A very exciting development.
Entering this four-game series against the Chicago Cubs, there were questions about how the San Francisco Giants would eat innings. With Kyle Harrison, Blake Snell, and Keaton Winn all on the Injured List, and Logan Webb having pitched on Sunday, the Giants had “TBD” listed as their starter for the first three games of the series, with Jordan Hicks taking Thursday’s finale.
During Monday’s victory, the team got a bullpen boost by bringing up lefty reliever Raymond Burgos for his MLB debut, with Spencer Howard getting the bulk innings assignment. And prior to Tuesday’s game, they made a somewhat predictable move, optioning Burgos and calling up righty starter Mason Black. Since Black has been struggling lately, the Giants are using reliever Randy Rodríguez as an opener, but Black will likely pitch bulk innings.
And on Wednesday? Well, things just got really exciting. During his pregame availability on Tuesday, manager Bob Melvin announced that electric right-handed prospect Hayden Birdsong will be called up on Wednesday and will start the game in his Major League debut.
It’s an aggressive call up for Birdsong, who only just got promoted to AAA Sacramento earlier this month — and has only made two starts there. But he’s shown that his stuff plays at the higher level, with 14 strikeouts in nine innings, and an increased fastball velocity that has been flirting with triple digits. And now he’ll get a chance to see how it can play at the MLB level.
Birdsong has been the talk of the farm system this year, after being exactly that last year. He was thoroughly dominant in AA Richmond, sporting a 2.05 ERA with 61 strikeouts to 20 walks in 48.1 innings. And the organization has been raving about how he has looked, both in Richmond and San Francisco.
It’s still an aggressive promotion — Birdsong is less than two years removed from being drafted and, again, has made just two starts in AAA. But it’s also easy (and defensible) to see the team’s reason for it. They’ve been enamored with not just his electricity but his control, and, with Harrison officially graduating, it’s pretty clear that the organization views Birdsong as their best pitching prospect. And given his high velocity — something that sets him apart from his Sacramento teammate and fellow notable prospect Carson Whisenhunt — it’s easy to see Birdsong transitioning into a dominant relief role as the team gets healthier.
Wednesday’s game is now must-see TV but, regardless of how Birdsong pitches, we should admire the journey and the story. He was a lanky, rarely-scouted, almost entirely-unheralded pitcher who was taken in the sixth round of the draft (and underslot, at that). And here he is, making his MLB debut less than two years ago, and in position to become a core part of the team.
Amazing.
The Giants will need to clear both an active roster spot and a 40-man spot for Birdsong. I would assume the former will come in the form of Black being optioned after Tuesday’s game (or, if Black pitches well, maybe another pitcher so that Black can start next week). The 40-man spot will be a little bit trickier, as the team will likely have to designated someone for assignment.