Sammy Long, LHP
DOB: 7/8/1995
BATS: L  /  THROWS: L
ACQUIRED: Signed, Minor League Free Agent, Nov. 2020
ORIGINALLY DRAFTED: 2016, 18th Round (by Tampa Bay)
LAST LEVEL: MLB
VOLATILITY: High

STATS

Lev
ERA
G
GS
SV
IP
H
R
ER
HR
BB
SO
HBP
WP
WHIP
BB9
SO9
SO/W
2016
2 Teams
Rk
3.33
11
3
1
27.0
27
13
10
1
9
35
0
4
1.333
3.0
11.7
3.89
2016
Princeton
Rk
3.12
10
3
1
26.0
26
12
9
0
8
33
0
3
1.308
2.8
11.4
4.13
2016
Rays
Rk
9.00
1
0
0
1.0
1
1
1
1
1
2
0
1
2.000
9.0
18.0
2.00
2017
2 Teams
A--A
2.27
20
0
1
31.2
27
11
8
0
18
29
4
6
1.421
5.1
8.2
1.61
2017
Bowling Green
A
1.08
6
0
0
8.1
7
2
1
0
10
7
0
4
2.040
10.8
7.6
0.70
2017
Hudson Valley
A-
2.70
14
0
1
23.1
20
9
7
0
8
22
4
2
1.200
3.1
8.5
2.75
2019
Kannapolis
A
3.06
30
15
0
97.0
73
39
33
7
28
112
2
6
1.041
2.6
10.4
4.00
2021
3 Teams
AAA-AA-A
2.34
16
7
0
42.1
29
12
11
2
13
55
0
1
0.992
2.8
11.7
4.23
2021
Sacramento
AAA
2.05
11
3
0
26.1
16
6
6
2
9
31
0
1
0.949
3.1
10.6
3.44
2021
Richmond
AA
3.00
4
4
0
15.0
12
6
5
0
4
22
0
0
1.067
2.4
13.2
5.50
2021
San Jose
A
0.00
1
0
0
1.0
1
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
1.000
0.0
18.0
-
2021
SFG
Maj
5.53
12
5
0
40.2
37
27
25
5
15
38
3
5
1.279
3.3
8.4
2.53
2.82
77
25
2
198.0
156
75
62
10
68
231
6
17
1.131
3.1
10.5
3.40

See Full Stats Here

GiantFutures 2022 Ranks: #7 Relief Pitcher

Performance: Sammy Long was one of the Giants’ spring sensations after signing as a minor league free agent, despite having left baseball entirely in 2018 after Tampa Bay released him.  He started the season in Double-A, where he had four solid starts before earning a push to Triple-A.  Two scoreless starts in Sacramento led to a mid-June callup to the bigs, and then an up-and-down ride the rest of the season.

By the end of it, Long had a 5.53 ERA in 12 appearances, five starts, in the bigs, and had a 2.05 ERA in 11 appearances, three starts, in Triple-A, with him having been shifted to relief through the last month of the season.  He did so while struggling against right-handed batters.  In the bigs, he allowed an .860 OPS to them as opposed to .509 against lefties, and allowed a similar split across the minors.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Long works with a starter’s profile of four pitches, but none are plus level.  His fastball started the year touching 97, but it slipped as the season went on, sitting in the low-mid-90’s with movement as he was in and out of the Majors.  His main offspeed pitch is a curveball that, when it works, is a good pitch against both sides of the place.  He also has a low-80’s changeup and a slider.

Long’s biggest advantage is that he has natural deception to his delivery, which keeps hitters off-balance, but that was less of an advantage in the bigs.  Without any real plus pitches, Long suffered at getting swinging strikes in the big leagues.  That was a big part to his extreme splits, and what might have led to his move to relief as the season ended.

2022 Outlook: Long is less than ten innings away from losing prospect status, and he will likely earn that pretty quickly.  He’ll spend the spring competing for a big league spot, and should spend 2022 moving between the two levels.  The bigger question is whether or not he’s going to be a starter or reliever, but I’d be on reliever.

Future Profile: His future depends on sharpening a weapon against right-handed batters.  Without that, he’s got lefty reliever status.  But if he can get his changeup or slider to help, Long could have a home in the back of a rotation role.