San Francisco Giants: A Small but Potentially Effective Rotation Tweak

The San Francisco Giants have done a makeover to their rotation, but there may be another small way to maximize its effectiveness.

In a very busy offseason, the San Francisco Giants checked off the number one item on their to-do list: upgrading a rotation that was as shoddy and ineffective in 2015 as it has been in years. With the addition of a second ace, Johnny Cueto, and a fresh-armed workhorse, Jeff Samardzija, the Giants’ rotation looks to be a big step above where they were in 2015. Those two pitchers, both of whom surpassed 200 innings last season, join Madison Bumgarner, and should eat innings at a much higher rate than last season. Behind those three are veterans Jake Peavy and Matt Cain, who set up to be the fourth and fifth starters.

One potential tweak the Giants could make in their rotation, which could possibly be another helping hand to their bullpen, is to swap Samardzija’s and Peavy’s spots in the rotation. Rather than having Samardzija as the third starter, placing Peavy in front of Samardzija may be a small, but effective way to maximize the entire pitching staff.

On the surface, this move doesn’t look like it would make much of a difference, but it might be another move that helps the bullpen in the long run. Peavy and Cain are the two Giants’ starters who figure to give the fewest innings, so separating the days between their starts would give the bullpen somewhat of a reprieve between the games with the seemingly heaviest workloads.

More from San Francisco Giants

Bumgarner and Cueto are the easy number one and number two starters. Not only are they the two best starters on the staff, they’re two of the best that baseball has to offer. There’s no question that those two will be the pitchers for games one and two when the season opens. Both average over six innings per start, with Bumgarner getting 20.4 outs per start and Cueto getting 19.8, so neither should be much of a hindrance to the bullpen.

Samardzija is even more of an innings eater than Cueto, as he averaged 20.1 outs per game. Peavy got 17.5 outs, just under six innings worth of work, on a normal day. Cain, the fifth starter, averaged just barely more than five innings per start last year, getting 15.5 outs per game. If that holds as a normal pattern, the bullpen will need to get over nine outs, more than three innings of work on Peavy’s days. They will need to follow up on Cain’s day by getting over 11 outs, being tasked to work just under four innings. Between the two days, the bullpen will be relied on for almost seven innings of work, and likely multiple relievers will need to work consecutive days. Placing Samardzija, for whom the bullpen would need to help with just over two innings of work, between Peavy and Cain would give the bullpen a bit more rest on the fourth day.

More from Golden Gate Sports

Moving Peavy up to the three spot wouldn’t be a deficit to the staff, either. Since joining the Giants on July 26th, 2014, Peavy has been nothing sort of great. In 31 starts with the orange and black, just about a full season’s worth, Peavy has posted a 2.99 ERA and 1.088 WHIP (and a 3.15 ERA and 1.049 WHIP in 2015 if his first two starts, during which he was dealing with back and hip ailments, are wiped out). In the same time frame, Samardzija has posted a 4.50 ERA and 1.214 WHIP, although in 44 starts.

Next: An Early Giants' Opening Day Roster Projection

Ultimately, making a move like this may be inconsequential over the course of the season. It may not be the difference between making and missing the postseason, but it could be a move that helps a bullpen that needed a lot of help last year.

Home/San Francisco Giants