SF Giants call up hard-throwing pitching prospect Cole Waites, DFA Patrick Mazeika

The SF Giants just added one of the best relief-pitching prospects in the organization to their bullpen by promoting Cole Waites from Triple-A.

The SF Giants bullpen just got a lot more exciting. The Giants added right-handed pitching prospect Cole Waites to their 40-man roster and promoted him from Triple-A to their big-league roster and optioned outfielder Austin Dean.

An 18th-round pick out of the University of West Alabama in 2019, Waites has become the first player drafted under amateur scouting director Michael Holmes and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi to reach the majors with the Giants. To create space on the 40-man roster for Waites, the Giants designated catcher Patrick Mazeika for assignment.

Waites primarily relies on a 65-grade fastball that has reached the triple digits and an above-average slider. His heater's combination of velocity and other traits has at times looked like the best fastball in the organization. However, it has primarily worked between 94-96 mph this season, topping out at 99 mph.

In a conversation with reporters on Saturday, Giants manager Gabe Kapler said, "There's a lot of excitement around Cole [Waites]... Since he got to Triple-A, the strikeout rate has stayed strong, and he obviously has a high-octane arm and has missed bats his whole career.”

Waites has had big-league stuff since he returned from the pandemic in 2021. Waites spent the canceled minor-league season in 2020 honing his craft at Full Count Baseball, a facility in his home state of Georgia. He returned from the pandemic with a fastball that sat in the upper-90s and reached 100 mph.

Command remains Waites' biggest hurdle to success at the big-league level. Despite his dominance this season, Waites has still walked 13.0% of the batters he's faced. His pitch arsenal is nasty enough that it should afford him more room for error than most, even against major league hitters. However, as Giants fans saw with Camilo Doval last season, opponents will make young pitchers pay for inconsistent command.

Waites missed the bulk of the 2021 minor-league season recovering from knee surgery. However, when he returned to the field, the righty quickly burst onto the scene. In 13 appearances between Rookie Ball and Single-A Waites struck out 66.0% of opposing hitters. Roughly two out of every three players who came to the plate were unable to put the ball in play.

Beginning this season at High-A Eugene, Waites continued his stretch of dominance. He struck out more than 50% of the batters he faced (27 strikeouts in 12.2 innings pitched) before receiving an early promotion to Double-A Richmond. Waites made 18 appearances with the Flying Squirrels, recording 38 strikeouts in 21 innings with a 1.71 ERA. Then, the Giants sent him to Triple-A.

In six appearances at the highest level of the minors, Waites still managed an elite 40% strikeout rate and did not surrender a run across his seven innings pitched. Between all three levels, he has a 1.99 ERA on the season with 75 strikeouts and 22 walks in 40.2 innings pitched.

Waites' promotion also makes sense in the context of the Rule 5 draft. Waites would be eligible to be selected by another team this offseason unless the Giants added him to the 40-man roster. By promoting him now, they ensure he will be in their organization beyond this season and give him a chance to adjust to the majors in a low-stress environment with the Giants out of the playoff chase.

“Starting the year in High-A, you don’t really expect to get to this point,” Waites told reporters on Saturday, “It’s very special. It’s been a heck of a year for me.” Now, Cole Waites will look to solidify his place in the back of the SF Giants bullpen over the final weeks of the 2022 season.

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The Giants claimed Mazeika off waivers from the New York Mets earlier this season. The 28-year-old catcher had spent his entire professional career in the Mets organization. He appeared in 65 big-league games with the Mets over the past two seasons, hitting .191/.236/.279 in 159 plate appearances with 27 strikeouts and six walks.

Mazeika has been more productive over his career in the minors, with nearly as many walks (223) as strikeouts (289) alongside a .276/.369/.423 triple-slash. This season, Mazeika had a less impressive .261/.384/.333 line with the Mets Triple-A affiliate before they designated him for assignment. He only appeared in eight games with the Giants Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento and managed just five hits in 30 at-bats. The Giants could keep Mazeika in their organization if he clears waivers.

The SF Giants recalled Dean from Triple-A last week, but after a few games, he has returned to Triple-A. He appeared in three games with San Francisco this weekend and went 3-for-8 with a walk. He is hitting .262/.335/.465 this year at Triple-A.