SF Giants sign former Rays reliever to a minor-league contract
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The SF Giants added to their upper minor league depth earlier this week when they signed right-handed pitcher Phoenix Sanders to a minor-league contract. Sanders has since been assigned to Triple-A Sacramento, where he has yet to make his first appearance. Sanders made his MLB debut with the Tampa Bay Rays last season. Sanders was later acquired off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles before he was released on May 19th. Prior to becoming a free agent, Sanders had been quite effective this season, posting a 2.00 ERA with 11 strikeouts and three walks in nine innings pitched.
Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Phoenix Sanders throws a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays. (2022)
Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Sanders is one of just two players born in Germany who have made their MLB debuts since 2017. The 5'10'' righty was drafted in the 10th round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of the University of South Florida by the Rays. A starter in college, Sanders was quickly moved to the bullpen as a professional, and he began climbing the minor-league ranks.
Sanders has been dominant throughout his minor-league career. In his first two professional seasons, Sanders appeared in games at every full-season minor-league level and recorded a 2.51 ERA with 157 strikeouts and 48 walks in 125.1 innings pitched. In fact, his ERA was actually lower in the upper minors than it was at Single-A and High-A.
After a solid 2021 season with the Rays Triple-A affiliate, Sanders received an early-season call up in 2022. He appeared in eight games with Tampa Bay and remained effective. He posted a 3.07 ERA with 12 strikeouts and three walks in 14.2 innings pitched. ERA estimators like FIP (2.09), xFIP (3.70), and xERA (4.37) all viewed Sanders as a viable big-league reliever from his short stint.
However, once he was optioned back to Triple-A, Sanders had the biggest struggles of his career. With an ERA north of 6.00 through 25 appearances, the Rays designated Sanders for assignment. He was claimed off waivers by the Orioles and had a pair of outings with their Triple-A affiliate before the end of the season.
Baltimore ultimately designated Sanders for assignment as well but kept him in the organization after he went unclaimed. It remains unclear why the Orioles then opted to release the righty given his solid start to the season at Triple-A. Nevertheless, the SF Giants hope that Phoenix Sanders can maintain this level of productivity going forward in their organization.
