The SF Giants once thrived on homegrown arms. Now that pipeline is running dry

Known for triumphing behind an elite pitching staff, this iteration of the SF Giants is an offense-first team. They invested big bucks in players with supposedly game-changing bats, and despite a historically slow start to the season, they now rank close to average in almost every offensive category. But that's not nearly enough to offset the deficiencies on the other end.

From a pitching standpoint, they now rank more toward the bottom of the leaderboard. During their championship years, it was their work on the mound that carried them to the mountaintop three times in five years. And the notable thing about a lot of those championship arms is that they were drafted by the Giants. Homegrown talent was absolutely pivotal.

Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Jonathan Sanchez, Brian Wilson, Sergio Romo, and Ryan Vogelsong were all selected in the MLB Draft by San Francisco. While some of them, as first-round picks, were expected to contribute at some point — such as Lincecum, Cain, and Bumgarner, though perhaps not to that extent — others were the result of amazing draft evaluations and/or great developmental work. Diamonds in the rough.

Wilson, a 24th-round pick, posted a spotless ERA in 11 2/3 innings while collecting six saves in 10 postseason appearances in 2010. Sanchez, a 27th-round pick, played a major role in the Giants clinching the NL West on the final day of the 2010 regular season against the San Diego Padres. And Romo, a 28th-round pick, was without a doubt the most durable reliever of that dynasty.

Since then, it's been a different story. Aside from Logan Webb, who was drafted in 2014, no Giants-drafted pitcher has left a notable mark on the franchise. The ones considered part of the future have all hit roadblocks at some point, and whether they'll one day have a real impact remains uncertain.

Here is a table of every pitcher drafted by the Giants since 2015 who has reached the majors.

Giants simply don't draft and develop pitchers the way they used to

Out of those 23 pitchers, nine are currently not signed to an MLB organization and are out of the big leagues. Seven of them are still with the Giants, either on the roster, in Triple-A, or on the injured list. All seven have had their moments with the franchise, but none has emerged as a clear cornerstone of the future.

Landen Roupp's second season as a member of the rotation has been a mixed bag, though his last start was probably the best of his young career. Ryan Walker had a very promising rookie season and recorded 17 saves in 2024, but hasn't been able to reproduce that level of play this season. Hayden Birdsong showed flashes throughout his two seasons in the big leagues before suffering an injury during spring training that cost him the entirety of the ongoing season.

Trevor McDonald was viewed — and still is — as a possible mainstay of that rotation going forward. After appearing in just four games in 2024 and 2025 combined, McDonald finally got his opportunity this season.

His first shot came in the form of a spot start against the San Diego Padres on May 4, and he made the most of it, allowing just one run on two hits in seven innings. McDonald was then sent back to Triple-A before getting called back up a few days later after Webb was placed on the injured list. His performances proved satisfying enough to earn him a spot in the rotation once Webb came back, at the expense of Adrian Houser, who was moved to the bullpen.

Aside from one gem against the Diamondbacks last week, when he threw six scoreless innings and allowed just one hit, his last five starts have raised concerns. Despite that stellar performance, McDonald has posted a 7.97 ERA during that stretch and has failed to pitch through the third inning three times. His last outing against the Blue Jays was a historically bad one. By allowing 11 hits in just 2 2/3 innings, McDonald became just the third Giants pitcher to ever do so, joining Mark Gardner and Gaylord Perry.

When asked whether Houser could be reinserted into the starting rotation, Tony Vitello admitted that he's simply looking for answers.

"Any conversations is open right now to figure out what we gotta do to string together more wins," Vitello said postgame. "He (Houser) has put together some starter outings even though it's been out of the bullpen."

Houser came into the game in the third inning and didn't give up a single hit while allowing just one baserunner over 5 2/3 innings. Houser also made history, but in a good way this time. He became the first Giants reliever since 1971 to throw five hitless innings. Since being stripped of his starter role, the 33-year-old has posted a 1.29 ERA and 0.57 WHIP in 14 innings of relief across four appearances.

Over his 14 starts this season, one major issue kept popping up: he couldn't get left-handed hitters out, with lefties batting .339 with a 1.042 OPS against him. Since moving to the bullpen, Houser has faced 34 lefties — the third-most among all Giants pitchers during that span — and has allowed just three hits (.094) and one extra-base hit. The immediate thought that comes to mind is this: maybe they should use an opener for Houser. Surprisingly enough, the Giants haven't given that strategy a shot. Maybe now is the time.

Tony Vitello mentioned that he was "open to any conversations" regarding his pitching staff. Throwing Houser back into the rotation appears to be the likeliest option, especially knowing that the front office signed him to a two-year, $22 million deal this past winter, but that's not their only possibility. With the trade deadline approaching, this group could go through another shake-up depending on how interested teams are in Robbie Ray and even Tyler Mahle. That's where Carson Whisenhunt enters the conversation.

Whisenhunt, who appears in my table of Giants-drafted pitchers above, has made just one start this season for the big-league club, giving up two runs in five innings against the Braves back in June. But given the direction this season has taken, it might already be time to start holding auditions for next year's rotation. Internal auditions. McDonald was the first to get one. Whisenhunt should get more. Blade Tidwell and Carson Seymour could get one as starters. Even prospects like Joe Whitman, whom they drafted in 2023, or Matt Wilkinson, whom they acquired in the Patrick Bailey trade, could get a shot down the line.

This season appears to be sealed. The way the front office has operated has led us to believe that they've decided to lean on the bats to find success. Whether that's the right strategy or not is debatable. The past showed that it clearly is not.

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