Examining the Giants’ rotation options as veterans move through rehab originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — Since taking over as president of baseball operations, Farhan Zaidi has spoken frequently about how every team needs double-digit starting pitching options to get past 162 games. To get to 2024, the Giants planned to lean heavily on young pitchers early on and then have a veteran-filled rotation down the stretch.
That’s still the plan, although Blake Snell’s struggles and multiple groin strains have put more pressure on the team than expected. For most of the season, coach Bob Melvin has had just three reliable starters, and two of them are being watched closely.
Jordan Hicks pitched like an All-Star, but the longtime reliever is just six innings shy of his previous career high for major league innings. Hicks doesn’t appear to be leaking oil – he was doing 95 mph when he needed it on Tuesday anyway while pitching with flu-like symptoms — but there’s a limit to how much the Giants will ask of a pitcher who appears fully capable of being an above-average starter over the course of his four-year contract if he can stay healthy.
“I think he did really well,” Melvin said. “He knows how to manage his bullpens and he hasn’t pitched seven or eight innings, but he’s held us in basically every game he’s pitched and has a (3.01) ERA… I don’t think he’s thinking too much about innings right now.”
Kyle Harrison pitched about 100 innings last year at all levels, but is already at 77 1/3. The team has been aggressive, pushing Harrison to 95 shots in three of his last four games, but at some point they’re going to hit the wall too.
Hicks and Harrison have joined ace Logan Webb in catching the ball every shift, but the other two positions haven’t been as stable, and overall the Giants rank 22nd in starter ERA. The fourth spot currently consists mostly of bullpen games, with Spencer Howard throwing massive innings. Keaton Winn has struggled, giving up at least five runs in each of his last four starts.
Given the typical cost for starters — and more glaring needs elsewhere — the Giants don’t want to look for pitching depth at the trade deadline. They feel they have plenty of options for the second half, many of which have made progress recently. Here’s a summary of some of the options:
Blake Snell
A strain in the left groin has placed Snell on IL for the second time, but the Giants are hopeful this stint will be shorter than the 25 games he previously missed. Snell threw on flat ground this week and the plan is for the reigning Cy Young Award winner to throw a bullpen session this weekend.
Snell’s previous trip to the IL included two minor league rehab starts, which were used in part to keep him fresh after he missed the entire spring. He probably wouldn’t need more than one this time, if at all.
The former Cy Young Award winner was the big trade acquisition of the offseason, even though he was recovering from Tommy John surgery at the time. Ray pitched twice in the Arizona Complex League, striking out eight of the 10 minor leaguers he faced, and is on track with the original rehab plan.
“At least he’s on his way now,” Melvin said over the weekend. “We knew it would probably be as early as possible around the All-Star break. We’re probably still on schedule for that. I know he feels great.”
Ray’s speed has been good in the ACL and he will make another start there Thursday. There will likely be some protections when he returns to the big leagues next month, but the Giants are hopeful he’s down the stretch and potentially in the playoffs. For all sides, there is a lot at stake in this possibility.
The Giants will need Ray’s input in the second half and the 32-year-old could opt out of the final two years and receive $50 million on his contract after this season. If he comes back and pitches well, he will have an interesting decision to make.
An All-Star last year, Cobb was expected to return from offseason hip surgery a few weeks before Ray’s planned return. But he was so far ahead in his rehabilitation that, sometime in March, it seemed realistic that Cobb could return after missing just one or two games. Then came the elbow pain, followed by the shoulder pain that the doctors had trouble figuring out.
Cobb has had several cortisone injections and is now taking nerve medication that has helped him cope. He threw his first bullpen session on Tuesday and said afterward that he “felt great.” Cobb was running 91 mph, good speed for a starting bullpen, and mixed breaking balls among his 25 pitches. He is expected to throw another bullpen session on Friday, at which point the Giants should have a better idea of a schedule.
The right-hander was a valuable swingman for the team last year and could have started the season in the rotation given injuries to more experienced starters, but he had surgery to repair an arm aneurysm in early March. Beck is now playing ball without restrictions and is encouraged by the way he feels. He’s ready to throw his first bullpen session in a few days.
“I’m just happy he’s throwing a baseball after everything he’s been through,” Melvin said recently. “I think he’s on a good path. There are no limitations at this point, he’s letting it go, so to speak. What the timeline is, I’m not sure yet. But I think we’re all happy that he’s back playing baseball and is healthy again. We’ll see where this goes.
Beck had a 3.92 ERA as a rookie, pitching mostly out of the bullpen. It appears he will have a chance to return to a multiple-inning role at some point in the second half.
The prospects
Most of the organization’s best selling points are at Triple-A, although one of them — lefty Reggie Crawford — is only being used as a reliever. Right-hander Hayden Birdsong was promoted from Double-A this week after posting a 2.05 ERA and striking out 61 in 48 1/3 innings. Some Giants people see him as their most underrated prospect, although it would be a huge leap to be a rotation option in the big leagues this season.
The Giants have already taken a look at Mason Black, who has an 8.79 ERA in the majors this season but is 2.95 in nine Triple-A starts. Carson Whisenhunt has a special changeup but has struggled with his command. Landen Roupp is currently on the IL.
There are a lot of good arms at Triple-A, but if the Giants have to use any of them in their rotation in the second half, something has probably gone seriously wrong with their original game plan.
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