San Francisco Giants Fifth Starter Choices for 2017
By Tim Boyle
Ty Blach
Ty Blach looks like the frontrunner in the battle to become the Giants’ fifth starter. As inexperienced as he is, Blach is the right mix of affordability and potential. Even if he will pitch this upcoming season as a 26-year-old, he has time to improve. This is quite old for a rookie, but not elderly enough where all hope is lost.
Blach did see limited action with the Giants last year. He made a pair of starts and a slew of relief appearances. In the 17 innings of work, the southpaw allowed just two earned runs. Both came in his first big league start.
It was in Blach’s second MLB start that may have landed him the Giants fifth starter job. He tossed eight shutout innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers while allowing three hits in the final weekend of the season. Any Giants’ rookie who can knock the Dodgers down a peg surely deserves a chance at contributing the next season.
Blach may not have been a top prospect at any point, but his ascent through the minor leagues was pretty impressive. Only a poor year at Triple-A in 2015 slowed him down. An improvement in 2016 at the same level allowed him to debut for the Giants where he was terrific.