San Francisco Giants Spring Training Preview: Starting Pitchers

Like I mentioned earlier, the San Francisco Giants are pretty much set with their starting pitching and will head into spring training knowing exactly who the one through four starters will be.

Madison Bumgarner

Johnny Cueto

Matt Moore

Jeff Samardzija

Madison Bumgarner

The first incumbent on the roster is the ace of the staff, Madison Bumgarner. Entering his ninth year as a pro, Bumgarner is coming off of his best season yet going 15-9 with a 2.74 ERA, and posted career highs in innings pitched with 226.2 and strikeouts with 251. He is also coming off of his fourth consecutive all-star appearance, and finished fourth in Cy Young Award voting. For his career the Giants work horse has gone 100-67 with a 2.99 ERA, while striking out 1,381 batters in 1,397.2 innings pitched, and holding batters to a .232 BA.

Johnny Cueto

Known for his deceptive mechanics, which will at times include a glorious shimmy, and his majestic selfies, Cueto has become a fan favorite in San Francisco. Entering his second season as a Giant, Cueto will be looking to replicate the success he garnered last year, which was one of the best of his career. After signing a 6 year $130 million contract, including an opt-out clause after year two, with the orange and black, Cueto showed right away that he was worth every penny. After going 13-1 with a 2.47 ERA in the first half, he got the nod to start the all-star game for the National League. He then proceeded to finish the year with an 18-5 record overall, and a 2.79 ERA in 219.2 innings pitched. It will be interesting to see how Cueto will perform this season, since he has the potential to opt out of his current contract and become a free agent at the end of the year.

Matt Moore

Moore was a much needed acquisition to help strengthen the staff last season at the trade deadline. Coming from the Rays with a 7-7 record and 4.08 ERA, Moore put up consistent numbers with the Giants as well going 6-5 with a 4.08 ERA. He also pitched 198.1 innings, his most since coming off of Tommy John surgery in 2015, and pitched an absolute gem in the NLDS going 8 innings and only allowing 2 hits and 1 run.

Jeff Samardzija

Johnny Cueto was not the only splash the Giants made last offseason. They also signed the shark, Jeff Samardzija, to a 5-year $90 million contract. He will be another lock to make the roster this upcoming season. Coming off the worst season of his career in 2015, Samarzija was able to show signs of why he was heavily recruited out of free agency. In his first season as a San Francisco Giant, Samardzija started off the year hot, and struggled mightily from June through July, before ending the season on a high note. The shark ended the year with a 12-11 record and a 3.81 ERA in 203.1 innings. He has pitched 200-plus innings each of the last four seasons and will look to do the same in 2017.