The SF Giants have signed a minor-league contract with a former Twins top-10 prospect

The San Francisco Giants have signed former Minnesota Twins pitching prospect Blayne Enlow to a minor-league contract.

The SF Giants have signed right-handed pitcher Blayne Enlow to a minor league deal with an invitation to major league spring training in an effort to improve their pitching depth at the higher levels of the minor leagues. Enlow has spent his entire professional career in the Minnesota Twins organization, where he was consistently ranked among the team’s top-30 prospects by Baseball America. He is still a young man of 24.

Enlow, 24, was drafted in the third round by the Twins in 2017 out of St. Amant High School in Louisiana. Between 2018 and 2021, Enlow was one of BA’s top ten prospects. However, the right-hander has subsequently struggled with health and ineffectiveness, causing him to progress slowly through Minnesota’s system.

The Twins added Enlow to their 40-man roster after he missed the most of the 2021 season due to Tommy John surgery. When Enlow went unclaimed in January, the organization designated him for assignment and later outrighted him back to Double-A.

Enlow pitched 99.1 innings with 109 strikeouts and 32 walks in 26 appearances across Double-A and Triple-A in 2023, with a 5.35 earned run average. He was, however, fairly impressive in the Double-A Texas League, which is widely regarded as a hitter’s paradise. Prior to being promoted to Triple-A, Enlow had a 3.17 ERA, 65 strikeouts, and 13 walks in 54 innings pitched (11 appearances). Enlow has a 4.00 ERA in 398 minor league innings pitched with 382 strikeouts and 146 walks in his career.

Given the Giants’ plenty of starting pitching depth in the upper levels, it’s not out of the question that he’ll be converted to a bullpen role. In any case, Blaine Enlow will be preparing for big-league camp with the San Francisco Giants this offseason. When he arrives, he’ll be hoping to make the team’s Opening Day roster.

Steven Rissotto (he/him) is a journalist who covers the San Francisco Giants for SFBay.ca and Giants Baseball Insider.

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