SF Giants add former Cardinals outfielder Austin Dean to MLB roster

The SF Giants continued reshuffling the back end of their MLB roster on Friday, adding experienced OF Austin Dean. They also placed Dominic Leone on the IL.

Marc Delucchi | Sep 9, 2022

SF Giants add former Cardinals outfielder Austin Dean to MLB roster /

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The SF Giants roster churn continued on Friday. The Giants added four-year big-league veteran Austin Dean just in time for their series against the Cubs. Dean has not previously appeared in a game with the Giants but has played in each of the past four big-league seasons. San Francisco designated Yermín Mercedes for assignment and placed reliever Dominic Leone on the 15-day injured list to create a spot on the 40-man and active roster for Dean. Leone is dealing with inflammation in his right elbow.

Dean has amassed 356 big-league plate appearances from 2018-2021. He has a career .225/.282/.391 triple-slash with 21 doubles and 11 home runs.

The Giants claimed Dean off waivers last November and designated him for assignment this spring. After he cleared waivers, they outrighted him to their Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento, where he has been a key contributor this season. In 104 games with the River Cats, Dean is hitting .262/.335/.465 with 16 home runs.

Since July 7th, Dean has a .876 OPS with exceptional walk (11.3%) and strikeout (15.5%) rates. Dean has appeared in six games at first base and center field, but he's been the team's primary starter in right field with more frequent opportunities in left. Likely limited to an outfield corner, Dean will have to hit exceedingly well to stick on the Giants roster. One important note, Dean has a much better line against southpaws than right-handed pitchers this season.

SF Giants utility man Austin Dean taking a swing with the Cardinals. — Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Dean was originally a fourth-round pick by the Miami Marlins back in 2012. Selected out of high school, Dean slowly climbed up the organization's minor-league ranks before receiving his first big-league call-up in 2014. Dean was mediocre over the next two years with the Marlins, but crushed Triple-A pitching. In 2018, Dean hit .326/.397/.475 at the highest level of the minors and performed even better in 2019, when he posted a .337/.401/.635 line.

The Marlins traded Dean to the St. Louis Cardinals for a minor leaguer prior to the 2020 season. Without a minor-league season in 2020, he only appeared in three games with the Cards. In 2021, injuries held Dean back. Despite a solid .742 OPS in 38 big-league plate appearances, Dean only appeared in 22 minor-league games last season and hit just .219/.339/.404 at Triple-A with the worst strikeout rate of his career.

Already 28, it would be very surprising for Austin Dean to emerge as a major contributor for the SF Giants. However, with an open roster spot, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi opted to reward a veteran who has been performing well at Triple-A this season with a late-season call up.

Published Sep 9, 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).