San Francisco Giants: Why Sending Down Michael Kickham Will Backfire on Them

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Michael Kickham’s MLB debut started off well. Then, Derek Norris hit a demoralizing home run, and Kickham fell apart.

Kickham, who was called up by the San Francisco Giants on Monday, May 27 to replace injured hurler Ryan Vogelsong, went 2.1 innings and surrendered four earned runs, taking the loss against the Oakland A’s.

Despite retiring the first four batters he faced and throwing a mere nine pitches in the first inning, Kickham was taken out early, as he lost his command and paid for it. Oakland hit him hard in the second and third innings, and it picked up a fairly easy win as a result.

While Kickham’s start didn’t go well overall, most thought the Giants would give him more chances. Instead, the Giants’ brass shockingly decided to send Kickham back to Fresno.

With Kickham’s career off on the wrong foot, it’s likely that people will start questioning the Giants’ brass for sending Kickham down after just one start. He didn’t throw the ball well, but he showed flashes of potential.

With a plethora of inexperienced options and one long reliever on the table for the team, it’s a bit perplexing that the front office had Kickham on such a short leash. However, it has made lots of good decisions lately, and it could be right with this one.

Let’s take a look at whether Kickham deserved to get sent down.