Sam Long

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked San Francisco Giants #19 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Long pitched through a pair of herniated discs at Sacramento State and impressed enough for the Rays to take a flier on him in the 18th round of the 2016 draft. He was released by Tampa Bay before the 2018 season, then decided to get his EMT certification and train for a possible career in firefighting. The White Sox signed him as a minor league free agent in 2019 but released him after the 2020 season. He caught on with the Giants shortly thereafter and rose quickly through their system to make his big league debut on June 9, 2021.
  
  Scouting Report: Long works with a three-pitch mix fronted by a low-90s fastball that reaches 97 mph and has excellent vertical break. He complements his fastball with a slow mid-70s curveball with 11-to-5 break and downward bite that he needs to command better in order for it to be more effective. His third pitch is a low-80s changeup which gets roughly 10 mph of separation from his fastball and garners swings and misses at a high rate. His stiffer delivery inhibits his command and control, which limits his ceiling.
  
  The Future: Long’s role in 2022 is likely to be the same as it was in 2021: an emergency arm who bounces back and forth between Triple-A and the big leagues.
  

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #322 prospect in 2016 draft
  Long graduated high school in December 2013 and was in Sacramento State's rotation two months later. He tossed 95 innings that season in survival mode; he's improved his strikeout rate since then as the team's ace. Long was inconsistent as a junior with his breaking ball, leaving him often pitching off his 86-92 mph fastball, at times sitting at the top of that range, and above-average changeup. He's proven durable for the Hornets with a solid 6-foot-1, 195-pound body.

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Long pitched through a pair of herniated discs at Sacramento State and impressed enough for the Rays to take a flier on him in the 18th round of the 2016 draft. He was released by Tampa Bay before the 2018 season, then decided to get his EMT certification and train for a possible career in firefighting. The White Sox signed him as a minor league free agent in 2019 but released him after the 2020 season. He caught on with the Giants shortly thereafter and rose quickly through their system to make his big league debut on June 9, 2021.
  
  Scouting Report: Long works with a three-pitch mix fronted by a low-90s fastball that reaches 97 mph and has excellent vertical break. He complements his fastball with a slow mid-70s curveball with 11-to-5 break and downward bite that he needs to command better in order for it to be more effective. His third pitch is a low-80s changeup which gets roughly 10 mph of separation from his fastball and garners swings and misses at a high rate. His stiffer delivery inhibits his command and control, which limits his ceiling.
  
  The Future: Long’s role in 2022 is likely to be the same as it was in 2021: an emergency arm who bounces back and forth between Triple-A and the big leagues.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Signed as a minor league free agent in Nov. 2020, Long has been one of the better stories in the Giants' organization. He was originally drafted by the Rays in 2016 out of Sacramento State and was out of baseball after Tampa Bay released him in 2018 but made his big league debut in June. He works with a full four-pitch mix, fronted by a low-90s fastball and backed by a slider, changeup and curve. Now, he's made three big league starts and two relief appearances and coaxed a swinging strike rate just below 10%.