Carson Whisenhunt is a left-handed starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants.
Whisenhunt, 24, has an 8-5 record with a 4.42 ERA in 28 starts at AAA Sacramento this season. MLB.com ranks him the No. 3 prospect in the Giants system.
Here is everything you need to know about Carson Whisenhunt.
1. He Began His College Career As A Two-Way Player
When Carson Whisenhunt started his college career at East Carolina University in 2020, he was a left fielder and a relief pitcher after he starred both on the mound and at the plate during his high school career at Davie County High School in Mocksville, North Carolina.
Before the 2020 season was canceled, Whisenhunt had 9 plate appearances. He didn’t record a hit. He did walk twice, but he also struck out six times.
Ahead of his big league debut, it’s safe to say he picked the right position.
2. Whisenhunt Helped Lead ECU To The Super Regionals in 2021
In his first, and only, full year at ECU, Carson Whisenhunt was a bona-fide star.
As a full-time member of the Pirates’ weekend rotation, Whisenhunt posted a 6-2 record with a 3.77 ERA. He struck out 79 batters and walked on 22 in 62 innings of work. That gave him an average of 11.47 strikeouts per nine innings, second best in the American Athletic Conference that season.
The Pirates made it all the way to the Tennessee Super Regionals that season before No. 4 Vanderbilt knocked them off.
Whisenhunt received several national awards during that season. He was named the American Athletic Conference Pitcher-of-the-Week on March 15, 2021, the National Collegiate Writers Baseball Association Player of the Month on March 3, 2021, and the Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week on February 22, 2021.
The USA Collegiate National Team even named Wisenhunt to its roster in the Summer of 2021. On that prestigious national stage, he sported a 1.50 ERA in two starts.
Hype surrounding Whisenhunt was at an all-time high heading into the 2022 season. CBS Sports projected him to be a first round MLB Draft Pick and even named to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List by USA Baseball. The Golden Spikes award is given to the best college player in the country each season. So yeah, everyone expected Whisenhunt to be a superstar.
Unfortunately, he failed a performance-enhancing drug test and was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for the entirety of the 2022 season.
In a statement, Whisenhunt said that he failed the test because of a supplement he purchased from a nationwide nutrition store that unbeknownst to him contained the substance and expressed deep remorse for his mistake.
That suspension likely caused him to slide out of the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft, but the Giants were able to pick him with the 66th overall pick in the second round.
3. Whisenhunt Just Pitched in the All-Star Futures Game in 2025
Whisenhunt was named to the 2025 All-Star Futures Game in Atlanta, Georgia. The game is an annual exhibition pitting the American League’s best prospects against top prospects from the National League.
Whisenhunt represented the Giants well in the game on Saturday July 12, 2025, retiring both batters he faced and striking out one.
It was Whisenhunt’s second appearance in the Futures Game, with the first coming back in 2023 in Seattle, Washington. In the 2023 game, Whisenhunt pitched a scoreless third inning, gave up one hit, and struck out two batters including Jackson Holliday.
4. Whisenhunt Has an Elite Changeup
The pitch that makes Carson Whisenhunt so dangerous is his changeup.
“Whisenhunt may feature the best changeup in baseball, posting outlandish chase (49 percent) and swing-and-miss (47 percent) rates while recording 71 of his 135 strikeouts (second in the PCL) with his cambio in Triple-A,” Whisenhunt’s MLB.com prospect profile reads. “He sells his tumbling 78-81 mph change with fastball arm speed and can manipulate its depth and shape.”
He has a 70-grade (out of 80) for his changeup.
If he gets into two strike counts during his MLB debut on Monday July 28, 2025 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Giants fans will be eager to see how his changeup fares against big league hitters.
5. Whisenhunt Has A Passion For Recreation, People With Disabilities
According to his LinkedIn, Whisenhunt majored in Recreation and Park management during his college days at East Carolina.
My goal for the future is to own and operate a camp for people with disabilities,” Whisenhunt wrote on his LinkedIn profile. “I am enthusiastic about inclusion of people with disabilities in the recreation industry.”
Whisenhunt also mentioned that his passion for the outdoors comes from his childhood, when he lived with his family on 13 acres of land near Lake Nantahala in Western North Carolina.
Hopefully Whisenhunt will have an opportunity to pursue those passions due to the platform and resources he will have available to him as a major league pitcher.
Congratulations to Carson Whisenhunt on your MLB debut and best of luck in your MLB debut and career!
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