Farhan Zaidi makes first roster moves, adds 3 players

SAN FRANCISCO – Two weeks after Farhan Zaidi was hired as the Giants president of baseball operations, the highest-ranking front office executive has made the first personnel decisions of his tenure.

The Giants announced Tuesday that pitching prospects Melvin Adon, Sam Coonrod and Logan Webb were added to the club’s 40man roster ahead of Major League Baseball’s deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft.

Earlier in the day, the Miami Marlins claimed right-handed pitcher Julian Fernández off of waivers from the Giants, initially leaving the franchise with six open spots on its 40-man roster. The Giants selected Fernández in the 2017 Rule 5 Draft out of the Colorado Rockies organization, but the hard-throwing reliever underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of spring training.

Adon is the most notable addition to club’s roster after the 24-year-old righthander worked as a reliever for the first time in his professional career. The Dominican Republic native was named an Arizona Fall League “Fall Star” as he compiled a 2.92 ERA and struck out 21 hitters in 12 Farhan Zaidi is introduced as the San Francisco Giants new president of baseball operations during a news conference, Wednesday, Nov. 7 at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

1/3 innings.

Despite never having pitched above Single-a, Adon could find himself in contention for a big league roster spot as soon as this season if he transitions from the starting rotation to the bullpen. With a fastball that’s clocked in at 102 miles per hour and improved command, he possesses some of the same qualities that helped rookie

right-hander Ray Black emerge as a bullpen option for the Giants last season.

Coonrod was a fifth round draft choice of the Giants in 2014 who spent much of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. After pitching in Double-a in 2017, Coonrod returned from rehab at the end of 2018 and posted a 5.40 ERA in 10 games for Singlea San Jose.

Webb is an intriguing talent as the Northern California native dominated the California League with Single-a San Jose before earning a late-season promotion to Double-a Richmond. The right-hander is one of the top starting pitching prospects in the organization and could force his way into rotation plans by the end of the 2019 season if he continues to progress.