Hayden Birdsong Takes Flight At High-A With Giants
Giants farm director Kyle Haines seemed a bit taken aback when asked what 22-year-old righthander Hayden Birdsong could do to improve.
“Well, from what he’s done at (High-A) Eugene, now is probably not a time to really worry about too much.”
Beginning with a June 29 start at Everett, Birdsong worked exactly five innings in five consecutive outings. In those 25 innings, he allowed three earned runs on 11 hits. He struck out 34 and walked four.
Birdsong had earned a promotion from Low-A San Jose in mid June after putting up a 2.16 ERA in 41.2 innings with 70 strikeouts.
“He’s been absolutely dominant at two levels. He’s done it with big league stuff,” Haines said. “The performance is real. It’s not someone who’s just too advanced for A-ball. The performance is really an indication of the talent level.”
The Giants drafted Birdsong in the sixth round last year even though he had thrown barely 70 innings in two seasons at Eastern Illinois.
“We’ve seen the velo really tick up in his time with us,” Haines said. “He sits 95 (mph) and touches higher than that regularly with a plus breaking ball.”
Listed at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Birdsong possesses the classic frame of an overpowering pitcher.
“When you think about the fastball, the curveball and the changeup mix, it’s plus stuff across the board,” Haines said, adding that Birdsong has a “good frame that can hold his velocity deep into outings.”
Birdsong had some control issues with San Jose, as indicated by a 1.34 WHIP. He improved on that mark with a 0.92 WHIP through his first 36 Northwest League innings.
But that provides Haines with something of an answer to that improvement question.
Haines would like to see Birdsong “continue with the progress he’s made with the strike-throwing . . . He’s got all three pitches. Now, it’s just refining the quality and consistency of the strikes.”
