The Giants acquired minor league outfielder Jack Larsen in a trade with the Mariners over the weekend (h/t to Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America). San Francisco assigned the left-handed hitter to their top affiliate in Sacramento, where he made his organizational debut on Sunday.
Seattle’s return is unspecified, though most transactions of this nature see cash sent the other way. Larsen hadn’t been on the M’s 40-man roster, so he does not take a spot on San Francisco’s 40-man.
Larsen, 28, had spent the season with the M’s Triple-A club in Tacoma. The UC-San Diego product appeared in 25 games, hitting .313/.466/.338 across 103 plate appearances. Larsen only connected on two extra-base hits (both doubles), but he walked at an elite 21.4% clip against a 23.3% strikeout rate.
Plate discipline has been his calling card through seven professional campaigns. Larsen is a .267/.380/.441 hitter in more than 2200 minor league plate appearances. He got a cup of coffee in Seattle last summer, tallying one plate appearance (a strikeout) in his MLB debut. The M’s outrighted him off the 40-man thereafter.
Larsen has some center field experience but has played almost exclusively in the corner outfield this year. The Giants have Heliot Ramos and Bryce Johnson as 40-man outfielders in Sacramento. Larsen joins 27-year-old Michael Gigliotti as non-roster depth options on the grass.
Sometimes I think Farhan goes on Fangraphs and sorts minor leaguers by walk rate and goes “20% BB%? I MUST HAVE HIM”
Better than signing or trading for a Chris Davis type.
Exclusively in the Seattle farm system.
Just another Friday night for me
Maybe. Seems like plate discipline is a desirable starting point for the Giants front office.
That headline gave me a Dave Hansen flashback.
Who would you all choose from among today’s major leaguers to be your Dave Hansen-level pinch hitter?
Dipoto & Farhan love trading these sort of guys back and forth to each other, it’s got to be a source of humor for them by now.
Zaidi “dumpster diving”
The M’s got Prelander Berroa for Donovan Walton, which I’m sure Zaidi doesn’t think is too funny.
Maybe not funny “ha-ha” but funny strange, on that one.
Hey! If it doesn’t work out here, he can always go back to playing cub reporter Jimmy Olsen at the Daily Planet.
Jeepers, Mr. Kent!
Ramos is on fire in AAA. He probably deserves one more chance before he is officially a bust.
Only 23, but ok. He’s finally turned a corner, and this is the first time he’s had this type of run.
Noooo!
Accumulating funds to sign Ohtani!
As long as it isn’t the talent we gave up for the catcher or whoever it was that never played last season. Here Seattle take our gold nugget for trash! Prelander Berroa his name was I believe.