San Francisco Giants Set to Get Former Cardinal Back in Huge Boost to Bullpen

The SF Giants will be getting a boost when camp begins

Jul 14, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants hat and glove on the bench against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants have had a fairly quiet offseason after an 81-81 campaign in 2025, but they have added former Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello as their new manager, and he figures to bring some excitement to the orange and black in 2026. He'll also have some velocity to unleash in the bullpen when the season begins.

Another piece that should help out the Giants will be the return of former Stanford left-hander Erik Miller, whose season ended at the beginning of July with a left elbow sprain. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, "Miller says he is doing great and is a full go for spring training."

This is huge news for the Giants, who signed lefty Matt Gage the day that Miller landed on the IL, and he finished the year with a 3.91 ERA for San Francisco across 25 1/3 innings of work. It's not a terrible performance by any means, but it wasn't quite on par with the output that they'd been receiving from Miller.

Before his injury, Miller had appeared in 36 games, spanning 30 innings, and held a 1.50 ERA (3.97 FIP). Perhaps he would have had a worse second half, given that his FIP suggested some bad luck on the way, and the fact that his strikeout rate (17.2%) and his walk rate (15.6%) were a little too close to be effective for long. He was also running an unsustainable 89.4% LOB rate.

That all said, he's a key late-inning piece for the club, with his 47.5% ground ball rate ranking among the best in baseball. That's a great tool for double plays in big spots.

Miller also ranks in the 89th percentile in fastball velocity (97.2 miles per hour), with his 71st percentile extension adding a little spice to that velo. The lefty is also among the best at limiting hard contact, he generates whiffs, and keeps the ball off the barrel. There is plenty in his profile that makes him an effective late inning reliever for the Giants.

Getting him back to begin the year should provide a nice boost for the franchise, too. When last season began, Miller was the sole lefty in the bullpen for the Giants. Now, in addition to Gage, San Francisco is also projected to have free agent signee Sam Hentges as an option for Vitello.

Hentges missed last season while recovering from shoulder surgery, and has since undergone arthroscopic surgery on his right knee back in late September. He should also be ready for camp, barring any setbacks. Across his four years with the Cleveland Guardians, Hentges went 7-8 across 206 2/3 innings and held a 4.18 ERA (3.27 FIP).

Perhaps playing in an extreme pitcher's park like Oracle will provide a little boost for the new lefty.