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San Francisco Giants: Five under-the-radar starting pitching targets

Nick San Miguel
ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 31: Starting pitcher Michael Wacha #52 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium on August 31, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 31: Starting pitcher Michael Wacha #52 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium on August 31, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images) /
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San Francisco Giants
BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 28: Jhoulys Chacin #43 of the Boston Red Sox pitches in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on September 28, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images) /

RHP Jhoulys Chacin

It was admittedly a pretty rough season for Jhoulys Chacin in 2019.

The 31-year-old split his time between the Milwaukee Brewers and Boston Red Sox, going 3-12 with an ugly 6.01 ERA in 103.1 innings over 24 starts.

That’s actually very similar to the Pomeranz situation. He was coming off a season where he struggled to a 6.08 ERA in 74 innings before getting hurt. It would be a comparable low-risk, high-reward signing, taking a chance on a guy who has had some solid years in the past.

The 2017 season is a good example of the type of upside that Chacin offers. He spent that season with the San Diego Padres, going 13-10 with a 3.89 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 180.1 innings.

The San Francisco Giants would gladly take that from their No. 5 starter next year. The question is whether Chacin is still capable of those numbers at this point in his career.

He’s also just a year removed from going 15-8 with a 3.50 ERA in 193 innings with the Brewers, so he’s enjoyed a fair amount of success in recent years.

A rise in his walk rate from 3.3 to 4.0 BB/9 is a cause for concern, especially with many of the younger pitchers on the staff also struggling with free passes. However, he’s hovered more around the 3.5 BB/9 mark for most of his career, which is far more manageable.

Along with the uptick in walks, he also saw his strikeout rate climb from 7.3 to 8.8 K/9, which shows that he still has the stuff to get big league hitters out.

It’s possible that a change of scenery to pitcher-friendly Oracle Park may be just what the doctor ordered for Chacin to have a bounce-back year.

After all, he has an excellent 1.93 ERA in nine career starts in San Francisco.

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