San Francisco Giants Mailbag: Rotation, Lineup, Tim Lincecum

Oct 20, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitchers Madison Bumgarner (left), Jake Peavy (22) and Tim Hudson (17) during practice the day before the start of the 2014 World Series at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

In order to clarify, Jennifer told me that she’d like me to discuss the order of the rotation, specifically, not just who will be in the rotation.

Bruce Bochy has confirmed that along with Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Tim Hudson, and Jake Peavy, Lincecum will re-join the starting rotation in 2015, after being removed from the rotation in 2014. This means that Yusmeiro Petit will remain the Giants’ long reliever, a role which he excels at, and Ryan Vogelsong will also pitch out of the bullpen this year.

Now that we know who’s in the rotation, let’s discuss the order, as Jennifer asked.

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It’s pretty obvious who will be the number one pitcher in the Giants’ rotation. Bumgarner, Sports Illustrated’s reigning Sportsman of the Year, the 2014 AP Male Athlete of the Year, and World Series hero, is the ace of this pitching staff, and he is the obvious choice to lead the rotation at the number one spot.

Next up is the horse. Cain should pitch out of the second spot of the rotation, and he is a solid number two pitcher. On some other teams, he could be the ace of pitching staff, and he was the ace for the Giants before Bumgarner emerged as a total stud. Cain is making great progress after having surgery on his right elbow in August of 2014 and is expected to be fully healthy and ready by Opening Day. It would be extremely beneficial to the Giants if Cain can stay healthy in 2015.

The third spot in the rotation will most likely go to Peavy, who struggled in the postseason, but he finished the 2014 regular season season strong and really helped propel the Giants into the playoffs. Peavy has experience and is comfortable in the National League West, and he would fit in well in the third spot in the rotation.

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The fourth spot in the rotation will most likely to Hudson, who is coming off offseason surgery to remove bone chips from his right ankle. Hudson is a little behind the other starters because of his recovery from surgery, but he will most likely be ready when the regular season starts. Hudson had an electric start to the 2014 season but started to struggle later on in the season with a couple nagging injuries. The key for Hudson is to stay healthy.

The fifth spot in the rotation will go to Lincecum, for now. Bochy has proclaimed Lincecum as the fifth starter, but with both Petit and Vogelsong in the bullpen, Lincecum will have a short leash. He could start out the season as the primary fifth starter, but if continues to struggle with staying effective and consistent, Bochy could easily replace him. The pressure is on for Lincecum.

Bochy did say yesterday though that he’s considered putting Cain between Hudson and Peavy in the rotation, because Hudson and Peavy are similar pitchers in style. Therefore, Bochy could go with a rotation something like: Bumgarner, Peavy, Cain, Hudson, and Lincecum.

Next: Giants' Starting Lineup in 2015