Former SF Giants outfielder Steven Duggar becomes a free agent

Steven Duggar was a key contributor for the SF Giants last season, but an ugly 2022 has him on the free-agent market after he was DFA'd by the Angels.

Marc Delucchi | Sep 6, 2022

Former SF Giants outfielder Steven Duggar becomes a free agent /

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Outfielder Steven Duggar became a free agent earlier this week after clearing waivers. The Los Angeles Angels had designated him for assignment the week prior and were willing to outright him to the minor leagues, but he opted to hit the open market instead. The move marks another unfortunate turn for a key contributor on the 2021 SF Giants.

Duggar was traded by the Giants earlier this year in a minor deal that him to the Texas Rangers for Willie Calhoun. Duggar hit just .177 with the Rangers and an abysmal .184 average with their Triple-A affiliate before they opted to designate him for assignment. At that point, the Angels claimed him off waivers.

Duggar's offensive woes did not improve at all in a new organization. His .053/.182/.158 triple-slash with the Angels quickly earned him a demotion back to Triple-A, where struggled through a .147/.216/.353 line. Without any sign of improvement at the plate, Los Angeles opted to designate him for assignment.

SF Giants outfielder Steven Duggar celebrates after a walk-off win. — John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants drafted Duggar in the sixth round of the 2015 MLB draft out of Clemson, and he quickly emerged as one of the best prospects in their farm system. Duggar showed an excellent approach and some solid pop in the minors. Immediately one of the best defensive outfielders in the system, he quickly earned his first big-league callup in 2015.

From there, a combination of injuries and struggles at the plate prevented Duggar from ever solidifying an everyday job with the Giants. He bounced between Triple-A and the majors and had a well below-average career .236/.281/.349 triple-slash heading into 2021.

However, Duggar emerged as a key contributor last season. He combined his excellent defense in all three outfield spots with the best offensive numbers of his career, playing almost exclusively against right-handed pitching. Duggar received 207 plate appearances across 107 games last season, hitting 14 doubles, 5 triples, and 8 homers alongside a .258/.330/.437 triple-slash.

As has been the case for many SF Giants who had breakout seasons in 2021, Duggar regressed quite a bit this year. Prior to the trade to the Rangers, he had well below-average numbers with the Giants and their Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento.

It's worth pointing out that Steven Duggar has only received 220 plate appearances this season between Triple-A and the majors. Moving between different organizations and affiliates is never easy for players and could be at least partly responsible for his struggles. Regardless, several teams will surely offer Duggar minor league contracts, hoping they can recapture his offensive magic in 2021 to take advantage of his fantastic defensive abilities.

Published Sep 6, 2022

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).