Two rookie SF Giants pitchers are showcasing their starting potential

The SF Giants have had to be creative with their starting rotation all season long. Recently, two rookie pitchers for the Giants have shown that they have the chops to start games for the Giants and pitch well.

Coming into the season, not many people would have anticipated that Landen Roupp and Spencer Bivens would be having 5 inning starts for the Giants. Yet, the Giants have had a lot of injuries in their rotation this year which has forced them to improvise.

They already burned through Kyle Harrison who is out for the rest of the year with a shoulder issue and Hayden Birdsong should probably be shut down soon since his arm has been taxed a lot. Thankfully, the Giants have been able to get quality innings from both Roupp and Bivens.

Spencer Bivens and Landen Roupp have impressed in their rookie seasons

In the case of Bivens, he is not a stereotypical rookie. At 30 years old, it is remarkable that he has even made it to the big leagues let alone thrived in his first season with the Giants. The Giants have used him in all different manner of ways. He has been used as a long reliever, a leverage reliever, and as a starter. His most memorable performance of the year was when he pitched 5 innings of one-run ball against the Los Angeles Dodgers and struck out Shohei Ohtani to end the 5th.

His most recent appearance was also a start, this time against the San Diego Padres. He pitched well in that game as well, going 4 and 1/3 innings and only giving up 1 earned run. These are just two starts, but he did very well in both. It would not be surprising to see him make a few more starts the rest of this year as the Giants try to preserve some of their other arms. His 2.77 ERA in 39 innings definitely inspires confidence in him being a key piece of next year's pitching staff as well.

With Landen Roupp, he burst onto the scene in Spring Training with a wicked breaking ball that earned him a spot on the Opening Day roster. He has struggled at times in the big leagues, but he has also shown a lot of promise, posting a 3.44 ERA in 36 and 2/3 innings.

His last outing was on Tuesday night against the Milwaukee Brewers and he started the game, the first start of his big league career. He pitched very well, allowing just 2 earned runs in 5 innings of work and giving the team a chance to win the game.

Roupp also figures to see at least one or two more starts the rest of this year. He can give a break to other arms that are more taxed and, like Bivens, has shown that he can do the job.

It would probably not be wise to pencil in Bivens and Roupp as locks for next year's starting rotation, but they are proving this year that they can be very valuable as spot starters for the team the same way players like Jakob Junis and Yusmeiro Petit were in the past.

Both have had successful rookie campaigns and should figure into the team's plans in 2025.