Report: Giants add Piscotty to camp competition in outfield originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
In search of more outfield depth, the Giants reportedly have turned to a veteran with long-running Bay Area ties.
The Giants and free agent Stephen Piscotty agreed to a minor league contract with an invite to big league camp, Robert Murray of FanSided reported Monday morning. Piscotty will earn $1 million if he's on the big league roster this season.
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Piscotty, 32, is a Pleasanton native who went to Amador Valley High before playing at Stanford. A former first-round pick, he came up to the big leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals but had spent the last five seasons with the A's.
Piscotty potentially adds another veteran option to an outfield that at the moment appears pretty set.
The Giants plan to start Mitch Haniger in right, Mike Yastrzemski in center and Michael Conforto in left, with Austin Slater as the primary backup and a leading option against left-handed pitching. Luis Gonzalez will fight for an Opening Day job this spring. Joc Pederson (set to primarily be a DH) and LaMonte Wade Jr. (set to play first base) can also play the outfield.
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The Giants may also keep Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol, a utility man who has plenty of outfield experience.
That group is light on right-handed bats, though. Piscotty has a couple of 20-homer seasons in the big leagues but has struggled over the past three years, posting a .621 OPS in just 159 games. He was hitting just .190 with five homers when he was released by the A's last August.
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The Giants expect their non-roster invite list to be heavy on top prospects, including Kyle Harrison and Casey Schmitt, but they have added some veterans recently. Over the weekend, they finalized a deal with catcher Roberto Pérez, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner who will try to win the job as Joey Bart's backup.
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