Former SF Giants first-round pick finalizing a MiLB deal with Rays
Former SF Giants first-round pick and top prospect Kyle Crick is close to finalizing a minor-league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays, according to a report by Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Crick has been a free agent since finishing last season in the Chicago White Sox organization.
White Sox relief pitcher Kyle Crick (59) walks off the field after being relieved in the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers. (2022)
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
The Giants selected Crick in the supplemental first-round of the 2011 MLB draft with the 49th overall pick out of high school. Crick quickly began racking up strikeouts in the lower minors and emerged as one of the best prospects in San Francisco's farm system, emerging as a consensus top-100 prospect in 2013-2014.
Crick stalled in the upper minors as he was unable to corral his erratic command. After spending three years at Double-A, the Giants shifted Crick to a bullpen role and he reached the majors in 2017. He appeared in 30 games as a rookie, recording a 3.06 ERA with 28 strikeouts and 17 walks in 32.1 innings pitched.
That offseason, Crick was packaged with a young hitting prospect named Bryan Reynolds and sent to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a trade for Andrew McCutchen. In his first full big-league season, Crick was one of the Pirates best relievers, posting a 2.39 ERA in 60.1 innings. However, his struggles with control returned the following season.
Crick regressed from a high-end arm to a fringe middle reliever in the years that followed. While he has appeared in each of the past six MLB seasons, he has a 4.47 ERA with 69 walks in 94.2 innings pitched over the past four years.
In 2022, Crick signed a minor-league deal with the Chicago White Sox and appeared in 14 big-league games before he was designated for assignment and outrighted back to the minors. While he recorded a passable 4.02 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 15.2 innings, he surrendered 11 walks.
Kyle Crick joins a crowded preseason competition with the Tampa Bay Rays. Per Topkin, Crick's contract will include an invitation to big-league spring training and make him the 80th member of their MLB camp. If Crick can once again corral his command, he could find himself in Tampa's pen. However, he's likely ticketed for Triple-A.
