The competition for the final SF Giants rotation spot is fully underway

Kyle Harrison made his 2025 Cactus League debut on Friday after being delayed by a week due to an illness. He now joins Hayden Birdsong and Landen Roupp as among the young starting pitchers competing for the final rotation spot.

The competition for the final SF Giants rotation spot is fully underway

Harrison threw two scoreless innings with three strikeouts in Friday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. His fastball sat in the low 90's, but he was able to mix in his changeup and slurve as well.

We are only one week into the Cactus League, but there are not many Giants pitchers who have thrown better than Harrison, Birdsong, and Roupp so far. If it continues, it will be an exciting competition to watch.

All three pitchers will likely run into a tough outing or two. Throwing in the Cactus League is usually a tough assignment due to the higher elevation, fast infields, and hot climate. Breaking pitches do not always break as sharply, and the ball tends to carry a little better.

Barring an injury, you can pencil in the first four rotation spots with Logan Webb, Justin Verlander, Robbie Ray, and Jordan Hicks. That final spot is up for grabs.

I might be reading between the lines too much but it does feel like the Giants want Harrison to take that final rotation spot but spring training performance may determine who eventually gets that role to start the year. For the pitchers who do not, there will still be plenty of opportunities to start throughout the year. The rotation is usually a pretty fluid area on every roster. The one that begins the year usually looks a little different than the one that finishes.

Harrison is coming off of a mixed season. He tallied a 4.56 ERA, 4.33 FIP, 1.34 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, and 2.81 SO/W rate in 24 starts. The good news was that he mixed in his changeup and slurve more confidently as the season progressed, showed some improvement in control, and reached a new career-high in innings pitched.

The bad news was that his four-seam fastball velocity wavered later in the year and his strikeout numbers were down. The decline in fastball velocity could be attributed to an ankle sprain he sustained midway through the year.

On the other hand, Hayden Birdsong had no problem maintaining his velocity as his fastball often reached the high 90's. He flashed a solid pitch mix, including a curveball, changeup, and slider. In particular, the curveball was a reliable offering, as opposing hitters tallied a .145 batting average against it in 2024.

Similar to Harrison, Birdsong was able to build up his arm strength. His control needs to show improvement, but he proved that he can get major league hitters to swing and miss at a pretty high rate. That is a skill that not many starters truly have.

Then, there is Landen Roupp. He took advantage of his chances to throw out of the rotation last year as he posted a 2.38 ERA in his final 12 outings. The righty pitcher has arguably been the best pitcher in Giants camp so far.

Roupp does have a lower innings threshold than Harrison and Birdsong as he has battled injuries in the past couple of years. The key for him will be to get stretched as a starter whether that is in the majors or minors. The same could be said for any of the Giants' young pitchers, but this feels especially true for Roupp, whose single-season high is 107.1 innings as a pro.

The Giants do have a lot of other starters in camp as well. Trevor McDonald and Mason Black are on the outside of this competition. Carson Whisenhunt, Carson Ragsdale, and Carson Seymour will all likely begin the year in Triple-A. That could form a pretty good rotation in Triple-A. These assignments will be settled in a few weeks, but for now, the competition for that final rotation spot can really begin.