The San Francisco Giants have what could be one of the better pitching staffs in baseball if they have a few things break their way.
Their starting rotation is anchored by one of the most reliable aces in the game, Logan Webb. Availability is the best ability and he takes the ball every time it is his turn through the rotation, making at least 32 starts in three straight years and throwing at least 192.1 innings.
He has led the National League in innings pitched the last two years and in 2023, led all of MLB with 216.
Behind him is where things get a little shaky, but there is potential for some really positive production.
Veterans and former Cy Young Award winners Robbie Ray and Justin Verlander are operating as the No. 2 and No. 3 in the rotation. When healthy they are reliable; the question is, will they remain on the field?
After that, a combination of Kyle Harrison, Hayden Birdsong and Jordan Hicks are expected to round things out. Harrison possesses immense upside and was one of the top prospects in baseball heading into 2024.
Birdsong has incredible raw stuff, but needs to hone in his control to reach his potential. Hicks has battled injuries throughout his career and needs to prove that he has the durability and endurance to handle being a starter.
Another name to keep an eye on this spring is Landen Roupp.
One of the Giants’ top prospects heading into 2024, he made the Opening Day roster but as a relief pitcher. His first 19 Major League appearances were out of the bullpen before he made four starts in September.
Roupp was solid in both roles, posting good numbers for a rookie as a reliever and starter. That versatility will certainly help improve his chances of making the Opening Day roster.
Early projections have him ticketed for Triple-A Sacramento to begin the year, but if he continues performing in spring training as he has to this point, it will be impossible to keep him off the team.
Roupp has made two appearances and dominated each time. He has thrown 5.0 innings, surrendering only one hit and one walk with eight strikeouts.
In his three-inning outing against the Seattle Mariners, his arsenal of pitches were incredibly impressive.
He recorded a proStuff+ of 105 and a whiff rate of 33.3%. Not a single one of the 10 batters he faced was able to barrel up a ball, as he had a 0.0% barrel rate.
So, uh, the Giants might be onto something with this Landen Roupp guy pic.twitter.com/o4g7O7qjcb
— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) February 27, 2025
His curveball was the highest-rated pitch, but he was generating swings and misses with all four of his offerings.
With rotation and bullpen spots still up for grabs, Roupp is putting himself in a strong position to claim one of those openings.
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