Sam Delaplane

Samuel Louis Nathan Delaplane

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 175 lb.
• School Eastern Michigan University
• High School Leigh High School

• Born March 27, 1995 in San Jose, CA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Sam Delaplane was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 23rd round of the 2017 amateur draft, out of Eastern Michigan University. He pitched three seasons in the Mariners' organization, from 2017 to 2019, moving around quite a bit, and not always in a fully logical way. For example, in his first season in 2017, he was mainly with the ACL Mariners - the lowest level in the organization, but also made ne appearance in AAA for the Tacoma Rainiers. He then spent all of 2018 in the Midwest League with the Clinton LumberKings, going 4-2, 1.96 with 10 saves in 39 games. He was back in Class A in 2019, but finished the year in AA with the Arkansas Travelers of the Texas League, where his ERA was a minuscule 0.49 in 25 games. He was a mid-season All-Star in the California League and an organizational All-Star.

Things looked bright for Sam at that point, but like many other professional baseball players, the COVID-19 pandemic would upend his career. He was a non-roster invitee to spring training when the pandemic hit, and when the major league season finally started, he was invited to work out at the team's alternate training site in Tacoma, which was a positive given that the other option would have been to just sit around at home. In 2021, he was injured before the minor league season started, then in May he was designated for assignment in order to clear some roster space. The San Francisco Giants purchased him, but he had to undergo Tommy John surgery, putting him out of action until the following June. He eventually made it back to action with the San Jose Giants, in the California League, but only pitched 4 games with an ERA of 14.73 in 3 2/3 innings. In 2023, he started off with 13 games in San Jose before moving up to the Eugene Emeralds of the Northwest League. On July 4th, he pitched the 9th inning of a combined no-hitter against the Tri-City Dust Devils. He issued two walks in the inning, but did not give up a hit or a run, earning the save in the 3-0 win. He was promoted again before the end of the season, to the Richmond Flying Squirrels of the Eastern League. Between the three stops, he was 5-4, 4.14 in 32 games, with just that one save, and 67 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings.

It seemed like there was some promise in that 2023 season, his first real one since 2019, but he was about to turn 29 and the Giants did not re-sign him when he became a free agent after the season. Finding no other offers, he was forced to move to the independent leagues, with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League.

Related Sites

• Eastern Michigan University bio