• Have something to say? Register Now! and be posting in minutes!

Spring Training 2025

LHG

Former Californian. Hesitant Tennessean.
19,854
9,453
533
Joined
Aug 1, 2015
Location
Somewhere in the middle of nowhere
Hoopla Cash
$ 1,000.00
Fav. Team #1
Fav. Team #2
Fav. Team #3
I was leaning that way too, but per Maria Guardado:

Kyle Harrison allowed an RBI double in his first inning of work, but he also hit 95 mph while striking out Max Muncy looking to end the sixth, which is the highest velocity we've seen from him this spring.
And this from Brisbee today:

You saw that line from Birdsong. His stuff looks amazing, and he’s having an impressive spring, just like Landen Roupp. If you want to make the case that the Giants rotation is better with either Birdsong or Roupp in there over Harrison, there’s evidence on your side. Either one of them might be one of the five best starting pitchers in the organization right now. Both of them might be.
It’s one thing to have capable young pitchers in Triple A in the event of an emergency, but it’s another thing to know what constitutes an emergency with any precision. And we’re doing these thought experiments on easy mode because the contrast between Roupp and Birdsong’s dominance and Harrison’s quadruple-digit Cactus League ERA is so obvious. Imagine how complicated it will get with differences that aren’t as stark. Or consider some of the pitchers we haven’t named yet, like Tristan Beck, Keaton Winn, Trevor McDonald and the assorted Carsons. It’ll get confusing if one of them is having an excellent season while someone in the major-league rotation is pitching only slightly worse than expected.
Harrison was expected to be a part of the Giants’ rotation for years to come, and he showed enough promise last year to stick with that plan throughout the entire offseason. Some spring hiccups in 6 2/3 innings shouldn’t undo all of that. The Giants will have more information than we do, especially without Statcast in every park, and they’ll have watched every side session under a microscope. It’s still hard to imagine the decision being easy, though. They have two young pitchers dominating in March and a struggling incumbent who seemed like the future of the rotation just three weeks ago. It might be a sign that the Giants need to pivot. Or it might be a reason to tap the sign that reads, “You should ignore most Cactus League box scores,” especially when the most recent evidence we have is of Harrison throwing a livelier fastball with better command. He allowed runs doing it, but don’t make me tap the sign even harder.
Guess that means we shouldn't be calling the 3 man race for the 5th starter spot so soon.
 
Top