The Richmond Flying Squirrels activated Vaun Brown from the injured list last week. To make room on the roster, they released a former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder, according to the team’s transaction log.
SF Giants release former Pirates outfielder after brief stint with organization
That wasn’t the only roster change for Richmond. Pitching prospect Dylan Hecht was promoted to Double-A as well. His journey to this point is quite compelling.
Hecht faced significant injury setbacks during his college years at UC Santa Barbara and Sonoma State University. After college, he played intermittently in independent leagues—until he began throwing a mid-90s fastball that caught the Giants’ attention earlier this year.
San Francisco signed Hecht to a minor league contract in March. The righty posted a 1.98 ERA with 18 strikeouts and 10 walks over 13.2 innings for the Eugene Emeralds before earning his call-up.
Meanwhile, Cal Mitchell’s short stint with the team has come to an end. The veteran outfielder, who signed a minor league deal with the Giants in late April, started the year with the White Sox’s Triple-A affiliate but was released after just 27 plate appearances.
Around the time Mitchell signed, the Giants also brought in several minor leaguers, including Drew Ellis, Devin Mann, Daniel Johnson, and Andrew Knizner. Johnson and Knizner have since made the major league roster, while Ellis and Mann have moved up to Triple-A.
Mitchell joined a struggling Richmond lineup, which was further depleted after Bryce Eldridge’s promotion to Triple-A.
The 26-year-old has some big-league experience, having posted a .626 OPS with five homers, 17 RBI, and 21 runs across 237 plate appearances with the Pirates over two seasons—most of which came during a 69-game stretch in 2022.
However, he struggled in Richmond, recording a .511 OPS with three home runs and seven RBI in 156 plate appearances. While he’s logged five Triple-A seasons, opportunities to move up to Sacramento were limited due to the depth of outfielders like Marco Luciano, Luis Matos, Grant McCray, and Wade Meckler. Mitchell is now a free agent.
Despite a 21-46 record that places them at the bottom of the Eastern League, Richmond does feature some promising starting pitchers in Jack Choate, Seth Lonsway, and John Michael Bertrand.
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