SF Giants sign veteran pitcher to minor league deal

The SF Giants brought in a new name to the organization as they look to rebuild organizational depth in the upper minors. Bryan Brickhouse has agreed to a minor league pact with the Giants, per the Giants transaction page, after spending the 2021 campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.

SF Giants sign veteran pitcher to minor league deal

The Kansas City Royals originally drafted the right-handed hurler in the third round of the 2011 draft out of The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas. Similar to new teammate, Jason Krizan, Brickhouse is still waiting for a chance to pitch on a major league mound despite being drafted over 10 years ago.

The 29-year-old pitcher was once considered a top prospect in the Royals organization before injuries derailed his career. It is an old scouting report, but Marc Hulet of Fangraphs believed that Brickhouse was one of the best amateur prospects in his draft class.

"Brickhouse was one of my favorite prep arms available in the 2011 amateur draft and he was selected out of the same high school – albeit one year later – as Jameson Taillon, one of Pittsburgh’s top prospects. Brickhouse is not overly physical at just 6’0” but he can touch the mid-90s with his fastball and also shows a promising curveball. His changeup was a work-in-progress when he was drafted but a talent evaluator I spoke with said it’s improved two grades since that time.

The righty tore his UCL in his pitching elbow back in 2013, but it was a complicated procedure due to a stress fracture. The former third round pick underwent Tommy John surgery in June of 2013, and that would be the start of a lengthy rehab process.

Brickhouse strugled to stay on the mound as multipe procedures had to be done following his initial elbow reconstruction surgery, causing him to miss the entire 2016 and 2017 seasons. He accumulated a total of 157 innings under his belt in the first half of his pro career.

However, he worked through these injuries and has proven to be a more durable arm in the second half of his career. The Dodgers signed him to a minor league deal before the 2021 season where he put up a respectable 3.45 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, and a 3.19 SO/W ratio in 60 innings for their Double-A affiliate.

The innings output (60) would represent his highest total since his 2013 season in Low-A with the Royals organization. The veteran pitcher made 19 appearances, including 10 starts, last year and the Giants will likely continue to use him in a similar fashion.

The Giants still have a lot of work to do after losing so much depth in the upper minors when free agency began and having six players plucked away in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 draft. Adding a pitcher like Brickhouse gives them a little more coverage and potential upside, especially on the heels of a nice 2021 campaign with the Dodgers.