Red-hot SF Giants starter says he would have been demoted under Farhan Zaidi

The SF Giants front office has been run a little differently under Buster Posey than it was under Farhan Zaidi. Red-hot pitcher Landen Roupp confirmed as much with some recent comments he made after his latest start.

The SF Giants have gotten some great starts out of Landen Roupp as of late. The 26-year-old has a record of 6-5 on the year with a 3.39 ERA in 18 starts. He has turned things around after a tough start to the season which shows that patience from the front office has paid off.

In his most recent start against a stout Philadelphia Phillies lineup, he pitched five innings and only allowed one run. He has truly been an unsung hero on a pitching staff where he is overshadowed by All-Stars Logan Webb and Robbie Ray.

Roupp is grateful for the patience afforded him by the front office and he believes he would not have been extended the same grace last season under different leadership.

SF Giants starter thanks Buster Posey for being patient with him

Roupp believes that he would have been sent down last season if he pitched the way he did early this year. It is hard to argue with that as the Zaidi regime was much more willing to play yo-yo with their young players and demote them if they struggled.

With Posey as the president of baseball operations, he and his team have been willing to let guys work through early struggles. They did the same thing with second baseman Tyler Fitzgerald early in the year, although his struggles have returned as of late and he was demoted recently.

A similar approach was employed with veteran LaMonte Wade Jr. as well. The Giants gave him every opportunity to try and work through his slump, but he just could not get the results that were needed which made the situation untenable.

This seems like a wise approach from Posey and Co. They give guys enough leash so their teammates know the front office is not going to turn on them at the first sign of trouble, but if it gets to a point where it is simply not justifiable to keep trying then they are willing to make the tough decision.

The Giants may be doing the same thing with Hayden Birdsong right now. The young pitcher has struggled as of late, but the Giants appear content to let him work through it and learn at the big league level.

Roupp's comments are revealing and they show that Posey has seemed to create a more comfortable environment for the players where they do not feel the need to be perfect while at the same time understanding there is a standard of play that needs to be upheld. So far, it has garnered positive results as the Giants are right in the NL playoff picture.