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SF Giants sign former Phillies, Atlanta superutility infielder to milb deal

The SF Giants signed former Phillies and Atlanta infielder Johan Camargo to a minor-league contract earlier this week.

Marc Delucchi

SF Giants sign former Phillies, Atlanta superutility infielder to milb deal
SF Giants sign former Phillies, Atlanta superutility infielder to milb deal /
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The SF Giants signed infielder Johan Camargo to a minor-league deal earlier this week, assigning him to Triple-A Sacramento. Camargo appeared in every big-league season from 2017-2022 with Atlanta and the Philadelphia Phillies. He has not appeared in the majors this season, hitting .263/.340/.460 with the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers Triple-A affiliates. He was released by the Tigers on August 3rd.

Atlanta Braves infielder Johan Camargo plays shortstop during spring training at CoolToday Park. (2021)
SF Giants infielder Johan Camargo plays shortstop during his tenure in Atlanta. (2021) / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Camargo was signed out of Panama by Atlanta back in 2010 as a teenager. The young infielder climbed the minor-league ranks over the next several years, making his MLB debut in 2017. As a rookie, Camargo appeared in 82 games and hit .299/.321/.452 while playing all over the field defensively, primarily at third base and shortstop. Still just 23, he seemed like a promising young player.

Camargo built upon his rookie campaign with the best season of his career in 2018. As Atlanta's primary option at the hot corner, Camargo hit .272/.349/.457 with 27 doubles and 19 home runs in 524 plate appearances. A switch-hitter, particularly effective against left-handed pitching, his offensive prowess and defensive versatility seemed to put him in a prime position to be at least an impactful bench player.

However, in the years that followed, Camargo has never posted a slugging percentage in the majors above .384 and slowly lost his footing in Atlanta. After appearing in just 50 big-league games between 2020 and 2021, Camargo was designated for assignment and became a free agent. He inked a minor-league deal with the Phillies prior to the 2022 season and appeared in 52 games as a superutility player but hit just .237/.297/.316 in 166 plate appearances before he was designated for assignment.

It's been some time since Camargo was an average or better MLB hitter, but the 29-year-old infielder still could help a big-league team. Despite his recent struggles, his career triple-slash against left-handed pitching in the majors is .265/.319/.463 with 26 doubles and 15 home runs in 409 plate appearances. 

Given Johan Camargo's defensive versatility and the Giants struggles against southpaws this season, it's not out of the question that he could find his way to Oracle Park at some point this year. It's only one game, but Camargo did go 2-for-5 with a 469-foot home run (against a lefty) in his first game with the SF Giants at Triple-A.

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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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