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White Sox return Rule 5 pick reliever Nick Avila to SF Giants

The SF Giants added right-handed pitcher Nick Avila to their upper minors depth after the Chicago White Sox returned their Rule 5 pick.

Marc Delucchi

White Sox return Rule 5 pick reliever Nick Avila to SF Giants
White Sox return Rule 5 pick reliever Nick Avila to SF Giants /
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The SF Giants welcomed right-handed pitching prospect Nick Avila back to the organization on Tuesday. Avila had been competing for an Opening Day roster spot with the Chicago White Sox in spring training, but failed to make the team. The White Sox selected Avila with the 15th overall pick in December's Rule 5 Draft. For the White Sox to keep Avila, he had to remain on the MLB roster for the entire season. Instead, he will return to San Francisco's minor-league ranks.

Avila made seven appearances over the course of his spring with the White Sox. He struck out 12 batters while walking just three across 10 innings of work but was tagged for a pair of costly home runs. Still, his overall performance was better than his 7.20 ERA suggests on the surface.

Avila, who was drafted in the 26th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Long Beach State, is coming off a breakout 2022 season. Avila struggled as a long reliever with the Eugene Emeralds in 2021 but returned to High-A with a vengeance when he moved to a more traditional relief role and made some mechanical adjustments.

Avila recorded a 0.95 ERA in 27 appearances with Eugene, striking out 31 hitters in 28.1 innings with 13 saves while issuing just eight walks. He continued to dominate after a promotion to Double-A Richmond. In 27 innings pitched (20 appearances) with the Flying Squirrels, he maintained a 1.33 ERA with 27 strikeouts and six walks.

Despite his elite numbers, the Giants prioritized protecting relief-pitching prospects with more high-octane stuff like Randy Rodriguez and Jose Cruz. Avila's fastball routinely sits in the mid-90s and pairs well with a sharp curveball and cutter. However, he relies more on advanced command and his feel for spin than anything else.

Now back in the SF Giants organization, Nick Avila will likely start the season in the Sacramento River Cats bullpen at Triple-A. If he can replicate his 2022 numbers, it might not be long before he makes his big-league debut.

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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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