The Giants made a long-term move to bolster their organizational relief depth on Monday, acquiring right-hander Sam Delaplane from the Mariners in exchange for cash considerations. Delaplane, who hails from San Jose, Calif., and attended Leigh High School, was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.
Delaplane, who was ranked Seattle’s No. 24 prospect by MLB Pipeline, underwent Tommy John surgery in April and was designated for assignment on Thursday. A 23rd-round Draft pick of the Mariners out of Eastern Michigan in 2017, Delaplane logged a miniscule 0.49 ERA over 37 innings at Double-A Arkansas in 2019 and followed that up with an impressive showing at the Arizona Fall League that year.
Here’s MLB Pipeline’s scouting report on the 26-year-old:
“With a nasty two-pitch mix, Delaplane typically sits in the 94- to 96-mph range with outstanding life, and he does an excellent job of commanding the top half of the zone -- all with the same release point. His slider is one of the nastier out pitches in the Mariners’ farm system, and he had the second highest swing-and-miss rates for a slider of anyone in baseball. His strikeout rate at Double-A that year was a whopping 49.3 percent. It’s a hard, short downer breaking ball that was up to 87 mph in the AFL in 2019.”
Delaplane did not log game action in 2020 following the cancellation of the Minor League season, but he recorded a 2.29 ERA and racked up 270 strikeouts in 161 1/3 innings over three seasons in Seattle's organization. While he won’t be expected to impact the Giants’ bullpen this year, Delaplane could develop into an intriguing relief option in 2022 and beyond.
Delaplane is the third Bay Area native to be brought into the Giants' organization this month. Right-hander Trevor Hildenberger (San Jose, Calif.) and outfielder Braden Bishop (San Carlos, Calif.) were also acquired via waiver claims, though they were both designated for assignment and outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento last week.