SF Giants release versatile infielder prospect after down 2023 season
The SF Giants released infielder prospect Carter Aldrete earlier this week, according to his profile page on MiLB.com. Aldrete had spent his entire professional career in the Giants organization. The move was likely prompted by the signing of teenage pitcher Rainiel Duran out of the Dominican Republic. With MLB's new cap on the number of minor league players an organization can have at any one time, it seems that Aldrete was deemed the odd-man out.
The Giants drafted Aldrete in the 15th round of the 2019 draft pick out of Arizona State. The Monterey, California native has extensive ties to the organization. Both his father and uncle were drafted by the Giants and spent time in the minor league affiliates. His uncle, Mike Aldrete, reached the major leagues with the Giants in 1986, spending three years with the team. He would go on to have a 10-year MLB career and has been a longtime coach on the Oakland Athletics staff.
A member of the 2019 draft class, Aldrete was among the many prospects who were were forced to delay their first full season for a year as the minor-league campaign was cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. When things got started again in 2021, Aldrete was assigned to High-A Eugene. Aldrete was a versatile defender, appearing in multiple games at second base, shortstop, third base, left field, and right field. However, he was a below-average producer at the plate, hitting .241/.301/.393 with 13 doubles and nine home runs in 288 plate appearances.
Aldrete returned to High-A at the start of the 2022 season and began showcasing newfound offensive productivity. In 249 plate appearances, Aldrete recorded an excellent .289/.369/.546 line with 17 doubles and 15 home runs and was promoted to Double-A Richmond. Aldrete's OPS dipped below .700 in his first taste of the upper minors, but he continued to show flashes of improved power.
Coming off his light breakout season, Aldrete's offensive potential combined with his defensive versatility led him to rank as the 36th-best prospect in the Giants system heading into the 2023 season. As right-handed hitter, Aldrete had the building blocks of a solid bench bat.
However, repeating Double-A, Aldrete had the worst campaign of his pro career. In 409 plate appearances, Aldrete only managed a .223/.282/.384 line with 13 home runs, 31 walks, and 108 strikeouts. Moreover, the Giants seemed concerned about Aldrete's ability to stick in the middle infield defensively and deployed him exclusively at the infield and outfield corners.
Despite the SF Giants decision, Carter Aldrete is still only headed into his age-26 season and should be able to help a minor league team in multiple ways. Now a free agent, the Bay Area native will look to catch on with another organization and continue climbing the minor-league ranks in hopes of reaching the major leagues.
