Hard-throwing reliever is getting a second chance with SF Giants after missing last season due to injury

The SF Giants published their non-roster invitee list last week, which was headlined by Bryce Eldridge and Carson Whisenhunt. However, another prospect in Cole Waites was included in that group as he looks for another chance with the club.

Hard-throwing reliever is getting a second chance with SF Giants after missing last season due to injury

Waites was originally drafted by the Giants in the 18th round of the 2019 draft out of the University of West Alabama. He became one of the fastest risers from that year's draft class as he reached Triple-A in just his second full season as a pro.

Across four minor league years, the right-handed reliever has posted a 3.76 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 14.6 K/9, and 2.46 SO/W rate. He earned a late-season promotion to the Giants at the end of 2022 and allowed two runs on four strikeouts and four walks across 5.2 frames.

Waites had been known for an electric fastball-slider combination but he did looked gassed by the end of that season. His four-seam fastball sat in the mid-90's but he did not quite show the potential to hit 100 MPH as he had in the minors.

The young reliever spent the 2023 season primarily in Triple-A. He did get a brief stint with the Giants but he was battling pretty major command problems with the Sacramento River Cats. That has not been uncommon for pitchers in the Pacific Coast League with the implemention of the automatic strike zone.

Unfortunately, Waites sustained an injury in his pitching elbow at the end of that season that required Tommy John surgery. The Giants non-tendered him, thereby making him a free agent, last year. He re-signed with the club shortly thereafter while he recovered from surgery.

The hard-throwing pitcher is nearly 18 months removed from major elbow surgery and likely has been throwing off the mound for some time, especially considering that he received a non-roster invite. When he was healthy, he recorded huge strikeout numbers out of the bullpen with the upside to become a leverage option.

On the mound, Waites flashes a high 90's four-seamer with high spin rates that gets late, armside run through the zone. He pairs this with a slider that gets strong, two-plane movement. The control was still a work in progress prior to his injury but he could be a candidate for the bullpen this year if he shows even modest improvement in that area. At the very least, it is an encouraging sign to see his name on the list.