PEORIA, Ariz. -- Hayden Birdsong hoped his spring debut would be a chance for him to turn the page on a disappointing 2025 campaign and start building his case for a spot on the Opening Day roster this year.
But his first Cactus League start ended up being a rough one.
Birdsong faced six batters and recorded only one out in the Giants’ 10-5 win over the Mariners in their Cactus League opener at Peoria Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The 24-year-old right-hander gave up two hits, walked two and surrendered a grand slam to Miles Mastrobuoni, sinking the Giants into a quick 5-0 hole in the bottom of the first inning. Birdsong threw 26 pitches, 14 for strikes, before he was pulled by new manager Tony Vitello.
Birdsong got ahead 0-2 against Victor Robles to lead off the inning, but he gave up an infield single after shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald couldn’t backhand Robles’ grounder to the left side. Birdsong then walked Cole Young on eight pitches before giving up an RBI single to Patrick Wisdom. Another free pass later loaded the bases with one out for Mastrobuoni, who drove a first-pitch fastball out to right field for a grand slam that knocked Birdsong out of the game.
Despite the results, Birdsong said he saw some positives in the short start. He topped out at 98.1 mph and managed to throw his four-seam fastball for strikes, but he didn’t have a good feel for his offspeed pitches, including his changeup and his new cutter/slider.
“There was one win in there: My fastball was in the zone,” Birdsong said. “I’m not upset, but I’m not happy.”
Putting too much stock in Spring Training box scores can be an exercise in futility, but Birdsong’s performance will be worth monitoring in the coming weeks, as he’ll need to prove that he’s past the command issues that derailed his season last year.
Birdsong appeared poised to be a key piece of the pitching staff after logging a 2.31 ERA over his first 11 relief appearances in 2025, but he regressed when he got a chance to move back into the rotation. He posted a 6.17 ERA over 10 starts before he was demoted to Triple-A Sacramento, where he ended up spending the entire second half of the season.
Vitello didn’t get a firsthand look at Birdsong’s uneven year, but he’s watched video of his old starts and believes he’s already seen progress from the young starter this spring.
“The difference, to me, is he kind of has that presence that you like from last year's video,” Vitello said. “Because there was a little bit of a difference at times, just kind of how he looked and how he felt. It’s to be expected for a younger guy. You're trying to find your personality in the big league uniform. I think his personality in college and then in Minor League ball was always having success. But at some point, you get punched in the mouth, and you’ve got to find that consistent image.”
Birdsong focused on making some mechanical tweaks to his delivery over the offseason, but he’s also been working on dialing in his cutter/slider, which he hopes will give him more glove-side movement this year. He said the pitch has been "finicky" up to now, but he’s continued throwing it at the request of new assistant pitching coach Christian Wonders.
“I tried to bang it, and then Christian and them came in and said, ‘Let’s work on it, because I think it will help you out,’” Birdsong said. “I’m in on it. I’ll listen to whatever. I like it. I like the idea of it. I like a pitch that goes that way. We’ll find it. Hopefully it’s really good.”
Birdsong said the Giants haven’t told him whether he’ll be fully built up as a starter this spring, but he said he would be open to pitching in whatever role the club asks of him in 2026. He could be in the mix for a bullpen spot if he regains the form he showed at the beginning of last year, but he also knows the Giants could send him back to Triple-A Sacramento if they feel he still has things to work on.
“Obviously, I’m trying to win a job,” Birdsong said. “I want to throw all of my pitches and try to punch people out and not walk people and whatever. At the same time, I’m working toward the end goal of things. Making the team would be awesome. That’d be great. But I also know, if I don’t make the team, I have more time to kind of work on my stuff and get stuff to where it’s perfect, so whenever I come back up or if I start up, I can have it ready.”