San Francisco Giants Competition for No. 5 Starter Spot Still Anybody’s Race

The San Francisco Giants still don't know who their No. 5 starter will be come Opening Day.

Jun 9, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Keaton Winn (67) throws during the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin may have revealed what his Opening Day lineup is going to look like during a Cactus League game last week.

It is still more than two weeks until the Giants get the regular season started against the Cincinnati Reds, but on Mar. 6 against the Chicago White Sox, a preview of what the lineup card for Game 1 could look like was provided.

Melvin had some excitement that day when speaking to the media, eager for them to see how things looked.

The only difference between that Mar. 6 lineup and Opening Day could be who was starting on the mound.

Veteran free agent addition Justin Verlander toed the rubber that afternoon. When San Francisco faces off against the Reds for real, it will be their ace, Logan Webb, getting the start.

Both pitchers are going to be a big part of the team’s game plan on the mound this year, anchoring the staff along with former Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray.

Right now, that trio is going to be joined by Jordan Hicks, who is throwing with a lot of velocity in the spring and looks more prepared to handle the rigors of being a starting pitcher than in years past.

However, who will round out that starting rotation remains undecided.

It is the biggest positional battle that remains in spring training in the opinion of Maria Guardado of MLB.com.

Coming into camp, the perceived favorite was former top prospect Kyle Harrison, who made 24 solid starts as a rookie in 2024.

This spring, however, his velocity is not where the team would like it to be, sitting at 91-92 mph with his fastball. It isn’t something he is worried about, but it could be what costs him the No. 5 spot in the rotation as he has been getting shelled in games.

He has thrown 9.2 innings this spring, surrendering nine hits and one walk, resulting in five earend runs being scored and an ugly 12.27 ERA.

With him struggling, Landen Roupp looked to be taking full advantage and seizing the opportunity.

His first 8.1 innings were magnificent, not allowing a run and striking out 11. But, he was shellacked in his most recent outing against the Chicago Cubs, giving up seven hits and five earned runs across 3.2 innings with three strikeouts.

Those two would seem to be in the lead for now, but don’t count out Hayden Birdsong and Keaton Winn.

Birdsong has been lauded for how effortlessly he can pump in 98 mph pitches. Consistently finding the zone, however, has been a challenge for him at times.

Winn is working his way back from injury and has been great in games, pitching three scoreless innings with five strikeouts, allowing only two hits and one walk.

If he can prove his health and durability to handle a full-time starting role, he could certainly be a dark horse for the No. 5 spot on opening day.

One poor start from Harrison and Roupp won’t take them out of the running, but the race is certainly closer than many originally thought it would be coming into camp.

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