In second stint with SF, Kilian relishing ‘full circle’ journey

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Caleb Kilian was a breakout pitching prospect in the Giants’ farm system in 2021, but he found himself abruptly uprooted from the organization midway through the season.

With the Giants on their way to a franchise-record 107-win campaign, former president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi decided to push in all his chips at the Trade Deadline, sending Kilian and outfielder Alexander Canario to the Cubs in exchange for star infielder/outfielder Kris Bryant.

"I remember it being crazy,” Kilian recalled. “Not expecting it to happen. I was about to go throw a bullpen, and I got a call from [senior director of player development] Kyle Haines. I think the call was still coming through. I answered it, he told me I was traded. It was a whirlwind. The next day, I was in Tennessee. I felt like a lot of opportunities happened after that. It maybe got my name out there a little bit. And then I debuted the next year. I think it was really good for my career.”

Five years later, Kilian is back for a second act with the Giants.

The 28-year-old right-hander rejoined San Francisco on a Minor League deal over the offseason and has quickly emerged as one of the most intriguing non-roster arms who could be in the mix for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen this spring.

"It’s awesome,” said Kilian, an eighth-round Draft pick of the Giants in 2019. “I have a lot of really good friends here. The staff is great. It’s the main reason why I came here. I had good experiences here last time.”

Kilian struggled to establish himself as a big league starter in Chicago, where he logged a 9.22 ERA over eight appearances (five starts) from 2022-24, but his stuff has ticked up now that he’s pitching out of the bullpen. He averaged 93.6 mph on his four-seam fastball in his last season with the Cubs in ‘24, but he topped out at 99.1 mph while working a scoreless inning against the Mariners in his Cactus League debut on Feb. 21.

“I’m kind of always trying to build up the arm in the offseason for that,” Kilian said. “It is pretty early. I was trying to manage that a little bit and not come out throwing super hard, but once you get in a game and face hitters, adrenaline kicks in. It just kind of comes out.”

Another possible explanation for his notable bump in velocity?

Kilian and his wife, Tessa, welcomed their first child, a boy named Kohen, last September, which he believes imbued him with some Dad Strength heading into this season.

"She got pregnant, and I put on 10 pounds pretty quick,” said the lanky Kilian, who is listed at 6-foot-4, 180 pounds. “It’s a real thing. I needed it.”

Kilian said he also came into Spring Training throwing hard in ‘24, but he suffered a teres major strain in his right shoulder that forced him to miss the first half of the season. He endured a similar setback last year, when he sustained a Grade 2 lat strain that limited him to only nine appearances at Triple-A Iowa.

Given his recent injury history, Kilian knows he’ll have to be careful not to overdo it so he can stay healthy and get back to the big leagues this year.

Manager Tony Vitello saw Kilian pitch as a high school player in Flower Mound, Texas, and said he’s always liked his athleticism and “killer instinct” on the mound. Vitello pointed to an eight-pitch battle Kilian recently had with Brewers prospect Josh Adamczewski, whom he struck out on a knuckle curve en route to a 1-2-3 seventh inning on Wednesday.

“He’s not afraid to get out there and compete,” Vitello said. “Right now, I think he’s got something to prove to himself, that he’s fully capable of doing this. The stuff is pretty good.”

Tyler Fitzgerald, another member of the Giants’ 2019 Draft class, still remembers watching Kilian dominate at High-A Eugene in ‘21, when he recorded a 1.25 ERA over four starts before earning a quick promotion to Double-A Richmond. The two stayed in touch after Kilian got traded, but Fitzgerald is thrilled to see his former Minor League teammate back with the Giants.

“It’s amazing,” Fitzgerald said. “It was obviously sad that we lost him in the first place. When I was playing with him in High-A, he was one of the best pitchers I’d ever played with. His location was amazing. He was almost unhittable. To lose him for a few years and get him back is pretty cool. We’ve come full circle. We still stayed friends throughout that time, so he’s just a great guy and a great teammate.