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SF Giants designate left-handed pitcher Sam Long for assignment

The SF Giants designated southpaw Sam Long for assignment earlier this week to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

Marc Delucchi

SF Giants designate left-handed pitcher Sam Long for assignment
SF Giants designate left-handed pitcher Sam Long for assignment /
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The SF Giants designated left-handed pitcher Sam Long for assignment earlier this week, clearing a spot on the 40-man roster for outfielder Cal Stevenson. The Giants acquired Stevenson in a minor trade with the Oakland Athletics. Long, a Sacramento State product, is now available on waivers to every other MLB team.

SF Giants relief pitcher Sam Long returns to the dugout after giving up a grand slam against the Dodgers. (2022)
SF Giants reliever Sam Long returns to the dugout after facing the Dodgers. (2022) / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Long was a revelation during spring training in 2021 after inking a minor-league deal with the Giants. Long had been released by the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and briefly pursued EMS certification before deciding to give pro baseball another shot. Long already had an impressive curveball, but discovered newfound velocity in his return to baseball.

Long dominated the upper minors in 2021, recording a 2.34 ERA in 40.2 innings pitched with 55 strikeouts and 13 walks between Double-A and Triple-A, earning a big-league promotion. Long showed some flashes, but his fastball struggled to maintain mid-90s velocity as the season wore on. He posted a 5.53 ERA with 38 strikeouts and 15 walks in 40.2 innings of work (12 appearances).

Long's velocity regressed to the low-90s in 2022, leading the Giants to move him to the bullpen. He appeared in 28 games with the Giants last season and while he finished the year with a solid 3.61 ERA, there were several warning signs that his performance was unsustainable. Long only racked up 33 strikeouts in 42.1 innings and ERA estimators like FIP (5.07), xERA (4.28), and xFIP (4.68) were all noticeably higher than his final numbers.

With prospects like Tristan Beck (Giants #19 prospect) usurping Long on the organization's depth chart heading into the season, it seemed like the southpaw needed to excel if he wanted to remain on the 40-man roster. Instead, Long surrendered seven runs on 11 hits and three walks in 5.2 innings pitched this spring and has a 9.90 ERA in four appearances at Triple-A.

The SF Giants will hope that Sam Long goes unclaimed on waivers so they can retain him in the organization. However, given his solid track record of success in the upper minors and the constant need for left-handed pitchers around MLB, it's easy to envision another team claiming him off waivers.

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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).

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