SF Giants sign former A's outfielder Stephen Piscotty to MiLB deal
The SF Giants have signed former St. Louis Cardinals and Oakland Athletics outfielder Stephen Piscotty to a minor-league contract, according to a report by FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray. The deal includes an invitation to big-league spring training and Piscotty will be paid a $1 million salary if he makes the Giants big-league roster.
Oakland Athletics right fielder Stephen Piscotty hits a home run against the Rangers. (2022)
John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
A Pleasanton, California native, Piscotty grew up in the Bay Area and played college ball at Stanford. After an impressive college career, the Cardinals drafted Piscotty in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft. Within a few years, Piscotty was a consensus top-100 prospects and looked ready to make an impact in St. Louis.
Piscotty hit .305/.359/.494 in his MLB debut in 2015 and he went on to hit .268/.346/.438 with 38 home runs in 323 games over his time with the Cardinals.
St. Louis traded Piscotty to the A's prior to the 2018 season, and while he hit 27 home runs and posted an .821 OPS in his first season with Oakland, injuries derailed his production over the past few years. Piscotty's struggles culminated in a .190/.252/.341 triple-slash with 48 strikeouts and nine walks in 139 plate appearances in 2022. In August of last year, the A's released Piscotty.
The Giants have prioritized improving their outfield depth this offseason. Having already added Michael Conforto and Mitch Haniger to a group that features Mike Yastrzemski, Joc Pederson, Austin Slater, LaMonte Wade Jr., and Luis González, Piscotty will have some significant competition to make the big-league roster. With that said, the right-handed hitter has always done better against southpaws, which is a place where San Francisco currently lacks depth.
Stephen Piscotty is the latest addition to the Giants outfield mix and will likely feature in a hotly contested competition during spring training. If he can rekindle his early-career production, the SF Giants could have found a free-agent steal.
