Marcel Giraud

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 198 lb.

• School University of Calgary

• Born September 29, 1999 in Karlsruhe Germany

Biographical Information

Marcel Giraud has pitched in Germany (winning a strikeout crown) and France and for the German national team.

Giraud was 2 for 7 for Germany in the 2014 U-15 Baseball World Cup and was 0-1 with a 10.57 ERA, losing to Argentina. At age 15, he pitched three shutout innings for Heidenheim Heideköpfe in the 2015 European Cup. He struggled in the Bundesliga-1 in his debut, allowing 7 hits, 4 walks and 9 runs in 1 1/3 IP over two outings that summer. In the 2016 European Champions Cup, he was 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA, losing to Fortitudo Bologna and Luca Panerati. In the 2016 U18 European Championship, he walked six and allowed five runs (three earned) in 2 2/3 IP, losing to Spain. That season in the Bundesliga-1, he again had a rocky time (4 H, 5 BB, 7 R, 6 ER in 2 IP).

The lefty allowed one run in six innings for Heidenheim in 2017, showing progress; he was still only 17. He allowed six runs (five earned) in five postseason innings as the team won the German title. He gave up one run in 1 2/3 IP in the 2018 European Champions Cup. He was 2-1 with a 1.84 ERA in the regular season. In the 2019 CEB Cup, he allowed two hits in five shutout innings to beat Sandy Patrone and the Zurich Challengers as Heidenheim had five shutouts in a row to take the title. He spent part of the year with the University of Calgary team. He struck out 17 in 10 regular-season innings for Heidenheim, walking six and allowing one run, going 2-0. He followed with three shutout innings in the playoffs as Heidenheim won it all.

In 2020, he moved to the Stuttgart Reds and went 4-2 with a 2.70 ERA, whiffing 42 in 24 1/3 IP. He tied Yannic Wildenhain and Dustin Ward for 4th in the Bundesliga-1 South in wins and was 6th in K in a COVID-19-shortened season (between Evan Rutckyj and Wildenhain). In the 2021 U23 European Championship, he had a 0-1, 4.20 record, losing to the Netherlands' Raf Cocu. For the Reds that summer, he was 6-4 with a 5.56 ERA. He struck out 95 in 55 innings but also walked 53 (only giving up 29 hits but 36 runs, 34 earned due to the poor control). He was among the Bundesliga-1 South leaders in K (1st, one ahead of Ward), walks (1st, 14 more than Cerilio Soleana), IP (8th, between Lennard Stöcklin and Tim Stahlmann), complete games (2, tied for 3rd) and wins (tied for 4th with Soleana, Ross Vance and Christian Pedrol.

Marcel had a 2.33 ERA for Germany in the 2022 U23 Baseball World Cup. Joining the Mannheim Tornados, he was 1-0 with a 1.62 ERA in reduced action. His fastball was timed at 89 mph in 2023, complimented by a change-up and slider. He signed with France's Templiers de Sénart for 2023. He went 0-2 with a 2.45 ERA, striking out 42 and walking 23 in 33 innings. He was 7th in the French Division I in lowest average allowed (.179, between Heorhii Hvrytishvili and Thibault Mercadier).

He then made his debut for Germany's senior national team, at the 2023 European Championship. He debuted against Switzerland, relieving Mark Harrison with two outs in the second, two on and a 5-3 lead. He retired Max Jung-Goldberg to end the threat then struck out Marlins farmhand Noah Williamson and Hayden Jung-Goldberg to open the next inning before letting one run in on a walk and two hits. Of the next six batters, he faced a familiar pattern with three whiffs and three walks before turning the ball over to young Simon Groß. His other outing did not go as well. Relieving Sven Schüller in the 7th with a 3-3 game against Great Britain in the semifinals, it was a tough spot as the bases were loaded with one out. He walked Michael Flaherty to force in one run, yielded a RBI single to Kennard Dawson and (after a passed ball made it 6-3) allowed a two-run single to Rayondre Mercer. He got Jacob Lambdin to hit into a force then retired Mariners prospect Harry Ford on a fly, but the damage had been done. He remained in for the 8th, walking Nick Ward, throwing a wild pitch, retiring Aaron Singh and Ben Leid (the latter by K) and throwing another wild pitch while walking Nateshon Thomas. Titus Von Kapff came in and escaped further harm. He had 7 BB and 7 K in 3 2/3 IP for the Euros, allowing 3 runs, showing his usual K and BB high-frequency tendencies. He tied for 7th in the Euros in walks (and did not have the fewest IP of the group; Jonah Schaller and Linus Ritzen both walked 7 in 3 innings), tied Niklas Rimmel for 3rd on Germany in strikeouts and tied Daniel Gosselin, Dimitri Lettas and Robert Ogg for 4th in the tourney with 3 wild pitches.