Two added to SF Giants roster from waiver claims

With the World Series over, Major League Baseball teams are in the process of figuring out their rosters for 2023. The big news at present is the start of free agency, and the SF Giants figure to be major contenders for some of the biggest names.

The Giants. as with every team, are also active in attempting to shore up different areas and build depth for the coming year. To help with that goal, the team made a plethora of roster moves Thursday - including claiming two players off waivers from the Texas Rangers, catcher Meibrys Viloria and right-handed pitcher Drew Strotman.

Viloria a former MVP in the minors

A 25-year-old catcher (and turning 26 at the start of Spring Training in 2023), Viloria has spent parts of four seasons in the Major Leagues. Originally signed by the Kansas City Royals as an international free agent in 2013 out of Cartagena, Colombia, Viloria spent four years in the minor leagues before making his MLB debut in 2018.

In 2016, the backstop earned Pioneer League Most Valuable Players honors when he hit .376 with 28 doubles and six home runs in the short-season Rookie league.

Since then, Viloria hasn't hit .300 - and the only time he came close was this past season with the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A club of the Texas Rangers, with whom he batted .280 in 54 games.

Viloria's time in the Majors includes a 10-game stint in 2018 with the Royals, 42 games and 148 plate appearances in 2019 with Kansas City in his most extensive MLB time yet, 24 plate appearances in 2020 and 26 games with the Rangers this past season. Overall, he has a .201/.270/.283 line with three home runs and 24 RBI in 276 MLB plate appearances.

Stotman, meanwhile, has not appeared in the Major Leagues but has been a constant on organizational top-30 prospects lists. The Bay Area native (born in Sunnyvale and drafted out of St. Mary's College in 2017) was #19, #27 and #26 in the Tampa Bay Rays system from 2018-2020, respectively, and after being traded to the Minnesota Twins in the midst of the 2021 season earned the #17 slot among their prospects according to Baseball America.

Until 2022 Strotman had been a starting pitcher, but this past year the Twins used him in relief for 39 games at Triple-A St. Paul before he was placed on waivers and claimed by the Rangers. He made three appearances, all out of the bullpen, for Round Rock.