Pair of young SF Giants pitchers now squarely behind the 8-ball in spring training

The calendar just turned over to March and while there are still three weeks to go until the SF Giants play their first regular season game, we are beginning to creep out of the "it's early" phase of the Cactus League. That spells trouble for Hayden Birdsong and Carson Whisenhunt who are both behind the 8-ball right now.

One could argue that the two pitchers were the favorites of the young starters in camp to either make the Opening Day roster as a long-reliever or potentially even as a starter if there was an injury to a member of the rotation.

So far, the results have been bad for both pitchers so they will have a pretty steep uphill climb to make the team.

Birdsong and Whisenhunt need to turn things around in spring training

They have both appeared in two Cactus League games so far and the results have not been pretty. Birdsong has pitched 1 and 1/3 of an inning, allowing eight earned runs, seven hits, and two home runs while walking three. That's a less-than-deal showing for a guy who had aspirations to rejoin the rotation this season. After his most recent outing, manager Tony Vitello called out Birdsong's body language which is definitely a wake-up call.

Whisenhunt has allowed nine earned runs in two innings pitched while giving up six hits and five walks. There were hopes that Whisenhunt's uptick in velocity in live batting practice would lead to better results on the mound, but that hasn't been the case at all so far.

These are only two outings, but each pitcher may only end up making six or seven appearances this spring. A third of those appearances are in the books and they haven't been pretty. First impressions matter, especially with a new coaching staff, so it won't be easy for either guy to climb out of the hole he's dug for himself.

Meanwhile, other young arms have impressed. Blade Tidwell, who pitched for Vitello at the University of Tennessee, has looked really solid and Trevor McDonald has also looked really good after he finished the year strong with the Giants in 2025.

It is going to be tough for Birdsong and Whisenhunt to leapfrog either of those guys if they keep on pitching the way they have, but spring training is not over yet so if they finish strong maybe they will have a shot at making the Opening Day roster.