San Francisco Giants Prospect Has Highest Rated Pitch of Any Prospect

The San Francisco Giants youngster has thrown well in the early stages of his MLB career.

Aug 11, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Hayden Birdsong (60) pitches the ball against the Detroit Tigers during the third inning at Oracle Park. / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants have had to call on some of their younger players to make an impact throughout the past few months, as their pitching staff has taken a major hit in terms of injuries. From their starting rotation to the bullpen, the Giants haven't had the fortune of staying healthy for much of the campaign.

One of those pitchers is Hayden Birdsong, a 22-year-old right-hander. He made his debut in 2024 for San Francisco, debuting on June 26. He's been up at the big league level since, appearing in nine games over 41 1/3 innings. 

He hasn't been bad by any means, but the hope was for him to be better. He currently owns a 5.01 ERA and 1.38 WHIP, but he's struck out 49 hitters.

Given his age, it's tough to ask for too much out of him. However, he's shown that he has the ability to be an above-average arm at some point in his career, which is all the Giants can ask for. If he continues to grow, this is the perfect time for him to get the experience he needs.

Not only does he have an opportunity to pitch against some of the best hitters in baseball, but he also gets to see what it's like to be in the middle of a playoff push. 

Evaluators around the industry are also impressed with what he's done on the mound. In fact, Jim Callis of MLB.com believes he has the best curveball out of any prospect in baseball. Callis ranked the top tools in baseball, listing Birdsong as the prospect with the best curveball.

"Birdsong barely registered on the scouting radar at Lake Land (Ill.) CC and Eastern Illinois, but he went from the sixth round of the 2022 Draft to San Francisco in less than two years. 

"No pitcher in the Majors who has had as many plate appearances end with a curveball has a higher run value per 100 curves than Birdsong's 2.7. His bender combines power (80-83 mph) with downer shape coming out of a high arm slot."

He throws his curveball 22.1% of the time, according to Baseball Savant. Factor in that above-average curveball with a 96 MPH fastball, and it's easy to see why he might be able to make an impact at a very high level in the near future.

San Francisco will need him to do just that, as they could use another key rotation arm for a cheap price moving forward.