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Sam Long
Long with the Richmond Flying Squirrels in 2021
Kansas City Royals
Pitcher
Born: (1995-07-08) July 8, 1995 (age 28)
Fair Oaks, California, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
MLB debut
June 9, 2021, for the San Francisco Giants
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Win–loss record3–5
Earned run average4.92
Strikeouts103
Teams

Samuel Trenton Long (born July 8, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics. He played college baseball at California State University, Sacramento. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 18th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. In 2018, at 23 years of age, he stopped playing baseball for a year and explored becoming a firefighter, but would later debut in MLB in 2021.

High school and college

Long was born and raised in Fair Oaks, California. [1]

Long first attended Rosemont High School, for which he played baseball for two seasons. [2] He then attended Del Campo High School in Carmichael, California as a junior and senior. [2] He was all-league in baseball in 2012. [2] In 2013, he was 4–0 with an 0.88 earned run average (ERA) and 49 strikeouts with only one walk in 31+2⁄3 innings pitched. [2] He was named Capital Valley Conference MVP that year. [2]

Long played college baseball at California State University, Sacramento for the Hornets. In 2014, he was 8–2 with a 3.03 ERA and was second in the Western Athletic Conference with two shutouts. [3] He was named the WAC's Freshman of the Year, and a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American. [4]

In 2015 he was 6–4 for the Hornets with a 2.81 ERA, and was 2nd in the conference in WHIP (0.892), third in hits per nine innings pitched (6.4), eighth in strikeouts/walk (3.94) and with 63 strikeouts (in 89+2⁄3 innings), and ninth in walks/9 IP (1.6). [5]

In 2016, he was 5–8 with a 3.99 ERA, and was eighth in the conference with 68 strikeouts (in 85+2⁄3 innings). [6] He suffered two herniated disks, but pitched through the injury. [1] As of December 2020, his .224 career average against ranked third all-time for the college, and his wins (19) ranked sixth. [4]

Professional career

Tampa Bay Rays

Long was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 18th round, 540th overall, of the 2016 MLB draft, and signed for a signing bonus of $75,000. [7] He made his professional debut with the GCL Rays, and also played for the rookie ball Princeton Rays, recording a 1–1 record and 3.33 ERA in 11 appearances between the two teams.

He split the 2017 season between the Low-A Hudson Valley Renegades and the Single-A Bowling Green Hot Rods, posting a 2.27 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 31.2 innings pitched across 20 appearances. [8]

On March 22, 2018, on the last day of spring training, Long was released by the Rays organization. [9]

At that point, in lieu of playing baseball which he felt was not going to work out, and uncertain as to what he would do with his future, the 23-year-old Long took EMT classes during the summer, thinking perhaps he would become a firefighter. [10] [11] In the fall he resumed studying for his communications degree at Sacramento State. [10]

However, Long had second thoughts about walking away from baseball, and started getting back into shape by eating better and working out hard, went back to his natural over-the-top arm slot, and found that his velocity increased and his curveball was sharper. [10] His agent uploaded a highlight reel to Twitter that went viral of him throwing with his fastball around 93 mph. [10] A Chicago White Sox area scout saw the video and called. [10]

Chicago White Sox

After not playing for a team in 2018, Long signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox organization on March 5, 2019. [12] He spent the 2019 season in Single-A with the Kannapolis Intimidators, pitching to an 8–5 record and 3.06 ERA with 112 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.041 in 97.0 innings of work. [13] He held batters to a .205 batting average, with 10.4 strikeouts and 2.6 walks per nine innings, and his fastball hit 95 mph. [10] [14]

Long did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. [15] He elected free agency on November 2, 2020.

San Francisco Giants

On November 17, 2020, Long signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants organization that included an invitation to spring training. [16] [11] [17] He was assigned to the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels to start the 2021 season, later receiving a promotion to the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, where he logged 7.2 scoreless innings. [18]

Long was ranked the 11th-best Giants prospect before the 2021 season. [19] In spring training in 2021, his fastball was up to 97 mph. [11] On June 7, 2021, it was announced that Long would be promoted to the major leagues for the first time during the following series, to be the starting pitcher against the Texas Rangers. [20] At the time, for the season he had a 1.99 ERA with 37 strikeouts and 5 walks in 22.2 innings, between Double-A and Triple-A. [20]

On June 9, he was formally selected to the active roster. [21] In Long's debut game, Zack Littell got the start instead, and was replaced by Long in the second inning. Long notched his first MLB strikeout in the game, punching out Rangers infielder Nick Solak, and struck out seven of the first ten batters he faced. He finished his debut with four innings of one-run ball, with 7 strikeouts. [22] He earned his first career victory on June 20, beating the Philadelphia Phillies with six innings of 2-run ball. [23]

In the 2021 regular season for the Giants, Long was 2–1 with a 5.53 ERA. He pitched 40.2 innings over 12 games (5 starts). Pitching for three minor league teams: Triple-A Sacramento, Double-A Richmond, and the Single-A San Jose Giants, he was 1–1 with a 2.34 ERA in 42.1 innings over 16 games (7 starts). [24]

In 2022 with the Giants, Long was 1–3 with one save and a 3.61 ERA in 28 games (6 starts), in which he threw 42.1 innings. [25] On July 6, Long recorded his first save against the Arizona Diamondbacks, striking out Jordan Luplow on three pitched as his only batter faced. [26] In 2022 with Sacramento, Long was 1–0 with a 4.32 ERA in 8 games (3 starts) in which he threw 16.2 innings. [25] His season ended prematurely on August 26, when he was placed on the injured list with a right oblique strain. [27]

Long was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento to begin the 2023 season. [28] He struggled to a 9.90 ERA in 4 appearances for Sacramento before he was designated for assignment on April 19, 2023. [29]

Oakland Athletics

On April 23, 2023, Long was traded to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for cash considerations. [30] In 40 appearances for Oakland, he registered a 5.60 ERA with 32 strikeouts and 2 saves in 45.0 innings of work. [31] On October 12, Long was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators. [32] He elected free agency on November 6. [33]

Kansas City Royals

On December 7, 2023, Long signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals. [34]

References

  1. ^ a b "Sammy Long Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Sam Long". Sacramento State Athletics.
  3. ^ "2014 Western Athletic Conference Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com.
  4. ^ a b "FORMER HORNET SAM LONG SIGNS MiLB DEAL WITH SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS". Sacramento State Athletics. December 9, 2020.
  5. ^ "2015 Western Athletic Conference Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com.
  6. ^ "2016 Western Athletic Conference Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com.
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ "Sam Long College & Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  9. ^ "Sam Long Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "Sacramento's Sam Long opening eyes early on in Giants camp". RSN.
  11. ^ a b c "Lefty Long standing out at Giants camp". MLB.com.
  12. ^ "Sam Long Earns Second Chance on the Diamond with White Sox". MiLB.com.
  13. ^ "2019 South Atlantic League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com.
  14. ^ Klopfer, Brady (November 19, 2020). "Giants sign Jason Krizan and Sam Long to MiLB contracts". McCovey Chronicles.
  15. ^ "2020 Minor League Season Canceled". MLB Trade Rumors.
  16. ^ "Giants Sign Dominic Leone, Silvino Bracho, Anthony Banda". MLB Trade Rumors.
  17. ^ Slusser, Susan (March 12, 2021). "Giants' Sam Long eyes saving games, lives, and possibly Sacramento". San Francisco Chronicle.
  18. ^ Sanchez, Mark W. (June 4, 2021). "Meet Sammy Long, who's dominating and one call away from completing incredible Giants journey". KNBR.
  19. ^ "SF Giants prospect Sam Long making big-league debut on Wednesday". June 7, 2021.
  20. ^ a b "Giants To Select Sam Long". MLB Trade Rumors.
  21. ^ "Giants Designate Matt Wisler For Assignment". MLB Trade Rumors.
  22. ^ Guardado, Maria (June 9, 2021). "Long fans 7 in debut: 'I was in my element'". MLB.com. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  23. ^ Guardado, Maria (June 20, 2021). "Long shines in first start with father in crowd". MLB.com. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  24. ^ "Sammy Long College & Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  25. ^ a b "Sam Long College & Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  26. ^ "Giants' Sam Long: Steps in for first career save". cbssports.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  27. ^ "Giants' Sam Long: Placed on 60-day IL". cbssports.com. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  28. ^ "Giants' Sam Long: Falls short in roster bid". cbssports.com. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  29. ^ "Giants' Sam Long: Booted off 40-man roster". cbssports.com. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  30. ^ "Athletics' Sam Long: Headed to Oakland". cbssports.com. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  31. ^ "Athletics' Sam Long: Loses 40-man roster spot". cbssports.com. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  32. ^ https://www.milb.com/transactions/2023-10-12
  33. ^ "2023 MiLB Free Agents". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  34. ^ "Royals' Sam Long: Inks minors pact with Royals". cbssports.com. Retrieved December 7, 2023.

External links

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