SF Giants second-year pitcher making a case to crack the Opening Day rotation

While Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong are thought to be the frontrunners for the final rotation spot, another young SF Giants pitcher is in the mix. Landen Roupp has arguably been the best pitcher of any Giants arm in camp and could sneak onto the roster if he continues at this rate.

SF Giants second-year pitcher making a case to crack the Opening Day rotation

Admittedly, it is very early. The calendar just flipped to March. It is way too soon to draw any concrete conclusions throug the first handful of games.

However, Roupp has thrown the ball well so far. Through two scoreless outings, he has recorded eight strikeouts against only one walk in five innings of work. It looks like he has barely broken a sweat so far in either appearance.

The right-handed hurler surprised many when he pitched his way onto the Opening Day roster last year. He was used as a swingman in the early going while finishing the year in the rotation. There was an injury mixed as well.

Roupp looked understandably eager on the mound in the early going. He has generally shown good command of his curveball and sinker in the minors but struggled to locate the latter pitch consistently. The control flashed periods of improvement as the season wore on, but it was not quite as sharp as he has shown in the minors.

Overall, the 26-year-old pitcher tallied a 3.58 ERA in 23 outings last season. This includes a 2.38 ERA in his final 12 outings of the year. It was a strong enough stretch for him to merit serious consideration for this year's rotation.

Roupp also spent a little bit of time with the Sacramento River Cats, appearing in eight games. In total, he threw 76.2 frames split betwen the majors and minors last season. This is an important number for him to build up as he has only thrown more than 100 innings in a season once as a pro.

Whether Roupp is in the majors or the minors, the key will be for him to stay on the mound and get stretched out as a starter. He has flashed a good sinker-curveball combination that can both miss bats and induce groundball contact. The righty pitcher more confidently mixed in a changeup last year, especially against lefties, and throws an occasional slider. Whether it is the changeup or slider, he will need to have at least three pitches to stick in the rotation.

Roupp has made a positive impression so far in spring training. While he would really need to outperform his teammates to make the Opening Day rotation, he is off to a nice start.