Yankees call up former SF Giants prospect Matt Krook, who was traded for Evan Longoria

The Yankees added former SF Giants prospect Matt Krook to their taxi squad. Krook was traded by the Giants to acquire Evan Longoria back in 2017.
Yankees call up former SF Giants prospect Matt Krook, who was traded for Evan Longoria
Yankees call up former SF Giants prospect Matt Krook, who was traded for Evan Longoria /

The New York Yankees promoted left-handed pitcher Matt Krook to their taxi squad on Tuesday. Krook was drafted by the SF Giants in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB draft and was part of the four-player package the team used in December of 2017 to acquire star third baseman Evan Longoria from the Tampa Bay Rays. Krook never reached the majors with the Rays and was claimed off waivers by the Yankees in December of 2020.

Tampa Bay Rays pitchers Dalton Moats (left) and Matt Krook during the Arizona Fall League-All Star Game at Surprise Stadium. Krook was drafted by the SF Giants back in 2016. (2018)
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Krook will be 28 years old later this month, but he first emerged as a top pitching prospect during his high school playing career at St. Ignatius College Preparatory School in San Francisco. After graduating from St. Ignatius, Krook was drafted in the compensatory first round of the 2014 MLB draft by the Miami Marlins. However, he was unable to agree to a deal with the Marlins and went on to play at the University of Oregon.

Krook had a promising first year on campus in Eugene, racking up 60 strikeouts in 45.1 innings pitched with a 1.79 ERA over eight starts before suffering a season-ending UCL injury. Krook underwent Tommy John surgery and missed his entire sophomore season. When he returned as a junior, Krook continued racking up strikeouts but clearly lacked the same control of his pitches.

The Giants took a flier on Krook in the fourth round, betting on his ability to get back to his previous form. In his first full minor-league season, Krook struck out 105 hitters in 91.1 innings pitched at High-A but struggled to limit walks, issuing 66 free passes and posting a 5.12 ERA.

Krook continued to have flashes of brilliance as he moved up the minor-league ranks after he was traded to the Rays. With that said, his inability to consistently throw strikes led the Rays to eventually move on from the young southpaw.

Since joining the Yankees organization, Krook has posted his best walk rates since his first year in college. In 2021, Krook recorded a 2.89 ERA between New York's Double-A and Triple-A affiliates with 132 strikeouts and 60 walks in 106 innings pitched. Back at Triple-A this year, Krook had a 4.09 ERA in 138.2 innings with 155 strikeouts and 73 walks.

Given how things have played out, the SF Giants are surely happy they made the Evan Longoria trade. None of the players they parted with went on to become significant contributors with the Rays, while Longoria has been an above-average everyday player over the past five seasons in San Francisco. Now, nearly five years later, one of the prospects they parted with in the deal, Matt Krook, is on the verge of making the first big-league appearance of his career.


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Marc Delucchi
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).