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Former SF Giants prospect Diego Rincones signs milb deal with Tigers

Longtime SF Giants prospect Diego Rincones has signed a minor-league contract with the Detroit Tigers.
Marc Delucchi|
Former SF Giants prospect Diego Rincones signs milb deal with Tigers
Former SF Giants prospect Diego Rincones signs milb deal with Tigers

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Detroit TigersSan Francisco Giants

Longtime SF Giants prospect Diego Rincones has agreed to terms on a minor-league contract with the Detroit Tigers. The news was first reported by Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press. Rincones signed with the Giants as an international free agent in the 2015-16 cycle and had spent his entire career in the organization. Now, he will follow former Giants general manager Scott Harris to Detroit.

Rincones has been crushing the Venezuelan Winter League this season, hitting .331/.414/.523 with 7 home runs and more walks (12) than strikeouts (9) in 152 plate appearances. While the VWL is not as competitive as LIDOM in the Dominican Republic, Rincones is more than five years younger than the average player in the league.

Rincones posted a .294/.377/.515 triple-slash with 15 home runs in 77 games between the Giants High-A and Double-A affiliates in his age-22 season. One of the youngest hitters in the Double-A Eastern League, Rincones was looking like one of the best-hitting prospects in the organization.

2022 was tougher for Rincones. He dealt with a series of injuries throughout the season, including an early-season wrist ailment that sapped him of his power. He played 91 games at Double-A Richmond, but posted a middling .258/.306/.383 line. However, he hit .293/.336/.471 with an 11.9% strikeout rate after June 1st.

Rincones has an elite arm in the outfield, but is a below-average runner with limited range that limits his defensive potential. His arm makes him playable in right field in small parks, but he'll likely be limited to left field and designated hitting if he reaches the majors.

Not set to turn 24 until next July, Diego Rincones is still relatively young for a prospect who has already reached Double-A and had offensive success. The combination of his track record and current success at the Venezuelan Winter League makes him an intriguing addition for a Tigers organization that lacks productive big-league hitters.

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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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