The San Francisco Giants are making significant changes to their pitching rotation. Manager Bob Melvin announced that Hayden Birdsong will start on Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals, marking his first start of the year. In a corresponding move, Jordan Hicks, who has struggled this season with a 6.55 ERA, will transition to the bullpen. Despite Hicks' poor metrics, advanced analytics suggest he may be better than his ERA indicates. Birdsong, on the other hand, has excelled in his relief role, showcasing impressive stats that project him as a key part of the Giants' future rotation.
In 23.1 innings out of the bullpen, Birdsong has been the antithesis of Hicks, with an elite whiff rate, a low groundball rate, a great ERA (2.31), and a poor FIP (4.74).
This started to feel like a very real possibility after Hicks barely made it through two innings on Wednesday, giving up seven hits, one walk, and five runs in a loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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