Veteran minor league arm returns to SF Giants for second stint

The hot stove might be cold at the moment, but the SF Giants can still make moves to bolster organizational depth. Last week, the Giants brought back a familiar face after signing right-handed hurler Matt Carasiti to a minors contract, per the Giants transaction log.

Veteran minor league arm returns to SF Giants for second stint

Fans may not be familiar with Carasiti, but he does have previous ties with the organization. The 30-year-old pitcher previously signed a minor league pact with the Giants in 2020, which included a camp invite.

He impressed in a brief spring training stint with the Giants where he collected seven strikeouts in five innings. However, he sustained an injury in his pitching elbow that required Tommy John surgery.

He inked a minor league pact with the Boston Red Sox in 2021 as he continued to rehab from surgery with the hopes of making a midseason return. However, that did not take place and Carasiti has not pitched on a professional mound since 2019.

The righty was originally drafted in the sixth round of the 2012 draft by the Colorado Rockies out of St. John's University in Queens, New York. Interestingly, Carasiti was college teammates with longtime Giants second baseman Joe Panik back in 2011.

In seven minor league seasons, Carasiti has registered a 4.26 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 8.0 K/9, and a 2.35 SO/W ratio while working primarily out of the bullpen. The veteran hurler excels at missing the sweet spot of the bat as he has generally posted strong ground ball rates in the minors.

Carasiti does have two brief stints in the majors as well. He yielded 16 earned runs in 15.2 frames with the Rockies in 2016, and he allowed five earned runs in 9.2 innings with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019.

Carasiti flashes a fastball that sits comfortably in the mid-90's that he pairs with a forkball and an occasional changeup. Pitchers do not often include a forkball in their arsenal, but Carasiti's has proven to be tough to hit.

The Giants have a lot of work to do in rebuilding organizational depth in the upper minors. The depth took a hit after the Giants lost several arms, including Conner Menez, in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft in December. Bringing in an experienced arm like Carasiti gives them more stability and an extra arm in case an emergency arises.