SF Giants promote a pair of prospects to Triple-A
The SF Giants have been aggressive with their early-season promotions and they recently added two more to the list. Hard-throwing pitcher Erik Miller and middle infield prospect Tyler Fitzgerald were both bumped up to Triple-A according to the team's transaction log.
SF Giants promote a pair of prospects to Triple-A
The quick promotions for both Miller and Fitzgerald are likely a function of a rather conservative placement to begin the year. Both prospects performed well in Double-A last year, so it was a mild surprise to see them return in 2023.
That said, Sacramento's roster was already full in terms of middle infielders and bullpen arms, so there was possibly no room for either player to start the year. Either way, it is good news, especially considering that they are both one call away from the Giants now.
The Giants originally drafted Fitzgerald in the fourth round of the 2019 draft out of Louisville University. The Giants 2019 draft class has had a fair number of draft misses at this point, but the middle infield prospect is not one of them as he does a lot of things well on the baseball field. That may not result in him becoming an everyday player, but he has the tools to turn into a nice role
The right-handed bat reached Double-A in 2022 and registered a .229/.310/.424 with 21 home runs, 58 RBI, and 74 runs in 519 plate appearances. This includes 20 stolen bases in 21 opportunities. Fitzgerald posted a .999 OPS in 78 appearances with Richmond this year before earning his promotion to Triple-A.
On the other hand, Miller joined San Francisco in an offseason trade that sent reliever Yunior Marté to the Philadelphia Phillies. It was a return to familiar territory of sorts for the left-handed hurler as he played for three seasons at Stanford University.
The 25-year-old tallied a 2.23 ERA with 44 strikeouts against 17 walks in 22 appearances for Philadelphia's Double-A affiliate last year. He was drafted as a starter, but has worked primarily out of the bullpen over the past two seasons.
Miller allowed just one earned run with 15 strikeouts against four walks in 10.1 frames to start the year. Similar to Fitzgerald, it was evident that Miller was due for a promotion. Both prospects could be options to help the Giants as soon as this year.