Giants pitcher Dereck Rodriguez not a lock for rotation spot

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona - Giants pitcher Dereck Rodriguez could have brought home Rookie of the Year honors in 2018 with a little bit of luck and less competition.

But Rodriguez fell back in the voting thanks to wunderkind National League East outfielders Ronald Acuña Jr. and Juan Soto, plus a late run of dominance from Dodgers ?right-hander Walker Buehler.

Rodriguez’s rookie season still turned heads in San Francisco and beyond.

His 2.81 ERA was the lowest by a Giants rookie since 1952 and his 2.4 victories above replacement tied Madison Bumgarner for the team lead. Rodriguez exceeded everyone’s expectations, including his own.

“I probably set two or three goals last year and I ended up completing a bunch more,” he said. “I always said last year was unbelievable.”

The converted outfielder signed with the Giants as a minor league free agent after the 2017 season with the expectation he would compete for a bullpen job as a non-roster invitee during spring training. Rodriguez had started for much of his minor league career but accepted the new role because he had never advanced past Double-A.

“I wasn’t even supposed to be a starter last year,” Rodriguez said. They told me they wanted me as a bullpen, long relief guy. That’s what I trained my body in the offseason to do last year.”

After an impressive outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks near the end of spring training, former general manager Bobby Evans elected to send Rodriguez to Triple-A to groom him as a starter. The right-hander became the Sacramento River Cats’ most consistent pitcher and by the end of May received his first call to the ?big leagues.

While many Giants players shuttled back and forth between Sacramento and San Francisco last year, Rodriguez never cleaned out his locker at Oracle Park. He was the Giants’ best pitcher for much of the year.

Returning to Triple-A wasn’t a consideration - until the offseason.

New executive Farhan Zaidi revealed at the baseball winter meetings that young starters Andrew Suarez and Rodriguez were not locks for the 2019 rotation.

“If they start in Triple-A as a way to create rotation depth, those are not bad things for us over the course of 162 games,” Zaidi said. “They certainly showed the capability to start in the big leagues on the opening-day roster, but I would view it as a sign of organizational health if we have to make some tough decisions.”

Tough decisions are often unpopular. Barring a disastrous spring from Rodriguez, it’s difficult to imagine the Giants leaving the pitcher off the opening day roster. Rodriguez, 26, does have minor league options, but it’s also possible he could take the No. 2 spot in the rotation behind Bumgarner.

“You see a lot of pitchers and they may not throw 95, but they have great feel,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s a four-pitch guy. He can pitch in all four quadrants. He can get back in the count with any pitch, which is impressive because he’s a converted guy.”

With Bumgarner essentially locked in as the Giants’ first choice, four other rotation spots are being contested. Free-agent signees Derek Holland and Drew Pomeranz have established resumes, whereas Jeff Samardzija is healthy after dealing with shoulder trouble last season and Chris Stratton is out of options.

Bochy said the potential Rodriguez and Suarez displayed last year will factor into the team’s decisions at the end of March. But he has conveyed to both starters that they’ll need to earn their way back into the rotation.

“We have talked about our situation, but you never take anything for granted,” Bochy said. “In this game, you can’t. There are guys coming up and you never stop trying to get better.”

It’s possible the Giants’ overall health is stronger this year. But is the major league roster at its best without Rodriguez? Probably not, but Rodriguez isn’t concerned about having to prove himself again.

The goal this spring hasn’t changed. The pitcher wants to show management he is ready for the challenge despite last year’s success.

“The thing about baseball is those numbers don’t count anymore,” Rodriguez said. “You’ve got to come in here this year as strong and mentally focused to put on a better campaign than last year.”