Ranking the top 3 SF Giants starting pitching targets by ground ball rate

Ranking the top 3 SF Giants starting pitching targets by ground ball rate

3. Wade Miley - 46.3 percent ground ball rate

Wade Miley is not a frontline starter, but he has been a very solid mid-rotation option during his 13-year career. This might be the case that the Giants just do not view him as much of a target given that they have had plenty of opportunities to add him in the past.

Nevertheless, the veteran pitcher declined his portion of a $10 million mutual option for 2024, thereby becoming a free agent. He is looking for one more payday in his career, and can likely get a multi-year deal with an average annual value of $10 million.

With that being said, the left-handed pitcher has not been the most durable arm in recent seasons. It would be a case of quality over quantity with Miley.

He is coming off of a solid season with the Milwaukee Brewers where he registered a 3.14 ERA, 4.69 FIP, 1.13 WHIP, 5.9 K/9, and a 2.08 SO/W ratio in 23 starts. The strikeout rate has plummeted and he has less-than-stellar peripherals, but he continues to get the job done.

Miley tallied a 46.3 percent ground ball rate and a 1.20 HR/9 ratio in 2023. The home run rate was right around league average, so he allowed a higher home run rate than expected given his above-average ground ball rate.

Similar to Nick Martinez, if the Giants miss out on the frontline starters, they could do a lot worse than Miley. He might not be a top target but could be a nice bargain option depending on how the rest of their offseason goes.

Editor's note: Marcos Stroman (57.1 percent ground ball rate) was considered, but he has some off-the-field baggage that is more than just a little concerning. His performance on the field would be a fit for the Giants, but they would have to heavily consider other qualitative factors as well. Kyle Gibson (48.9 percent ground ball rate) was considered, but he is more of a back end starting pitcher.