SF Giants Rule 5 pick off to a strong start in the Cactus League

Catcher Daniel Susac came to the SF Giants in a trade with the Minnesota Twins, but he still is a Rule 5 pick. He needs to make a strong impression to make the club, and he is off to a good start.

SF Giants Rule 5 pick off to a strong start in the Cactus League

The Twins selected Susac from the A’s in the Rule 5 draft in December. He is still bound to those rules, so he will need to stick on the active roster in 2026 or be returned to the A’s. 

That starts with making the team. The Giants tried to swing a trade for Susac before the Rule 5 draft, but were not successful. There have been very few trades between the Giants and A’s over the past 25 years. That trend is seemingly continuing, even with the proposed move to Las Vegas.

Patrick Bailey is penciled in as the everyday catcher. His backup will be determined this spring. The Giants would like to reduce his exposure to left-handed pitching, and all the candidates hit from the right side.

Susac’s main competition for the role is veteran catcher Eric Haase and Jesús Rodríguez. Haase is a bat-first catcher with some power. This includes hitting 22 home runs with the Detroit Tigers in 2021. He is a below-average receiver but with a good pop time and a strong arm.

On the other hand, Rodríguez’s defense is a work in progress. The Giants are stretching him out to second base this spring. They like his bat, but it feels like they want him to get more work behind the plate in Triple-A.

Susac’s offensive profile somewhere between Haase and Rodríguez. He may not have the power potential that Haase has displayed in the past, or the contact skills that Rodríguez has demonstrated.

Susac has modest power. He hit 18 home runs in 407 plate appearances in Triple-A last season, but that was likely helped by playing in the Pacific Coast League. His offensive value will likely be tied to how many home runs he hits. 

The 24-year-old backstop had the edge on defense. He is a good receiver with a quality arm, and he has a lot of minor league experience behind the plate.

As the Rule 5 pick, the Giants will give Susac the runway to make the team. He should see plenty of at-bats this spring, and he has taken advantage of that in the early going. The right-handed bat has tallied three hits in seven at-bats, with five of his batted balls registering an exit velocity of greater than 100 MPH. 

Spring training stats are not indicative of regular season performance. The numbers do not carry much weight unless a player needs to make the team. In that case, they matter. For Susac, he has made a positive first impression with the coaching staff so far.