The San Francisco Giants have plenty of questions to answer before the start of the 2027 season. One major one surrounds the starting rotation.
Anthony Molina is doing his best to provide some direction toward that answer.
While Molina is getting a late-season opportunity, he is delivering. On Tuesday evening against the Minnesota Twins , he allowed just two runs on four hits over six innings of work. Ultimately, San Francisco would lose the game 3-2, but Molina made an impression.
He struck out six, walked one and retired the first 10 batters he faced. That was a quality start for him and the first one of his Major League career.
It's hard not to argue that he was almost an afterthought at the trade deadline for the team. Now, at just 24 years old, he has started to make a strong case that more people should be paying attention.
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Anthony Molina Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Molina arrived in San Francisco after a trade with the Atlanta Braves at the deadline in exchange for veteran starter Tyler Mahle .
Molina had spent most of his season with the Triple-A Gwinnett, posting a 3.64 ERA with 56 strikeouts over 54.1 innings. Over his minor league career, he has experienced both starting and relieving, but nothing suggested he might be a future rotation piece.
That certainly has changed.
He now owns a 3.97 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 31 strikeouts and just seven walks over 34 innings since joining the Giants. Tuesday marked his fifth start with the team.
He did log a disastrous outing when he faced the San Diego Padres , and that is hurting his numbers a bit.
During that showing, he allowed seven earned runs over three innings. If you take that away, he has only surrendered five earned runs across 26 innings with the Giants. That's good for a 1.73 ERA.
Manager Tony Vitello has taken notice.
"You take away that one outing, which was just kind of a strange one, he's been nothing but outstanding for us since we got him," Vitello said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle .
San Francisco Giants pitcher Anthony Molina Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The numbers are fun to look at, but it is also important to take note of how Molina is achieving his success.
His breaking pitches have been effective against opposing batters. They are just 2-for-19 against his curveball, slider and sweeper over his last four appearances.
His command numbers are also impressive.
He has walked just seven batters in 34 innings. That's a starting pitcher.
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The locks on the rotation are Logan Webb and Landen Roupp . That seems to be it so far.
Adrian Houser is under contract for 2027, but he's sidelined with a right flexor strain. Hayden Birdsong , Trevor McDonald , and Carson Whisenhunt are all recovering from Tommy John surgery and will likely miss the majority of the 2027 campaign.
Blade Tidwell has now joined a long list of concerns.
Surgery has been recommended after an MRI revealed that he has a moderate-to-high-grade UCL sprain.
That leaves San Francisco with a group of inexperienced candidates, including Molina. Cesar Perdomo, Yunior Marte , Matt "Tugboat" Wilkinson all lead the list.
Surely the team will work to address the rotation issues during the offseason, but if they could find a strong candidate from within, it might make their job quite a bit easier.
Molina hasn't been guaranteed a spot and really, he hasn't even earned it yet. He has had a few encouraging starts during September, and that warrants more attention. It is possible that he has turned the corner and is ready for MLB action.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/giants/onsi as Anthony Molina Making Strong Case for Spot in SF Giants' 2027 Rotation .
