Whitman named Eastern League Pitcher of the Month
RICHMOND, Va. – Richmond Flying Squirrels left-hander Joe Whitman has been named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Month for May, Minor League Baseball announced on Thursday.
RICHMOND, Va. – Richmond Flying Squirrels left-hander Joe Whitman has been named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Month for May, Minor League Baseball announced on Thursday.
The Flying Squirrels have swept the first two Eastern League Pitcher of the Month awards this season. Darien Smith won the award for April.
Whitman made five starts in May and went 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA (3 ER/28.0 IP) with 37 strikeouts and five walks. He led the Eastern League in ERA, BAA (.146) and WHIP (0.68) for the month and ranked tied for first in strikeouts. Whitman also ranked third in MiLB in BAA, second in WHIP and fourth in ERA for the month.
His first three starts of the month were combined shutouts for the Flying Squirrels. Whitman opened the month with four consecutive scoreless starts from May 5-May 24, totaling 22 innings.
On May 5 at CarMax Park, Whitman threw six innings and allowed one hit, a two-out triple by Ralphy Velasquez in the sixth inning, and he struck out seven batters against the Akron RubberDucks. He faced Akron again in his next start on May 10 and threw five scoreless frames with five strikeouts, allowing three hits with eight strikeouts.
Following the two shutout performances against Akron, Whitman was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for May 4-10.
Whitman worked five scoreless innings and picked up his third consecutive win on May 17 in the second game of a doubleheader at Erie, striking out five with no walks. On May 24 at CarMax Park, Whitman struck out eight over six scoreless innings and held Binghamton to two hits.
24 consecutive scoreless innings! 🔥
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) May 30, 2026
Joe Whitman ties the Flying Squirrels franchise record with a strikeout in the second inning tonight 🙌 pic.twitter.com/gV71xfJJot
On May 30, Whitman returned to his hometown in Akron facing the RubberDucks and allowed three runs over six innings, setting a season high with nine strikeouts. A run-scoring groundout in the second inning snapped his scoreless streak at 24.0 consecutive innings, which tied the franchise record set by Tyler Rogers in 2016.
On Tuesday, Whitman was promoted to Triple-A Sacramento by the Giants. During his time with Richmond this season, he led the Eastern League in strikeouts (65) and was tied for second in wins, going 5-1 with a 3.22 ERA in 10 starts.
A native of Akron, Ohio, Whitman pitched two seasons at Purdue University before finishing his collegiate career at Kent State University, where he was MAC Pitcher of the Year as a junior. He was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the second round (69th overall) of the 2023 MLB Draft.
Baseball America ranks Whitman as the No. 25 Giants prospect. He is ranked the No. 26 Giants prospect by MLB.com.
Whitman is the fourth player in Flying Squirrels franchise history to be named an Eastern League Pitcher of the Month, joining Matt Frisbee (May 2021), Mason Black (June 2023) and Smith earlier this season. He also joins Mark Minicozzi (May 2013), Ricky Oropesa (May 2015) and Tyler Fitzgerald (April 2023) as Richmond players to win a monthly Eastern League award.
The Flying Squirrels are home at CarMax Park through June 14, facing the Erie SeaWolves this week before the Harrisburg Senators come to town next week. . Tickets are available online at SquirrelsBaseball.com/Tickets, by phone at 804-359-FUNN (3866) or in person at the CarMax Park ticket office.