SF Giants reassign lefty reliever, 2022 1st-round pick to the minors

The SF Giants trimmed the camp roster on Monday. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Giants reassigned Thomas Szapucki and 2022 first-round pick Reggie Crawford to minor league camp.

SF Giants reassign lefty reliever, 2022 1st-round pick to the minors

Neither player had much of a shot to break camp with the club, so the moves are not terribly surprising. However, it is rather early to be trimming the list of non-roster invitees. Perhaps, this was done to prioritize the players who have more of a shot at making the Opening Day roster.

Despite the quick hook, it was an eventful camp for Crawford. He gained clarity on his development path going forward as the Giants announced that he would abandon hitting and work exclusively as a pitcher.

The Giants selected him as a two-way player in the first round of the 2022 draft out of the University of Connecticut. He had missed the entire 2022 college season as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery.

The lefty pitching prospect did return to the mound last year, posting a 2.84 ERA with 32 strikeouts against 10 walks in 19 frames across two levels. The Giants were very cautious with his workload.

Crawford did see some action against minor league pitching as well. He tallied a .793 OPS with two extra-base hits in 19 plate appearances split between San Jose and Eugene. He did collect 71 more plate appearances in the Arizona Fall League last year, but his struggles with the bat reiterated that pitching would be the best path moving forward. He did not see any action in the Cactus Legaue before being reassigned.

Similar to Crawford, Thomas Szapucki was reassigned before an official outing. The 27-year-old pitcher looked poised to make the roster last season, but his season ended before it ever began after undergoing thoracic outlet syndrome surgery.

Durability has been an issue throughout Szapucki's career, but he was once a well-regarded prospect in the New York Mets system. Overall, he has posted an 8.68 ERA in parts of two seasons in the majors, but this does include a solid 1.98 ERA in 10 outings with the Giants down the stretch in 2022. If healthy, the lefty pitcher could be an option for the Giants bullpen if he is able to regain his pre-injury form.