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Former SF Giants outfielder inks one-year deal with KBO's LG Twins

After a short stint with the SF Giants this season, corner bat Austin Dean is heading to Korea after signing a one-year deal with the LG Twins.

Marc Delucchi

Former SF Giants outfielder inks one-year deal with KBO's LG Twins
Former SF Giants outfielder inks one-year deal with KBO's LG Twins /
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Former SF Giants outfielder and first baseman Austin Dean will be heading to Korea in 2023 to play for the LG Twins. Dean will be the latest foreign-born player to join the Twins, receiving a one-year, contract worth up to $700,000. Dean will receive a $100,000 signing bonus, $400,000 annual salary, and another $200,000 in performance incentives.

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

Dean received a brief late-season call-up with the Giants this season, hitting .375/.444/.375 in three games, recording three singles and a walk in nine plate appearances. Otherwise, Dean spent the rest of the season with the Sacramento River Cats, the Giants Triple-A affiliate. Dean posted a .268/.345/.467 triple-slash in 115 games with the River Cats, racking up 17 doubles and 17 home runs.

Dean has appeared in every MLB season since 2018, amassing 365 big-league plate appearances with a .228/.286/.390 line 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 Triple-A.

Dean was a fourth-round pick by the Miami Marlins back in 2012. Selected out of high school, Dean climbed up the organization's minor-league ranks before receiving his first big-league call-up in 2018. 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 and hit just .219/.339/.404 at Triple-A with the worst strikeout rate of his career.

Already 29, Dean likely received lukewarm interest from big-league teams on the free-agent market and almost certainly would have had to settle for a minor-league contract. By signing with the LG Twins, Dean will receive more guaranteed money and an opportunity to improve his resume for a potential return to MLB in the future.

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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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