A potential backup catcher or DH?
Today, the San Francisco Giants claimed catcher Sam Huff off waivers from the Texas Rangers and designated pitcher Austin Warren for assignment.
Per Giants PR, they have acquired recently-DFA’d catcher Sam Huff off waivers from the Rangers.
— Levi Weaver, but for baseball (@threetwoeephus.bsky.social) 2025-01-08T20:03:23.647Z
Warren made 6 appearances for the Giants in 2024 following rehab for elbow surgery. In 10.2 innings he had a 1.69 ERA but a 4.48 FIP, struck out 7 and walked 5. The 28-year old righty still has an option left, so he should find a home somewhere this offseason.
As speculated here on the site in the comments, last night’s report that the team had acquired Justin Verlander probably made Warren an odd man out. Now, it’s a bit of an open question. Is there a trade afoot or is there a surprise DFA on the horizon? Friend of the site Roger Munter speculates:
Giants claimed C Sam Huff on waivers from Texas and DFAd Austin Warren
I thought Warren was likely victim for adding Verlander. This would seem to nudge Blake Sabol close to the plank for JV?
— Roger Munter (@rog61.bsky.social) 2025-01-08T20:06:28.419Z
Huff’s profile, though, more clearly syncs up with Tom Murphy (remember him?). In 2,630 minor league PA across 8 seasons, the right-handed batter has hit .263/.334/.480 with 123 home runs. Back in 2021, MLB Pipeline had this to say about him, when he was the Rangers’ #2 prospect behind Josh Jung:
The strength and leverage in Huff’s 6-foot-5 frame and his aggressive approach give him more raw pop than any catching prospect in the game and produce the highest exit velocities of any Rangers farmhand since Joey Gallo.
Across 4 major league seasons, he’s scrounged up 214 plate appearances and slashed .258/.313/.455 with 10 home runs. He also strikes out an awful lot and doesn’t appear to have much positional flexibility (he’s listed as a catcher and first baseman). He spent most of 2021 on the injured list and so Texas was granted a 4th option year for him, but he’s still out of options. He never stuck on their big league roster.
I looked to see if Buster Posey’s old manager and current Rangers manager Bruce Bochy had some kind words to say about Huff — you know, as a way to see why the Giants claimed him — and didn’t find any. Indeed, quite the opposite! Over at SB Nation Texas Rangers site Lone Star Ball, their season review is plenty telling:
The knock on Huff, going back to when he was drafted, has been his defense, with there being questions throughout his career about whether he would be able to stay behind the plate. He has a good arm, but the so-called softer skills involved in catching, the game calling and pitcher handling and the like, have been viewed as not being up to the level that the Rangers, at least, want from their catchers.
That said, those who believed in the bat have always felt that that wasn’t enough of an issue to keep him from a major league job, and even if you didn’t want him behind the plate, his bat would have value at first base or DH. There were even arguments made that maybe Huff should move to first base permanently, that his bat had too much potential, his power stroke too potent, to have his at bats limited by the rigors of catching. His cameo in the COVID season, when he slashed .355/.394/.742 and had three home runs in 33 plate appearances, provided encouragement to that line of thinking.
The problem is, though, is that Huff’s performance with the bat in 2024 didn’t provide much reason to believe that would be the case. Huff slashed .246/.310/.416 in 477 plate appearances at Round Rock this year, with 39 walks against 150 Ks. Contact issues have always been the red flag in Huff’s offensive profile, and that came to the forefront this year.
His 31% strikeout rate in Triple-A last year is right around Tom Murphy’s 32% career rate. This is clearly Tom Murphy 2.0, and he’s out of options, so it’s a bit of a lateral move for the Giants… unless they plan to do something with Tom Murphy’s contract. I’m not even sure if this could be considered catching depth, given his skills. And if he’s a possible DH, then does that mean Wilmer Flores and David Villar aren’t options? I’m not saying that’s a terrible thing, I just think those are two better known quantities than what’s here in Huff.
On the other hand, maybe the team is simply trying to acquire power wherever they can find it. Maybe Buster Posey sees a guy who just needs a little encouragement to play to his strengths and not worry about his shortcomings. Turn those computers off, let BoMel use him as he sees fit and maybe the team plucks someone off the scrap heap and spit shines them into a gem. That was another hallmark of the championship era, remember. Andres Torres and Juan Uribe were both signed in 2009… so, you never know.