Hayden Birdsong’s historically bad start last night compelled the San Francisco Giants to demote him after the game, and while the move had actually been predictable for a few weeks now — he had a 6.51 ERA / 6.38 FIP in his 6 starts prior — it’s still some bad news for both the player and the team.
Birdsong had the organization dreaming big on him last season and that continued with the new regime. He might not have lost the Mandate of Buster, but the bloom is off the rose. That’s not my opinion that his major league prospects are toast, only that the belief that the team will step back from the belief that they have an ace waiting in the wings with proper development.