Sam Long

Long came out of nowhere last season to put up outstanding numbers in the minors and earn 12 appearances in the majors, five of which came in the rotation. He had a 2.34 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and a 55:13 K:BB in 42.1 minor-league innings, with over half of those coming at Triple-A. His run in the majors was less impressive (5.53 ERA, 1.28 WHIP), although his unlucky 58.3 LOB% was partially to blame. The 6-foot-1 lefty's repertoire isn't overly impressive, and his minor-league success was somewhat related to deception. He relies on a 91-95 mph fastball, a big bending mid-70s curveball and a low-80s changeup. It's a full starter's mix, and Long could have a long big-league career pitching at the back of rotations. At the time of the lockout, he seemed poised to compete with Tyler Beede for the fifth spot, but the Giants could opt to bring in another starter.