Report: SF Giants sign former Cardinals prospect to minor league contract

The SF Giants have signed former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Chase Pinder, per a report by Susan Slusser of The SF Chronicle.

Marc Delucchi | Nov 5, 2023

Report: SF Giants sign former Cardinals prospect to minor league contract /

In this story:

San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants have signed outfielder Chase Pinder to a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to MLB spring training, according to a report by Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle. Pinder is the younger brother of Chad Pinder, who a seven-year MLB veteran who played for the Oakland Athletics from 2016-2022. The younger Pinder will hope to become the second member of his family to play MLB baseball next season with the Giants.

Last season, Pinder hit .264/.401/.417 with 16 doubles, six home runs, 48 walks, and 66 strikeouts in 279 plate appearances at Triple-A. While those numbers may not be exceptional for an older minor leaguer (Pinder turned 27 in March), the Cardinals Triple-A affiliate in Memphis does play in the International League, which is far more pitcher-friendly than the Pacific Coast League, where the Giants Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento plays.

Pinder was drafted in the seventh round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals out of Clemson. Pinder had been a productive player throughout his college career but lacked a clear carrying tool and seemed to profile as a potential fourth or fifth outfielder.

Pinder reached Double-A in his first full minor-league season, but struggled mightily at the plate early in his career. Injuries limited him to just 21 games in 2021 before he seemed to turn a corner the following year. In 62 games at Double-A, Pinder hit .278/.422/.488 with 10 home runs and nearly as many walks (53) as strikeouts (56) before he was promoted to Triple-A.

Pinder is a viable defender at all three outfield positions but is far more experienced in center field. A right-handed hitter, Pinder has flashed significant platoon splits. Over the past two years, Chase Pinder has posted a .974 OPS against left-handed pitching. With Mike Yastrzemski currently slated to be the SF Giants' primary center fielder, a left-handed hitter who has struggled at times against southpaws, Pinder could have a path to a spot on the big-league roster, especially if the team wants to give prospects like Luis Matos and Heliot Ramos more time in the minor leagues.

Published Nov 5, 2023

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).