The Giants’ rotation is now set for opening day. A mix of experience and youth hopes to turn Oracle Park back into one of the hardest places to go and win. Four spots were all but set before spring training, with the fifth bringing interest. After an intense battle, the Giants will have a new face to cement himself in the rotation.
As always with a 162-game season, expect the Giants to use more starters than just those mentioned. Carson Whisenhunt could make his debut this year if he starts well in Triple-A. Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong have proven to be major league-ready. The Giants have an exciting young group of pitchers. The question remains, is there enough quality to help support them?
The Experienced Starters
As expected, Logan Webb will be the opening-day starter. A workhorse in the modern game, Webb eats innings by generating a huge number of groundballs, 57.2%. Webb will provide a real backbone in a team and rotation full of question marks. He’s a fairly safe bet to throw 200 innings and do so at under a 3.50 ERA—a skill overlooked in today’s game.
Robbie Ray will look to bounce back from Tommy John surgery in a big way this year. Acquired by the Giants for the recently released Mitch Haniger and Anthony DeSclafani, the trade appeared to be a win at the time. Now it is time for Ray to prove this right. Giants fans hope he can relive his 2021 Cy Young form. More reasonably, though, 150 solid innings would be a win.
When the Giants signed Justin Verlander, there wasn’t quite the hype there would’ve been five or 10 years ago. Still, though, after missing out on Corbin Burnes, it was a shrewd move by this new front office. On the field, expectations aren’t as high as in years gone by. At 42, squeezing 150 innings out of Verlander would be ideal. Though 130-140 feels more realistic. His impact on this impressive group of young pitchers remains his biggest addition. Who knows, if he decides a career in coaching is for him, who wouldn’t want him to stay in the bay?
The Unknown Quantities
Jordan Hicks was signed last year, more so as an experiment. Could this flamethrowing closer be a starter? After just a month or two, the Giants looked like geniuses. Hicks had lost a few flames on his fastball but improved his control and pitched deeper into games. Like many had warned, though, he soon derailed. A mix of injury and inconsistency plagued Hicks, as he ended up only making 20 starts. The Giants hope this is the year he can cement himself, although a move to the pen towards the end of the year is not out of the question.
In many people’s minds, the winner of the fifth spot was the outsider, Landen Roupp. The 26-year-old looked impressive at times last year, when he pitched 50 innings mostly out of the pen. An impressive 12 innings this spring, as well as struggles by Harrison, will give him the chance to be a starter. Most known for his wicked curveball, Roupp worked hard this offseason to make his changeup big league ready. His mix suits the Giants pitching style, as he will continue to generate groundballs for the defense to sweep up behind him.
Despite looking impressive at times last year, Hayden Birdsong only makes the bullpen. However, expect him to start plenty of games this year. There is no hiding that Ray, Verlander and Hicks are all injury concerns. Therefore, having a starting option for the 26-man is already a big advantage. At just 23, age likely played a factor in letting Roupp have his go. There is no doubting Birdsong’s ability, but he is still incredibly raw. Proven by the point he has just nine Triple-A innings. Similar to the highly rated Harrison (also 23), both are given time to develop further.
Main Photo Credits: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
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