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SAMMY SIANI, CENTER FIELDER
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| Born: December 14, 2000 Height: 6’0″ Weight: 195 Bats: Left Throws: Left Drafted: Supp. 1st Round, 37th Overall, 2019 How Acquired: Draft High School: William Penn Charter School (PA) Agent: |
WTM’s PLAYER PROFILE |
| The Pirates drafted Siani with the compensation pick that resulted from their failure to sign Gunnar Hoglund in 2018. His main asset is his hit tool, as he makes consistent contact from the left side. He’s more of a line drive hitter and may not hit for power, although some scouts think he could ultimately develop average power. He has good but not great speed and there seems to be some difference of opinion on whether he’ll stay in center. His arm is average or a little below, again depending on your source. Siani was rated 44th among draft prospects by Baseball America and 43rd by MLB Pipeline. Given the questions about his power potential and his ability to stay in center, there may be some risk of him being a tweener. Siani had a commitment to Duke, but he signed for $150,700 above the slot value of $1,999,300.
2019 Siani split his time between center and left in the GCL. At the plate, he drew a lot of walks but otherwise didn’t hit well. He struck out a great deal for somebody with limited power. 2020 2021 Siani was one of the Bradenton players who fell at the extreme end of the league-wide trend toward sharply increased walk and K rates. In his case, 45% of his plate appearances resulted in one or the other. A lot of it seemed to stem from an effort on his part to look for pitches to drive, as he showed more power than expected. Although he seemingly struck out a lot, his K rate was actually lower than the league average. His OPS, despite the low batting average, was well above the league average. Siani unfortunately was out from mid-July through early September with an injury. He had a modest platoon split and a huge home/road split, hitting 244 OPS points better at home. In the outfield, Siani mostly split his time between left and right, starting a dozen games in center. 2022 At Greensboro, Siani had a rough time. He hit for much less power, drew fewer walks and struck out at an unsustainable rate. The Pirates finally put him on the development list in late July and sent him to Pirate City. He returned a month later, but things didn’t improve. The only positives were that he played well defensively, covering all three outfield positions, and did very well stealing bases. Things just aren’t going well for Siani. He did have a very good winter ball campaign in Australia, he’ll return to Greensboro in 2023. |
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CONTRACT INFORMATION
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| 2023: Minor league contract |
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PLAYER INFORMATION
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| Signing Bonus: $2,150,000 MiLB Debut: 2019 MLB Debut: MiLB FA Eligible: 2025 MLB FA Eligible: Rule 5 Eligible: 2023 Added to 40-Man: Options Remaining: 3 MLB Service Time: 0.000 |
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TRANSACTIONS
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| June 3, 2019: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Supplemental 1st round, 37th overall pick; signed on June 14. |
