jumping off point for the next time he pitches for us."

The question with the Giants is always: When is that next time? 

There is an opening in the rotation with Alex Wood on the IL, but up until Thursday, Kapler had made it crystal clear that the front office and staff didn't feel any of the starting pitchers in Triple-A were knocking the door down. Hjelle has had his ups and downs there, but the Giants needed a fresh arm during this brutal schedule stretch and Hjelle took full advantage. 

"Obviously any inning you can get in the big leagues to prove your worth is huge, especially this time of year, being September [and] the rosters expand," Hjelle said. "[I'm] just trying to prove that I belong here this year but also set myself up for next year and get as many innings as I can."

Wood's spot in the rotation will come up again Sunday, too soon for a next Hjelle appearance. But they could slide him in on the next homestand and see if he can run with the opportunity, and there appears to be no good reason not to try. 

The Giants are going nowhere this season, but David Villar has been the only young player ticketed for an extended audition in September. Hjelle should get that same opportunity, either to prove that he's ready to be the next man up for the rotation that ran out of pitchers after injuries to Anthony DeSclafani and Wood, or to try and push his way into the bullpen mix for 2023. 

There's also simply a matter of this being fun and interesting for a fan base that no longer gets heavy or even moderate doses of either. Hjelle is homegrown and a well-known Giants prospect, and in addition to the height that makes him such an easy draw, he is one of the funnier and more thoughtful personalities to get called up in recent years. 

For a 65-72 team, this should be an easy call. 

"It’s something that we’re going to discuss," Kapler said. "But it was a great showing for Hjelle."

Kapler never tips his hand when it comes to the rotation, but he was willing to dive into Hjelle's long-term future. He said he would like to see him add strength this offseason so the uptick in velocity is there throughout appearances. Hjelle admitted he was all-gas, no-brakes from the start on Thursday, and his velocity dipped in the later innings.

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Still, he was effective, showing a complementary slider that he'll need against lefties, who have hit him well in the past. He threw a particularly nasty one to strike out Christian Yelich. 

"Having that slider and that breaking ball to be able to throw to them is something that’s going to help with that," he said. "Obviously it’s been a main focus of my career and obviously this year, trying to get big league hitters out, it’s a pitch I have to have. Fortunately, I was able to have that today and was able to put guys away and make pitches when I needed to."

Hjelle didn't want to think too much about what this means moving forward. He has not had the year he hoped, but he opened some eyes on Thursday, and when you're a young pitcher trying to get established, September is the perfect time to do that. 

The Giants did not plan for Hjelle or any young pitcher to get an extended look in September. But sometimes a guy surprises you, and this seems to be the perfect opportunity to latch onto that and run with it. 

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