With the first set of Spring Training games starting tomorrow, the San Francisco Giants needed to put a few things in order. Organizing the rotation order is commonly one of the more important things teams try to figure out. The Giants attempted to set theirs heading into Friday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds, even without the presence of Johnny Cueto, who is away from the organization tending to his ill father. Cueto’s spot behind Opening Day starter, Madison Bumgarner, is set in stone. The remaining three starters could look a little different from last year.
After acquiring the left-handed Matt Moore in the middle of last season, San Francisco used him as their fourth starter. Heading into Spring Training, Moore is slated as the number three starter, which moves Jeff Samardzija to the four spot.
For the case of having the better starter higher in the rotation, the change doesn’t make the most sense. Samardzija had a slightly better year than Moore in 2016. For those in favor of alternating left-handed and right-handed starting pitchers, the move was obvious. Considering the slight difference between Samardzija and Moore, the reordering should be the move everyone is in favor of.
The other change San Francisco made comes directly after Bumgarner makes the start on Friday. Longtime Giant Matt Cain will pitch after Bumgarner. Rookie pitcher Ty Blach will make the start in Cueto’s place. Both Cain and Blach are competing for the final rotation spot.
Unlike the majority of major league teams, the Giants’ starting staff has very few questions needing answers. At the end of the day, San Francisco’s rotation is a strength of theirs. Changing the order won’t have too much affect, but finding out who the fifth starter is will be the more important thing to figure out. Above all, the Giants will have one, if not, the best rotation in all of baseball in 2017.
Harrison Howard covers the San Francisco Giants and Fantasy Baseball as a Staff Writer for OPSN. Follow him on Twitter @harryhoward54.
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