SF Giants Prospect Appears To Suffer Injury In Winter League

SF Giants pitching prospect Raffi Vizcaino had been pitching well in a winter league in the Dominican Republic. However, he appeared to suffer an injury in his last appearance.

Raffi Vizcaino was one of a handful of players in the SF Giants organization not already on the 40-man roster invited to big-league camp in the Spring. However, the 25-year old righty may have suffered a setback this winter. Vizcaino has been pitching for Estrellas de Oriente in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana (LIDOM), but in a video shared by GPT on Twitter, Vizcaino appears to leave his most recent appearance with an injury.

After throwing a breaking pitch for ball three, Vizcaino walks directly to the dugout and did not return to the game. He has not pitched since. Prior to the injury, he had been one of the Orientes best relievers. In nine appearances this year, Vizcaino has a 1.42 ERA in 6.1 innings with seven strikeouts and just three walks.

In seven minor-league seasons, Vizcaino has evolved from a potential starter to a possible high-leverage bullpen arm. He has consistently struck out roughly a batter per inning but has seen his walk rate climb a bit in recent years. His best pitch is a mid-90s fastball, but he has flashed a better feel for his secondary offerings than most pitchers with his profile.

In 2019, Vizcaino reached the Giants Double-A affiliate and posted a solid 3.66 ERA across 46.2 innings with 47 strikeouts and 20 walks. Depending on his performance in Spring Training, he may have returned to Richmond in a normal minor-league year and possibly could have begun 2020 at Triple-A.

Hopefully, Vizcaino has not suffered any serious injury and will be able to compete for a spot in the Giants bullpen this Spring. Since it has been more than seven years since Vizcaino signed his first contract with the Giants, he became a free agent this winter, but quickly re-signed with the organization.