*Photo from the San Francisco Chronicle*
One of the most important faces of the revival of the San Francisco Giants pitching staff is back in the fold. The Giants and RHP Anthony DeSclafani have agreed to a 3 year, $36 million deal, according to an announcement made by the team on Monday night.
Last season, playing on a one year deal worth $6 million, DeSclafani turned in what, so far, has been the best season of his professional career. He had a 13-7 record with a 3.17 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP, striking out 152 hitters while throwing 167 2/3 innings, starting 31 games and throwing two shutouts for the Giants. His win total, along with ERA and WHIP, were the best numbers in his career, along with his 3.62 FIP.
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said "He obviously had a really nice year for us. You know, beyond his individual stats, we were 21-10 in games that he started. So the team had a lot of success when he took the ball, which obviously is of the ultimate importance. His interest was in doing a multiyear deal, and we actually think we're going to get a sort of really comfortable and secure pitcher in Anthony now that he's on a multiyear deal. So it just seemed like a multiyear deal was the best fit for both parties."
The Giants did not issue a qualifying offer to DeSclafani after his strong season, but now we know it's because they wanted a multi year deal. In 2021, DeSclafani cut down on his walk rate, which returned his walk and strikeout rate to almost the same level as his career averages have been. He also allowed an average of one home run per 9 innings, his lowest mark at that category since 2015.
In 7 seasons in the majors, split between the Giants, Miami Marlins, and Cincinnati Reds, DeSclafani has a 50-46 career record, with a 4.06 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP, striking out 734 hitters while walking 227, throwing an even 824 innings across 156 appearances, with all but 10 of those being starts. His 10 relief appearances are spread out sporadically across his 7 seasons.
DeSclafani's arsenal last season consisted of a sinker-slider combination that held opposing hitters to just a .187 average against him. That mark was the 3rd best among pitchers who ended 100 or more plate appearances with either of those pitches in 2021.
Zaidi said "At the end of the day, if we get three seasons from Anthony like his 2021 season, we'll be pretty happy with that, because he had a really strong year. But talking to Anthony and talking to our pitching coaches, there's still room for improvement. And that's obviously a theme in our clubhouse and in our organization."
The Giants still have plenty of holes in their starting rotation, which currently only consists of DeSclafani and Logan Webb. They have been pursuing plenty of pitchers, with Alex Wood and Alex Cobb being known to be at the top of the Giants list.
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