Chris Heston was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on March 20. Last night he threw a no-hitter against the New York Mets - the first of the 2015 MLB season. However, with Matt Cain and Jake Peavy nearing their return to the San Francisco Giants, is Heston's job in the rotation safe?
Prior to his historic outing last night, Heston was 5-4 with a 4.29 ERA in 11 starts for the Giants this season. His first three starts of 2015 were strong, but he's been inconsistent ever since, having accumulated a 3-3 record with a 5.89 ERA up until Tuesday night. He's now 6-4 with a 3.77 ERA in 12 starts.
The 27-year-old has played in only 15 MLB games (13 starts) during his young career and the Giants are in need of more stability in their starting rotation. Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum have been the top performers among the current cast of starters, while Ryan Vogelsong (4.52 ERA) and Tim Hudson (4.41 ERA) have, so far, failed to find their rhythm.
Vogelsong has already been moved to the bullpen for a couple of games and Hudson will probably stay in the rotation because it's his final season and he's been a starter throughout his 17-year career. So assuming Vogelsong is one candidate to be moved to the bullpen, does this mean Heston is the other odd man out?
"Here's the bottom line: Just knowing how the Giants work, if Chris Heston keeps pitching well he's going to stay in the rotation," ESPN Insider Buster Olney said on the Baseball Tonight Podcast. This is a team that dropped its highest-paid player [Barry Zito] out of its rotation and off its roster for the 2010 postseason and, last year, basically buried Tim Lincecum at the back end of their bullpen because he wasn't throwing well. It's about winning in that organization and as long as Chris Heston is winning, he will stay in the rotation."
Fellow ESPN writer David Schoenfield thinks Heston will stay in the rotation and he doesn't think the Giants would hesitate to demote almost any of their veterans.
"I think it's pretty clear the Giants have more than an emergency starter on their hands. Heston looks like a guy who is going to remain in the rotation, and if and when Cain and Peavy get healthy, it's going to be one of the veterans -- Ryan Vogelsong, Tim Lincecum or Hudson -- who first gets bumped."
San Francisco has some time before they'd be faced with such a pressing decision. Peavy is expected to rejoin the Giants in late June and Cain isn't expected back until early July. Both are also among the top-five highest-paid players on the team for 2015 and 2016.
If Heston can maintain consistency through the rest of June, it appears as if he'll be keeping his spot in the rotation, especially after what manager Bruce Bochy said on his behalf last night.
"He's really stepped up and softened the blow of losing a Cain and a [Jake] Peavy," Bochy told Zach Braziller of the New York Post. "I love the way he threw the ball this spring. ... You have to have depth. He really pitched great last year - that's why he got called up."
And that could be the same reason he might stay.