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SF Giants re-sign hard-throwing pitching prospect to milb contract

The SF Giants officially re-signed hard-throwing reliever Cole Waites to a minor-league contract after non-tendering him earlier this month.
Marc Delucchi|
SF Giants re-sign hard-throwing pitching prospect to milb contract
SF Giants re-sign hard-throwing pitching prospect to milb contract

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants officially re-signed right-handed relief pitcher Cole Waites to a minor league contract, per his official page on MLB.com. Waites was among a trio of pitching prospects non-tendered by San Francisco earlier this offseason to clear space on the 40-man roster. However, it's not uncommon for teams to reach verbal agreements on minor-league contracts with players they want to keep in the organization prior to non-tendering them.

Waites' 2023 season was derailed by multiple injuries, and it ended in September when he underwent UCL surgery. He was expected to be a key contributor in the Giants bullpen coming into the year (preseason #26 prospect), but ultimately made just three MLB appearances, allowing five runs across 2.1 innings pitched. He also struggled at Triple-A, posting a 6.16 ERA with 27 walks and 32 strikeouts in 30.2 innings pitched (32 appearances).

Waites made his big-league debut with the Giants last season and became the first player drafted under amateur scouting director Michael Holmes to reach the majors with the Giants. San Francisco had selected Waites in the 18th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of the University of West Alabama.

Waites had first undergone UCL surgery in 2019 and did not return to the mound until more than halfway through the 2021 season. However, once he did, he dominated the lower minors. The Giants obviously hope he will be able to rebound from surgery in a similar fashion the second time around.

In 2022, Waites shot through the minor leagues, racking up 76 strikeouts in 41.2 innings pitched between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A with a 1.94 ERA. After receiving his call up in September, he made seven appearances and allowed just two runs in 5.2 innings.

The timing of Cole Waites surgery led him to be removed from the 40-man roster, and will likely keep him sidelined for the entire 2024 season. However, the SF Giants have kept him in the organization and likely agreed to a two-year deal, giving him an opportunity to regain a spot in the team's bullpen in 2025.

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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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