SAN FRANCISCO -- A year ago, Landen Roupp pitched his way onto the Opening Day roster. This spring, he pitched his way into the rotation.
Manager Bob Melvin revealed Monday that Roupp was the surprise winner of a spirited competition for the fifth starter spot. He edged out Hayden Birdsong, who will make his first Opening Day roster but will begin the season as a reliever.
"We saw it last year, especially at the end, he's a pretty determined young man," Melvin said of Roupp. "Both of them had great springs so really we could go either way with it. Both of them are kind of made to be starters, but I think [Roupp] pitched a little bit more towards the end [of the spring]. Yesterday, [Birdsong] had a cracked nail that kind of affected stretching him out. That's how we'll proceed."
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Left-hander Kyle Harrison entered camp as the favorite to fill out the rotation, but the Giants determined pretty early on that it would be a two-horse race. Harrison spent most of the offseason rehabbing an inflamed shoulder and lost significant weight just before camp because of a virus. Roupp and Birdsong were neck and neck all spring, and both threw well enough to lock up a rotation spot.
Roupp pitched 22 innings across Cactus League games, minor league games and the exhibition in Sacramento on Sunday night. He posted a 2.45 ERA, and five of his six earned runs all spring came during one poor performance in early March. Roupp struck out 35 in those 22 innings, with just five walks. On Sunday, he allowed one hit to the River Cats and struck out eight in five innings.
Birdsong followed Roupp on Sunday, but a cracked nail on his middle finger limited him to one-third of an inning. Overall, he had a 3.68 ERA in the spring with 21 strikeouts to three walks in 14 2/3 innings. Birdsong said he wasn't concerned about the nail and that it happens to him often. He'll be ready to go on Thursday in Cincinnati if needed.
The Giants are close to setting their entire roster. Roupp joins Logan Webb, Justin Verlander, Robbie Ray and Jordan Hicks in the rotation. Birdsong joins Ryan Walker, Tyler Rogers, Camilo Doval and Erik Miller as bullpen locks, and the Giants seem poised to round that group out with Randy Rodriguez, Lou Trivino and Spencer Bivens. Joel Peguero is also in camp and is trying to crack that initial bullpen after a huge spring.
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On the position player side, Sam Huff will be the backup catcher and Luis Matos likely will be the fourth outfielder and get some DH at-bats. The Giants still are trying to finalize their bench, with Brett Wisely, Casey Schmitt, Grant McCray, David Villar and Christian Koss in the mix. Koss, in particular, has made a strong push lately to be a backup infielder.
The most interesting competition in camp, though, was with the rotation. Roupp wasn't supposed to make the initial roster last year, but he was too good in the spring to be left out. He had a 3.58 ERA as a rookie and looked comfortable in four starts at the end of the 2024 MLB season.
Birdsong is the one who now will have to adjust, but the Giants are confident they can keep him stretched out. The hope is that they can find multi-inning outings for him early in the season, and given the rhythms of 162 games, it's a lock that Birdsong will be in the rotation at some point.
Melvin said that at the start of the season, the front office and staff wanted to reward both young pitchers and go "with what we feel is our best" roster. That means a rotation slot for Roupp, a serious worker who nearly kept his emotions in check when Melvin delivered the news.
"He was pretty stoic. I think I saw a little hint of a smile," Melvin said. "That's kind of the way he is."
