Breaking Down the San Francisco Giants' 2024 Starting Rotation Ahead of Opening Day
The San Francisco Giants completely reshaped their starting rotation by adding Blake Snell, Jordan Hicks and Robbie Ray in what turned out to be an eventful winter.
The 2024 MLB regular season is about to begin, and that means it's time for every club to lock down its top five starting pitchers.
The San Francisco Giants went out and had a total blockbuster offseason this winter, adding several elite pitchers to a group that desperately needed reinforcements. Now, between Logan Webb and Blake Snell, the Giants boast the top-two finishers in last year's NL Cy Young race, plus a handful of former top prospects and established veterans.
Here is a quick preview of how San Francisco's starting pitching will look in 2024:
1. Logan Webb, RHP
2023 Stats: 11-13, 3.25 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 8.1 K/9, 4.9 WAR
2024 Projections: 13-11, 3.50 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 8.1 K/9, 4.1 WAR
Webb has slowly been emerging as an ace over the past few seasons, but 2023 was truly his coming out party. The 27-year-old righty has posted an ERA of 3.25 of lower in three consecutive seasons, and there's no reason to think he can't do the same in 2024.
2. Kyle Harrison, LHP
2023 Stats: 1-1, 4.15 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, -0.1 WAR
2024 Projections: 9-10, 4.10 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 10.0 K/9, 1.7 WAR
Harrison, after a decent debut showing in 2023, is a top 25 prospect in baseball and expected to be a serious contender for NL Rookie of the Year in 2024. The southpaw had a few rough starts as he was getting settled against big league batters last year, but with more experience under his belt, he should be able to smooth things out and get more swings and misses this time around.
3. Jordan Hicks, RHP
2023 Stats: 3-9, 3.29 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 11.1 K/9, 1.1 WAR (STL/TOR)
2024 Projections: 9-8, 3.66 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 9.8 K/9, 1.9 WAR
It took a while for Hicks to return to form after he opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19, but he started to approach shutdown status as a late-inning reliever once again in 2023. Both the St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays utilized Hicks as a setup man and closer, while the Giants are rolling the dice and trying the 27-year-old out as a full-time starter. Based on how solid Hicks has been in Spring Training, that seems like it was the right call.
4. Keaton Winn, RHP
2023 Stats: 1-3, 4.68 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 7.4 K/9, 0.2 WAR
2024 Projections: 5-5, 4.03 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 7.8 K/9, 0.8 WAR
The Giants have another potentially high-level rookie in Winn, who also got a bit of run down the stretch in 2023. Winn may not have the same hype that Harrison does, and he is probably the pitcher most likely to lose his spot in the rotation once other veterans get healthy, but he is an intriguing arm nonetheless.
5. Blake Snell, LHP
2023 Stats: 14-9, 2.25 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 11.7 K/9, 4.1 WAR (SDP)
2024 Projections: 11-9, 3.53 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 11.4 K/9, 3.0 WAR
Make no mistake – Snell is the ace of the Giants' staff, even if he won't be ready in time for Opening Day. The two-time Cy Young winner hung around in free agency longer than expected and hasn't fully ramped things up just yet, but once he does, he is poised to be among the top arms in baseball yet again.
Alex Cobb, who has been a steady option for the Giants the past two years, will miss the first few weeks with a hip injury. San Francisco also traded for former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray, who could be out until the All-Star break as he bounces back from Tommy John surgery last spring.
Once Cobb and Ray enter the fold, the Giants will have as much depth and experience on their pitching staff as anyone else in baseball.
All 2024 projections are compiled using FanGraphs' Steamer model.
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