New Giants prospect Lalane's heater not diminished by relocation across the country

A lot has changed for Henry Lalane since he last took the mound, but the results have not.

Lalane had toed the rubber on July 30 for Hudson Valley -- the Yankees' High-A affiliate. On Thursday, the left-hander -- dealt to San Francisco at the Trade Deadline in the Heliot Ramos deal -- found himself roughly 2,600 miles from his former home park making his Giants organizational debut for High-A Eugene.

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Lalane racked up five strikeouts while yielding one earned run on five hits and a walk over 4 2/3 innings in Eugene's 15-10 victory in 10 innings over Spokane at Avista Stadium.

It marked the sixth consecutive start in which Lalane didn't allow more than two earned runs and the 11th in his past 12. The native of the Bronx, New York, retired the side in order in the first and third innings and flashed 97 mph with his heater. He exited after tossing 87 pitches -- 59 for strikes.

Before he was traded to San Francisco, Lalane was among one of the biggest risers in the Yankees organization. Opening the season as New York's No. 14 prospect, the 6-foot-7, 211-pounder vaulted to No. 5 in MLB Pipeline's late July refreshing of the rankings. He is now installed as San Francisco's No. 9 prospect.

Lalane moved with his family to the Dominican Republic as a child and mostly played the outfield before moving to the mound at age 14. He signed the largest bonus ($350,000) given to a pitcher in the Yankees' 2021 international class, and made his U.S. debut in 2023 when he was considered as the best pitching prospect in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League. The following March, he appeared in the Yankees' Spring Breakout game against Blue Jays prospects and allowed one hit over two innings while striking out three.

Shoulder issues that required surgery limited Lalane to 31 2/3 frames over the next two seasons, but the southpaw entered this year with a clean bill of health and looked better than ever. Pitching across both levels of A-ball before the trade, Lalane posted a 2.77 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP and a .188 average-against while recording 98 strikeouts over 78 innings in 16 appearances (15 starts).

So it's no surprise that Lalane's stuff improved across the board this season. Previously sitting at 91-92 mph with his fastball, the 22-year-old now hits the mid-90s with it and has topped out at 98 with improved armside run and carry. He's improved his feel on his low-80s changeup, and his slider has evolved from a mid-70s slurve to a 78-82 mph sweeper. His athleticism enables him to create natural extension in his delivery and he's locating all of his pitches better this season.