Prospect inspires comparisons to Hudson
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Oakland Athletics pitching prospect J.T. Ginn is a righthander with a compact build, a sinkerball and a bit of a Southern drawl — all of which might seem reminiscent of a former A’s ace.
“If you’re looking for an Oakland A, I think Tim Hudson would be a comp,” said A’s director of player development Ed Sprague.
Chris Smith, pitching coach for the club’s Double-A affiliate, also suggested Hudson when asked for a possible comparison for Ginn, the 23-year-old acquired by Oakland from the Mets in last spring’s Chris Bassitt trade.
“He’s like a little pit bull out there,” Smith said. “Straight competitor. Intense. But a good kid.”
Ginn, a nonroster invitee to A’s camp this spring, long has inspired lofty hopes. The Dodgers selected him 30th overall in the 2018 draft out of high school in Brandon, Miss. Ginn chose to attend Mississippi State, where he was named SEC Freshman of the Year.
Tommy John surgery halted his sophomore season after one outing. The Mets used a secondround pick on him anyway in the 2020 draft, signing him for a reported $2.9 million bonus — mid-first-round money.
Ginn posted a 3.03 ERA in 18 starts at A-ball in 2021, then was dealt to Oakland last March.
His transition wasn’t especially smooth.
Ginn was sidelined by forearm tightness in mid-May and did not return until late July. He had a 6.11 ERA in 351⁄3 innings at Double-A Midland, but had a good showing in the Arizona Fall League, with a 2.25 ERA in 16 innings. And the A’s see reason to be optimistic about a pitcher who had a 61.6 percent groundball rate in the minors in 2021.
“He’s got starter stuff,” Sprague said. “It’s a power sinker, a good slider, feel for a changeup. He has a chance to be really, really good. He likes to tinker with his pitches a little, so we’re trying to just get him to be him, figure out what that is and stick with it.”
Ginn faced hitters in a live batting practice session at Hohokam Stadium on Wednesday with A’s general manager David Forst, Kotsay and much of his coaching staff watching. Ginn’s sinker reached 93 mph, and he also threw a cutter along with his off-speed pitches.
Ginn is one of a group of younger pitching prospects the A’s acquired in teardown trades last spring that also included Ryan Cusick and Joey Estes (Matt Olson deal) and Gunnar Hoglund (Matt Chapman deal).
All missed time with injuries in 2022. Aside from Ginn, only Cusick pitched above A-ball or in the AFL. Ginn is the only one in big league camp this spring, and Double-A appears a likely starting point for his season.
“I think I’m understanding what kind of pitcher I am,” Ginn said. “I’m going to move the ball around, I’m going to fill (the strike zone) up. You struggle, and a lot of times you start trying to reach and figure out what I can do better, but it’s just sticking to the process and knowing this is what works for me.”
As a sinkerballer, Ginn said he watches pitchers like Aaron Nola and José Berrios who rely on movement and control more than just velocity. Ginn said he did not watch Hudson much but has seen “old highlights” and heard the comparisons.
“If that’s the comp, I mean, the guy’s a legend,” Ginn said. “I’ll take that any day of the week.”