Giants Sign Calixte, Sitton to Minor-League Deals

The San Francisco Giants have reached an agreement with both Orlando Calixte and Kraig Sitton on minor league contracts, as Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

Calixte, 24, has spent the last three seasons with the Kansas City Royals after signing with the team as an international free agent in August of 2010. The shortstop had his cup of coffee with the big league club in 2015, only appearing in two games with three trips to the plate. The Dominican native spent last season in both Double-A and Triple-A, more so with the latter, posting a .274/.324/.420 slash line with 11 home runs in 126 games.

Although he only weighs in at about 180, Calixte has shown that he has some pop in his bat, racking up 11 home runs in both 2014 and 2016, as well as 8 in 2015. He’s a threat on the basepaths as well, swiping 41 in the past two seasons at both the Double-A and Triple-A level. According to scouting reports, Calixte has an above-average glove with a strong arm and impressive range, tools which may allow him to serve as a defensive specialist off the bench.

While the young shortstop has the makings of a solid big league shortstop, he needs to improve at the plate, most notably his discipline. He has not hit exceptionally well, average wise, in his minor league career, and has both a concerningly high strikeout rate and low walk rate. Calixte displayed signs of improvement in 2016, striking out less and walking more while setting his minor league career-highs in both batting average and on-base percentage. Despite his talent with the leather, he also has a tendency to commit errors on routine plays. All in all, Calixte certainly has a solid base to play in the big leagues but may need a little more time to mature both in the field and in the batter’s box.

Sitton, 28, all of his seven-year professional career in the minor leagues, yet to set foot on a major league mound, but after a successful 2016 campaign, the opportunity to suit up in the bigs may be sooner rather than later. Last season, Sitton had a 2.41 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over 52.1 innings with a K/9 of 6.56 and a BB/9 of 1.38.

Standing at 6’5” at around 200 pounds, Sitton has an ideal frame which goes hand-in-hand with his deceptive delivery. His fastball sits in the high-80s and low-90s and compliments it with a decent slider, which especially phases left-handed hitting. Although originally drafted as a starter out of Oregon State, Sitton has transitioned into the bullpen, starting only one game in his minor league career. At the major league level, Sitton would likely fill the role of a lefty specialist, occasionally throwing a full inning.

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