San Francisco Giants: Who Will Replace Madison Bumgarner in the Rotation?

1. Ty Blach

Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area has already reported that Ty Blach will get the first shot at replacing Bumgarner in the rotation. This really should not be a surprise to anyone considering how well he pitched for the orange and black last season.

As a rookie in 2016, Blach made four appearances on the year, including two starts. He finished the year 1-0 with a 1.06 ERA in 17 innings.

His first career win in the MLB was one of the most critical victories for the team all season. In the final series of the year, Blach pitched an 8 inning shutout against none other than Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers to help send the Giants into the playoffs. It was a win that no one expected, but really solidified Blach as a legitimate starter for the Giants in the future.

Blach’s impressive rookie showing resulted in him challenging Matt Cain in spring training for the fifth starter role, which he ultimately lost after going 2-1 with a 4.22 ERA in eight spring training games.

Although the Giants have begun the season with Cain as the fifth starter, Blach has assumed the role as the long reliever.

Blach has had a difficult time in that role so far in 2017, starting the year with a 5.79 ERA in 4.2 innings thus far.

Maybe moving into the starting rotation will be beneficial to Blach’s progression, and luckily for him, his first start will come against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who he dominated last season.