SF Giants announce 37 non-roster invites to MLB spring training
The SF Giants announced the list of players who received non-roster invitations to 2023 big-league spring training. Here's a position-by-position breakdown of the Giants invitees:
Pirates catcher Roberto Perez running the bases. (2022)
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Catchers (6): Brett Auerbach, Patrick Bailey, Brett Cumberland, Ricardo Genovés, Roberto Perez, Austin Wynns
Bailey, the Giants 2020 first-round pick, is the only backstop ranked among the organization's top prospects (he ranked 21st), although Auerbach was among the players who just missed the list. Neither appear close to the majors, although Auerbach has excellent defensive versatility and could start the year at Triple-A.
Genovés is a longtime prospect in the system who stalled in the upper minors last season. Still only 23, he hit .215/.300/.363 a season ago, but threw out 30.4% of opposing base stealers and made just three errors. However, he needs to improve as a blocker and framer.
Cumberland, Perez, and Wynns are the trio of big-league veterans who will compete to be Joey Bart's backup catcher with Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol. Wynns finished last season as the Giants backup while Perez is a nine-year MLB veteran with an excellent defensive reputation. Cumberland is the longest shot to make the roster. A Turlock, California native, Cumberland has never appeared in the majors and has a career .682 OPS at Triple-A.
SF Giants utility man Ford Proctor. (2022)
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Infielders (8): Armando Alvarez, Tyler Fitzgerald, Ford Proctor, Casey Scmitt, Donovan Walton, Colton Welker, Brady Whalen, Will Wilson
Schmitt (3), Fitzgerald (20), and Wilson (just missed) all had varying degrees of success in the upper minors last season and could make their big-league debuts in 2023. None are expected to make the Opening Day roster.
Alvarez and Whalen have spent their entire pro careers with the organizations that drafted them (Yankees and Cardinals respectively) before inking minor-league deals with the Giants this offseason. Alvarez hit .278/.319/.525 at Triple-A last season, but is 28 and limited defensively. Whalen just turned 25 and did not reach Double-A until the end of last season.
Proctor, Walton, and Welker were all acquired by the Giants at some point last season and were eventually outrighted off the 40-man roster but were kept in the organization.
SF Giants outfielder Bryce Johnson. (2022)
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Outfielders (4): Vaun Brown, Clint Coulter, Bryce Johnson, Stephen Piscotty
With so many big leaguers on the 40-man roster, the Giants list of outfield invites is much smaller. Brown (6) is one of the most exciting prospects in the farm system and is coming off a record-setting breakout season.
Johnson returns to the Giants after making his MLB debut last season as a soft-hitting speedster. Coulter is 29 and has never appeared in a big-league game, but hit .297/.377/.533 in 54 Triple-A games with the Cardinals last season. Piscotty is a former everyday player with the Cardinals and A's who is one of the team's most notable minor-league signings this offseason.
Two-way players (1): Ronald Guzmán
A power-hitting first baseman, it appears that the Giants are giving Guzmán a chance to showcase some talent on the mound. A career .225/.302/.410 MLB hitter with 31 home runs in 246 games, he's also begun showcasing mid-90s velocity off the mound with some promising secondary pitches this offseason.
SF Giants top prospect Kyle Harrison at the 2022 MLB Futures Game. (2022)
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Pitchers (18): Melvin Adon, Raymond Burgos, R.J. Dabovich, Sam Delaplane, Nick Duron, Jorge Guzman, Kyle Harrison, Trevor Hildenberger, Mauricio Llovera, Kade McClure, Erik Miller, Sean Newcomb, Ljay Newsome, Darien Núñez, Joe Ross, Drew Strotman, Daniel Tillo, Miguel Yajure
Harrison (1), Dabovich (16), and Miller (31) are the lone top prospects in this group, which features a long list of pro veterans.
Adon has one of the most electric arms in the organization, but has struggled to stay healthy and locate his pitches. Delaplane was outrighted off the Giants 40-man roster last season but stayed in the organization. A potential plus-plus slider is his carrying tool. Hildenberger also spent 2022 in the Giants system, but missed most of the year to injury.
Ross and Newcomb are big-league vets with experience starting and out of a bullpen while Duron, Guzman, Llovera, Newsome, and Yajure all have extensive upper minors experience but have only had cups of coffee at the MLB level. Strotman and Tillo are a pair of prospects in their mid-20s who have reached Triple-A.
McClure was acquired in a trade this offseason in a trade for Gregory Santos.
